Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-05-13

h most before the
train had stopped.
~ My employment
is that of travelling
clerk to an express company whose
business it is to convey between Pari.
and London valuables intrusted to il
by clients.
was more than usually anxious that
night, because it was marked by the
inauguration of new system. Hitherto
the valuables had been placed by one
of us in the gold room rented by ouI
company on the steamships The room
had been been carefully locked and the
property had been left to take care oil
itself until it got to Dover, where il
was met by another official of the com
pany, who was provided with du
plicate key.
The captains of the boats were also
in possession of keys in case it should
be necessary for the safety of the shir
to enter the gold room.
These precautions, however, had
proved insufficient. Although the
locks on the gold room door were
safety ones of the most approved kind
impressions in wax had been obtained
false keys had been manufactured ant
robberies had been frequent-perpe
trated, without doubt, during the pas
sage across the Channel by gang O
expert thieves.
In consequence an official was to ac
company in future every consignment
and keep watch and ward at the golt
room door
That night the consignment wac O
small bulk, but of extraordinary value
1t consisted of two tin boxes, one OF
which contained notes on the Bank o.
France, sent to the Bank Of England
in payment for purchase of 500, 00(
sovereigns, the other box contained
negotiable bonds, with coupons at
tached, of the new Turkish loan-tht
property of the largest financial house
in the world
The bonds were worth ESQ, 900, sc
that my total charge amounted to SO,
$50, 900.
Two of the company's porters had
accompanied me to Paris to assist in
shipping the boxes. As ! stood on the
platform watching my men haul the
boxes from the Treasury van / wa
tapped on the shoulder by one of the
French detectives whose duty it is tc
keep an eye on the boats,
''You cross tonight under the new
arrangement, Mr.. Dutton, I think, he
whispered
That is so, replied. ''Have you
taken stock of my fellow passengers o.
yes" he said, "and [ have not
spotted any suspicious characters SC
far. All stand aside there, mon ami
make way for Madame" and the de-
tective pulled me gently back step to
allow solemn procession to pass along
the platform to the gangway of the
steamship.
A couple of railway porters were
carrying a sick woman, by whose side
walked tall maid. Two other porters
followed, wheeling truck of unmis-
taxable feminine baggage.
The detective stepped quickly to the
side of the truck and read the address
painted in large white letters on one
of the packages.
'Mme. Ia Comtesse de Bruno" he
said as he rejoined me, sit is not a
title with which l am familiar. Mon
cher, it might be as well if you kept
yourself acquainted with that lady S
whereabouts on the boat "
What Have you cause for sus-
picion?" / asked.
Not in the least. / do not recog-
nize either the grande dame or her
maid Only when one comes across a
title unknown to us of the French
police it makes one cautious-that' S
all, my friend Bon voyage"
The detective moved away and | fol-
lowed my men on board the boat, each
carrying one of the boxes. On the
6angway l met the Captain, to whom
] was well known-jolly old Captain
Temple.
''Hullo, my boy - he asked. $50
you're going with us. That's good !;
you'll relieve me from a lot of response
bility. l got my new key for your
precious new lock from the agent to-
day, but I've hit on better dodge
than all the locks in the world. Just
come along with me
Captain Temple led the way below
] followed with my men. The gold
room was situated ON the main deck in
n little recess aft of the saloon.
1t was about ten feet square and was
approached by narrow passage five
yards long running aft of the saloon,
in which, as we passed through, l
noticed the invalid lady and her at
tendant being ushered into stateroom
by the stewardess.
The stateroom was the nearest to the
gold room passage fact which
further impressed upon me the hint
given by the detective.
The Captain opened the door of the
gold room with his key, and my men
deposited the boxes on the floor.
Captain Temple waited till / had dis
missed them and then stopped down in
another corner of the room and pulled
at small tag of wire that protruded
through hole.
When he had got enough wire to
make a fair sized loop, he carried over
one of the boxes. put the loop of wire
around it and turned to me with n
smile.
There, Dutton," he said. Snow,
II any one touches that box / shall
know it up on the bridge as soon as
you will in the saloon there-sooner,
il you don't happen to spot them going
In.
/ complimented the skipper on his
Ingenuity, though l made the mental
observation that on occasions when /
happened to be on duty his electric
bell would never be USED. / did not
mean to take my eye off that passage
during the voyage.