Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-02-18
PLUNDERiNG A SAFE.
A Sleep-Walking Merchant Caught In His
Own Trap.

| PLUNDERING A SAFE.
A Sleep Walking Merchant Caught In His
| Own Trap.
I was clerk to Mr.. Parkman-con-
| fidential clerk-and knew as much of
| the business as he did. He was an
old bachelor, and lived in the rooms
over the contingencies. His servant
was fellow about forty years old, ma
tive of Africa, and so black that ebony
was nothing to him. I never liked
him, but Mr. Parkman thought him a
treasure. His name was Scipio. He
always dressed in white, too, winter or
summer. 1 don't really think that my
dislike begun until the day Mr.. Park
man missed the first money from the
safe. That was in winter, about
| the end of December. 1 had locked
the money up the night before, in
Mr.. Parkman's presence. 1t was a
| payment made just as we were about to
close-not great sum, only hundred
! dollars. Only Mr.. Parkman and I
knew the combinations of the lock.
| Yet when came in the morning it was
gone.
1 confess that my mind flew at once
| to Scipio, ventured to hint this to Mr..
| Parkman, but l thought he would have
knocked me down for the suggestion.
''Scipio would die for me-" he said.
81 should be more apt to suspect that
fy-away young Robinson of ours
Robinson was a young fellow OF
twentv-six. Mr. Parkman was about
fifty. He had taken Robinson into his
employment on the recommendation Of
the silent partner of the firm, Mr., Cakes.
He would have been glad of some decent
excuse to be rid of him, though the
young man did his duty so well that no
one could find fault with him and was
so polite that he could not be quarreled
with.
Miss Merivale couldn't help liking
him best, / should think, and both
wanted her. Fathers generally go with
the money-bags; but, naturally enough,
Mr.. Parkman disliked Robinson very
much. When a man has such reason
for disliking another he's not likely to
show it openly. He tried to hide it; but
I saw it plainly.
Six months after fifty dollars went in
the same mysterious manner. A little
while more much larger sum, and, at
last, one night, great package of
bonds, worth twenty thousand dollars.
Mr.. Parkman had set detectives on the
watch before. He did it again; but they
could discover nothing. They decided
that Scipio was as ignorant of the
proper means of opening the safe as a
monkey. / made up my mind that he
knew all about it, but though I tried to
catch him he baffled me. Mr.. Parkman
swore he would find the rascal if he were
above ground, and abused the detectives
for their stupidity. At last, one day, he
called me into his private office, and
| opening a square box, showed me some
thing that puzzled me.
'.It's thief trap" said Mr.. Park
man. ''Let the thief get his hand into
this and he'll never get it loose again
without help: 1t will spoil his beauty,
too, l fancy"
| Then he locked the horrible box again,
and told me that he should put it in the
safe that night.
Remember" said he, mot word
to any one"
slept soundly until about one o'clock
in the morning, when l was awakened
by terrible explosion.
! l started to my feet in an instant, but
at first I could not remember where I
was. When did, however, guessed
at once that the sound had heard came
from the office where the safe stood,
and that the thief had been caught at
last in the internal machine. hurried
| on nv clothes, rushed to Mr.. Parkman' 8
room and found his bed empty, and, ex-
pecting I know not what horror, made
my way to the Office.
| A man had been caught in the trap,
but it was not Scipio. That poor fell
low, bowling and wringing his hands,
stood staring over my shoulder.
The man at the safe was dressed
| in his night-clothes. He had
sunk down upon his knees, and blood
was streaming over his body. A mo-
ment more, and / bent over him, and
saw Mr.. Parkman himself. He was not
mortally wounded, and the first words
he said to me as he came to were these:
s.Hubbel, don't tell any one what a
fool I've been I used to walk in my
sleep when I was boy. forgot that.
I must have taken to it again.
All the missing money, as well as the
bonds, were found in an old hair trunk
in the attic. Mr. Parkman said he was
thinking about that trunk when he felt
his hand gripped and heard the ex-
plosion, as he had felt and heard things
in dreams; and when he recovered,
which was not for many months. Robin
son and Miss Merivale were married. /
must say Mr.. Parkman came out bright
lust then. was proud of him. He
sent the young pair set of silver with
his complimentary Y. Meas.