The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-09-20

has lUNI ptth hGl0 up duu Ihe SaiS robbed of over three hundred thou sand dollars. Well, these things have to happen so long as the present style of burglar-proof safes is in fashion. Any robber that has been properly educated to the business gan open safe inside of half an hour, and can do it without any dynamite or such violent ways. Now, a safe can be made that nobody can open except with the proper combination, for I've seen such safe myself, Saw it on this very road, too, and it was buried only about fifty miles from here"
 What in the world was the reason for burying the safe?" I asked.
 "Because you can't have funeral without burying the corpse" replied the station master, Eve just about time enough to tell you the story be- fore the Athensville express comes in, so sit down and you shall hear all about it.
 "About ten years ago, or mebbe eleycn-I ain't any sort of hand for datcs-there was baggage master on thiS road by the name of Hopkins. He and l were on the same train, which was on the regular day express, and carried the gold dust that had to be sent down once a week to Baskerville, wLere the mines were banning out at that time pretty middling well. This hyer llopllins-Jim was his name besides being baggage master, also acted as agent for the express com pauv and took charge of the safe. As a rule the train was held up once a month, and the safe was either opened by Jim, with a pistol to his ear, or else, if the robbers had plenty of time before them and took pride in their profession, they would open it themselves
 Jim got tired of this sort of thing, and, being an ingenious sort of chap who had invented quite d lot of things, Fe undertook to invent a safe that no- body could open except with the com bination. Moreover, he cal'lated to make it so strong that dynamite wouldn't have no effect upon it. so that it would really be Ourglar-proof safe in good earnest Well, Jim he worked at the safe good part of the winter until he had got it planned out in way to suit him, and then he took some of his savings, for he had good lot of money in the bank. and he built his new patent burglar-proof safe and put it in his baggage-car.
 The new safe was about twice the size of an ordinary express company's safe Outside it looked like any other safe, but, besides being twice as strong aS anything of the kind ever built be- fore, it had good many special fea. lures which l don't pretend to remem- ber, Tot being a mechanical sharp my self l do recall, however, that it had spring lock, which Jim explained was for convenience in case the train should be held up very suddenly and there should not be time to close the safe and lock it in the usual way.
 "'Seems to me, said the conductor, whose name was Sampson, though we always called him Gates, after that friend of Sampson that he carried away somewhere on his back, I don't exactly remember the name of the town. Seems to me- says he, that when you get pistol to your ear that safe will come open as easy as any other safe
 "'So it will, said Jim, provided ever find that pistol alongside my ear. But l calate that I've got through with that style of amusement. The next time this hyer train is held up the robbers won't find me, unless they can open that safe, which is just what mean they shan't be able to do.'
 Why, where are you going to be?" asked Gates. Are you cal'lating to