Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-07-28


ed. He returned to his own seat. and
We too sat down.
In fifteen seconds the smoke float
ing about the ceiling was the only
sign Of the crisis Just passed. Rand
began again:
In order to give o an opportu-
nifty to recover your composure be-
fore you begin writing. Mr.. Anderson.
and to prevent your %indulging in any
more foolish lies. I will tell you the
evidence against you. You helped
your brother.in-law, Nelson, make the
time-lock on the vault ordered for the
Municipal Bank in 1890. You insert.
ed In the journal of the main stand.
ard Of the clock works a steel disc
instead of a brass one. knowing that
the steel against steel would make a
friction that would wear out both In
several years. time. BY means of a
second timelock accurately %duplicat-
ed. and which, If I am not mistaken.
is ticking away in that black box on
the mantel behind you, you were able
to tell very nearly the very hour
when you could turn back the bolts of
the Municipal vault without let or
hindrance. When you brotherin.law
died, you sold his patents to the com
pany, returned to New York, and be-
gan to live for the hour when you
could help yourself to whatever you
wished. You stopped drinking and
settled down. You went into the real
estate business, because you could
obtain in that q permanent
hold on Hanahan, the watchman at
the Municipal, whom o already
knew. When you found that about
the time you were ready to make
your haul, George Rhodes would be
the young man in charge of the vault.
you called him to the house on a pre-
text and made him acquainted with
your daughter and encouraged his
visits that you might get from him in
your chats, bit by bit, knowledge OF
Just what to put you hand on in the
short time you were in the vault. and
how to conceal the theft long enough
for you to convert the securities.
Your n mistake was in giving so
aimsy a pretext to Mr.. Duncan for
calling him up and retaining him.
What you really wanted was to be
able to have constant Information
from Mr.. Duncan S that you would
always know how close he was on the
track Of the real thief. Few men pay
attorneys $500 retaining fees to per-
Suade men who really love
their daughters from dragging them
into a scandal which does not essen
TALLY concern the daughters at best.
On Sunday night a week & you
went to the bank, as your duplicate
time-lock showed you the steel disc
was worn SO thin a Jar on the door
would cause the standard to drop and
the lock to release. Hanahan, as he
told me an hour ago. went across the
street for some tobacco that Sunday
night, leaving you in the bank. In
ninety seconds o had opened the
vault, taken the right packet, opened
the case of the time-lock, replaced the
disc with a brass one. closed the case
and closed the vault, but-you care
lessly dropped this worn disc on the
floor!
you used the bonds as collateral
to buy stock, not as a speculation,
but as IN investment hat would con-
ceal the bonds, and by chance chose
Overland Pacific at a low figure and
1t rose. You thought best to take
your profits. and only your greed pre-
vented you from returning the bonds
to Rhodes by mail. You hid the
bonds In a jar, just like a foolish old
woman Mr.. Smith does not wish to
prosecute you and expose his specu-
lations. Since Mr.. Smith and Mr..
Duncan doubtless have other engage
ments tonight, kindly write as I re-
quested a few minutes ago"
Muttering objurgations in his ma
tive tongue. Anderson wrote the two
drafts. Rhodes being for more than
one hundred thousand, and both
Rhodes and Smith receipted. Smith
took the bonds and thrust them into
his overcoat pocket. Miss Anderson
refused to remain an hour longer un-
der her father's roof. and left the
house to go to the home Of a distant
relative. pocketed the odd little
steel disc, which lies before me as l
write, with a slip copied from a page
Of Rand's notebook that lays out SO
plainly and simply his quick, sure and
unerring process in this remarkable
case. that l n O refrain from CIV
ing it.
"a Anderson's retaining Duncan very
strange.
t0 Rhodes Uranium shows moral in
capacity for theft. Innocent.
90 Nelson's brother-in-law could know
lock construction.
~ Smith lost specializing. Thief won
half million with bonds.
90 Time-lock lost 80 sec. Sunday night.
week before discovered.
0) Disk of steel instead brass. Meant
to wear out. Is discarded part of lock.
Must be a new disk in lock. Work for e1-
pert. Prepared since making Of lock.
90 Marie Nelson Anderson.
80 Anderson was alone in bank 8 min.
Sunday night of robbery.
Anderson guilty.. Proved and confessed.
Adjusted, no proceedings by L. r.
Too Much for the Ghost.
There are more Mays than one OF