The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-25

into the deserted street below. Escape
was. L saw. impossible by the window.
Therefore ! went out upon the landing,
and soon found the trap door which led
TO the roof. Curiously enough it was open,
and without much difficulty / crept through
it and out upon the smoke-blackened
leads. CHANGING around. | saw that the
roofs of the ~neighboring houses were fiat.
and therefore / started to walk along the
tops of the shops i'm Holborn. making my
way in and out among the myriad chin
neys which rose thick as forest trees.
There was a long low parapet running
the whole length of the block of buildings.
and 1 was walking in the gutter behind
ii when suddenly my attention was at
tracted by sight of a horse and cart drawn
up at the curb below. 1t was a milk cart
of the ordinary kind. and close by it,
standing in conversation with the driver,
was a policeman in his shiny cap
My first impulse was to shout down to
the officer and tell him of the dastardly at
tempt made upon my life, but as / stood
peering over the parapet | suddenly dis
cerned that both the cart and the officer
were standing a couple of doors off the
bank where I was. employed. 1 looked
round, and TO my surprise saw that within
twenty yards of where / stood a small
wooden trap door was open.
That door was in the roof of the bank.
Instantly my suspicious were aroused.
Moving carefully I glanced down again.
and then knew by the curious hitching
movement of the shoulders that the police
man was none other than Drane.
The gang were perhaps at that moment
engaged in robbing the bank. and the cart
was. in all probability, waiting to carry off
the specie. This alarming truth flashed
upon me, and L stood in GREATNESS hesita-
ton, wondering what / should do. If
alarmed they would undoubtedly shoot me
or fling me over into the roadway and after
wards escape. Yet L did not intend that
those four murderers should get away scot
free. Their plans, whatever they had been.
had been carried out with marvellous fore
thought, for it was now quite evident that
they had taken the corner house with the
deliberate intention of making an attack
upon the safes containing our coin.
Drane. little suspecting that 1 stood there
watching, was chatting calmly to the milk
man. who, in that half light. 1 recognized
as Lawrence, while vickers and Cayley
were undoubtedly busy in the vault below
the street. wherein 1 knew was stored, in
addition to the previous days deposits.
nearly ESQ, 900 in sovereigns, for 1 had as
sisted to place some of the coin there when,
On the previous afternoon, it had been re-
ceived from the Bank of England.
Excited at this discovery and puzzled how
to capture the four red-handed, 1 suddenly
noticed that on the roof of the adjoining
house some painters had been at work, and
had left their tools there, among them be-
ing a stout iron bar used in the suspending
OF the cradle in which they worked. This
/ seized. and, closing down the trap door
noiselessly, managed to place each end of
the bar behind some k and thus
securely fasten it down. I tried to pull it
open, but it resisted every effort.
Then I chuckled to myself. knowing that
at least / had prevented their escape by
the way in which they had obtained en-
trance.
My next move was to descend into the
street and invoke the aid of the police.
But how? After some reflection the course
/ was compelled to adopt was to go from
JrdD-QOOT 10 lTdp-QoOT U lie HOuStS III
Cover street until at last I found a loose
one, and then, like a burglar. i lowered
myself and crept noiselessly down the
stairs, letting myself out by the front door.
Those were, indeed. exciting moments, for
had never played the amateur burglar
before, and knew not that at any moment
someone might face me with a revolver.
Again, it seemed quite possible that the
thieves might make off with their booty
before I could reach them. for fully a
quarter Of an hour had elapsed since I
had first made the discovery.
Therefore breathless in anxiety I dashed
along the street making no noise-for I
had made my exit from the 1niIk-tin with
bare feet-turned in front of the myster-
ious corner house and looked along Hol-
born.
Next second my heart sank within me.
| Both policeman and cart had disappeared.
/ ran along to the door of the bank. but
| found IL closed and firmly secured.
The thieves had evidently made their
coup successfully, and had got clear away.
L stood there rooted to the spot.
If they had endeavored to return to the
corner house by the roof they no doubl
had discovered the trap door barred, anc
this would result in their flight by tn,
front door into Holborn. Again. II they re
turned to their abode they would discovel
that I. their victim. had disappeared. Tn
position was far more difficult and excit
ing than before. They were evidently
gang who would hesitate at nothing Il
no.Lo 0ood THAR aacnno.