The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1897-02-03


big payment soon and the money for
it would be in the bank here. 1f
there warn't anything else, that would
be big haul, haul worth havin, and
me bein' here decided 'em.
81 do think the devil brought all
his friends and relations with him
that night to tempt me. forgot how
to go to sleep, and just couldn't stay
in bed. wonder l warn't in tatters
by mornin' with the devil tuggin' ut
me as he did and tryin' TO keep me
out OF the room where my sleepin'
children lay.
'Yer see, them bank people come
over to my place for lunch best part
of the time, and they all knowed my
little people, and the mill people
knowed 'em too, My oldest boy
worked in the mill and thoy'd been as
kind as could be when he's SICK Christ
mas time they's good to him, too, and
there warn't bank officer but had
remembered my little people, even
to the watchman. Seemed like rob-
bing my own people, somehow. rs
bound not to inform on the gang, and
they's bound ter rob ther bank but
cursed 'em in my heart for comm just
when was gettin' rid Of the old life
for good and oil. Twas awful!
"Well, Judge, you know how them
rooms over the bank was rented to
start q new daily paper. made 'em
swear solemn as my name warn't to
appear nowhere. I'd plan it all out
and give 'em points and be on hand
at the last, but l had to be cautious
"They found out when the money
was to be paid and greed on the night
before for the robbery. l had it all
mapped out for 'em where and how
they was to loosen up the boards of
the floor in their room above, SO we
could break through and lower our
selves into the vault when the time
come. Then yer see we'd only have
the safe to get into and the great iron
door between rs and tho watchman.
Everything was ready, and we was
pretty sure the money was paid.
"Do you hear that storm now,
Judge? Twas like that ten years ago
tonight, dark as Egypt, with the rain
and wind perfect hurricane; terri
BILE night; the kind OF night for any
sort of crime. The men chuckled to
themselves. Twas torture sure this
time, and they'd all be on the way to
comfort and safety before day. amt
never seen 'em so excited. Nothin'
hadn't gone wrong and nothin' could
MT now.
"We had sentinels stationed round
to give the alarm, but there warn't
much danger on night like that.
"We had planned SO as to have the
doors of the safe ready to blow open
when the watchman went down cellar
to see to his fires. knowed the time
of night he did SO, seein' him often
from my house across the way through
the window of the bank; but to make
sure we stationed man where he
could give the signal at the proper
time. With the watchman downstairs
and we shu5 in that vault, with solid
masonry below us, 'twarn't in the
range of possibilities for no human to
hear us.
Twas planned that when we broke
the ceiling me and one of the others
was to go down first with the lanterns
and tools and get the door ready for
Jim Groogau, the leader of the gang,
to come down and use the dynamite
and be on hand to take out the money.
''It was just the night for such n
piece of work, and after 1 had exam
ined to see if all was safe, KNOWN the
dangers better than the others, we
broke through the door and lowered
the ladder, and thero we was-right in
the vault. Twas we'll for me I'd hit
it right, for my life warn't worth much
if any O. my plannin' failed to work.
"Pom Doolan in hurry went down
first and when was half way down he
started back, sayin' in hoarse kind
of whisper:
"'Who called me?'
"'No one, you FOOL said jim.
/" Then, he said. and he ran past
me on the ladder, some one is down
there. Twicet heard some one say
"Go back, go back"
"'We'l gag him. said jim, and me
and him went down and turned our
lanterns round, lookin' everywhere,
but there warn't no one there.
What's the matter with the fool?'
growled Jim, and went back and tried
to send him down again, but he Just
wouldn't go, so Jim cursed him and
come himself, and he and mo begun
to get the safe door ready to blow up.
''rhat's thing rs takes time and
care, Judge, hut we went at it with
will and never a word. 1t was so still
you could almost hear your heart beat,
when all of q sudden come a smothered
cry like n woman's. We stopped work
and looked at each other, Jim's face
white and scared.
"'What was that p he said.
"'I often hears 'em on the street
like that, seid !.
"'That warn't on the street; il
sounded close BY sAid Jim.Y I'VE
couldn't hear nothin' outside in this
place.
Nonsense said ], don't you
make fool of yourself, too, and spoil
all, and | went to work again.
81 could see how his hand trembled
for a while and then got steady again.
"'Ihat must have come through
the room upstairs, he said presently. |
Queer, though; it sounded so close.
"phen We worked on aud there
warn't nothia' more to bo heard. Rest
of the gang might all have been dead