Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1900-10-18

the numDer, cropped In SInSly, at dlI-
ferent times, and were then cared for
inside, and kept concealed in apart
ments arranged especially for our use.
All our tools were brought to the
place in cases of merchandise, and,
therefore, attracted no suspicious no.
tice.
The distance from our starting point,
the cellar Of our store, to the outside Of
the bank was only little over sixty
feet; but to tunnel this out in the night,
entirely underground, arch it, and
wall it with boards, and make it se-
cure-to smuggle in the things we
needed, and get rid of the dirt and
rubbish-was a slow and discouraging
undertaking, which required good
deal of patience, nerve and pluck, and
the incentive of fortune to be reach
ed in the end, to keep our confeder-
ates down to the laborious work.
And then, when this was all done,
after the incest engineering calcuaa-
ton and weeks of toll, we were only
fairly ready to begin the task of pierre
ing a safe which was deemed i'm
pregnable by it's makers, and which
had been constructed with all the SOL
idity, care and skill of the best mech
anism which money could procure.
We had forced an entrance, which
had exposed the rear of the safe, and
made several attempts to make
breach in it's formidable wall, but for
hours and hours the stout steel re-
sisted all our efforts.
After various experiments and many
consultations, it was suggested that
we should try the softening process OF
heat, and blow-pipe was used to di-
rect and concentrate the most power.
full heat upon given point.
After being kept up for long time,
we found we could make some slight
impression with our best tools-a mere
scarifying, so to speak-and, though
this was tediously slow, we felt en-
couraged to proceed.
Continual dropping will wear away
a stone'' is a maxim as old as the
hills; constant heating, chafing, grind
ing and rubbing gradually thinned
portion of the plate, till at last VIC
began to feel that we were master
of the situation.
1t was finally announced that the
plate had reached that condition when
a violent blow with a heavy hammer
would burst through, and then we
paused in our work to prepare for
making good our escape as soon a
the great design should be effected.
Our storekeeper, the only party
known in the place, and who was
forthwith told to decamp, to secretly
leave the town, and an innocent
clerk, who was resident of the place,
was left in charge of the establish
ment-it being given out that the own
new goods.
Next we had covered wagon ar
ranged for carrying off the specie to
the cellar Of a certain church near the
outskirts of the town, there to be
concealed until such time as it might
be removed with safety. Then we all
agreed to separate, and by different
routes, each was to make his way to
New York, and meet at a certain rem
devious in East Houston street.
These details having been arranged,
we fixed upon the following Saturday
night for the grand contamination of
our hopes, thus having Sunday to in
tervene between the time of robbery
and discovery, and over thirty hours
in which to make good our flight.
Well the long-looked for night came
at last-a night favorable to our pur--
pose, being dark and stormy-and,
though we were men used to control
ling our nerves, they were now strung
I'D to that degree of excitement as we
stood before the thin, frail barrier
which only divided US from fortune,
that we trembled, blanched and shook
like so many frightened culprits.
At length the hammer was raised, the
signal was gi~en, the blow was struck
and crash through +ae rS;7 plate OF
steel the iron was sent, crumbifEy tue
cemerted layer OH the other side OF It.
SCATTERING the inner casing, and per-
hitting our bull's-ey lantern to f1asn
through into the great treasure vault.
So excited were we that it was diff
ficult for any one to resist the shout
that involuntarily pressed to our lips
for utterance.
In few minutes space was maze
large enough for one OF us to crawl
through, and, then was exposed our
haven of treasure. We found that in
greenbacks, national bank notes, goid'
silver and negotiable bonds we were
richer by nearly $210,OO0.
I ought to have been contented WITH
this. and might have got off free, as
my companions did, but what Will not
a greedy man do?
There was smaller SAFE, which we
could only open with powder, and, be-
ing an expert at that business, deter