Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-02-13
STORY OF A VAL1SE


I bought of the trainboy a copy Of ;
Cincinnati paper, in which l read
long account OF the robbery OF tn'
city National Bank of l., ny,
and the sudden disappearance OF IL;
teller, Harry W. Swope. AS usual II
such cases, he had been trusted EN-
ploye, q member of the church and
society young man. The robbery wa
a particularly cool one, the geEtle
man having quietly slipped $50. ooO
in notes into a valise on the pre-
vious Saturday afternoon after baht
hours and walked out into the
cold world. That was the last seer
Of him, and it was not until after the
bank opened on Monday morning that
anyone suspected anything wrong.
The affair created an immense sehsa-
tion, fsor:oty" was shocked. tbs
church scanda,ized and the bank di
rectors furious. The newspaper:
printed long stories of the DR.. Jexyll
and-Mr HTIe sort of existence thE
young man bad led for number o
years, and Numerous friends of the
"lateIy departed" knowingly shoos
their headJ a. they tod the reporters
that they xceS something like that
was sure to happen soon.
This sensation SO interested me
chat when I reached Cincinnati
scarcely resiilad the express was, az
usual, an Lou behind time and had
failed TO make connection with the
train to L. l should therefore
be compelled to take the last train
going west that night, which would
cause me to stop over night in a one,
horse town in Indiana that did not
contain a single comfortable hotel.
knew Mr.. Swope by sight, having
come in contact with him on mum
ber Of occasions while doing busines:
with the bank of which he was teller.
The l. papers l bought in the
Union Depot gave further details 81
the affair, and contained also the an
nouncement that the bank director.
had offered reward Of LOCO fol
Swope's capture and 10 per cent OF
the cash returned, which would make
a total Of $40, 900 if the rascal was
caught before he got rid Of his booty.
After eating an unsatisfactory
lunch l took a seat in the general
waiting-room OF the depot and rue
fully awaited my train. AS did SO
l noticed young man approach my
seat, aud, placing his valise on the
floor alongside my own, to which il
bore resem blance, sit down while
he looked cautiously around at the
clock on the wall and then at the
officials moving about
How long he sat beside me don't
remember, but after time he slowly
arose and walked over to the tele-
graph office at the farther end of the
room. Before he came back a strong
lunged individual in uniform stepped
up to me and bawled out the names
of the towns to which the train
about to start was bound for. Hur-
riedly picking up my valise. l made
straight for the gate and was soon
aboard my train for the West
The journey was made with the
usual discomfort and monotonY. Tue
depot at N y, Ind, where |
had to stop over from 10 p IN. till .
the next morning had been rebuilt
since nv last visit to that town, and.
remembering too well my hotel ex-
perience there a year before, l re.
solved to spend the Eight in the
depot waiting-room with few other
passengers who shared my misfortune.
All that night the face Of the
stranger who had occupied seat be
side me in the Cincinnati depot
haunted me- There was something
about him that reminded me of Tel.
Ter Swope. He was just his size and
build; his mustache, to be sure, wa-
wanting, but that he could have
shaved OF this appendage was to be
considered matter Of course. The
god spectacles he wore very much
resembled those l had associated
with the face of the intellectual
looking teller, and had observed on
his fingers number Of rings, jewelry
that Mr. Swope was said to be very
partial to- As 1 turned the matter
over in my mind the more convinced
1 felt that l had lost a splendid
chance Of capturing the thief and Sc
curing SO, 600 reward.
When 5 o'clock at last came round
1 boarded the train for l., not IT,
the best Of humor, and two hour.
later arrived at home feeling very
blue. After taking slight break
fast went down to the Office, where
the big robbery was still the talk
the clerks. Each of them had q
theory Of his own as to where the
thief had gone, and when they az
pealed to me for my opinion l dole
fully recounted my experiences CT the
previous evening. OF course they unan-
inously agreed with me that I had
very foolishlv allowed the fugitive
teler to slip out Of my fingers.
Just before going out to lunch 4
messenger boy languidly entered tn
office and handed me note from IN
wife. Thinking 1t was the usua
commission to get yard or two
goods like the sample inclosed,"
thrust it into my pocket and starte'
out to dinner. I had not gone IA,
oerore suddenly stopped and too
out the envelope the boy had give
me, opened it and read it. At first
could not understand what it a
meant; then l turned it over an
went through it again. 1t read 3
follows:
DEAR GEoBdE:-Come homo at once
In opening your valise to get your sole
linen TO send it to the laundry 1 discovere
1t packed with bank notes. What does =.
msanr l. anything wrong? Come hon
Vt once"
My first thought was to haste,
nome, but upon reflection l resolvet
10 step around to the bank and. az
quaint the officials there OF my dis
cOvery. found the President of tn
bank In his private Office, engage
with several lynx-eyed individual
whom l suspected from their appear
ance to be, as it turned out the
we're, detectives
When 1 was granted an intervie'
and explained my discovery 1t create