Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-07-08

more or less business with them |
could not refuse to take temporary
charge of valuable papers and various
sums Of money.
The bank had been running about
three months when my brother Tom
who had been telegraph operator at
Big Bend, ESQ miles away, was trans
ferred down to Grand Crossing. only
ten miles away, and he seized the
first favorable opportunity to come
down and see me. may tell you
that Tom was a mechanical and cleo
trical genius and is now living on the
royalties paid him for half dozen
good things When we had visited
for a couple of hours and he had
looked things over he said;
You sleep here, and you are loaded
for bear, but it wouldn't be any trick
at all for sharp man to clean you
out. 1t won't be another three
months before somebody will try it
on"
How"
"Well, you'll get caller IN the
evening probably, and the first thing
you know you'll get rap on the head
and before you come to he'll have
opened the safe and skipped with
your cash. It's a combination, | see,
but if that can't be hit it can be
drilled or blown open. l think I'll
make things little safer for you"
The bank had no cellar, but as
stone was plenty and cost only the
labor OF Quarrying, the walls were
built two feet thick. To get below
the frost line they had to be sunk
nearly five feet. The space inclosed
10y the walls was finty soil, so hard
that pick could scarcely disturb it,
The floor Of the bank was a little
more than four feet above the earth.
Tom was about a week, working at
odd times, TO get things in shape. He
cut out trap door in front of the
safe, brought down wires and a bat
terry, and when he had finished we
had a continuance which he a one had
power over from Grand Crossing. BY
means OF switch up there he could
spring the bolt of the trap door, and
the door worked on spring TO close
the opening again. A staple in the
door and another in the frame per-
mitted the use Of a peg, so there
might be no fear of an accident dur
ing business hours. The understand
ing we had was that Tom should drop
that door every hour between o'clock
at night and the next morning and
the scheme worked as easy as rolling
off a log. Forthe first few nights The
click Of the bolt woke me up as the
door fell, but after time it failed to
penetrate my drowsy senses.
had To run my bank to suit the
convenience of the public, and it was
never closed before o'clock in the
evening and was often open until.
As rule, all persons who wished to
use the safe over night came in be-
tween g and I. | gave each ono a
receipt for whatever he deposited,
but made no charge whatever.
Many aud many a night that safe
held S25, 600 outside Of bank money,
and on such occasions | felt a bit
proud at the confidence repOsed in
me
Toms trap had been working for a
month or more when ! received a
strange caller one evening at $3.50.
A 80man was by no means a rare
sight IN town though they were none
too numerous, but this visitor Of mine
was young woman, stylishly dres.e /,
and as pretty As peach III admit
mere that / had Jumping OF the
heart az sight OF her ana that when
she SMILED on me 1 was as badly
Mustered a' boy caught stealing
eggs She was from ST. Louis. She
explained, aud had come out i'm search
0l g brother who was Interested In "A
silver mine, hut had mystcrl0usly d..
Appeared She would h' at the hotel
int z weeds or ESQ aul wished 49, h
safe deposit $500 ln greenhaek- She
gave me Che name of Miss Ne'iie
lla.les t1 Insert .u Che reeeint BnJ
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