The sun., 1903-10-18

"o ouSeuiho vi hoe' @io HhSh'y 'h'ooo'
'Only few years ago New York bank
messenger made a short choo-choo sprint
with 5000, after having had ten thousand
opportunities to jump with ten times as
much, and after lifetime of the most
scrupulous honesty, under the catapultic
impetus OF one Of these queer impulses
to get away with quick grab.
The newspapers had it that he was just
plain thief, that he had been caught with
all Of the goods. that he was tried and sent
to prison for Ave years, and that's all, But
these sprcadout recitals Of the case didn't
really cover the nub Of the story.
THAT bank messenger had been employed
by the bank for twenty-five years. and he
was 80 when his evil moment sped along
and gathered him in. He was unmarried.
lived with q spnster sister whom he sup
ported. and while DO tippitoes. had no
particular vices except the chaw at ms
old pipe and the pint Of alc when his days
work was done.
an the course of his twenty-five years
with the bank he had had tho handling OF
millions Of dollars, with chances to get away
with enormous wads as good as those he
had accepted on hunch in hopping with
the $1,000 On the very day fefore he took
the SS, 900 satchelful, he had leen the Gus.
todian OF valise containing $l20,OOO OF
tho banks dough. but the minute hadn't
yet arrived.
But he did the sallop with the 5000,
oil right enough, knowing. too. that It was
only 5000. He got as far as Pittsburg.
when he went almost bughouse with re-
morse, and he took a train hack for New
York to confess to the bank people and
turn over the IS 900 intact.
y He was traced to Pittsbrrg and then
on beard the other train he had taken to
make New York again, and they corralled
him on that train at Altoona. There's
no let up in these bank people, and the
messenger got five years, although he
surrendered every tuprenCe of the 5000.
II took him up to the zen, and, says to
him on the train:
Jack. how came YOU TO squeeze such
little Parcel OF it when YOU could have
waited q few days for c whole heap bigger
package and We laid better rians, too, for
making get t-away that Il stick;
Well. he replied, i never meant to
lift that bundle or any other up TO the second
that did It, The hunch to take run for
it hit me as suddenly as a Canarsie Bay
squall and turned me turtle before could
get the clutch on myself.
1t was one of those bitter, sleety De-
cember days, with gray skies and all that.
got on the l. train at Rector street to take
the 5000 to the branch bank uptown. and
l was chilled through. after leaving the
warm bank. and shuddering with the nippy-
ness Of the air. poked the grip between
my legs and spread out an evening news
paper that | bought to read on the way.
In the newspaper l got to reading
a mighty woozy and inviting article about
the countries where il warm and balmy
during our winter months up here. My
teeth, as ] say, were chattering with the
cold, and was kind O. run down in health,
anyhow, and as | read that stuff about the
balmy lands down closer to the line l found
myself repeating over and over again;
.IA ,~,. hx. IN nFoEa
o. those places right this minute !"
Then got to looking up at the ad-
vertisements in the L car. The one that
hit my eve particularly was an ad. for
railroad tour to Colorado and California,
with pictures OF Colorado mountains and
southern California palms and all that,
and lot of stuff about "the sapphire coun-
and the other of that kind,
L found it hard to take my eye of that
advertising placard, and guess the Idea
Of making the jump must have sifted into
me right then, although l didn't exactly
know t yet Well, when got off at Twenty
third street there was big tourist party
standing across the way on the downtown
platform well-dressed. cipper-built, sassy
looking ducks and swell-looking women in
long travelling cloaks and with fluttering
tourists wells and all that, and l stopped
and looked over the way at them, sort o
right away, don't know why, that those
people were going to California.
Then the jumping idea struck me with
the force Of team mallet.
Me too for California, b'God" l
got to saying through my chattering teeth.
I'm aISs,, I7sS1ns, YOU poins,r q ,.erchv little
persuasive cooling voice somewhere inside
of my head asked ne.
Now -now-Im a-going now'' l an
swered back 10 that teenchy little voice,
aloud. so that people on the platform turned
and grinned AT me rs folks do at PEOPLE
they overhear talking to themselves.
And that g all there was to II. went.
Crossed over to the down town plat
form, went down to the ferry station,
jumped over to Jersey City, perfectly salts
fled with myself ard gloating over the
chance l was taking to get into the palm
country and duck the grewsome cold
weather around hcre-and telt all right
about it until the train reached Pitt sburg
Then the little old fever was over, and
made turn around to get hack--but they
wouldn't believe me, Of course, when told
'en that had already got sore on myself
and was bound back to make good.
But that's JUS how haprered o make
the jump, all right was bowed over ty
some hin G inside Of me that I'd ever Known
before was any part Of me-.
"Wo nen, ca most Of us old hourders nrd
out early in the game, are naturally about
a hundred tines 1s hor est as me-, hun
wome'r, too, yield TO these rs.al tereous
hot nushts 10 anre~ y inrs that don't he
long TO them, and 10 70 cases Of that kird
that I've dorc a bit Of work on have con-
wheel me that they're hardly responsible
when they do these things,
Il spun around on little job of that
charact or in down town office not so long
ago. Almighty likely looking young woman
had made the grab.
"She was the confidential stcnographer st
for the hend Of the plant, an old man. Ore
Saturday afternoon rho old gentleman
received large cash ravrnert some $40, 900,
after banking hours. Tho worev was in
three bundles Of $4,000 each, with parer
g 'rars around the bills, which were Of the
$500 snecies.
"The old man 20 ~ehow or aro'her over
looked ono Of the roo bundles ir tuclsrg
tho other two ir'o lis snfc He Left that
b,,"t'le living on his Cesk. ard we-t love.
-Thc hurry-up. mc-,or-that microl o rct
husv in TIE vourr vora"'s system, as
tho rlecr old bug will. nd size prs tod he
brg hv tucking tho $4,000 wnd into her
re icrle and going lore with It, fee"c
sure that no 8 'sricion would ever rest on err
found ont I'll about il when 7 smiled w %
see her at her hone on the following Mon
dav.
"she had sre7t tire Saturday right in
deirious misery. tossing around sleenlesslv
in led, ard on Surdav forenoon she hgd
raced down to the Office TO reolace the
$4,000 on her employers desk The rs
sistant .inritor who was in CHARGE of the
office building that dav DIDN'T know her