Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-04-25
THE BANK ROBBERY.
Exciting Incidents Of the Loss and
Recovery of the Money.


was the discovery made by Mr.. Ebe-
nezer Grubb. late one Saturday night,
and the information was obtained in
this wise: Frank jackson, a junior
clerk, who lodged on the. opposite side.
of the street. a little distance down,
was sitting that evening at his, win
dow. He fingered over a quiet pipe,
listlessly Watching the passers-by. and
dusk crept on unnoticed by him. He
was about to draw the blinds and light
the gas, when two men passed on the
other side, one of them pausing and
booking up toward his window, while
the other went on to the bank and
knocked at the private door. The
young mans curiosity was aroused
upon seeing the one who remained enter
a doorway, as if for concealment; SO,
standing behind curtain, he watched
them.
The dull. gray front of the bank was
lit by a street-lamp. and as the man
who knocked turned round while
waiting. jackson recognized Mark
Seeley. the senior cashier. After a
little delay the door was opened by
the resident porter, and he and
Seeley entered the building. In a min
ute or two they came out again, and
the porter went toward a cross street.
while the cashier stood at the door.
apparently awaiting his return. How
ever, no sooner had the man turned a
corner than Seeley again went in, and
his companion hurried toward the
bank. AS the lamplight fell upon him,
Frank recognized another - of the
clerks. an intimate of Seeley's, named
Williams. They reappeared in two Or
three minutes. and Williams carrying
in each hand small Gladstone bag,
hastened down by street, and was
out of sight before the porter return
ed. Then, after a minute, the cashier
took the same direction. r~
jackson was puzzled to explain
these movements, especially as Will
Jams had couple of days leave and
was supposed to be far from Oretown.
Seeley was a high and well-paid Off
Ger. possessing the entire confidence of
his employers. Frank sometimes
thought that confidence misplaced At
all events he had reason to believe that
both men speculated in stocks-a
practice which the partners strictly
forbade to their staff
It was only a few days before that
one of the clerks. CHANGING through an
evening paper. cried: Halo! Eel Do
radios are gone down to nothing. the
affair is complete smash! BY Jove!
1 know a fellow who had some of
them" jackson noticed Seeley turn
white; the hand that held the pen
shook. and he turned round to speak
in a whisper to Williams. who listened
with a dazed look on his face.
Frank felt uneasy. He knew moth
ing certain, and it was an unpleasant
task to mention his suspicious to his
employers; however. he determined te
do SO, and at once set off to seek Mr..
Ebenezer Grubb.
Hardly knowing what result to hope
for; dreading Mr.. Grubb's annoyance
on the one hand, if his suspicious
were wrong. and fearing robbery or
the other. Frank accompanied the
principal to the bank. Mr.. Ebenezel
walked straight to the strong-room
and opened it with his private KEYS
and then throwing open the chest in
which the cash was kept. proceeded
to examine its contents. A gas-jet
just above them threw a bright light
into the recesses of the safe. an6
showed the banker some parcels O.
bonds. a small pile of silver and cop
per. and nothing more.
The chief clerk, an old man, who, a.
well as the porter. lived on the prem
iscs, was by this time on the spot, an(
held open q cash book. -, s----.i
There should be there he said. il
an agitated voice, in reply to Mr.
Grubb's question. .'thirty-one thous
and, six hundred and seventeen pounds
eight shillings and nine-pence-r
There was no sign of force havin,
been used; and the chief clerk pro
duced his key, which he averred ha'
not left his hands since the safe wa
locked that afternoon. when the none
was certainly there. Mr.. Seeley ofte
borrowed it during business hours