The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-01-18

"We had planned % as 10 have the door
Of the safo ready 10 blow open when the
watchman went down 10 the cellar to see
TO his fires ! knowed the time Of night
he did so, seeing him often from my house
across the way through the window Of the
bank. But to make sure we stationed q
man where hs could give the signal at the
proper time With the Waterman down
stairs and we shut 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
through the ceiling me and one of the
others was to 60 down first with the Ian
terms and tools and get the door ready for
Jim Groogan, the leader of the gang, to
come down and use the dynamite and be
on hand to take out the money,
Lord, but it was just the night for such
piece of work, and after had examined
to see II all was safe, knowing the dangers
better than the others, we broke through
tho floor and lowered the ladder, and there
we was right In the vault. Twas well
for meI'd hit it right, for my life warn't
worth much If any Of my planning failed
to work.
"Tom Doolan In hurry went down
first, aud when I was half way down he
started back, saying In hoarse kind Of
whisper:
"'Who called mef'
" mo 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. =" ..
owen gag him., said Jim. And me
and him went down and turned our Ian
terms round, looking everywhere, but there
warn't no one there.
Whats the matter with the fool'
growled Jim and went back and tried to
send him down again, but he just would
not go; SO Jim cursed him and come HIM
self, and he and me begun to get the safe
door ready to blow up.
"That's a thing as takes time and care,
judge, but we went at it with will and
never word. 1t was SO still you could
almost hear your heart beat, when all of
sudden come o smothered cry like wom-
ans. We stopped work and looked at
each other, Jim's face white and scared.
Lord, what was thatY he said.
:" II often hears 'em on the street like
that, said /.
+" THAT warnton the street. Itsounded
close by, said Jim. We couldn't hear
nothing outside in this place..
Nonsense said 1. Don't you make
a fool of yourself, too, and spoil all And
went to work again.
~ could see how his hand trembled for
awhile and then got steady again.
THAT must have come through the
room up stairs, he said presently. Queer,
though; it sounded 60 CLOSE.
"Then we worked on, and there warn't
nothing more to be heard. Rest of the gang
might all have been dead men for all the
sound they made, and we didn't say
nothing, and so the night went on.
'At lust we had ID all ready and were
only waiting for the signal to blow it up
and then-money enough to make us all
rich. 'Tain't such as you can realize the
excitement and the strain of such mo-
ment To know it's all there ready and
then to have to walt, rs easier walking
over redhot Goals It's all right to go on
and work, but to stay still and only breathe
and listen gives n man the shivers.
presently Jim caught my arm.
your he whispered.
The men up stairs, said.
"'Sounde,i down here, Have your pistol
ready.
~ took my lantern and went round the
vault again carefully and then held it up
to examine the walls Then J. shook my
head There warns no way we could hear
no one.
Its the queerest place ever was in,
said Jim, and by Jove, I'll be glad when
we are out of it. Why don't that signal
come? Suppose there's any hitch? I swear
hear voices again.
"Just then come the signal, and Jim be-
gun to apply the dynamite, but his hands
trombled SO and his eyes looked so wild
and excited his own wife wouldn't know
him.
"'The money, the money! he whis-
pered. We must have 1t now
"We got out of the way just In time,
and then out came the door.
1.-The inside door, quick, said Jim,
but the explosion had made that fall in
side, and We just could lift it out
:" Have the bag ready, said Jim as he
leaned forward to haul out the great piles
of bank notes and silver we could see by
the light of the lanterns.
"'Hands off or you are dead mani
at was a voice that would most have
walked the dead. dropped my bag, and
Jim drew back his hand, caught hold of
mo with grip like iron, and we begun to
go slowly back to the ladder.
"'The combination is all right; wo have
them now; they can't escape us.
hole bn l,I rxyI,a
heard tho click, click, of tho lock, and as
we drew the ladder after lis we could hear
the rasping of the hinges of the iron door.
Fly, fly for your liyes We are dis
coveredr said jim as he went round to
warn the men. And in tho darkness and
the wind and the rain they went away, anG
l amt never seen one of 'em since. l
heard, though, as when they found there
warnt no ono there and tho bank people
didn't know nothing bout it till the next
morning they just believed rs the bank
was haunted, sure.
"Do l know what 1t was, Judge? There
amt no one else as does know, that's sure.
'Tain't much, after all.
"You see, playing round with my little
ones found as could make 'em hear all
kinds of noises anywhere wanted and
people crying ard laughing. TWAS fun fur
them, and often done it---ventriloquizing,
believe you call it. But that nights the
last time You sec, none of the gang didn't
know bout that, and don't keer ever to
have EN- know it now 1t saved the bank
withoutmy informing, and that's all care
for.
"Oh, no, judge, the bank don't owe me
Nothing You'll take care Of the uaDers?