The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1897-08-26

/ y
me all and help me to run down Repau,
e100 is yours, and you shall be held
harmless.
He paused a moment and then went
on: "Repau has acted to me like a
scoundrel. I'll tell all .
Thousands of pounds are conveyed
daily from the chief LonSon banks to
| their branch establishments in the sub
urbs or the city. A branch bank want
ing cash sends couple of clerks to the
head office. the money required is placed
in black leather bags, a cab flour
wheeled) is hailed, the clerks enter
with the treasure, and with the win
dows up are driven away to their branch
office.
This practice has for many years past
attracted the attention of gangs of clev-
er thieves, and thousands of pounds are
often lost in transit.
Shortly before my interview with
Despard sum of e5, 900 in gold and
81, 900 in silver had been taken.
About 10 o'clock in the morning two
clerks from branch had arrived at one
of the biggest central banks, aud pro-
ducing their authority to receive the
money the cash had been put into bags,
a passing cab hailed, and the clerks and
the cash seen safely into it.
They did not arrive at the branch
Office. Inquiry and search were made
for them, and at length the two men
| were found unconscious, seated in cab,
of which the driver had disappeared in
| byroad off Hampstead in the north
of London. The bags of money had
gone, and what had occurred to them
the two clerks could not say. They had
ridden on with the windows of the cab
up, on their way to the branch Office.
Then they had suddenly lost their senses.
On examination it was found that
the cab was "make up" one. 1t be-
longed to no owner of cabs in London.
It was mantrap, devised for the per-
petration of one of the cleverest rob-
berries of modern times, robbery in
which it seemed we should never dis
cover the actors, for weeks passed and
no clew to them was found, though
$500 was offered privately by the bank
for their arrest.
It was by that mark on the handle of
the black bag in Repairs room that /
was convinced he was one of the thieves.
The bag was one of the banks, and the
mark had been placed upon it for iden-
LITIGATION.
II will tell you ALL said Despard.
"Repau was an acquaintance Of mine.
I was mechanic. He came to me one
day and said, 'Despard, have you heard
of that new machine in which they kill
cats and dogs?' I hadn't. They put
them into an almost alright box he
went on, and pump in poisoned air.
They are dead in no time. Despard,
you are poor. 1 have scheme by which
we may make fortune ."
In few words he laid his plot be-
fore him-to buy a cab, alter it So that
when the windows were closed it would
be almost alright, while through a
tube passing into the cab air powerfully
drugged might be pumped into the
vehicle by an arrangement worked by
the driver foot.
Despard set to work. In less than ten
days the trap cab was upon the London
streets. For three days it lowered
around the bank doors. On the fourth
it was engaged.
"The driver was, of course, an ac-
complete, went Oh Despard. "The ap-
,paratus worked wonderfully. Before
they dreamed of danger the clerks were
rendered insensible by the drugged air
and were being driven to Hampstead,
Repair and following. In quiet spot
the cab stopped, Repair rushed to the
door, threw it open, grasped the bags,
sprang with them into our trap, and
with the driver of the cab we all set off
at full speed"
"And what became Of the money!" I
asked.
81 had 81, 0O0," he answered, the
sham cab driver e4O0. Repau. like a
scoundrel, laid hands on the rest
"And where is he?" asked eagerly.
Despard mournfully shook his head.
81 do not know" he replied.
He certainly did not. That reward
of $500 slipped through my fingers
after all, for Repau, that clever rascal,
had shown us so clean pair Of heels
that we never came up with him again.
I would have given much to have once
more met my Every dear friend, almost
brother M. Belpard. alias Jules Re-
pau.-London Sun.
Trade Secrets.
-