The evening times., 1897-12-20

| owing 10 the reticence OF the company
| employees, it was Thursday morning lie
fore the robbery OF the treasure-room wa!
| discovered.
| Arrangements had Teen completed foi
the renlc val OF the specie to an ocean
| liner, destined to bear it to the Euro
pean consighees, and the trucks had been
| lined up IL readiness for their precious
| freight when the mate, at the head of a
| gang of men, went to the treasure-roon.
There was key in his hand. but there
| was no need to use it The door OF the
| treasure-rouin was found to lie unfastned
| The pressure Of hand upon its massive
panelling forced It wide open. Down at
the cotnpaEy's pier last night an official,
under promise that his identity would no,
be revealed gave some Interesting details
Eyes, they found the door mrastened," !"
said he, 'snd they tell me that the cap
ishment. The lock. big strong one, had
been forced as skillfully as things OF that
kind ar, done on shore by tn. most exper,
and -well-equipped cracksmen."
The interior Of the room. at first glance.
this man said, looked as when last in
spected y the captain after the start from
vera LUZ. 4ucic 10y tuS DOAcS VI
So, 900 10 the package, in regular tiers
seemingly undisturbed But the open door =
the forced loci left no room for doubt that
matters we're wrong.
When the mete recovered his wits he
summoned the CAPTAIN, and when that Of
ficial revived from the shock careful
search was promptly Instituted. The re-
suit was conclusive. A package of specie
containing $1,000 in Mexican silver had
vanished as completely as If dropped in.o
the sea-
Capt. Buriey is an old sailor, trained to
meet sudden emergencies; but the discovery
that the ships treasure room had been
plunderec right under his official nose was
almost toe much for him. His officers
could give Tim no consolation. Throughout
the voyage they had kept the usual vigilant
watch upon the treasure room. Hardly an
hour. night and day, when some watchful
eye was net on the heavy door behind which
lay the treasure.
OF Course the ship was searched in hot
haste from stem to stern. The only dis
covery was that Of anold carpet. neatly tied
with rope, and occupying dark corner IN
the ships baggn ge-room. This queer.
looking package when opened was found to
contain about 500, apparently a part of
the stoler specie Who put it there and
why he did it were problems difficult TO
solve. In this bagrage-room were stored
the trunks belonging to passengers, and the
purpose leaving he packa ge OF abandoned
booty. may have been to fasten suspicion
upon some one.
Suspicion has probably taken some def
mite direction by this time in the minds of
the working detectives, but what it points
to no ole but themselves can say. 1t
Seems incredible that any single member
Of the ship'screw0r any one passenger could
have forced the lock of the treasure room
and decamped successfully with the case
Of specie. It is thought to be the work OF
an organized baud. The prevailing opinion
Is that the men who made the desperate
grab for plunder were carrying out care
fully-latd plot to steal all OF the precious
The ship's officers believe that many in |
Vera Cruzknew Of the specie shipment long |
before the sailing Of tue Cityof Washington. |
The impression may have been given that |
the Consignment was to he one Of gold,
metal Of which a comparatively small bulk
will contain great value. It may be that,
finding silver instead Of gule, and re- /
alizing the hopeiessness Of escap ping from
The Soop with any very large sum of the
white metal, the rubbers were forced to
their scheme. They took all that
they could carefully store away, however,