The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-02-04
A MISSING SAFE key
d. aEvERLY woRTHlNoroN.
Ecop,hght, 1910. BY American Press Assoc
ciationl

eXclamaupu, uuu thleieu ms Olice Ia
LOMBARD street, London. at 10 o'clock
10 The morniHg laid aside bis bat and
cane gone TO biz safe aud stood with
a hand in bis right pocket Ho was
white as a sheet.
Anything wrong. STRIP asked his
chief clerk, anxiously approaching his
employer
Ihsre was no reply He neither saw
nor heard the speaker Finally he
RskdI family:
AT what hour does this Indian mail
leaveT
"At noon, sir"
''Then It IL impossible"
'sWhat "a impossible7'
stil Mr.. Jones paid no attention to
what was said to him.
"Rush a messenger to Strecher's to
send his best workmen here on the
jump to open this SAFE
III another moment one Of the
clerks was in a cab, the cabman lash.
ing BIS horse on the way to the
srecher Safe and Lock company.
Purbeck Jones, an English million
nire and railroad contractor, had taken
a contract to build the Malwar line 10
central India and IN the venture had
stalKed all his possessions. He was re-
quired to give security amounting to
100000 to cover loss By the railway
syndicate This sum must be in nego-
table bonds and other securities ana
delivered on or before May 0, 1891.
Even the wealthy Purbeck Jones
found It difficult to raise the money
for s. large a transaction. He. however
succeeded in gradually collecting the
securities, which he preferred to de-
post in his own safe 10 that OF a de-
posit company.
On the morning OF the sailing OF the
Tndian mail be went to his Office to
dispatch the securities under a special
guard to India. Feeling III bis pocket.
where be expected 70 ind his safe
keys, they were not there. He had
left them in his country place, Har-
wood, Just outside Carlisle. and 70 get
them in time TO open the safe before
the steamer sailed was impossible
Missing the mail would prevent his
delivering the securities before the
expiration Of the time limit.
Before long cab dashed up 10 the
office, and two workmen, each with a
bag Of tools in his hand. jumped out
and entered the office.
1--WE securities IN that vault" said
Mr.. Jones, chat must 60 of on the
Indian man at - noon. Open the
safe IN time to get them on the steam
er and I'll give you 1900 EACH
The sum was a small fortune for a
workman. Each thought Of the wife
and BARNS at home and the comforts he
could give them with so large a sum.
The fastest horse that could be pro-
cured was brought and stood at the
door ready to transfer a messenger
with the securities to the steamer the
moment they could be taken from the
safe. Mr.. Jones stood over the work
men watch IN hand noting the lapse
OF time, trembling like leaf, bis
heart beating wildly On their sue
cess or failure hung either continued
wealth or ruin to him He bad made
the biggest contract any man had
ever undertaken, and its loss would
render him hopelessly bankrupt
He hung on the expression OF the
workmen's faces. When they sue
eeeded in some important step, Dor
Ing through a hard plate or cutting a
riyet be had hope But if their tools
proved softer than the steel or after
cutting their way in they found UNI
expected obstacles be feared the
worst
Eleven o'clock came. and they had
succeeded in getting only SO far as
through the outer plates that protect-
cd the lock. AT half past ii they
found that they were still Obliged to cut
through as much as they had already /
accomplished to reach the machinery I
that shot the bolts, and then they /
would need considerable time to shoot /
them. Ait quarter Of IL, after Wills
pering to each other, they turned to I
Mr. Jones and announced their failure.
Jones sank back into a chair and
covered his face with his hands. a
panorama Of his life passed before
aim his early struggles to set start,
lis FIRST successes, the great contract
hat made him a rich man. the years
iince during which be had been a mil
ionaire. The man who had climbed
he ladder Of wealth to the top round
law all this, saw ruin staring him in
he face and groaned.
The workmen, equally disappointed,
gathered up their tools and silently
Dassed out The clerks resumed their
,ositions on their desk stools, but only
Q pretend to work All knew that
dow had struck the man for whom
hey worked, and each was thinking
where be would ind another situation
Presently Mr. Jones recovered him
elf4so far as to send a messenger by
lac steamer he expected to dispatch
he ssecurities TO announce the reason
# pls failure to do SO and ask an ex-
en4on Of time. But be knew it would
lotlbe granted Nor was It. The con-
rad on which he had made so many
lglFes such preparations. expendi-
prA passed out OF his hands And
rh1l Because before leaving his
ouftry place an apparently trivial
ct pad slipped his memory.
jones went into bankruptcy. The
alisof his fortunes was too much for
is brain. Perhaps it was the very
rifFlg cause that led to such m i'm
nrlant raat1lt or.n ant, nn1ae.aistn ~ . |