Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-06-13

Grant, the clerk. had been knocked
scnscless and the robbery effected.
Seventeen hundred dollars in money
and many valuable papers We're gone
Little Mary Grant reported having
seen a strange man on the street with
leather handbag. Harry Grant was
Still too stunned to talk cohcrcntly.
Rodney hurried on for the oil. He
wanted to get back, wind the clock and
lock the church and then Join in the
search for the robbcr.
Oiling the pulley did not seem to
make 1t work much easier. There was
q small opening at the top of the shaft
through which the weight could be
seen when it was raised into place.
Watching this opening as he toiled Mt
the crank. Rodney saw appearing not
the block of granite but Il mans head
He dropped the crank. II the ma
chinciy had not worked automatically,
man and weight might have fallen to
the basement
"1Iow did you get In thcre?" Rodney
gaspcd.
mo NATTER" said the man. "l'll give
you Sl00 il You'll help me out and say
nothing about IT,"
''IIow did you get In therc?" Rodney
repeated.
When he had been down OH the
street, he had heard the little girl who
had seen the bank robbcr telling a
group of excited people that the
strange man had smooth face and
wore brown derby hat. This man
had a smooth face and Wore brown
derby hat.
You nre the bank robber" said Rod
ncy.
"You help me out, md Ill mako 1t
$780," said the man.
''Are you the man that robbed the
bank?"
You get me out of this trapH'
The man kicked savngcly against the
inside of the shaft and, brnclng himself
us well us lie could in the crampcd
space, tried to burst the walls apart.
The Joints crcakcd, but the strength of
six men could not have broken out the
planks of which the shaft was built.
You better stop that wiggling in
there" said Rodney. The rope isn't
fastened any too solid through that
rock. IL you yanll 1t out, you and the
rock will so down to the basement to-
gcthcr. It's 73 feet down there"
The "wlggling" stopped, and the
mans face appeared Mt the hole again.
The opening was not more than eight
inches square, and only tho head of the
captive was even With it, but mo-
ment later the muzzlc of revolver
came up into sight beside his face.
Before the man could get his crampcd
arm and hand into aiming position
Rodney. quick us a fash, knocked the
catch out of n ratchet In the clock
works and. grasping the crank, turned
1t backward until he had lowered his
| prisoner far enough down the shaft SO
| that he could do no harm.
Feeling sure that his prisoner was
safe for the present, Rodney decided to
go for help.
Some boys would have rushed from
the church. shouting, 1--WE got him"
but Rodney walked carclessly down the
street with his hands in his pockets
and Joined the outer edge Of a crowd
| In front of the bank. A hastily printed
notice on which the ink was not yet
dry announced that the bank would
pay $500 for the capture of the robbcr,
With his plumber. Tho town added an
,thcr $1OO to the reward
| Rodney's fingers twisted neryously
In his pockets. Six hundred dollars!
That meant for him the Institute Of
Technology. II he asked for help to
secure the man, he could claim only
part of the reward.
lie left the group Of excited men as
quietly as he had come and went to n
tinshop near by. The proprietor was
out, but Rodney knew him and the
place we'll. He quickly found the
things he wanted and took thcm-a
small portable furnace With n charcoal
fire in 1t, long handled skillet used
for melting lead and Il handful of sui
phur. Taking these with him to the
church vestlbule, he locked the outside
door and once more climbed the stairs
into the stccplc.
This time he went up one more lad
der into the bclfry itself. Here he I'M
tied the bell rope from the wheel and
let 1t fall through the hole in the floor
He knew it would 60 clear through to
the vcstibule and that he would find 1t
on the floor there when he wanted 1t,
100 feet of good pliable inch rope.
| Then he came down to the clockroom
ogain and, turning the crank backward,
let the loaded weight slowly down to-
ward the basement. Fortunately cy-
cry one on the street had been too eX
cited all that afternoon to notice that
the town clock was varying from its
usual regularity.
Rodney had wound the clock often
enough to be able to telfby the number
Of coils of wire about the arbor pretty
nearly when the weight had reached
the vestibule door. When he thorgat
1t was nearly there. he left the clock
room and hurried down the stairs. A
cautious glance through the narrow
door showed the weight slowly de-
scending and nearly all Of 1t In sight.
| Scooping the skillet full of live Goals
from the portable furnace, Rodney
stood ready. The weight stopped just
as the feet of the man standing on 1t
came into sight. Then Rodney strcw-
ed the Goals with sulphur and showed
the skillet into the shaft. A chorus Of
mingled coughs and cries followed.
Pulling out the skillet and tossing it
into IN empty coal hod. Rodney ran up
the stairs and ladder faster than he
had ever done In his life before, gave