Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-07
CHAPTER x.
NiltAt I i1Ie ~
~ The Traders Bank.

DSSH IOuHQ Qe5Q at me .IOOL Oh luS
circular staircase at three o'clock on
Sunday morning. The funeral serv-
ices were TO be held on Tuesday, and
the interment of the body was to be
deferred until the Armstrong; arrived
from California. No one, | think, was
very sorry that Arnold Armstrong was
dead, but the manner Of his death
aroused some sympathy and an enorm-
Gus amount Of curiosity. Mrs. Ogden
Fitzhugh, a cousin, took charge of the
arrangements, and everything, l be-
lieve, was as quiet as possible. | gave
Thomas Johnson and Mrs. Watson per-
to go into town to pay their
last respects to the dead man, but for
some reason they did not care to go.
Halsey spent part of the day with
Mr.. Jameson, but he said nothing OF
what happened. He looked grave and
anxious, and he had a long CONVERSE
tiontion with Gertrude late in the
afternoon.
Tuesday evening found us quiet,
with the quiet that precedes an ex-
plosion. Gertrude and Halsey were
both gloomy and distraught, and as
Liddy had already discovered that
some Of the china was broken--it is
impossible to have any. secrets from
an old servant was not in peasant
humor myself Warner brought up
papers at seven-I WAS curious to
know what the papers said of the
murder. We had turned away at least
dozen reporters. But read over the
head line that ran half way across the
top of the Gazette twice before com
pretended it. Halsey had opened the
Chronicle and was staring at it
fixedly
"The Traders bank closes its doors!"
was what read, and then | put down
the paper and looked across the
table.
Did you know Of this asked
Halsey.
T-expected it. But not so soon"
he replied.
"And your" to Gertrude.
'Jack-told us-something," Cert
rude said family. ooh, Halsey, what
can he do now"
jack / said scornfully. Your
Jacks fight is easy to explain now.
And you helped him, both of you, to
get away! You get that from your
mother; 1t isn't an Innes trait. Do you
know that every dollar you have, both
| of you, is in that bank"
Gertrude tried to speak, but Halsey
stopped her,
"That isn't all, Gertrude" he said
quietly; Jack is-under arrest"
Under arrest" Gertrude screamed,
and tore the paper out of his hand. She
OIL OF G
crumpled the newspaper into a ball
and flung it to the floor. While Hal
sey, looking stricken and white, was
trying to smooth ii out and read it,
Gertrude had dropped her head on the
table and was sobbing stormily.
I have the clipping somewhere, but
4 Just now | can remember only the es,
ssentials.
On the afternoon before, Monday
while the Traders bank was in the
rush Of closing hour, between two and
three. Mr.. Jacob Trautman, president oi
the Pearl Brewing company, came in
to the bank to lift loan. AS securi
ty for the loan he had deposited some
three hundred International Steam
ship company hve's, in total value
three hundred thousand dollars. Mr.
1 Trautman went to the loan clerk ant
after certain formalities had beer
/ gone through, the loan clerk went tt
the vault Mr. Trautman, who was {
large and genial German, waited for ;
time, whistling under his breath. Th'
4 loan clerk did not come back. Ate
an interval, Mr.. Trautman saw thu
loan clerk emerge from the vault ant
go to the assistant cashier; the twt
went hurriedly to the vault. A laps
of another ten minutes. and the assist
ant cashier came out and approaches
i Mr.. Trautman. He was noticeabl
white and trembling Mr.. Trautmal
was told that through an oversight tn
bonds had been misplaced, and wa
asked to return the following morning
J when everything would be made al
right
Mr. Trautman. however, was
shrewd business man, and he did no
like the appearance of things. ii
left the bank apparently satisfied, an
within thirty minutes he had called II
three different members of the TRAD
ers' board of directors. At $3.50 o'cloc
there was hastily convened boar
meeting, with some stormy scene:
and late in the afternoon nations
bank examiner was in possession {
the books. The bank had not opel
/. ed for business on Tuesday.
At 1870 o'clock the Saturday b.
fore, as soon as the business of the Ola
: was closed, Mr. John Bailey, tn
cashier of the defunct bank, had take
5 his hat and departed. During th
afternoon he had called up Mr.. Arol
:. son, member of the board and sal
:. he was i'll, and might not be at til
/ bank for day or two. AS Bailey We
e highly thought of, Mr.. Aronson merel
expressed a regret. From that tin
until Monday night, when Mr.. Bale
0 had surrendered to the police, lit
i was known of his movements Son
time after one on Saturday he had e
S tered the Western Union office
/ Cherry and white streets and hi
y sent two kilograms. He was at IL
!. Greenwood Country club on Saturds
night, and appeared unlike himse
n 1t was reported that he would be I
leased under enormous bond, son
+ time that day, Tuesday.
z | Tho article pIosnl INV sayir,o III