The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-03-06
THE ROGUES' GALLERY
Sanguinary Bank Clerk
and His ObIiging
White Rose.
By GEORGE $. DouaHERrY.


Pinkerton National Detective Agency.
It all happened; it happened won
aerfully; but it did not happen to me
~ mean had no personal connec-
ton with the case, particularly with
the highly intelligent doings of that
white rose. All l know is that if
there is any rose growing in New
York today Of like ilk, may It happen
my way when so sorely needed as by
the sleuth who tells the following
story. But | don't know that / am
particularly anxious to land up
against SO strenuous and blood-thirsty
q gentleman as the ;exemplar OF the
genus, Defaulting Bank Clerk, figur-
ing here. He is just trifle too
strenuous and dramatic in the meth.
DDS he adopts to protect his own prec-
ious skin.
My friend the old-time detective Is
talking: 81 received an imperative
message to attend at the New York
Bank of - early one morning. On
arriving there found the president
and the other officials hopping round
the premises as though treading on
needles. The safe had been forced
by burglars, and all the specie ex-
tracted My professional pride was
flattered by the almost pathetic comb
ilence manifested by the officials in
my ability first to explain how the
trick was done, and next to lay by
the heels those who had done it.
Il was conducted to the burgled
safe. 1t did not take me long to rea-
son out that whoever the burglar
was he had worked on the lock OF
the safe when it was already open.
/ kept this conviction to myself for
the time being. and put my eyes to
working full pressure on other condi-
tipns in the immediate vicinity Of the
safe, keeping up a desultory CONVEX
sation with the distraught president
all the while. After a lapse of few
seconds my eyes lighted on the single
petal of what had evidently been an
elegant white (Provence) rose.
"sShow me the place where you
say the burglars entered i said to
the president He conducted me to
window in the basement. Here |
found two of the heavy protecting
bars had been filed through to effect
the entry. But it was clear to me
that they had been filed from the
inside. The inference was obvious.
"In answer to my inquiry of the
president whether he suspected any
Of the bank staff, he was almost, in
deed, quite indignant, and took some
time to phrase his resentment of the
suggestion. The staff was a small
one and thought it would be strange
il the president was not sufficiently
acquainted with his employees hab-
its to answer my next question. Do
you happen to have noticed | said,
whether any one of your young men
is given to wearing flowers? Mr..
President donned his considering cap
with the result that, with snort and
gulp, and tribute to his probity
and piety. he named a Mr.. Charles
M.
Point him out to me as / pass
through the bank now replied The
president did this, but with marked
impatience. While not appearing to
do so gave my man thorough
scrutiny. and despite his neat, clean
cut appearance did not like him.
It may have been fancy but | put
him down for a SNUG hypocrite.
my next move was to hurry to
his residence and, as l anticipated,
the sumptuousness of the place did
not fit in with the salary he was re-
ceiving. Though truth to tell, was
not afforded more than cursory
glance at such rooms as | could see
from the hallway, for the shrewd old
nag who attended to the door put a
sharp brake on my movements. She
did not prevent me. however, from
noticing rose tree on nearby
table containing one solitary, gorge
Gus bloom had forged another link
In the chain
THE rest of the day spent hunt
ing up Mr.. Ms antecedents and
habits of life, and all went to con.
firm my suspicious He was pocket
edition of the Grand Mogul. Mex;
ahOl uluf 4 dppCdl GU DIT inc udHh ICdu1
to recommend the arrest of Mr.. NJ,
when had my breath taken away by
the following speech of the presi-
dent:
".You were right about M. After
you left yesterday we went over his
books and found deficit of $4,000,
and | understand he left the city
last night You must get him at any
cost, the infamous scoundrelr
ut was my turn to be nettled, but
/ contented myself with asking if he
had any notion as to the direction in
which the bird had fown-if he. knew
of any relatives. Yes, there was
ono. an uncle. who lived some fifteen
miles outside Augusta, Georgia. II
was July, and the very mention OF
that region and railway journey