The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-15
BANKER BENSON
AND HIS DOUBLE.
We SHOOK hands and he was OF.

we SllOOn minus anu llc was oil.
On the following morning as Mr.. Rem
son WAS on his way home from the thea
TIRE he was seized, drugged and bound.
and conveyed to our roost In this man
ner the coast was left clear for me to plnv
my part
Next morning turned up at the bank
as the manager of the institution. In the
fuultlcss irock coat wore an orchid, and
II seal, the counterpart of that worn by
Mr.. Benson, dangled from my watch
chain. Artistically my dress and get.up
were beyond reproach.
At the same time must confess felt
sort of tremor rs | entered the little
room and sat down. Suppose something
should go wrong in the course of the day.
So many things might occur to give me
away. And then there dawnpd on me the
thought that Immediately 1 had dis
patched my business | might leave the
bank on Il pretext of illness. OF course.
Why had no thought Of thi, before?
! rang the bell. The oific, messenger
entered. Send Mostyn he,e," 1 said,
watching him closely to see il he detected
anything strange in his ''boss.''
eyes, SIR" he said, and lett the room.
Mostyn entered lie gave me a respect
full good morning. and then awaited
my instructions.
'sMostyn," | said hastily, 'l'm feeling
rather unwell this morning a,d shall get
home when I've signed anything urgent
There's nothing special, is thete?''
mo, sir. except that CONSIGNMENT for
Walker x; CO..
sob, yes, of course,n l answered
Bring me the delivery note BY the
way, Mostyn, i've had institutions that
the Dulllon IS not To 90 to Walkers, but
to Morrison, Jenkin 4 CO..
"All right, sir, - he answered tarelessly.
lie went out to bring the delivery note
for signature. And then Il feeling of hor-
ror shivered through me, for remem-
bered that had been idiot enough to over
look entirely the fact that | Had never
seen Benson's signature. Here vas n nice
mess to be in.
But in moment | saw my way out CT
the trouble. Ringing the bell. told the
messenger to bring the current letter
book. Here found scores of Benson's
autographs, and with Il little practice |
contrived to arrive ut fairly good imita
ton of it.
Mostyn brought the note and asked me
how he should fill it in.
10 Morrison, jenkins 6 Co, % Queen
street, Edinburgh" l replied without
hesitation, reading from Il telegram ! had
in my hand.
He rapidly entered the address given
and gave me the slip for signature. 1
signed it boldly and returned it to him.
There's nothing else of Importance,
sir, he said, "the other things 1 can at
tend to-
VERY good, I replied. ''Then Til be
off at once" And five minutes later |
was on the way to the station, bound for
Liverpool and thence to New York by the
first ship leaving that port.
Everything turned out splendidly The
bullion was duly forwarded to Morrison,
Jenkins & CO., who promptly decamped
with it to New York, as arranged. There
we divided the swug and went our several
ways.
Mr.. Benson was found on the doorstep
OF his own bank one morning in an I'M
conscious state On recovering he told
the reporters that week previously he
had been set upon by two men, gagged
and taken toa vile den, where he had been
kept prisoner. Then he had again been
drugged and awoke to find himself beside
the bank door. He could give no reason
for the outrage. lid Bits.