Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-15

q ~ ~
"Gie"'on" he , .eren"ed' starting
myself made me an honest man by sheer
| fierce Of contrast.
| I'm sorry for you, Mr.. Stetson' said l.
but l can't shield murderer. l must do
my duty
with that threw open the window and
called for help. 1t happened that there
was policeman on the corner. He came
| in response to my call and arrested Siet-
son. who was in pitiable state of col
lapse. Then l got doctor. who worked
over Grayllng until he brought him 10 his
senses; but he said that a half hour more
would have put the man beyond The reach
of help 1 don't believe it. In my opinion
| Grayiing would have walked up all right:
but naturally the doctor wanted as much
ciedit possible.
| when the circumstances were explained
to Graylirg he was overcome with graft
| tude toward me for saving his life. Well
| l had saved II, though he diun't know Just
how it had been done. He shook me warm
ly by the hand and then. lettering over to
the safe, he opened the drawer and gave
me the roll Of bills that had planned to
take. The bills were all oncs-s!xty-seyen
dollars in all. Suppose that / had killed
him for so little' 1t wasn't much as he
owed me- according to my calculation. But
I never tried to get even. / was afraid of
a man with such luck as his. Stetsgn got
! ten years.
J.
Gleason had concluded his story. Il should
! say that was pretty good"
/ The worst luck in the world" rejoined
Gleason Nothing more disastrous can
| happen to man than that he should es-
cape just punishment fer his first crime
Had l been fortunate enough 20 be caught
| It might have, accomplished my reform, bat
such an escape as that which 1 have de-
! scribed led me to think myself the especial
favorte of Satan. AS usual the tempter
deceived and deserted me- -
He pronounced these last words, with good
elocutorary effect, but they failed to i'm
mind the character which Gleason had
given himself In his Introductory remarks.
The criminologist made no verbal COM
ment. however. but contented himself with
| mentally adding gross and palpable hy-
pocrisy to the list Of Gleason's crimes
| 1T Is your turn now. Mr.. Harris he
| said. What story will you give us.
The story of what we call in my pro-
fession An Inside Job. replied Harris.
PART I'LL
Il have always been a hard working
man." said William Harris. the safe
breaker. LAS a rule I've earned what I've
got though l haven't always got what I've
| earned. Many's the likely safe I've cut
| into to find nothing but a set of books with
the balance all the wrong way. Yet there
are men in my line who can't open to-
mato can without finding It full of green
money. ---t
This AFFAIR that I'm going to tell you
about is of the few really easy things
| that ever came my way. 1t was like find
| ing money. Col. Bob Tracy president of
| the Fairfield Granite Company-with Off
ces in the Clyde building on Pine street
near Broadway-had drawn $4,000 out of
a bank and put 1T into the company's safe
| for use early the next morning. " All tina;
| my pal, Danny Walsh, and had to do was
| to walk in and get it.
| I'D seen the colonel draw the money and
put 1t into a little black bag. I had trailed
| him to his office and had seen him put the
bag with the money into the safe. Danny,
| from window across the alley. had watch
ed the safe all day. 1 had seen everybody
| leave the office, and had followed the CASH
Ter. Jim Wright. to the Grand Central de-
| pot, where he had taken a north-bound ex-
press. We had been a little afraid of
| Wright. because he sometimes came back
| to the office in the evening and stayed late.
| With him well out of the way there was
nobody to trouble US. for the night watch
! man of the building dozed in the lower hall
| and let things take care Of themselves.
I'VE got into the building through the
roof. and came down to the fourth floor.
| where the Granite Company's rooms WERE
! 1t was about 10 o'clock in the evening, and
| there wasn't sound in the big structure
except the watchmsn's shores. We picked
the lock of the outer door of the Fairfield
! Conpany's offices. and got through into
the cashiers room all right. There stood
| y,
who was an expert in such. matters. said
| that we'd have to blow 1t. That meant
quick work and a hasty exit after the ex-
plosion, so we started to look over the
| ground to see how we could get away.
| There was second door leading out of the
cashiers office, and l opened 1t. In NOR
tai instant found myself In lighted
room with Col. Bob Tracy right in the
| covered with papers. How he got there is
mystery to me- for had seen him safely
started for home. He must have come
back while was trailing the cashier.
Tho colonel started up at sight of me.
but he wasn't half $50 much startled as
was If 1t hadn't been for Danny's nerve
the game would have been up right there.
for 1 couldnst have done anything. But
Danny got by me, and Just as the colonel
| opened his mouth to yell my pal stuffed
soft felt hat almost down his throat. Tracy
fell back ito chair, and he found him.
self looking down the muzzle of Danny's
revolver. AS that spectacle seemed to be
sufficiently auieting,1 Danny pulled his hat
out Of tho coloners mouth and began to
| state the case.
"'Give US tfie confirmation Of that SAFE
says Danny. 1--WE know what's there and
were going to havei.:'
"'My frient.' replied Col. Tracy, I
"'Then youll have to hold my hat again.
while ws blow the safe
THE colonel looked at the hat, and then
ne looked at my pal: Danny was grinning.
which he never did unless he was really
ugly. and when Danny was ugly 1t was
positively sinful to fool with him. Col
Tracy seemed to grasp this fact in natural
history by the right end; and SO he said:
ION second thought. will give you the
combination If I can find 1t. cannot re-
member what 1t is, but have 1t on slip
OF paper somewhere In my desk
"The way in which he said this convinced
US BOTH It Is no uncommon thing for
man In his position to forget the combina-
r1on OF .ne SAFE ana 10 oepend upon
desk and hunt for the slip Of paper
Now. the queer part of the case is just
here. The colonel knew the combination
perfectly well, and he also knew that he'd
have to give it up eventually. He was only
playing for delay. AS matter OF fact
OF course, entirely unknown to us-he had
an appointment with half dozen men who
were to come to his Office at midnight and