, 1899-01-23
$4,000 IN GOLD.


A perfect stranger walked into the
Sidcup branch of the London and Mis-
bank and asked to see the
manager.
Excuse my troubling you" he said,
"but you may be interested to know
that there is a scheme on foot for the
burgling of this bank. As l happened
to be passing, thought I'd look in and
tell you"
The manager. Mr.. Julian Foster, ex-
pressed his skepticism with appropriate
pomposity.
MY dear sir, a burglary at the Lon.
don and Miscellaneous bank You must
be dreamlng!'
II hope l am" replied the other.
"And, if so, / W you an apology.
Anyhow, I'm not rounding OH any pals,
and I'm not asking money for the infor-
nation. Fact is, l overheard a CONVERSE
ton that wasn't meant for me in a pub
lie hCuse-at least | overheard scraps
Of it-and I'm very much mistaken if
the burglary of your bank wasn't the
leading idea of the dialogue"
Mr.. Julian Foster, while expressing
'' Siu''S'NNi PcDhPpthNu II "aih
ing. "Still, as l said, !" the manager
continued, I'm very much obliged to
you, and, supposing it should turn out
that you have been well informed, the
directors would naturally be very
glad
Never mind about that. I'm not Oh
the make. l only came and told you be-
cause / thought you'd like to know.
By by! Load up the shotgun and look
out!'
He shook hands and hurried off with
out even troubling to mention his name
and address. aud MIR. Julian Foster
leaned back in his chair and turned the
matter over in his mind.
"HumI' he soliloquized. II Won
der
The Sidcup branch was certainly
easier to rob than most. 1t was situated
III n new house, the lease of which had
been bought cheap from a s%tationer
whose business had been unsuccessful.
The safe, which stood in the back par
Tor, was OF q very simple and ordinary
kind.
On the other hand, the branch was
not, as a rule, worth robbing. 1t dld
very little business, existing mainly for
the purpose of rakiDS in deposits, and
very little in the way OF cash or other
negotiable securities was ever kept
there.
On the following Wednesday, how
ever. the branch would, for the first
time in its history, be in a position to
repay any burglar for his trouble. 70
meet the views of a particular depositor
in the company promoting business,
who had given notice of withdrawal,
there would be $780, in the safe.
MIR. Julian Foster, like most bank
managers, was good at arithmetic, and
he put two II two together.
Burglars, p" he reflected, like po-
licemeD, usually act upon information
received, though heaven only knows
where they get it froml If there's any
idea Of breaking into this bank, l think
we may take it that the attempt will
be made while that money is on the
premises"
That very afternoon he began his
preparations for giving the intruders a
warm reception. AS soon as banking
hours were over be went up to town
and bought u revolver. 1t was a weapon
he was used to, and he practiced sutfi-
GENTLY to satisfy himself that he retain
ed a considerable skill with it. Then.
by degrees. his plan Of campaign de-
veloped itself.
1.-THE simplest way, l suppose, /" he
m%editated, would be to get the police
to keep an extra lookout on Wednesday,
or l might get a special plain clothes
officer down from headquarters. But
where should l come inf The bank
wouldn't give me a service of plate,
with promotion to follow, for that, aud
l should look a pretty fool II it turned
out to be u false alarm
So he took no one into his confidence,
but thought out a scheme.
Wednesday came, and with it came
tbo iucnschEci VI h'ehpuy "i'h u