The Portland daily press., 1895-07-15
John Writings Disappear.
alce.
By AUGUSTA PRESCOTT.


Ny friend Mr. Martinot, who is one
of the cleverest private detectives in
this country, told me this story:
One afternoon sat in my Office won-
dering what strange thing would turn
up next when there came ring at my
telephone bell. It was from the Lane
National bank, and the message was
this: "Come at once. Directors want to
see you.
Splitting my Gay dreams in half,
ran down my Office steps, caught horse
car and was soon in the presidents room
of the Lane National bank in the pres
ence of what appeared to be all the d.
rectors. My trained eye noticed at once,
however, the absence of one of the off
GERS. The president himself was not
there.
The vice president sat in his chair
and began without any ceremony to
state the case:
"Mr. Martinot, he said, twe have
a most serious case to present to you
that OF bank robbery. And it will
need all of your acumen and experience
to discover the guilty parties and bring
them to Justice, as well as to recover,
we hope, part of the missing funds.
The seriousness of the situation you will
understand when I tell you that last
night there were $500, 600 in bank bills
stolen out Of the vault of this bank We
hope by coming forward with our own
personal loans to tide over the present
financial difficulty in which the rob-
berry throws us. But you can see that
not only skill in detection but care to
keep the matter from the public at pres
emit must be exercised. %
] nodded to indicate that under
stood, and the vice president went on:
"This morning our cashier, Marcus
Rexford, came to the bank as usual, and
at the beginning of banking hours went
to the vault-one of the old fashioned,
but thoroughly secure makes-and using
the com bination unlocked it. There was
another clerk in his presence, according
to custom, and all appeared as when left
yesterday afternoon. When the door of
the vault swung open, Mr.. Rexford
was horrified to see the papers disar-
ranged. and looking closer he saw that
the great packages of new bank bills had
all been stolen.
Immediately the alarm was given.
Then we discovered that Cyrus Wall,
the president, had not yet come down.
We telephoned for him, but received
the answer that he had not been home
over night. He lives with his brother
and sister-in-law since the death of his
wife, and the latter states that it is the
first time since his sojourn there that he
has been missing All inquiry about
him after he left the bank yesterday is
in vain. And we are forced to the con-
clusion that-that"
The vice president paused, unwilling
to frame the words that made his fell
lew officer criminal. He motioned to
the cashier, who had been seated behind
me. Marcus Rexford was little man
with weak voice and weak manner,
the last one I should have connected
with the idea Of a bold bank robbery.
''The president and T." said he,
4'were the only ones who had the COM
bination when the bank closed yester-
day. We shut the vault together, and
no one else was near enough to have
even heard the weights drop. Hound it
robbed when I opened it this morning.
That is all know
The little man was greatly confused.
And no matter how much questioning
was put to him he could be certain of
nothing else. No, he did not remember
anything suspicious in the presidents
actions except that he had made in
quiries particularly about the day when
the safe would contain the largest
amount, saying that extra precautions
must be taken.
went back to my Office to think the
matter over. promising to report again
at O'Clock that evening, when in a
couple of hours my telephone rang
again. 1t was another hurried call to
the bank.
/ arrived in all possible haste to find
them gathered in little knots and talk
ing excitedly. Found drownedi'' "Sui-
oideP' ''Must have been dead since
last nightl' were the words heard.
'This is a terrible thing" said the
vice president, whom I met at the door
with his hat in his hand. ''They have
telephoned us from the pier where he
was just found. Come with me at once
for the full Identification of the body.''
There in one of the little rude sheds
upon the pier, where he had been dis
covered scarcely three feet under water,
; lay the body of the drowned president
Cyrus Wall He wore the same clothes
in which he had left the bank-a suit
of dull black and light overcoat and
patent leather shoes. In his pockets
were letters addressed to him and also
one of the Identification slips SO often
worn by business men. His clean shaven
face was turned up calmly as though he
had died easily, and beyond a few
bruises, caused probably by the cars of
the riverman who had found him, he
looked as natural as I remembered see
ing him only few days before at the
bank.
They were still searching the body
when we arrived, and although we were
prepared for much We could not repress