Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1903-08-21

- NoDaNh wa
) r 3 ss1isas and It ts gs circus q ls ~s,
\ in town. Every one was
ICN there drinking in its intoxi-
eating delights. The tents had been
erected under the joint criticism of the
entire male population of Peapack. and
Il stimulating odor Of the menagerie
filed the place.
In III corner Of the circus field
Shifty Simmons, the P~hilanthropist.
was busily engaged in doing good. This
worthy man was giving away gold
watches. At first the suspicious citi-
zens OF Peapack regarded the thing
with a cold and calculating eye. PHI
%lanthropy seemed to be a drug on the
market. Then four watches were sold
Tor a dollar each to four well-known
F~eapackers and a two-dollar bill was
found in the back of each case. There
upon the intelligent citizens OF Pea
pack frightened up. They took more
interest in this affair.
Shifty Simmons took four other
watches and surreptitiously tucked a
twenty-dollar bill in the back of the
case of each. The quick sighted Pea
packers We're On. After spirited bid
ding old Amadee Pierson bought one
OF the watches for $40. He opened
the back case with an exceedingly
fond expression of countenance. This
expression suddenly disappeared. and
he looked at Shifty Simmons with an
intensity which made even that hard
ened sinner shudder.
The case was empty!
In all the various phenomena of ma
ture there is nothing more tantalizing
tnan to observe a vacuous looking
space where coin of the realm is conf
IDENTIFY expected to be found.
In front of the First National Bank
or Peapack the street was deserted. II
seemed as though every one was at
tending the afternoon session Of the
circus. And yet inside the bank a per-
Torrance was going on when wac net.
without merit. The actors were three|
capable looking gentlemen who We're
doing clever tricks with the safe. The
audience consisted of the bank watch
man, who lay on his back in an indo-
lent attitude. This Waterman was
bound and gagged in such an artistic
manner that he was unable either to
applaud or to exhibit any signs of the
d~isapproval which at times seemed to
be yelling up within him.
Two hours later the cashier entered.
He was softly and happily footing in
peaceful emulation of the steam cali
ope. His eyes fell upon the watchman.
The footing stopped. They exchanged
agonizing glances. The cashier ran to
the vault. The door opened readily at
his touch and showed certain unmis-
taxable vacancies within. The cashier
at once resumed his footing. but an
expert musician might have observed
that the tune was now pitched in quite
a different key.
In a few minutes all Peapack knew
that the bank had been robbed of $780,
600. A bank robbery and a circus in
one day! The town had never seen
such metropolitan excitement. The
Waterman became the oracle of the
hour. His story gradually accumulated
additional details about the fight he
had put up before he was overpow~
cred, but his conclusion was always
the same:
"And then the little man who limped
stuffed all the money in a green
satchel and he skipped"
In the office of the bank the cashier
was bitterly cursing the fate that had
led him to make up a deficiency of $500
in his cash account the day before.