The Ordway new era., 1912-11-22


lieved to have some one arrive on
whom they could unload the burden OF
their worry.
II had seared for years that 1t was
coming" said Giles. Every night for
the last twenty years that have
locked up that old-fashioned vault
have said to myself: What would hap
pen II a safe.blower knew what a
weak door stands between this banks
money and a robbers? / have recon-
mended. time after time the 1nstalla-,
tion OF new vaults. but you gentlemen
Of the directorate have seen 1T to be-
lieve that economy should continue to
be our watchword. Far be 1t from me
to pretend to criticize. but there might
be q different tale to tell this morning
II there had been q modern vault in
this bank"
"Oh. WE'LL" satdione OF the directors.
II suppose these safe-blowers could
they. Mr.. Cornell?"
Some of them can." replied. 1T
depends on their skill. Suppose we
take a look at the SAFE"
Giles promptly led us into the rear
room. where the vault was located.
never have seen q vault or safe that
had been used more roughly than the
one that now was before my eyes. In
the language OF the profession. 1t had
been 'all shot to pieces" The door
had been cracked and torn and twist
ed and fung across the room. Pieces
of bolts, bars and iron were lying all
over. It was impossible to tell what
kind OF door It had been that locked
in the Weldon community's money.
80 shattered was 1t. An enormous
amount Of horse blankets had been
used to mufle the sound Of the explo-
sion.
"A big charge" said: "a desperate
ly big charge. They must have wanted
to make sure Of blowing her open and
didn't fear to make a noise. Please
leave everything just as 1t Is and let
US step across and look at the man
who got caught in the explosion"
we-Mr. Giles. the directors and
myself-went over to the undertaking
shop where the dead bandit lay. had
hoped to recognize him as some listed
yeggman, though my acquaintance
with that class was limited: but was
disappointed. His face had been blown
30 thoroughly to pieces in the explo.
sion that It was impossible for anyone
not familiar with his smallest charac-
teristics to make out who he might
have been. He was dressed little
better than the average yeggman. for
there was the remnant OF clean cum
on one Of his wrists. but this was all
that I could make out in a cursory
examination.
I'LL be back later" told the man
in charge. Then I told Giles that l
would like to hear the whole story OF
the affair.
He led the way back to his ONCE in
the bank building and told the story
in q careful, intelligent way. There
was nothing remarkable in the story.
He had been called down to the bank
at $3.50 that morning by q working
man who. while passing to his work.
had seen that the front door Of the
bank building was unlocked. He had
gone in at once. in company with the
workman. He had found the door be-
tween the banking room and the vault
room locked. as usual. He had opened
the door and had found the dead bur-
glar and the looted safe, much as We
had seen the room. Eighty-tive thou
sand dollars in large bank notes had
been taken. Some hundreds OF dol
lars worth of smaller bills and about
a thousand dollars worth OF silver had
not been touched. Nobody had been
found who had heard the explosion,
and there was absolutely no trace OF
the robbers.
That was Giles story. 1t was told
in precise, clerical fashion. greatly in
contrast to the story of the sherin.
who, when he was called in, rambled
about bloodhounds and posses and
made a fool Of himself trying to ap-
pear wise" before a city detective.
You locked up the vault last night.
did you, Mr.. Giles?" asked.
"Yes sir" he answered.
And this money was all in there
when you locked 1t up?"
"Yes, Of course"
thanked him and said: "Now will
you kindly let me<go ov.- the vault
again alone? must study 1t carefully
in order to make out an intelligent re-
port"
He acqu: ssced readily and went in
the room and shut myself in with the
shattered vault.L :,
had been impressed with my tirst
glance by the apparently enormous
charge of explosive that had been
used in the robbery. So terrible had
the wreckage been that it seemed i'm
possible to me that any living man
could have been in that room and sur
vived after the soup" had scattered
tho fragments Of that door around.
The room was SO narrow that 1t must
have been like standing before NOR