The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-09-30
OVERCONFIDENCE,

ilyRconsisted of husband, wife and two
children, the latter being boy aged five
and girl Of seven. Mitchell was pri-
vate banker, known to be honest, re-
spectacle and worth clear 300, 200. l
knew little or nothing about the family
until certain incidents occurred. One
day his wife was fatally injured tn q
railroad collision alta point about fifty
miles from '>home. When he reached
her, in response to telegram sent by
Stranger, he found she had been removed
to hotel and was being tenderly cared
for by woman who gave her name as
Mrs A. b. Gray, of Philadelphia She
was on the train, but suffered no injury.
Mrs. Gray, as might as well tell you
now, was petite, good looking, good
talker, and in general way captiva-
ting. The fact of her taking charge of
Mrs. Mitchell as she had done proved
her tender heart. She told Mr.. Mitchell
she had been u widow eighteen months
and was practically alone in the world,
and though he was burdened with grief
and anxiety, he did not forget to thank
her for her great kindness and to take
her address. She resumed her journey,
and he took his wife home to die Of her
injuries. 1t was three weeks after her
death that came into the case. After
everything was over the husband sud-
denly discovered that his dead wife's
jewelry was missing She had with her
when the accident took place about
$1,000 worth of diamonds. They had
disappeared, and when he came to run
over events in his mind he could not re-
member that they had come home with
her. Mrs. Gray had turned over to him
Mrs. Mitchell's purse and few other
things. but pair of diamond eardrops,
two rings and pin were missing.
was employed to proceed to the scene
of the late accident and seek to trace the
jewelry. The collision had occurred
right at the depot in small town. Peo-
pie ABOUT the depot and the hotel assured
me that MIS-. Mitchell had her jewelry
on when taken to the hotel. The land
lords wife was positive, and the doctor
who was called in was positive, and
when l had worked the case out re-
turned home to report to Mitchell that
nobody but Mrs. Gray could have taken
the jewelry. He was astonished and in
dlgnant. and not only vigorously re-
pudiated the implication, but discharged
me from the case with the assertion that
was novice in the profession.
went about other business, and it
was about four months before I saw
Mitchell again. Then he sent for me in
an official capacity again. No reference
was made to my previous work, but
fresher and other troubles had come to
A y, Il
wife he had opened correspondence with
Mrs. Gray, and the result was that she
had come to take charge of his house.
He was without relatives. or at least
without those who could aid him in his
situation, and she claimed to be free in
her movements. You will suspect Just
as did, that she had captivated him,
but he fought shy Of any 'acknowledg-
ment Of the sort.
haven't told you about the bank. 1t
was situated just a square from his
house and exactly in the rear Of It. The
house fronted on one street and the bank
on another. and there was no alley be-
tween. Indeed the rear yard of. the
house led right up to the rear door of
the bank, and Mitchell used to come up
and go through the yard. In the rear
OF the banking rooms, divided off by the
usual railing, were the private offices
and the vault. a burglar alarm was
connected with the front doors and win
dows, but none with the back. A large
and savage dog guarded the rear, having
kennel close to the door.
What tho banker wanted to see me
about was this: He had not only missed
money from his wallet at night, but on
two occasions considerable sums of
money had been taken from q small safe
which stood i'll his office outside tho
vault One Of the mysteries was in the
taking of the money. He employed o
teller and u bookkeeper, neither Of whom
had q key to safe or vault, unless it was
duplicate made without his knowledge.
Neither had the word of th$ combina-
ton Of the vault, and it seemed impossi-
BILE that they could have taken the
money, even If so inclined. Both were
perfectly honest, so far rs any one knew,
md Mitchell was all tangled up over
the mystery.
He hadn't talked to me five minutes
when I would have taken my solemn
oath that Mrs Gray was the guilty
party, but Of course didn't drop hint
Of my suspicious to him. She was shy,
prudent and apparently all right, and /
had put in month on the case. and
made no discovery when the outside
safe was robbed again. A deposit and
some bonds had come in at the last mo-
ment and had been placed there for the
night. The whole thing amounted to
about 5000, and bonds and greenbacks
were missing next morning. The safe
had not only been opened with key,
but the bank had been entered by I'M
1OplyiDu fba raor ,1oor NJ ono ,o,,1J