Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-07-13
A BURGLARY.


Beleuil, where each had dozen chill
dren to support besides their wives, who,
it is grievous to relate, were drones.
They were only nominally acquainted
with that goodly art commonly asso-
ciated with charwomen.
Pierreand Baptiste were hard workers.
They worked far into the night and oc-
casionally the thin mists OF dawn had
begun to break on the narrow city pave
ments before their labors would cease.
No one could truthfully say that theirs
was not hard earned pillow. Some
times they did not toll in vain. 1t de-
pended largely upon the police.
1t was early one November that this
horny handed pair planned the bur-
glary of a certain safe located in whole
sale establishment in st. Mark street.
On the particular evening that Pierre
and Baptiste hit upon for the deed the
head bookkeeper had been having
wrangle with his accounts.
81 can't make head or tail Of thisP' he
declared to his employer, the senior
member Of the firm, "yet ] am con-
vinced everything must be right. An
error of several hundred dollars has been
carried over from each daily footing, but
where the error begins or ends I'm
blessed if / can find out"
The fact was that the monthly sales
had been unusually heavy, and a pageof
the balance had been misled. The head
bookkeeper spent upward Of an hour in
casting up both the entries of himself
and his subordinates after the establish
ment had closed its doors for the day.
Then he went home to supper deter
mined to return and locate the deficit if
he didn't get wink of sleep until morn
ing.
Bookkeepers, it must be borne in mind,
have highly sensitive organisms, which
are susceptible to the smallest atom re-
fecting upon their probity or skill. At
$50 the booikeeper returned and COM
menced anew his critical calculations.
He worked precisely three hours and a
half, at the end of which period he sud-
denly clapped his hand to his forehead
and exclaimed:
"Idiot! Why haven't you looked in
the safe for missing sheet? Ten chances
to one they have been improperly mum
beredp
He turned over the pages Of the bal
ance on his desk, and, sure enough, the
usual numerical mark or designation in
the upper left hand corner which should
follow II was missing. Page 10 in all
likelihood had slipped into some remote
corner of the safe.
The safe was large one, partially re.
ceding into the wall and containing all
the papers, documents and several day
receipts in cash and drafts of the firm.
The head bookkeeper in his efforts al
unearthing the lost page of the cash bal
ance was obliged to intrude his entire
person into the safe. Fearful lest the
candle he held should attract attention
from the street, showing out as, it die
against the black recesses of the safe
upon entering it ile drew the door slightly
ajar.
AS he stepped in the tail Of his coa
caught on an angle Of the huge rivetet
lock, the massive gate swung to as /
1t weighed no more than pound, ant
| the bookkeeper was prisoner.
| He heard the resonant click-that wa
/ all. His candle went out.
The bookkeeper at the outset lost hi
presence Of mind. He fought like
Gagged animal. He first exerted almos
superhuman strength against the fou
sides of the iron tomb. Then his bod,
collapsed, and not for an instant losinl
consciousness he found himself sitting
in a partially upright position unable t
so much as stir muscle.
It was almost at the same moment
although hours seemed to have passed
that the drum of his ear, now abnormal
" sensitive, was almost split into frag
ments. A frightful, monotonous clango
rent the interior Of the safe.
| The bookkeeper used to observe after
ward that single seconds deviation Q
characteristic thought and he woul
have gone mad. Stronger minds in
parallel situation would have indeed CO
lapsed. But weaker man can neve
confront the inevitable, but clings NOR
stubbornly to hope. They are only wea
individuals who in the act of drownin
catch at straws.
| AS the bookkeeper felt himself grad
ually growing faint for want Of air I
breathe his revivifed hope led him
deliberately crash his fist into the woo(
work with which the interior Of the SAT
was fitted, in secretaire fashion, on
drawer being built above another. Th
gave him few additional cubic feet {
ayr.
AS may have been conjectured. tt
noise which smote the bookkeeper's es
was that of drill. Although acutel
discerned within, the sound was pract
cally srnothered on the outside Of Il
! vault.
At one end Of the drill was a cavit,
!, rapidly growing larger, in one of Il
I steel panels. AT its other end was
: heavy. warty fist, part Of the anatom
. Of Baptiste, the industrious mechani
: Baptiste held the drill while his cor
! rade, Pierre, pounded it in.
Soon the two burglars became ava
that some sort Of animal commotion W
8 going on within thesafe. It nearly dro
J. them into commissions of astonishmer
Baptiste was so startled that he dropp'
i the drill.
:, sit is a ghost" he said.
! Baptiste was for throwing up the j
! uncomproniisingly on the spot, but IL
I proposal met with obstacles. His fello
E workman, who was Of SITTER courae
e rejected 1t with scorn, as sayoring t
y much Of the superstitious. Pierre had
J. large family to su2Dort. he argued. ]