Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-21

the residence of the banker, and was adj
mitted to his presence.
After greeting me cordially and invit-
ing me to be seated he desired to know if
l had anything of Importance to COM
municate. And as if he did not expect an
Affirmative answer from me continued:
las | was saying to you his morning
there are some circumstances that 1 de-
sire to go into. but before doing so, and
as l think you are familiar with all the
facts by this time, l desire to ask your
opinion of this affair 1 answered that
l never hastily formed an opinion. and
could not do so until had made an in
vestigation. We'll, what I desired to
say further he said, was in reference
able trouble when in college and since; I
have been compelled to settle debts that
he has contracted by wild living
Il am sorry to say that l have had
some suspicious that he might know
something of this affair."
L thought perhaps, that he had gotten
himself into new scrape and was
ashamed to come me again, and took this
means to get out of it. You will note that
am frank with you. You have perhaps
heard that he was alone in the bank on
that day for a short time; | have talked
to him on this point, and he seems posi-
tive that no one entered through my
office at that time. This in a measure
has taken quite a weight off of my mind,
for it would be an easy matter for him to
say that possibly some one did go in that
way l never knew him to do what might
be termed a mean or d~ishOnorable action,
and l am no doubt foolish to entertain
any suspicious whatever against him. I
however, desire you to carefully %investi-
gate his actions during the past six
months. l desire to say further in his
1,nba Z that 7 Il n x-n Inay, -, - -,a =.
fled by his actions lately. for he has ap-
parently been quite steady" Continuing
he said: 1T is a very mysterious affair.
Very mysterious"
rs there anything that I can tell you?'
I answered, Il presume you nave talked
this matter over with your cashier, what
does he think of it?"
He seems at sea; he scouts the idea
of Richard knowing anything about it. I
notice that he is considerably worried
over it, and I have told him to think
nothing more of it."
l thought that morning Fielding looked
worried. For the purpose of drawing him
out further, l said: TT is not possible
that Fielding knows anything about it?"
He burst out laughing and said: why,
I have known and watched that boy
since he was twelve years old; he is the
soul Of honor, and as steady as a string;
besides he Is engaged to be married to
my daughter, and knows that I look
upon him as a %favorite son. He has no
bad hab bits and spends the most of his
time with my daughter. No. Give up
that idea if O a entertained it, he
has absolutely no connection with it,"
| had not entertained any particular
suspicion against him or any other per-
son, and told him so. The methods of my
profession are to take a circle that might
be involved, and sift it down, and elimin-
only those who could not have had
any connection. In my Investigations l
not a respector of persons, and al
though l acknowledge that the old gen.
had good reasons for the trust
and confidence reposed in Fielding, still
I could not be guided by his prejudices
in Fielding's favor, or those in connection
with his son.
In glancing around the room I noted
indications of vast wealth on every hand.
1t certainly seemed unreasonable to sup
pose that anything would tempt a man
to commit a crime, and perhaps forever
jeopardize his future prospects. 1t
would seem with the knowledge of the
fact that Harry knew that he would
share in the benefits of his children after
his death, hat he was justified in the
belief that it was absurd to consider that
Harry could have any connection with
the robbery. If that was true of Harry,
why not Ol ltlcndIu ! mat is
by referring to the many times hat the
old gentleman's confidence was shaken
in him by reason Of his many escapades.
Sitting facing the banker the above
thoughts coursed rapidly through my
mind.
l desired to know if any one knew of
my presence IN town., and he said that
he had not spoken TO any one yet al
though he had been on the point of tell
mo Harry Say-ara1 tin1pS ipf0rynpl him
that it would do no good to tell even him,
and requested that he speak of it to nc
one. l then took my departure saying ]
would do the best I could to unravel the
mystery; that however, he need not look
for a report from me for several days. ]
glanced at my watch and found that il
was ten o'clock. On my way back tC
the hotel I took in some of the sporting
places, that We're evidently frequentet
by the young men Of the town. but die
not see any Of the attaches of the bank
l remained around town until nearly
twelve o'clock, then returned to the ho'
tel and retired for the night. The fol
lowing few days l put in investigating
the character Of the clerks of the bank
also the habits of the cashier and thu
son; however, learned nothing out of thu
ordinary.
In the meantime the local authoritie
had arrested a local sneak thief, who hac
been seen in the vicinity of the bank OF
the day of the robbery, but as nothing
could be proven against him he wa:
turned loose. l had been in town {
week and had learned absolutely nothing
to the point. / spent the entire ext Weel
with no better result, with the exception
that in my round about town I noticed
a brokers' office, and | occasionally wen
in there for the purpose of making thu
acquaintance of one of the clerks. Their,
was a large blackboard on the wall OF
which the New York stock quotation:
We're posted as fast as received.
After cultivating the acquaintance O
the brokers' clerk sufficiently, during
| r-hinI. tirna L nnlnfu1l " n1rnilnI oil rnfnr