Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-09-19

name OF Thornton. He had not been
there over Il month when the robbery
took place nor had Lacy spoken to
him dozen times He was Young
man Of twenty, and so strong was his
belief in the prisoners innocense and
so vigorously did he combat the theor-
les OF the detective that he was dis.
charged He however, secured a
place with another firm in town and
continued to champion Lacy until the
matter passed out Of the public mind.
|, was year after the robbery and
seven or eight months after the suicide
that Thornton got up one morning to
tell his employer a queer story. He
slept in the corner of the store on the
first floor. He had gone to bed tired
after hard days work and had slept
sOundly until midnight, when he sud
denly awoke lie had extnguished
the light, but yet there was a strange
light in the room, and by its aid he
saw Lacy sitting on the bedside. That
he was terrible frightened and upset
may readily he believed and vet he
held his nerve and asked the ghost, as
he believed it to be, what was wanted.
Lacy did not reply. but beckoned him
to follow, and he slipped on his
trousers and shoes and followed the
wrath through the streets of the town
toward the harbor for distance of
seven or eight blocks. The ghost
seemed TO float along at about four
PAGES ahead of him, looking back
occasionally to see if he was following
and he was leading Thornton directly
toward an old tumble-down fish house,
when policeman suddenly seized the
young man and inquired why he was
abroad at that hour in the night and
in that dress. With that the spirit
disappeared and Thornton's explana-
tions were laughed at, and he was
escorted back To the store as som.
nambulist. His employer could not
call it a dream, because there was the
policeman's evidence, but he ridiculed
the whole affair aud put another clerk
to sleep in the store If Thornton was
a somnambulist he was not safe man
to have charge Of property at night.
The young man took a room two
blocks away and it was couple of
weeks before anything happened.
Then one night soou after midnight
he awoke with these words sounding in
his ears
Harry, | did not rob the safe, but
it was done by two men Just as ex-
plained. They came here in boat
from NJ, ard after getting the
plumber they hid it away, intending to
come back later on. Ny honor is at
stake and If you will 90 with me |
will show you where they hid the
plumber. They were the two men
found in the upset boat"
When Thornton reused up, Lacy
was sitting beside him, as on the
previous occasion, but almost immedi-
ately rose up and beckoned the young
man to follow him. Had Thornton
been anything but nervy young fel-
low the mystery of the robbery would
never have been explained. He was
upset to some extent by the words and
the sight of the man whom he knew to
have been long dead, but not so much
that he hesitated to follow after.
The wrath led him toward the old
fish house as before, but this time
Thornton was fully dressed. He could
see Lacy as plainly as he could see
the buildings along the streets, although
there were no footballs hut his own.
He passed several pedestrians, but
they saw him alone. The wrath took
straight course for the fish house and
entered it, and did not reappear, while
Thornton hung about for while and
then returned to his bed. The tum-
ble-down building was not such a place
as he cared to enter at midnight.
Early the next morning he went to
the firm of Bass, Williams & Girder
and told them of his two midnight adj
ventures and suggested that the fish
house be searched. He was simply
laughed at, but he got policeman and
visited the place, and under lot Of
old nets and refuse they found the
satchel which contained all the bonds
and every dollar of the stolen money.
The whilom friends of Lacy were
iubllant, but they had the detective to
deal with again. One of his theories
was that Lacy hid the satchel there !;
the other was that Thornton was his
confederate and had given up the
plumber because afraid to touch it. So
reasonable did this theory appear that
the young man was arrested and
might have gone TO prison had not a
crook, named English joe" got
hagged and made confession. lie
had known of the plan to rob the
concern and was aware that Hastings
and Foard were to do the job. They
we.e the men who were lost by the
upsetting Of the boat. 1t was believed
that they were to leave the harbor by
a fishing smack. and that they were
pulling about to find her when they
lost their lives. They had hidden
the satchel temporarily, but it was so
well hidden that il had been walked
over hundred times. Articles taken
from the dead mems pockets were
| ilautifiad and after natiant inveStiOa