The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-13

Copyright. Is5s. ~ BsscheileT. Johnson q
Baohslier.
Thera we're several OF the larger Lon
dan banks ard Insurance Offers from
whlrn Hewitt held s. sort Of ENa~Fat r.
fagnar "a detective adviser. in faiA.lhi ny
o. Nhleh ne was regularly eonsai.ea =
80 the measures 20 De taken IN different
cases OF fraud. forgery. theft ana -
form. which a. might 30 the misfor aHe
Of the particular firms 10 encoaEfler- J ne
more ffars9rfzrst ard Intricate 81 tHr~e
cases were placed n MS hanfs ent''+ist
with separate commissions. Ia the usitt
wav. one 81 the most important COM
rsarsiaz a the sort was the General Guar
anfee Society. an fnsuTa nee corporation
which. among other risk. took those o.
the integrity ~ secF* aries. clerks am
cashiers. In the case 81 casn-poA el"pe-
rs14nt on the part OK any person guafan-
te@d by the society, the directors we're
naturally anxious for = speedy capture
o. the csllprft. ard more especially Of the
booty before too much Of Il was spent,
In order 20 tighten the clatfus upon tneir
funds. and IN work Of tnis sor Hewitt
was a. times engaged. either in general
advice and directions. or in the actual
pursuit Of the piunder and the pinnderer.
Arriving AZ his Office little later
than usual one morning, Hewitt found
urgent message HHAlstAA MN lttAt
the General Guarantee Society. re-
ouesting hls attention 20 robbery
which had taken place on the previous
day lie had Cleaned some mint OF the
case froa the morning paper. whenein
appeared short paragraph which ran
shps:
SERIOUS BANK ROBBERY.
In the course OF yegeTdy clerk
cr ployed by Messrs. I.iddle. Neal *
Isddle thu well-knogn bankers, DIS
appeared. having In his possession a
large sum Of money. the property Of
his employer sum reported - be
rather over fl5eo. Il would seem
that he had been instructed to collect the
money In his capacity OF 'wAlk-clerk
from various banks and trading concerns.
during the morning. hut failed 70 return
~ the usual time A iare number Of the
notes which he had received had been
cashed ~ the bank of England before
snspici0n WAS aroused. We understand
that netectlve-I Inspector Plummer Of
Scotland Yard has the ease Ia hand"
The clerk. whose name was Charles
William Laker. had, - appeared from
the message. been guaranteed tn the
usual way by the General Guarantee
Society. and Hewltt's presence at the
office was at once desired I'm order that
steps might quickly ne taken for the
y
Of. at any rate. as much Of the booty
- possible.
A smart hanson brought Hewitt TO
Threadneedle street In bare quarter
OF AN hour and there a few minutes
talk with the manager. AIR Lyster. put
him In possession 81 the main facts Of
the case. which appeared to be simple
Charles William Laker was = years
Of age and had been I'm the employ Of
hrawra IIAHte A. 4 q.
thing more than seven years-since he
left school. IN fsct-and until the pre-
vious day there had heen nothing I'm
his conduct 20 complain Of Ills duties
a walk clerk consisted in making a
certain round. beginning at about 10 ~
each morning There were a certain
number cf the more important hanks be
tween which and Acssrys. Liddle. Neal a
Liddie there were daily transactions. ana
a few smaller semi-privatn hanks and
merchant firms acting as financial agents
with whom there was business inger-
course Of less Importance and regularity:
and each OF these, as necessary, he visited
In turn. collecting csisn due on bills and
other Instruments OF the like nature.
He carried a wallet. fastened securely
70 hts person by "A chain. and this wal
LEI contained the bills and the cash
Usually. at the end OF his round when
all his bills had been converted into
cash. the wallet held very large sums
Hm work and responsibilities. in fine
were those common 20 walk clerks ia All
banks.
On the day OF the rohbey he haa
started out as usual-possibly a little
earlier than was customary-and the
bills and other securities I'm his possag-
sion represented considerably more than
nA,em Il had been asccrtatned that ho
had called IN the usual way at cach es-
iahlishment on his round and had trans
acted his business AT the last place by