Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-01-30
$4,000 in Gold.

"A perfect stranger walked into the
! Sidcup branch of the London and Mis-
| cellaneous 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 I happened
! to be passing, I thought I'd look in and
tell you
| The manager, Mr.. Julian Foster, ex-
pressed his secpticism with appropri-
ate pomposity
MY dear sir, burglary at the Lon
don and Miscellaneous Bank! You
must be dreaming!"
Il hope I am,' replied the other.
"And if so, I owe you an apology. Any
| how, I'm not rounding on any pals.
and I'm not asking money for the in
| formation. Fact is, [ overheard a
conversation that wasn't meant for me
in public house-at least, l over
heard scraps of it, and I'm very much
mistaken if the burglary of your bank
wasn't the leading idea of the dia-
logue.'
Mr.. Julian Foster, when expressing
his gratitude, pooh-poohed the warn
ing. Still, as | said,'' the manager
continued, II am 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
on the make thought you'd like to
know, BY my! Load up the shotgun
and look QUIT"
He shook hands and hurried off
without even troubling to mention his
name and address, and Mr.. Julian Eos
ter leaned back in his chair and turn
ed the matter over in his mind.
HUM" he soliloquized. 81 wonder. y
The Sidcup branch was certainly
easier to rob than most. 1t was sit
uated in new house, the lease OF
stationer whose business had been
unsuccessful. The safe, which stood
in the back parlor, was Of very sim
pie and ordinary kind.
On the other hand, the branch was
not, as a rule, worth robbing. 1t did
very little business, existing mainly
| for the purpose of raking 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 it's history, be in position to
repay any burglar for his trouble. To
meet the views of particular de-
| positor in the company-promoting
/, business, who had given notice OF
withdrawal, there would be $4,000 in
the safe.
Mr.. Julian Foster, like most bank
managers, was good at arithmetic, and
he put two and two together.
Burglars" he reflected, "like police
ceived, though heaven only knows
where they get it from! If there's any
! idea of breaking into this bank
think we may take it that the attempt
will be made while that money is on
the premises"
The very afternoon he began his
| preparations for giving the intruders
a warm reception. AS soon as banking
hours were over he went up to town
and bought a revolver. It was a
weapon he was used to, and he prac-
| ticed sufficiently to satisfy himself
that he retained a considerable skill
with it. Then, by degrees, his plan OF
! r9nnOoi0O 5ouo1nnod itCnlf
''The simplest way, I suppose" he
mediated, would be to get the police
to keep an extra lookout on Wednes-
day, Or I might get a special plain
clothes officer down from headquar-
tiers. But where should come in?
The bank wouldn't give me service
of plate, with promition to follow, for
that; and I should look a pretty tool il
! it turned out to be a false alarm"
! So he took no one into his conf
dence, but thought out a scheme.
| Wednesday came and with it came
the messenger from Lothbury with re
gold-$50,000, tied up securely in ten
leather bags. He helped Mr.. Eos
ter to lock them away in the safe, on
the inadequacy of which he com
mented over glass of sherry and a
cigarette.
I'm glad you noticed it," the man
aged replied. You'll support my ap-
plication for a better one. In the
meantime, however, I've got this"
He brought the six-shooter out OF
the drawer of the desk and showed
that it was loaded.
Mr.. Foster meditated till dinner
time; he meditated over his chop and
bread and cheese; he went on medi-
tating over his whiskey and water
afterwards.
''Gold-yes, there is enough gold