The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-01-22
Ten YEARS
Copyright. 1903. by c. 3. Lewis /

the bank.
Mr.. White was very friendly with
me and fiattered me SO extensively tirat
j wondered what object he had III
view. | possessed duplicate keys 10 all
the rooms OF the Se"oud floor aud one
day visited Mr.. Whites room when he
wasn't there. and on rolling back the
rarpet | found u hole in The floor over
the vault. AS the vault top was pro-
tected by railroad iron his attempt had
been Il failure.
He had replaced the cut floor fairly
we'll and then abandoned the idea for
another. What was the other?
The question bothered me not Il lit
tie for a week. Then | found an an
swer TO it.. One day when Mr.. White
dropped in to see me ] looked him over
more carefully than | had ever done
before. | saw that he was Il d"tPrmin
I'd aud reckless man who would stop
at nothing To carry out Il purpose. Fail
ing to get into the vault above or be
low, wouldn't it be his plan ia get pos
session of the keys of the bank and HE
vault and thus come ut the money! |
reasoned that it would. and two Incl
| titIlln llhl i'h UNIV '"f 49, ''ii
during the next fortnight strengthened
my belief.
The first was that Mr.. White WAS
cuItivating our private watcliman and
seeking to make himself solid. Tho
second was that | found him Skulking
about my house at night. | concluded
from this latter circrInIStlnc" that hc
was planning TO pay me d midnight
visit to get possession of the keys, and
| began making preparations (" IL
ccivC him.
Burglar alarms were unknown in
small towns in those days. and win
dowS were secured by driving II nail
over the sash. No dwelling house in
town was secure enough Ia keep u
burglar ont if he wanted Ia get in. /
spent half IN lomr surveying my house
from the outside to decide by which
uvruUr Mr.. White would seek To make
his entrance. ! finally concluded that
he would come across the common.
climb my back fence and, keeping
along under the shade of Il row of
fruit trees. reach the west window of
the dining room. lie cuuid WORK there
unS,"n. and his cltnucts of getting i'll
We're at I+;ist ns good as anywhere
else.
10 hurry up his plans II little and
have the affair Oh my hands | invited
him TO lunch one day. On that day the
east dining room window was securely
fastened. but the west one was not
We walked in the grounds that he
might note the best means of approach.
and at lunch | managed to convey the
Idea that | was a sound sleeper and
never feared burglars.
To the best of my knowledge and be
lief, Mr.. White was well pleased with
the o~utlook--well pleased. He saw bis
WY clear to accomplish Il certain oh
jtct. and after he had departed / got
down the family almanac to consult the
Moon | deduced from it that | might
expect a visitor about the third night.
AID | therefore began to prepare for
BE- Neither my wife nor children
ki.ew my suspicious or what | had III
View. but at IL O'Clock on the third
night | was ready and waiting.
Mr.. White arrived at Il quarter past
the hour. seeming to be i'll Il hurry TO
close up the deal and get out of town.
| leard the first noise he made at the
window. but my policy was silence.
ut went tie sash, and in anne Mr.,
White, and | may say that lie WAS con
sijcrably surprised at finding his right
foot caught fast in i biz bear trap be-
foe ii had touched the floor. The yell
hL uttered as the trap closed around his
ankle proTed that he was not altugetI
cr FiuperturhabIe and also aWGkc every
m.u Der ni my household.
| bad IL match ready to light the
lamp. and as soon as the room was illu-
minated | saw the man lying on the
tioor. | wished him good evening and
inquired about the weather outside and
asked him if he had dropped anything.
Mr.. White was not the gentleman
had r~lIlIoScd him to he. He SWOre and
ravru .iId called .Tmucs. and his III
talk kel, the baby bowling and my
wife or the verge of u chill. He had
come arIlcd with Il big knife, but as lie
could no. get at me this did him no
good. He had also taken Tie trouble to
put on false whiSkers aud an Old hat,
and could and did truillfuIly tell linn
that they did not add to his personal
appearance.
The talk | had with Mr.. White lasted
about an llour-titHt IL. lie did most of
he talking. and his conversation was
all in English and of the most vigorous
kind. When he wasn't speaking and
wasn't running upstairs 10 assure my
wife that things were all right | got
off Il few words of well meant advice
He didn't like it Il little bit.
1t WAS very interesting while il last
ed. and | made it last Il great deal
longer than Mr.. White cared for.
was selfish enough and mean enough
TO want revenge for the worry he had
caused me. and 81 | took things Easy
and let the trap get in its work.
Three months after Mr.. hIte had
hnnn rnlnu sod from the trln and tlken