Arizona republican., 1911-03-23

% did. It's Quilted" was the signif.
| cant reply. We got an alarm auto
/ matically al the main Office about
/ three-fifteen; the signal came from
/ opening the door, | suppose. Then I
/ phoned you. and came over here al
once, but the policeman was already
working over the watchman"
There was considerable consterna-
ton and confusion, during which the
cashier found his safe utterly empty.
and secured John Beggs's account OF
all that had happened, 10 his knowl-
edge.
" You say both scrub-women we're
killed? queried Cribben sharply.
" Where's the other bOdy?"
There weren't no other body, put
in the policeman. evidently astOunded
by Beggs's account Of the crime
The cashier frOwned then looked up
with an Illuminating flash.
Can't you see, he cried Who
ever did it'tried 10 get away with both
the murdered bodies. to place suspi-
cion on the scrub-women He got out
with one and was evidently scared off
while dragging the other over the sill"
But how could the man himself
The cashiers ardor abated. He made
no reply. but went again 10 the safe.
set in the wall at the rear Of the room
in prominent position.
His inspection produced the astonish-
ing facts that the outer door had been
drilled through. evidently by hand, in
just the spot where the tumblers could
be thrown: but the metal of the inner
60 -.
two. had been melted By a powerful
electric current II was a curious
combination. wholly unprecedented.
Why the same process had not been
used on both doors was a mystery
Why the automatic signal had not
worked when the safe was broken.
was another; for there was a metallic
casing in the outer door which could
not have been broken through after
five-fifteen. when the burglar alarm
was mechanically set by the Burglar
Insurance Company.
That outer door is twelve inches
thick" declared the insurance man.
Nothing but diamond drill could
touch that chrome steel I doubt if a
man could drill through it in ten days.
The whole thing seems impossible.
The minute the drill touched the cleo
trio sheathing the signal would have
been sounded at our Office. II regis
tered all right. when the front door
was opened at three-fifteen. The sig
nal hasn't been meddled with. either"
Well, l give it up" groaned the
cashier.
II must be one mans work. He
couldn't have let any COnfederates in"
declared the other. THE alarm would
have been given at our office on the
opening Of a window or door. and
there's been no tampering with the cir
cult"
Maybe the second scrub-woman
was a confederate, " suggested Crib
ben, suddenly. " She can't be found.
Beggs didn't see her killed. She must
have helped the thief He couldn't
have done all this without an accom-
plice."
But. sir" exclaimed John Beggs.
who was listening to the theory. that
woman's scrubbed here for two years.
She's all right. I'm sure she was
killed. | heard her scream and moan.
l know her voice"
Again the nervous cashier was
forced to give up his cue.
Well. what's TO be done?" he asked
hopelessly.
We'd better wire the Bankers Pro
tectiYe Association suggested the in
suranCe man. You're members. and
Mitchell. the President. has a great
way of getting TO the bottom of these
things. I've sent the news out through
our regular channels, our detectives,
and the papers"
Then telegraph Mitchell Well
leave things just as they are"
There isn't much 10 leave. but the |
safe itself. answered the other. "The |
devil couldn't have done a neater Job. !
Not a clue. Not a thing"
At two o'clock that afternoon a short !
WASTED man. of medium height. and |
athletic build. dressed in a simple Ok |
ford suit, stepped into the Merchants |
National, and was shown in to the de- !
spairing cashier.
Ny name is Hardy; Mr. Mitchell |
has asked me 10 come down and see |
what I can do" he said. simply. taking |
of his hat and running a thin hand |
through his brown brush Of outstanding |
hair, patch of white tufting out near
the middle.
Cribben glanced grumpily at the |
newcomers eyes. they were violet. and /
he seemed more like a dapper society |
than a world-hardened man !
sent out on criminal investigation.
" Oh, yes. Sit down" replied Crib
ben. not over gracious in his manner.
He would have bounded from his seat
and assumed his best directors,
Ing manner. had he known that the
strange man representing himself as
= Mr.. Hardy" was really Christopher |
Poe. Vice-President Of big New York
bank, and director in several others;
who had enough money and leisure to 1
indulge his hobby of criminology II /
was for this reason that he took the I
name Hardy, not caring for curious 1
outside interest in his work With him Il
we're associated Mitchell, OF the Bank l
Frs Protective Association. and Burns, Il
Vice President in two banks and hold L
Ing other honorary positions. All three 1
we're OF the same financial and social II
nut no one knew they ever
had been actually engaged in detective
work. Christopher Poe was the &C
leader of the trio. He
knew the haunts OF all criminals from
San Francisco TO Shanghai. from New
York TO New Zealand. He could al
most tell where to put his finger on
my man wanted by the police. Poe
lad the pedigree of every criminal as
much by heart as the pedigree of a
-are Turner. a famous alexandria. or
! celebrated Elzevir. Such was his
scope. He was connoisseur of al
all crime. No dilettante, a
ullblood enthusiast