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

then slip through the back yard, enter
the bank and open the safe. When /
learned that the dog was great favor
lite Of hers this belief was certainty.
couldn't, for reasons already given, say
word to Mitchell about this. He want
ed to suspect his two employees, but
when he had canvassed the matter he
was made to see that it was altogether
unlikely that either Sf them was guilty
Indeed he was alone'in the bank when
the bonds and money came in, and he
alone knew where the deposit was
placed.
What did do2 turned to Mrs. Gray
again, and in about week something
happened to prove that was on the
right trail. One of the street car lines
Of the town ran down to the railroad
depot. 1t was Mrs. Gray's habit Of ar
afternoon to ride ON this line with the
little girl as far down as a certain park,
and to sit near the fountain and read
while the girl rompedsabout with other
children. l had closely watched her
while in this park, but no one had ever
come near her and her demeanor had.
been perfection.
On the third afternoon after the rob
berry she occupied her usual seat for an
hour without anything happening.
sat on o bench in tho rear Of her and
about thirty feet awSy, and by and by
noticed that she was writing a anote
with pencil. She did it 30 deity that
one sitting in front of her could not have
told what she was at Beside her was
large shade tree, and as near as could
make out she disposed of the note, whdn
folded mp, somewhere about the tree
When she left followed her for short
distance, and looking back l saw q
young and well dressed man occupying
the place vncated by her. An hour
later, when could examine the tree, l
found hollow in the trunk rust about
on line with her shoulders as she sat
on the bench. One not looking for it
would have sat there fifty times and dis
covered nothing.
My theory was that she had an ac-
complete the young man whom had
seen. The hollow in the tree was their
postofice. Next day was at the park
half an hour before her usual time, and
behold! the young man was occupying
that bench. AS she appeared he got up
and took scat hundred feet away, and
bywatching closely saw that she took O
note from the tree. Before leaving she
wrote and posted" one in reply, and
after she had gone l saw him get it.
was now certain that was OH the right
trail. and went to Mitchell to secure
some particulars ! wished to know. l
told him had q clew, but would not re-
veal which way it led. 1 learned from
him that the combination of the vault
door had four numbers, and he alone
knew it. 1t had been changed about a
month after Mrs. Gray's arrival, and he
hesitatingly admitted that the word was
"Ailne." which was her Christian name.
He would not, however, admit that this
fact was known to her.
For two weeks after receiving this in
formation l hardly got sight of Mrs.
Gray. For some reason she remained
very closely at home found out from
Mitchell in roundabout way that the
money needed to pay the men at the
coal mine and also at large factory
was deposited with him on the 18th of
every month. 1t was simply passed IN
to him to be locked in the vault over
night. as it came up from Pittsburg by
messenger. / reasoned that Mrs. GRAY
would work this information out of hif.,
! IN some way, or that her accompfico
would discover it, and that if she had
the combination of the vault sho would
make her strike on the night of the 18th.
, On Aug. l2 she exchanged notes at the
bank, also on the 18th. On this latter
date | Swallowed the young man for
three hours and became satisfied that he
| Sf11{ IL .,
Among the things he did was to 20 10
the depot and inquire about various
night trains, and particularly one which
passed over the road half an hour after
midnight.
| promised Mitchell that a climax
would soon be reached. and then staked
my all on what might happen on the
night of the 18th. At o'clock on that
evening threw Il piece Of closed meat
to his dog from a neighboring yard, and
at 10 l softly climbed the fence to find
the canine in his kennel and sick enough
to remain there. 10y down within ten
feet of him, hidden behind bush, and
it was an hour and a half before any
thing happened. Everybody in the
neighborhood was in bed and asleep by
that time, and was not greatly sur
prised when female figure, which l
knew to be that of Mrs. Gray, suddenly
appeared and passed mo five feet away
going toward the bank.
She stopped at the kennel to speak to
the dog, and then opened the rear door
and entered. Ibid not move from my
hiding place until she reappeared about
twenty minutes later. She carefully
locked the bank, and as she passed me
on the way to the house l followed
quickly behind. The keys she laid on