Barbour County index., 1910-07-06

fore, as soon as the business of the
day was closed, Mr.. John Bailey, the
cashier of the defunct bank, had taken
his hat and departed. During the aft
ernoon he had called up Mr.. Aronson,
a member of the board, and said he
was i'll, and might not be at the bank
for day or two. AS Bailey was high
~ thought of, Mr.. Aronson merely ex-
pressed a regret From that time un-
til Monday night, when Mr. Bailey
had surrendered to the police, little
was known of his movements. Some
time after one on Saturday he had en-
tered the Western Union office at
Cherry and White streets and had sent
two kilograms. He was at the Green
wood Country club on Saturday night,
and appeared unlike himself 1t was
reported that he would be released
under enormous bond some time that
day, Tuesday.
The article closed by saying that
while the officers of the bank refused
to talk until the examiner had finished
his work. it was known that securities
aggregating million and quarter
were missing. Then there was a dia-
tribe on the possibility of such an
! occurrence: on the folly of a one-man
! bank, and of board of directors that
| met only to lunch together and to
| listen TO brief report from the cash
| lev, and on the poor policy of gov
| eminent that arrangeS three or four
| day examination twice a year. The
mystery. it insinuated, had not been
| cleared by the arrest of the cashier.
Before now minor officials had been
used to cloak the misdeeds of men
higher up. InSeparable as the words
speculation" and ''peculation" have
grown to be, John Bailey was not
known to be in the stock market His
! only words, after his surrender, had
| been: Send for Mr.. Armstrong at
once" The telegraph message which
had finally reached the president Of
| the Traders bank, in an interior town
| in California, had been responded to
by a telegram from DR.. Walker, the
| young physician who was travelling
with the Armstrong family, saying
that Paul Armstrong was very i'll and
unable to travel.
was AOh SlOOQ ludt
| Tuesday evening. The Traders bank
had suspended payment, and John
Bailey was under arrest, charged with
wrecking it; Paul Armstrong lay very
ill in California, and his only son had
been murdered two days before l sat
dazed and bewildered. The childrens s
money was gone; that was bad
enough, though 1 had plenty, if they
would let me share. But Gertrude's
grief was beyond any power of mine
to comfort; the man she had chosen
stood accused of a colossal embezzle
ment-and even worse. For in the in
slant that sat there 1 seemed to see
; the coils closing around John Bailey
as the murderer of Arnold Armstrong
Gertrude lifted her head at last anG
stared across the table at Halsey.
why did he do it," she walled
Couldn't you stop him, Halsey? Il
was suicidal to go back!'
Halsey was looking steadily through
the windows of the breakfast room
but it was evident he saw nothing.
1T was the only thing to do, Trude,
he said at last. Aunt Ray, when
found Jack at the Greenwood club las
Saturday night, he was frantic. 1 can
not talk until Jack tells me may. bu
he is absolutely innocent of all this
believe me. l thought, Trude and
thought, we were helping him, but i
was the wrong way. He came back
; Isn't that the act of an innocen
MANI"
Vxyhx he II
asked, unconvinced. What innocen
man would run away from here a
three o'clock in the morning? Doesn'
, it look rather as though he though
> it impossible to escape?"
Gertrude rose angrily. You are no
even just" she famed You dom
know anything about it, and you cor
denim him!"
Il know that we have all lost
great deal of money" 1 said. 81 shall
believe Mr.. Bailey innocent the NC
y ment he is shown to be. You profes
= to know the truth, but you cannot tel
J. me, What am to Think"
~ Halsey leaned over and patted m
= hand.
y You must take us on faith" h
= said Jack Bailey hasn't a penn
u that doesn't belong to him; the guilt
= man will be known in day or so''
A. Il shall believe that when it i
'. proved l said grimly. In the NEAR
~ time, l take no one On faith. The II
e neses never do
Gertrude, who had been standin
.e aloof at window, turned suddenly
But when the bonds are offered 70
. sale, Halsey, won't the thief be d,
l tected at once?'
u Halsey turned with a superio
smile.
ie 1T wouldn't be done that way" b
- said. They would be taken out c
the vault by some one who had acces
to it, and used as collateral for a loa
in another bank 1t would be possibl
to realize so per cent. of their fac