The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-07-03
H LEAD COINS.
BY William Hurd Hillyer.

door ana faced the cashier III MS Ii1NatS
office. l had feared from the start that
something was very wrong. When ] saw
the cashiers face / knew that the wors,
had happened: how. L was not able to
guess.
YOU We're at the vault from 8 p. m. to
{ a. ~. MIR. Wclls?'
i answered in the Affirmative.
Ibid you notice anything ~unusual?'
mo, sir"
He flashed upon me a quick glance of
d!strust. Then he stared at me searching
ly without speaking and seemed TO satisfy
1imself that ! had told the truth.
wv are in trouble here, Mr.. Wells. The
vault has been robbed.
.'lmpossible." l saspad. 7 should not
have done This, Tor / had foreseen what
was coming. and my ejaculation sounded
Sather unnatural.
Ills a very Strange ease,'' NE went on.
Some one, betweou i p. M. yesterday and
$50 Jhis morning. has entered the vault
and committed a large robbery,
''Was he lock intelfcred with. Mr.. Cas-
tle?"
$50 far as . can see" ne replied. at
mas moi been tamlcred With. That is the
most inoXpiicable part of the affair. i set
the lock myself at $50 yesterday after
noon, no 10 open until $50 this morning.
I went to ii myself at shat hour and was
obliged to wait about half a minute before
j could draw the bolts. Everything
seemed "A perfect condition. Inside APP
parentlN nothillg mad been touched. Yet.
when one % our young men opened Il
money bag that had been placed in the
vault yesterday tul! CT gold llalf-oagles
and quarter-eaSies, this was what he
founa."
The cashier took fro1, The drawer of his
desk a small canvas b:sS and emptied out
its contents.
They were no clumsy gun Nads, but per
feet coins, bright and shining like new
1vpe metal Each had its DrODer GeStgu
and lettering in perfect imitation of senu-
Inc money. Except that they were of the
wrong meta! tlley might we'll have been
real halt and quarter eagles.
While we were examining the coins the
vice president, Mr.. Singer, walked in, his
face more beclouded than L ever saw i'll.
The Deceive has charge of the cese, 3"
said he. Have you found out allything??'
NOTHING at ALL" responded the cashier.
Mr.. Mells says he noticed nothing un-
usual. end he was on guard from . until .
last night. Have You seen Kenny and
SpealnHan?"
Yes. I've talked to both of them, and
they know nothing"
"You say no one but yourself was near
the vault during your watch?" questioned
Mr.. Singer, eying ma sharply.
"No one but myself, after l relieved Mi.
RenHy at 8 O'clock"
And you noticed nothing u%nusual?"
"Nothing, sir"
The vice president pulled nervously at
his muStacilc. You We're awake all the
time, OF course?'
! smiled at such a question.
IL was awake all the time, SIR l an
swered.
"Iou may go. Mr.. Wells"
i turned toward the door.
''l:y the way called The cashier. I'VE
want TO keep this thing out of the papers,
underestimate
/ promised secrecy ard left the building
AT the corner a small man in a gray
suit looked inc square in the eye as
passed, and two blocks further on l no.
tccd nina saunterinS leisurels behind me.
stopped at a drug store and bought a ci.
gar. Vixen L came out he WAS looking
In at a shop window next door. | was
watched. Well, 1 can hardly blame them
That night when went on duty tn,
cashier brought \ quiet. clean-shaven gen
t!eia&n. whom he introduced as Mr.. Wil
liaIns,' and said that Mr.. Williams wa:
going to help me watch the vault. Tn,
gentleman explained that he had a theory
about the case anG wanted to stay al
night and test ii. We played cards for
while, then he went all around the vault
which was OF solid steel and OF the lates
construction, tapping it gently here ant
therc-as Il that did any goddard listen
ins at:ontivelN. | think he would haze
gone under it but for the fact thai it rest
ed on q pier OF solid masonry.
The night Wore away, and j heard moth
ing more of his theory. Next morning
was summoned to the bank as before
Upon arriving there found things in
somewhat cyclonic condition. The vaul
had been, robbed again and in the sam
manner. A large amount of gold and sill
yer had keen taken out and replaced wit
new lead coins-and that without disturb
ing the lock or making SO much as
scratch on the outside of the vault.
Furthermore, the cashier and vice presi
dent had both searched the vault bcfor
locking it. and the vice president himscl
had unlocked it in the morning and dis
covered the robbery. How much had bee
taken out ] did not learn at the time; blu
/ afterward heard that it was, for ivy
nights, something over $4,000. \ Strans
circumstance was that none of the pape
money had been ipterfered with. TIL
mystery defied solution.
On the next night 1t was not only til
detective who assisted me in the vigil, bl
the cashier and vice president also. III
president. who was I'm St. Louis at III
time, had been wired for, but did not al
rive until the day afterward.
E:ery %precaution had been taken. TO
sowing Mr.. WilliHms' advice. most of IL
remaining colr mad been transferred
the vault of a ne.Ehboring trust compan
in which some of the officers OF the ban
owned stock. The building was su:
rounded with picked men. The vice pres
dent had searched and locked tie vaul
and one or the otl:c: had been near it ev,
since.
There was no card playing thar nigh
The two officers of the bank sat near Il
entrance and conNersed in low tones. III
detective walked slowly Up and down, II
face ha:sSard with much thinking.
! sat az the rear Of tho vault. a1nusii
myself with two or three of the lead coin
j took out my pen<nife and began i'd
scEaplng at an eagle, which looked al,no
genuine. it was SO new and shining. ="
curious notion" ] thought. 10 a!aa.
substitute those countcrfeits-so alevee
made and yet so palpable. Whoever d
this work must have a sense OF poet
justice
I HAD carved half way to the center
the coin when suddenly M, knife stru,
something harder than the surroundii
metal. 1 shaved away the lead so as
bring ii to view, then carried it to
tncandescent light. it seemed to be IA tn
disc of copper embedded in the coin.
showed what | had found to the detectiI
He stared at it for some moments al
then drew from his pocket q small vial
colorless liquid and let fall two or thr
drops on the cross section of bright lie
u with its bit of yellow metal in the midd