The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-19
Brings Outsiders Close These MT Though OIL The Counters Person. NRB for Snpg


on leaving London, again at Dover, once
more at Calais, and finally on arrival at
Paris A key to fit the cases had
been secretly made from a wax impress
sion of the original, how obtained
none but Margraf knew. This key
he would hand to his confederates this
evening at Charing Cross, station, after
which he would go down by the O'Clock
train preceding the mail
The stoker of the mail, an old railway
hand, had been bribed, together with the
guard, in whose compartment the bullion
would travel. It had been thought de-
sirable to Ceal differently with the front
guard and the driver; a specially pre-
pared and powerful drug was to be given
them In pint of beer just before start
ing, which would take effect about an
hour after administration and last till the
sleepers should be aroused by brandy Dur
ing their slumber the stoker would pull up
at convenient places on the line to allow
the robbers to enter the guards carriage
and leave it with their booty, when
they would make off to where Margraf
had arranged to meet them; he would
manage the rest. The front guard and
the driver, meanwhile, would for their
own sakes be glad enough to say nothing
about their long slumber.
All these arrangements had been made
with great, nicely, and told over twice /;
and vet Margraf was uneasy and nervous
as he thought of all the risk he ran
Twice he stretched out his hand for the
bell rope for telegram forms to stay the
whole business; once he went so far as to
ring the bell. but he altered his mind by
the time the servant answered it, and
ordered hot brandy instead. IL was now
6 o'clock in another hour he must hand
over the duplicate key to his accomplices
and board the train for Dover.
Every moment he grew more nervous (;
his hand became so shaky that brandy
failed to steady it; his face grew pale and
haggard; his nerves were strung to a
painful tension; and all sorts of possibili-
ties of failure in his scheme haunted him
until he could have cried out from sheer
nervousness.
''GodV he exclaimed, as he drained a
glass of brandy and water and rose TO 60
IA life like this would kill me- Well, this
shall be the last risk. If it turns out all
right-as it must-I shall give this kind
of business up. I shall have plenty then,
and old Charlie will go off and live quietly
and comfortably"
The rear guard of the Z O'Clock con-
tinental finished his last cup of tea, put
on his thick winter coat, kissed his baby
girl, and took up his lantern preparatory
to Joining his train. He reached the
station just as the great engine was being
coupled ana gave the driver CHEEKY
salute, which that official acknowledged
with surly growl.
Something put Jimmy out tonight
he laughed to the fireman, young, inex-
perienced fellow, making his trial trip,
and passed on to make his inspection of
things in general before starting.
At the last moment richly dressed
gentleman, wearing long fur coat, and
carrying a large travelling rug, entered a
first-class smoking compartment. This
gentleman, whom numerous people on the
platform recognized as he passed and
saluted respectfully, was Eustace Mar
graf, Esq The carriage he got into was
an empty one, and, lying full length on
the seat, covered with his rug, he lit a
cigar and composed himself TO make the
best of long and tiresome railway
journey. The guard blew his whistle, the
great engine reproduced it ia a loud,
deep tone, and the train steamed slowly
out of the station, twenty minutes late in
starting
Left to his own reflections, which were
none of the liveliest, and lulled by the
motion of the train, our traveller soon fell
into a fitful sleep wherein he was haunted
by dreams that wrought upon his brain
until he was almost as nervous as he had
been IN his own room some hours before.
He awoke suddenly with a vague sense
that the train was travelling at a most un-