The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-05
and the president was r. HI. Hastings.
! There was a great deal besides that
/ told much of his life, both private and
Copyright by Lee Shepard. Boston. Mass.

y,
trust" engraved inside. L put on the |
ring and determined to use the key, |
for I fancied it to be the key to the
bank, and I believed I could open the
safe from the figures which I found |
in another receptacle of the notebook. |
judged by these figures noted down |
that he did not dare trust to his mem |
Dry, which, no doubt, had been grad-|
ually falling him for some time.
[ went to Grovedale, and to the
bank, which I found Without any
trouble. the newspapers in their eager
ness for the sensational having given
full descriptions of it and the village
generally, in connection with the al
legged mysterious disappearance of the
bank cashier and his previous strange
periodical trips, of which the reporter
made the most he could without ac-
tually questioning the honesty of the
cashier.
When I mounted the steps to the
bank a young man hailed me.
"Hullo" he said. 'Hullo" an
swered, and added, "You didn't expect
me back SO soon, did you?" and after
the reply that he did not, he passed
down the street. But was afraid he
might return and I worked hastily,
opening the vault and safe by the fig
ures had found, and t:tIing two notes
of four and five hundred each, which
T judged would be useful But I took
no 1lOuey. .
| In Vane's bag I found q small box
| containing some gold shirt studs and
in his overcoat pocket silk travelling
! cap, all Of which bore his initials. AS
had been seen to enter the bank
| judged it best to make it appear that
| it was in reality the rightful cashier,
1 and left one of the shirt-studs on
the desk, and then as it occurred to
me that he would be expected to visit
| his own home I walked to the river
bank and tossed the cap carelessly into
| the bushes and dropped the other
shirtstud on the gravelled bank; not
without some qualms Of conscience,
for there arose in my mind the distress
Of his wife in thinking he might be
drowned But I rejected the thought
in moment. He would soon be re-
leased and then it would be all right,
/ reasoned. Meanwhile, 1t was we'll
for me to have the affair wrapped In
| mystery for the present.
I altered the notes and presented
them at the bank. There was no need
Of any hypnotic or unusual methods
to deceive Simon Low. l looked ex-
actly like the man he knew, and he
recognized me as Vane Hamilton al
most directly, paying over the money
without comment or question. To the
other bank I produced credentials and
a letter purporting to have been writ
ten by R.. H. Hastings, whose hand
writing I initiated from note found
among Vane's belongings. I after
wards wrote the letter found under
the bank presidents door. I placed 1t
there myself when on my way to join
Lenora in Canada. In the letter !
wrote as If the cashier wished to make
it appear that he would soon return
and exonerate Osborn from suspicion
r in a manner to make the affair still
more dark and puzzling.
T STAYED in C0nehoc fCa' lone
: time, receiving letters from the states
I which I was too wise to notice, for
: was sure they We're lures; and eludeC
= Bruce on the street, for he had beer
pointed out to me as a detective, by
/ diving into a cellar. When he entered
I my wh1skers had been stripped off, my
:. tall hat crushed to low one, my
= countenance was changed by facia
t contortions to the appearance or {
. full-faced man, and T was talking
l Dutch with great volubility as I slipped
. lager beer. All had been done in {
). few seconds Of time, and tho he looked
: at me suspiciously and questioned me
= sharply he evidently failed to connec
e me with the man Of whom he was II
pursuit. =
), Fna1ly, read in the newspapers O.
= the death, by*droWning, of Henry Ash
: ley, with an account Of the whole at
e fair, a summary Of his life and dishon
est course, "n1Cn IL StdLeu 1ldO Cull1lllA
= ated in insanity and death.
I was sincerely sorry for all this
d tho 1 reasoned as he was insane h
> probably failed to realize the horror
=, Of his situation. I was not hard
:, hearted naturally, and my wicked lif
4 had failed to make me wholly bad
- - Tho the declaration WILL doubtless b.
T questioned, will still venture to stat
= for it is true-that actually grieve'
j. over his death tho I did not knov
If him, and felt regret for the sorroy
;. Of his wife and children, and tried t.
n think it as well that they did not knoy
d of his death.
IS There were even times when I fel
e myself to be almost, if not quite, tn
means of his death; but Lenora en-
is deavored to convince me that he wa
insane when I met him, and withou
t. my Intervention might have been ar
T rested in my place, and as there wa
10 no means of actual indentificat1o
IF about his person or belongings, hi
W name appearing nowhere in full, tina
st the probability was strong that h
Y. would never have found his way to hi
home. And I tried to believe her.
re Marks, my evil genius, was in Can
ia ada. and it was he who, after the deaf
IS of the supposed Ashley, whom W
IS knew to be Vane Hamilton, propose
~ that T return to Grovedale to take u
the position anu HOIOES u lily oSd
twin brother. There would*be no OAR
- ger at all to me, he argued, with IN
IS, 20 peculiar gifts and talents. The a.
~ fairs and personages connected wit
-, ~ the bank matters had been laid bar
~ by the newspapers; pictures Of man
w prominent citizens had been .give1
al and had his notebook, the ring, an
T some articles of his clothing.
" Besides. I possessed in an unusu;
to degree the gift of mind reading, tt
hit subtle magnetic or psychical chat
to which binds one individual to anothe
making them one thru transmission
I'd the vibrations Of the mind. I cann'
ge explain the phenomenon, but the in
IN preston in one mind doubtless PR
re duces an idea or emotion, the emotio
O. an impulse to the imagination whic
to constructs a vision, for / see, actual
see, what passes in the minds
RS others. Upon this gift Marks d.
as clared I might depend, and he il
Ut structed me in the science to which
q himself had introduced me until
rs really felt myself possessed Of an a
~ most irresistible power, and one thu
ie awed me at times
-. We made many experiments wit
- Lenora's assistance. / would will TIL
-, she should get up in the night at mit
- night to sweep the room, and 81
~ would arise and sweep it as we'll ar