The Glenwood post., 1906-02-17

oocue I1ohliieonb o pdSt lie, tue pOTtiOu
of it which was compressed into the
two weeks in each May which, since
his marriage at least, he invariably
spent away from Grovedale.
AS his Investigations progressed
Bruce grew more and more excited
and it is not too much to say that he
was completely mystified as well. For
it was in the most questionable streets
and among the most dishonest haunts
that he found the surest traces of his
presence. He had his photograph, he
had the assistance of other detectives
and as the search went on, 1t was
proved that Vane Hamilton, or his
double, was the frequenter of places
Which the honest people of Grovedale
would have shuddered to contemplate,
even in imagination.
Bruce went West again, for he was
in hopes to discover that Hamilton
had retraced his course to the States.
II involved in dishonest schepes in
western towns now, as Bruce felt con.
vinced that he had been In the past,
he was likely. he thought, to return
ly the characteristic of rogue.
First Bruce went to Valparaiso, a
new but exceedingly enterprising town
in Kansas, where he fancied tidines
were to be found of Hamilton's opera.
tions.
He was right. 1t appeared that a
trio of unscrupulous men had in sew
eral instances set up bank in new
and growing towns and operated sue
cessfully until they had victimized the
moneyed men, when they had closed
up suddenly and decamped. AS the
scenes of their operations were thou.
sands OF miles apart, and their names
were assumed, they escaped detection.
strange as it may appear, until they
came to Valparaiso. This was early in
the year 1887.
But two men came at first. Their
names were given as Scoville and
Brown. A private bank was opened
and operations begun, but for some
reason the business men of the little
city were shy of them. Suddenly a
new member Joined Scoville and
Brown. as joint owner of the bank.
This was in May, as Bruce easily dis
covered He gave his name as Ashley,
and was genial, handsome man who
won his way to public favor at once,
as the others had not succeeded in
doing. His wife was with him, a
woman with emerald-tinted hair.
Bruce. as 1 have said, went to Val.
DaraiSn to
the principal business men, who had
been deeply victimized by the bogus
bank. For under cover of Ashley's
pleasant fellowship and his wife's
grace and beauty the good people soon
had cause to abuse their own credul-
ity. Bruce got the account from Mr..
Hayes himself. who was only too glad
to relate it when it might be of use in
tracking the swindlers.
We fought shy of them at first"
said Mr.. Hayes, but when Ashley
came it changed everything. You
never would suspect him of being
scamp-neyer. Such an open, honest
countenance, and that wife of his was
little beauty, if her hair was green,"
wac ShS iSdlly Wlle, 10 YOU
Think"
He introduced her as such, and she
appeared to worship him. They took
a handsome furnished house on Main
street and went to keeping house.
They gave big party. and we all
went. Such a crush, Well, after that
ali was plain sailing for the new bank.
You can't mistrust a man after YOU
have eaten his bread. We can't here
in the West. Deposits began to pour
in on them. All of the solid men
banked there. Well, the upshot was
in ten days after Ashley came we
found we had been swindled our notes
sold or deposited in other banks as
collateral security for cash paid to
Scoville, Brown and Ashley. and in at
least dozen instances the figures had
been altered SO that the scamps got
ten times the actual value of the notes
1t was gigantic swindle," and Mr..
Hayes got up and paced the apartment
nervously.
tTo be continued)