The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-02

rectors room of the - National bank,
in Broad street.
A scene of greater dismay scarce
could be imagined. The very air was
imbued with mute despair. Mr.. Graf
ton, the venerable president, looked as
If stricken with deathly illness. The
chief cashier and influential financier,
Marshall p Taft. sat faint and CHASTITY
in one of the great leather chairs, too
weak to stand. Clerks, tellers. messen-
gers one and all wore an aspect of
overwhelming horror.
Even the grim countenance of the
central office man, Detective Jimmie
Coleman, who had arrived only five
minutes before, was nightly off color.
Little wonder, however!
Half million had vanished as bub-
bles burst and are gone. Vanished
from under their very eyes. Vanished
in the full glare CT open day, in bust
ness hours and amid all the stir of
bank examination. Half a million in
negotiable bonds and easily converti
bic stocks of the gilt-edged kind.
The roar of the stock exchange could
almost be heard from the bank win
dows. Brokers on the floor near the
previous days closing had wondered at
the unusual volume of certain Al Sc
curities that were being sacrificed at
weakened prices, Hay was being made
while the sun shone. Already the game
of felony was on. and the crooks were
converting their plumber into good,
hard cash.
Yet, only now, within a brief half
hour, had the monstrous robbery been
discovered.
One glance at the inmates of the di-
rectors' room, and at the huge table
streWn with worthless promiscuous
certificates and empty security boxes
from the vault, gave Mr.. Felix Boyd a
startling hint of what had occurred. At
such a time and in such an emergency
he was quicker than NEST men to seize
the bull by the horns. 1t was, in fact,
an occasion we'll calculated to throw
Felix Boyd into the lime-light, and dis
play him and his remarkable talents TO
the best advantage.
A case of robbery he instantly ex-
claimed. with swift glance at his sew
eral hearers. state The facts for me,
Grafton, quickly"
Before the elderly president could
make the effort to comply, Coleman
FASTENED to explain the alarming stu
alton.
It's a bad mess, Felix, with close
upon half a million gone" he cried.
Hammond, the bank examiner, came
here yesterday morning with two as
sistantS to make an examination of the
bank. The work is not yet completed.
but he and his helpers are now at
lunch. Purely by chance. about TWEEN
" minutes ago, il was discovered that
some of the securities in one of the
vault boxes. all of which had been ex-
amined and tabulated by one of the &C
countants, had been removed, and
worthless certificates substituted for a
temporary blind
Good heavens, Jimmiel"
AN examination of the other boxes
reveals the same startling fraud.
Worthless limitations OF bends and Sc
curitieS have been placed in nearly
every box; and government bonds and
stocks TO the amount mentioned have
been distracted. 1t appears to have
been the work of one of the bank ex-
aminers-"
Stop a bitr' interrupted Boyd. with
brows knitting. Has a list of the
stolen property been made?"
Yes"
change at once, with q statement of the
robbery. The facts must be published
without delay"
That already has been done" cried
Grafton, the bank president, now pull
ing himself together. 1--WE also have
sent messengers TO find Examiner
Hammond and his assistants. They
went out to lunch half an hour ago, all
three Of them, and should return by
l All. htre's Hammond. now, thank
God"
A portly man. in middle life. was
hurriedly entering, followed by one of
his assistants, a young man named
Damon. Pale and excited, with ire
preSsible dismay reflected in his dilated
eyes, he glanced quickly at the disor-
dered table and instantly exclaimed:
Its true, then! l could not believe
it. 1 heard it reported on the street.
Merciful heavens, Grafton il must be
the work of that man Moseley, my as
sistant, who was a stranger to"
Here Boyd interrupted his impetu-
Gus words, for the well known bank ex-
aminer appeared, as well he might I'M
der such circumstances, even more hur-
rified and excited than the bank Off
Gals themselves, and fairly blind TO the
presence of Boyd and the detective.
Calm yourself, Hammond" was Mr..
Boyds interruption. There is nothing
10 be gained by"
"Ah! Boyd, is it you? How fortu-
nate!'
There's a big job been done here.
and the sooner we calmly get at the
facts the better" added Boyd, decisive
". "Cut out all other matters. Whom
do you mean by Moseley, and where is
her.
Boyd had a faculty for making him
self felt at such time, and his hear
ers. thus admOnished. subdued their
perturbation and rose to the needs of
the moment.
"MoSeley said he wished to lunch
with a friend, and he left us when we
went out" Hammond FASTENED 10 re-
ply. 81 don't know where he went. He
Sbould return"
Never" declared Boyd. in a way re-
vea1ing his alarming convictions I'm
case your man Moseley had a hand i'm
this job, which already is the talk of
the street, he never will return. He
will look TO his own safety. What
Moseley is he?"
81 cannot say. I'm in the dark as
TO w>o he is or"
What
Here! This will explainw cried
Hammond, hurriedly producing a let
ter from his pocket. It's from John
Nolney, All expert accountant, and one
of my regular assistants. We bank ex-
aminers. you understand, have to en-
ploy and pay our own helpers. Volney
has worked for me for a number of
years. Yesterday morning l received
fhi; letter from him. delivered 70 me-