The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1904-01-07
BAKER S BANK.
[Copyright 1903. by G. b. Lewis. ]


open the doors of the building, and the
combina lions on vault and safe had
been worked instead Of forced No
Waterman was kept at the bank, nor
would Baker employ one.
OF course he raised a great row over
the robberies, the aggregate sum being
about $6,000 but at the same time he
could not say that he really suspected
any of his employees. At any rate he
accused no one, and the sheriff and a
detective worked for weeks and got
no clew. Naturally enough the robber-
les were the talk of the town, and as a
boy of fourteen | was much excited
and interested.
1t was in the winter time that the
last robbery took place, and one night
a crowd of us boys and girls drove out
into the country to a spelling school.
by accident | was left behind when
the parry started home, and there was
no ether way than to foot it back.
1t was 2 o'clock of still, cold morn
ing when | passed up the street on
which Bakers bank was situated, and
just before | reached the building I
saw & woman emerge and lock the
door behind her AS I caught sight Of
her | lodged behind pile of boxes
at hand, and peering out, | saw her
look up and down the street fora mo-
,nopf hofnra ,,oav,ipu IN yNhnn cbn
started away. / followed her, and great
was my ,.. rise to see her halt at
Bakers house, four blocks away.
1t was not until | reached home and
made up my mind the muffled female
figure must be Mrs Baker herself.
When once this idea had come to ME
| began to work on it, Early next
morning | was out to look for tracks
in the snow, and / very soon found
those Of the midnight woman. They
had been made by small and shapely
feet.
But had there been still another rob
berry at the bank? | ran away from
school to hang around the corners and
wait for news, and before noon it was
known that another $4,000 package
had been taken. The circumstances
were precisely the same. Some one
had entered the bank and worked the
combination of the vault.
This last robbery started a run on
the bank There was no cause for the
furry, as Baker could pay So for 81,
but that and the mysterious robberies
nearly drove him crazy. had good
mind to go and tell him what I had
seen, but boylike, | was afraid to do
it. did go to the sheriff, however, and
begin my story, but he laughed in my
face and said:
boy, you have been seeing ghosts
and having the nightmare. Ii you so
round talking this way to others,
they'll call you crazy"
He hadn't done anv thing himself to
clear up the mysteries, and he was
perhaps, little fearful that | might
strike a cleW I looked at it that way
and was not discouraged by what he
said. had no father to go to and did
not think mother could help in the
case.
What accomplished in the next two
days was this: | got from the bank
er's son Joe the information that he
had been awake when his mother came
In after her raid, and while she was
out for couple Of hours and he and
/ were left alone in the house [ made
a swift search and found every dollar
of the missing money in a hatboX in
the garnet. In the same box were writ
ten instructions as to how to work the
combinations. / did not remove any
thing, nor could the woman have sus-
pected on her return that | lad dis
covered anything There was no doubt
of her being the robber. She had Sc
cured the combination from her hus-
band in confidence, and she had had
| the nerve to get up in the night and
rob the bank If she had not used any
of the money she must have some OBJ
| ject in view, but | could not study
that out, though there was gossip
about family troubles. was more
! scared than before at the thought of
going to the banker direct, as I some
how felt that he would blame me in
some way, but / sent another boy to
him and had him call at my house in
the evening.
The banker seemed to have made UP
his mind to hear bad news. | shall
never forget how he sat there before
me looking straight into my eyes and
his face growing old and haggard as
told my story. Half an hour wrought
such facial changes that he seemed
almost a stranger. His very soul must
have been tortured, but he spoke no
word till had finished Then he quiet
| ly asked me to verify certain points,
| seeming to have a hope that | might
after all, be mistaken, but there was
no blunder, and he rose up and left the
house looking ten years older than
when he entered it,
The stricken man did not go to the
bank or his home, but walked out into
the country with his head down and
| his hands crossed behind him. / fol
| lowed him for two miles and then re
Il