Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-03-06
THE UP STAIRS TENANT.

private DaDk IN a town IN MISSOURI. luo
'tVenango" part of the title had been in
herited from another bank, which had gone
into liquidation years before, and referred
to some land speculation in connection
with banking
Our building was plain two story brick,
standing at corner, and the interior was
plainly furnished, as was the rule ia those
days.
1t was simply long room divided by a
railing in the center. Behind the railing
were our desks, and at the rear end was
the vault. The second floor was scarcely
more intricate.
There was front room and two rear
rooms, with hall the length of these lat
ter. One room was exactly over the vault,
and this leads me to tell you how the vault
was built. It was of brick, and two feet
thick, and at the top the joists of the sec
Ond floor were covered with boiler plates.
The spaces between the joists were filled in
with cement. On top of the second floor
joists, before laying the floor, we laid other
plates Of iron, and when the bank was
opened for business we had little fear Of
our cash being stolen by any tenant of the
up stairs rooms.
The idea was to rent the rooms to law
yers or doctors, but the first caller decided
to take all three, and to pay one years rent
in advance. Ue was Il stranger to all, but
gave his name as Samuel Goldwaithe, and
explained that he was an inventor, and
was then seeking to perfect certain tools
for the use of miners. One of his ideas was
drill to be worked by turning wheel.
The man had o frank, open face, a smooth
tongue, and when he offered to put down
whole years rent in advance it would not
have been business to keep him out. While
Mr.. Desnoyers, my partner, was perfectly
satisfied as to our up stairs man, Twas not
There wasn't the slightest reason to sus-
pect that he was not what he claimed to
be, or that he had any designs against US,
but somehow felt myself suspecting him
from the first moment / saw his face. He
hadn't got settled in his rooms when
planned that he would enter our vault by
way of the back room, OF at least make an
attempt to do so, and this idea was never
out of my mind thereafter. was laughed
at by my partner, but this only made me
the more obstinate in clinging to my idea.
Goldwaithe furnished the front room as
a reception room and Office, the second as
bedroom and the third as his workshop.
Exactly over the vault he had a carpenter
put up heavy framework of beams, and
among the stuff moved in were chisels,
hammers, augurs, bits, drills, files, saws
and many other carpenters and mechan-
| ics' TOOLS l could say nothing, as he made
use of all these as an inventor, but my sus-
| picions regarding his final object were con
tinually strengthened.
For three months our man up stairs
| scarcely entered the bank below or spoke
| to one of us, except as met him at the
" l. Id II
quiet and easy spoken that everybody had
| a good word for him, and he invited many
of the townspeople to visit his rooms and
examine his work. At the end of six
months he was universally liked and re-
spected, and if he had wanted a couple of
hundred dollars at our bank dozen bust
ness men would have backed his note.
While | had become ashamed to longer
mention my suspicious, they had by no
means left me. We had no Waterman, and
the safe in the vault was one of the old
pattern which was neither fire nor burglar
proof My chief dependence was on the
strength of the vault. I made all sorts Of
estimates, but finally decided that Gold
waithe could not cut his way down into
the vault and open the safe in less than
twelve hours at the very least. The tools
and appliances of that day were very crude
compared to the modern.
The man up stairs had been with us half
year, and no one could find the least fault
with his conduct, when he seemed to make
a special effort to win my friendship. Up
to this time he had passed the evenings in
his rooms. Without saying word to my
partner I had passed my evenings in the
| bank, never leaving until about 10 o'clock.
| 1 did this to shorten Goldwaithe's time,
| providing he intended to enter the vault.
| was always at the bank at half-past z in
| the morning, and this would give him only
| nine and half hours to work, where I had
| figured it would take him twelve.
| One evening something was said about
| cards, and he SO managed it that invited
| him up to my room in the hotel to play a
| few games. AS long as he was there [ ap-
| pretended no danger, and SO it finally came
| about that we used to spend almost every
evening in company. Sometimes 1 went
| to his room, and sometimes he went tC
mine, and he never exhibited the slightest
| curiosity regarding our business in the
bank. One evening he did not leave me
until II o'clock. Next day Desnoyers said
"Our man up stairs has been away, eh?'
| mo"
'But met him as he came from the de-
| pot last night at 10 o'clock"
"You are mistaken. He was in my room
until H."
"Is that so? Why, I met man whe
looked exactly like him. He was carrying
a sachel, headed for the bank, and ] am
sure he went up the stairway"
This statement puzzled and annoyed me-
and kept my suspicious active. Knowing
that Goldwaithe was with me at the houl
| r 10 boJ;
mistaken, but yet there was something
about the case did not like. About foul
| weeks later, one morning as I opened the
| bank, the ticket agent at the depot cams
| along on his way to breakfast. A train
passed at 6 O'clock. and he was obliged te
be there.
"Lost your inventora" he asked as he
came up.
''How-what?"
"Why, Goldwaithe. He went off on the
train this morning, and as he had a sache
with him, didn't know but he was going
for good. Bought ticket for St. Louis"
AS Goldwaithe had been with me up tc
! IL O'Clock of the night before, and had said
nothing of going away, was puzzled
| This state of mind was increased an houl
| later when I saw him in the bank.
started to ask for an explanation, but on
second thought concluded not to. That
evening saw the ticket agent and asked;
"Are you sure you saw Goldwaithe &C
SWAY this morningf''
"Perfecily sure. Whyf"
"Becau se he didn't so. He came into
the bank an hour after ] saw you this
morning"
''Great heavens man, but sold him his
ticket and passed the time of day with him
| You must be mistaken"
But | satisfied him that was not, and
then both of us were puzzled. About two
weeks later I made an excuse to get into
the back room up stairs. found piece
of machinery mounted on the wooden
frame, and though ! asked no questions
and Goldwaithe volunteered no inforE.a
! ton felt positive that it was drill which
was to be worked by turning a handle. As
told you before, so long as had the mar
under my eye did not fear for the vault
If he was with nae evenings cared not
what he did daytimes
Two or three weeks after the incident
related above l had four hand card party
in my room, and Goldwaithe was one O.
the quartet. At 9 o'clock 1 was eal}ee
down stairs by the ticket agent, who said;
wont f> Epow xuhatbnr baua cpaY