The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1910-07-21
THE BANKERS DECOY.

alone one evening in his Office. The sea-
son had been a very heavy and prosperous
one, for much money had exchanged hands
through the unsettled state of the public
mind occasioned by failures and business
uncertainty; but Marsden & Rylotty's
,bank had stood mistaken.
Ii consequence Of the aforesaid failures,
the deposits at Marsdsu'S had expanded
enormously, and Mr.. Philip Marsden,
whose heart ana soul were in the lifelong
work wl4.ch his father had founde~, fire.
quently stayed behind for an hour or so to
glance through the transactions Of the
day, carefully and quietly.
MIR. Marsden had been a mastery finan-
cier In his earlier days at the bank, con-
Jurins with monetary problems as boys do
with marbles.
some very ingenious uevices in the on
lstruction of the building and It's rooms
were attributable to his foresight, ~artitice,
land care. Marsden was q. dear old gen.
ltleman, genial, happy, and exceedingly
kind to the staff in his employ, who, in
return, performed their duties to the very
letter. knowing the esteem in which their
services were held and substantially
recognized.
The moments wore on, and Mr.. Marsden,
with a yawn, rose from his seat, and was
just about to depart, when a knock at the
side door of the office demanded his at
tention. Upon opening the door, a police
sergeant and two stalwart men in plain
clothes confronted him.
You are Mr.. Marsden, I believe, sir, the
head of the ban,S?" inquired the sergeant,
in an anxious undertone.
"That is so. 1 am Mr.. Marsden."
Il have some most important intelli-
gence to communicate, If you will grant US
a few minutes in private, sir"
Indeed! Certainly. Step inside. And
these two gentlemen, who may they be?'
asked the banker, turning on his heel.
Two detective officers engaged upon the
duty replied the sergeant, and the trio
were quickly ushered into the private
sanctum of the banker.
II am staying rather later than usual
tonight; it is fortunate 7 had not gone"
Very fortunate, for our visit concerns
you most seriously"
"Indeed!" said Mr.. Marsden, opening his
eyes widely, and popping his gold-rimmed
spectacles up on his forehead.
Yes, Sir. From information which has
come into our possession, and which /
must ask you, in the interests of public
justice, not to divulge, but to afford us
what assistance you can, l have to inform
you that a daring robbery is contemplated
upon your bank tonight"
Il guess not" said Mr.. Marsden, star
ing aghast. why, these premises are
proof against anything"
You may think SO; but you don't know
these men. To go into the matter, sir, it
came about in this way: We were on the
scent OF a notorious little gang of three
expert bank robbers and safe breakers a
short time since. and thorough smart fell
lows, too. But, unfortunately, we only
succeeded in running one to earth-the
others eluded us. The prisoner was con-
victed, and sentenced to ten years impri-
sonnlent; but, like similar cases we have
known, it subsequently came to his knowl-
nlon that lic npgaJo- -, hal ,;,1o ~.
Incarceration, not acted up to their prom
Use in making provision for his aged
mother out of their ill-get gains, so he,
In a spirit OF revenge, peached upon them,
and furnished US with full information
concerning their whereabouts and future
intentions. From this point these two
other officers can better explain than l."
Great Heaven! you astound mer' said
the aged banker, who became further agi-
tated.
DO not alarm yourself, sir; they will
fall Int their own trap, rest assured
continued one Of the detectives. taking up
the thread of the narrative. Yes. acting
on the statement made by the prisoner,
my colleage and 1 instituted careful and,
/ might say. cunning inquiries, for these
willy fellows are difficult to track. We
have been unable to come upon the two
individuals themselves; but, after indefa-
tigable efforts from a roundabout source
a woman as usual being at the bottom of
five have learned that they intend
forcing Marsden & Rylotty's bank to-
night"
THE scsundrels!"
but they will be trapped, sir. We have
hit upon a plan. and ask you to acquiesce
in our carrying it out"
Most certainly, whatever you think
best. What do you suggest?'
We'll, we want to catch them r~ed-hand-
nl 80 = @-I
secret ourselves upon the premises for the
night, SO as to be fully prepared, and wait
ing for our men"
Yes, yes. 1 presume you have written
authority"
Certainly, sir"
And one Of the plain clothes men drew
from his pocket the official document
bearing the name of the chief of the de-
partment, which was quite satisfactory.
After consulting with our superiors,''
continued the officer, I'VE think tina the
plan we have suggested, with your per-
mission; the most likely TO insure success.
We should like you to furnish us with
your private address, SO as to communi-
cate with you during the night, should
your services be required"
Yes, Of course. No. CO Madison ave-
nue."
That will be, sufficient. Thank you.
And the officer jotted the address down
quickly in his memorandum book.
After pointing out a ponderous iron safe,
which he hoped the villains would not turn
their attention to, Mr.. Philip Marsden
babe them good evening, requesting them
to let him know the instant he might be
wanted.
He departed in a feverish state Of
anxiety, wondering, naturally, what the
night would bring forth.
Now, a few minutes after the old gentle
man had left, the real character of the
pseudo-police officers was apparent. It
Mas quite true that a notorious little"
gang of bank robbers contemplated an at
ack on the bank that night, and those
~'coundrels were actually none others than
themselves! Their warrant was a forgery.
and the ~sergeant's uniform the perfection