The Springfield herald., 1912-09-13
Copyright by the International Preas B1lsan-3

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their worry.
Il had %eared for years that 1t was
coming" said Giles. Every night for
the last twenty years that have
locked up that old-fashioned vault l
have said to myself: What would hap
pen If a safe-blower knew what
weak door stands between this banks
money and robber? 1 have recon-
mended time after time the installa-
tion of new vaults. but you gentlemen
of the directorate have seen fit to be-
lieve that economy should continue to
be our watchword. Far be 1t from me
to pretend to criticize, but there might
be different tale to tell this morning
II there had been a modern vault in
this bank"
'Oh, WELL" said one of the directors,
II suppose these safe-blowers could
get into any kind of a safe. couldn't
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 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 flung 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,
SO shattered was 1t. An enormous
amount OF horse blankets had been
used to mufiie 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
80 thoroughly to pieces in the expio-
sion that 1t 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
on one of his wrists. but this was all
| that I could make out in cursory
examination.
"IIl be back later" told the man
In charge. Then l told Giles that !
would like to hear the whole story OF
the affair.
He led the way back to his office in
the bank building and told the story
In a careful, intelligent way. There
was nothing remarkable in the story.
He had been called down to the bank
at $3.50 that morning by 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-five thou
sand dollars in large bank notes had
been taken. Some hundreds OF dol
lars worth of smaller bills and about
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 sheriff,
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?" I asked.
Yes SIR" he answered.
"And this money was all in there
when you locked it up?"
Yes, of course"
thanked him and said: Now Will
you kindly let me go over the vault
again alone? must study it carefully
in order to make out an intelligent re-
port"
He acquiesced readily and l went in
shattered vault.
had been impressed with my first
glance by the apparently enormous
charge of explosive that had been
used in the robbery So terrible had
the wreckage been that 1t seemed i'm
possible to me that an. living man
could have been in that room and sur
vived after the soup" had scattered
the fragments of that door around.
The room was so narrow that 1t must
have been like standing before NOR
tar loaded with scrap iron. The horse
blankets were torn to shreds. said
to myself: "A bungler's job" and went
out and telegraphed for an expert on
explosives, for the expert of the firm
that made the safe, and for Durango
and Mahaffey. two of our men who
knew most of the big yeggs in the
country by sight. l locked and sealed
the vault room. SO 1t could not be tam
pered with.