The enterprise-recorder. (Madison, Fla.) 1908-1933, 1910-08-11
nv EDGAR COOLEY.


As he stepped into the dark street.
II began to rain dismally. This
pleased him, for it added to the black
ness of the night, and had tendency
to drive away any late pedestrian
He was not hampered by baggage,
Such articles as he needed bar OF
soap, an air-pump, a can OF nitro
glycerine, some fuses, a jimmy, q
dark lantern, revolver-he carried
in his pockets, and, under his coat,
folded grain sack.
without pausing, without hesitat-
ing, he glanced searchingly up and
down the street. No living creature
was stirring.
A few strides took him to the side
window of building. The sill was
on a level with his head. He tried
to raise the sash, but, as he expected,
It was fastened. So he took a stout
knife from his pocket, and. slipping
its thin edge under the frame, threw
all his weight suddenly upon the
blade.
With a report like that of a pistol,
the lock snapped, For five minutes,
perhaps, the burglar crouched in the
shadows under the window, watching,
listening. But not a sound, save the
patter OF the rain in the street, did he
hear; not a moving object did ne see.
Then carefully, noiselessly, he raised
the sash and climbed in. He was in
total darkness, but knew exactly
where he stood. He could have drawn
an accurate, detailed plan of the in
terror of the building-knew precisely
how many feet it was from the win
dow to the safe; from the safe to the
front doors.
So, although he could not see his
hand before him, he turned conf
IDENTIFY to the left and walked si'
PAGES. Then he circled to the righ
round the end of the counter, and
took four steps more. Pausing, h
reached out his hand and touched
the safe.
The burglar moved his hand glee
fully over the door and laughed. TIT
bank was not provided with vault
A good vault costs almost as mucl
as a building, and this was a small
bank in country town. So the fund
were intrusted to the protection o
this "burglar-proof" safe. He won
dered what the citizens would sa,
about burglar-proof" safes Will
gathering up the pieces!
Without losing a moment he file,
the cracks around the door with soar
leaving ore small opening. To thi
opening he attached his pump and ex
hausted the air on the inside.
Closing the opening, he cut a piec
off the bar of soap, and, rolling it be
tween his palms and moulding it wit
his fingers, soon fashioned It into tn
shape of a small cup. This h
fastened at the bottom of the doc
and filled with nitro-glycerire. The
he attached fuse.
Ten feet from the safe a doc
opened into the rear Office of III
bank, and in this room the SAT
breaker had planed to seek refug
while the explosive was doing II
work. Not desiring to tarry unnecei
sarily In close proximity to a charg
of nitro-glycerine about TO explode, b
concluded, before lighting the fus
to satisfy himself that the door {
this inner room was not locked {
Lolted.
He turned the knob, the doc
opened readily, and he took one ste
across the threshold. Then he pauset
In the intense darkness he could NJ
see an object; in the perfect silenC
he could not hear a sound.
But neutrality-suspicious., Il
stinct, some indefinable sixth sense
something sent chill through hir
and he trembled as one who sudden
becomes conscious of the presence
unseen spirits. Without the pow,
to move, he stood staring into Il
darkness, the perspiration standir
in fey drops upon his forehead.
With the desperation that fear I
spires, he drew his dark lanter
: slipped back the slide, and threw Il
searching glare around the ROOF
, lighting first the most distant corne
Slowly he moved the lantern, bringil
the round spot OF brilliant lig
toward him across the carpet.
= Suddenly he uttered low cry, al
!, shrank back as the light fell fierce
r upon an object almost at his feet.
' So near that by STOPPING Il