The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-04-07
"Well. sir" said young Summers .n.

| as We'll LClA JOu LA oL W. A"oI Ludl LQGre
was no robbery as you've been LED to
| understand. Oh, the bank was en-.
tered and the vault was opened" he
fastened to add, "but the money
wasn't there, for the simple reason
that-well, We'll say some Ole was be-.
forehand!"
How long before?"
"That | can't tell you exactly, bu.
perhaps a week. perhaps longer"
"Yet the bank was robbed?"
"Sure thing, but not by burglars.
Some one on the inside had been
ahead of them"
You mean"
"Mr. Hemus, as Gods MY witness,
those money packages were dummies!
filled with green waste paper with a
bill on top!-there wasn't more than
five thousand in actual cash in that
vault when we closed down last Sat.
urday!"
Pm not surprised said Hemus in
response to this astonishing statement.
But when did you make the discov-
ery?"
Last Saturday afternoon when I
was checking up for the week The
substitution must have been made by
some one who had free access to the
vault, but precisely when l can't say.
only made the discovery by chance,
and I've been in a hell of torment ever
since!"
There were only three persons who
knew the combination?'
That's right-the president, the
vice-president and myself"
Il guess we can cut out the first
name and the last said Hemus with
dry smile.
Summers nodded dry-lipped and
wide.eyed. "How did you guess?' he
whispered, hoarsely.
"My business consists largely of
guessing and then of making my
guesses come true" was the cryptic
answer. Then: "You go right on
with your work as if this talk had
never happened. Keep a tight hand
on yourself, tongue and looks, until
you hear from me again."
So saying, Hemus almost thrust
Summers into the hall, closed the
door, and proceeded to pack his bag,
muttering: "a clever plant, Mr.. Moo
nav, a very clever plant; but l guess
we'll call you!" Next morning he
was in Chicago again, where he made
inquiries in certain quarters. These
had to do with the affairs of Virgil P.
Moomaw, as known in the wheat pit,
and also with discovering what yegg-
men were in town laying low after
more or less successful jobs. The next
evening found him seated in the back
room of a South Clark street under.
world resort, hobnobbing across
table with a very smooth individual
known to his pals and the police as
Lisping Dick.
Il might as well tell you," Hemus
was saying, that don't want you
specially, Dick, unless you refuse to
talk. In which case you'll probably
have chance to tell your story to
jury-and l guess we can hold you
all right on the burglary charge. I'm
after the man higher up. Tell me the
truth, and so far as Bullivants Is con.
cerned you'll go scot free"
well, Mr.. Hemus,' said Lisping
Dick, abandoning aii-teserve, that
dirty Moomaw he comes to me in this
very joint an proposes a pipe. SEES
he: I'm in bad; I've skinned tn bank
an I've got to square myself. Dyer
want t. make five thousand easy
money! course l ses Bet yer life.'
Then he describes tn plant. He'd leave
tn safe open, an there'd be lot O.
dummy packages Nv money on tn
shelves. I wuz t. clean 'em all out,
an among them I'd find bundle con.
tainin' five thousand for meself All
l had to do wuz t. lift tn gratin' an
bust tn inside door. He'd take care
that tn Waterman wuz away. Well, it
looked good t. me, an course tn lob
was dead easy. l made me getaway
all right with tn dummies, but tn
dirty scab fooled me after all. There
wuz ony two thousand in my pack.
age, but O. course couldn't squeal!
Nav, l didn't work no combination,
Tn guy jest left tn door open as he
said he would. That's all, an I've
given it t y straight"
And it's quite enough!" said Abner
Hemus. II may want you again, Dick,
but you won't be hurt, so don't worry.
Goodnight"
In due course Hemus handed in his
amazing report to Bullivants Limited,
and by them it was transmitted to the
president and directors of the Drillers
and Drovers' bank of Dorsey, Ind. No
doubt Virgil P. Moomaw richly de.
served to wear stripes, but for some
occult reason his associates and su.
periors were content to let him resign.
thereby compromising a felony, yet
avoiding all unpleasant notoriety.
The robbery" was gradually forgot
ten, and thus the details of Moomaw's
clever plant never became public.
Work Hard and Live Long.
Although he has been studying the
stars for 60 years, and is now eighty
six years old, Sir William Higgins, the
grand old man of astronomy" Is still