The Washington herald., 1913-07-13
BY ROBERT CARLTON BROWN,

by ROBERT CARLTON BROWN.
IF there's anything wrong it's an ii
side job. that's sure commented tn
police sergeant left in charge with thre
Of his men while the burglary insuranc
inspector, who had received the alarr
from the Manhattan National, rushed OF
to summon a superior officer who he'll
keys to the front door of the bank.
Ten minutes later the burglary insur
ance manager arrived, blown. in a taxi
The door was unlocked and the men file,
in. Lights were turned on, but no skulk
ing figure showed itself. There was n
sudden explosion of a revolver, no crasl
of glass. not single familiar inciden
to make the men feel at home. Their
was not movement, not a sound, no
another person in the big, banking room
besides the group that had just entered
unless the limp bag of bones by the SAT,
door could be counted.
The inspector approached the body anC
turned il over with his toe. revealing tn.
terror-fiXed face of summers, banl
watchman.
The officers and inspectors huddlec
together about the safe, staring stupidly
from the body to the open masonry door
The sergeant stopped to look through the
heavy stone doorway opening into the
vault which contained the safe proper.
What's that he cried, as he caught
a quick motion and a CLINT of light IN
the dim interior. His gun flashed as he
leveled il, and he was about to fire when
the burglary insurance manager knocked
up the iron crying, That's the safe it,
self. It's one of the new whirling safes.
The light that startled you was reflected
by the spinning steel, the safe itselN ii
whirls like a top after il is wound up
and set TO stop at a certain hour in the
morning. It's absolutely burglar proof.
Even the motor that runs it and the time
lock regulators are inside it. We can all
be mighty thankful the safe is still
whirling. That shows she hasn't been
opened"
What's the dope?" queried the puzzled
police officer. looking up distrustfully
4 never heard of a spinning safe"
It's a new invention" the manager
hastened to explain, examining the in
tricate lock on the vault door to see how
il had been opened. Its Just been In.
stalled here. You see the safe is COM
In the old days a good gopher man could
melt any steel safe door with an electric
current or a forced draft lamp, if he
could get to the door itself. This whirl-
ing safe, you see, has a motor inside to
keep it whirling so your gopher man
can't keep his electric drill or blower
directed on any one spot. Hence it's i'm
possible for him to melt or bore his way
in
There's no way of stoppin' it Them
queried the police officer. poking his fin
ger in toward the revolving mass of
metal
..uara the r,,naaar .arpoa ,no ~.
GERS arm back by his sleeve. You've
heard of people having their fingers
neatly nipped on by electric fansy Well,
this safe will do the, trick, only a thou
sand times as well. You've got to
be-
Look, t. Here's where they got him."
came an interrupting cry from a burg
larry insurance man who had been ex-
amining the body of Summers.
And here's" a police officer who
had been scanning the floor lurched
heavily forward. blood rushing to his
apoplectic face as he stopped to pick up
a small object from beside the safe. The
thing was mottled red and green, badly
discolored: il was about three-quarters
of an inch square at the top and two
inches long. At the bottom clung cIotted
blood
"A finger, huh?" grunted the burglary
insurance manager, jumping to his feet
and thrusting his eager face over the
shoulder.
Yes: it's thumb
Look, cried the call man, on his
knees beside the night watchmans body.
Summers thumbs gone"'
BIT off. prob'ly," said the inspector,
STOPPING to examine the hand the call
nan held up. "Plucky guy. that fore
ner's, Prob'ly put up a stiff fight fore
he peterrhen got him. He pushed the
,orrse of the watchman musingly with
ais broad toe. As he did so a bunch
II keys came to light. The manager
bounced on them.
What's Summers doing with keys to
he vault that contain this safer he
.r!ed.
The inspectors jaw dropped and he
ooked dazed; the tall man let the
humbless hand fall back to the floor in
lis astopjshment
Il said from the first 1t was an
inside job" remarked the police sergeant
With intense satisfaction.
That's how he lost his thumb" ad- |
led the manager, deftly fitting the keys
n the vault door. Got his hand in |
he way Of the safe; it clipped the |
humb OF. He should have hSen more
areful, considering the fact that he was
lever enough to make keys to fit this
oor.'
But he couldn't have undertaken the
ob!" cried the call man. Here's a
ole in the back of his head, it's Where
hey hit him with a pipe or a gun, or
ome tool"
The manager kicked heavy, smashed
that lay near the dead mans
cad Its his own lamp" he said;
when his thumb was cut Off in the
rhirling safe he fell back in the sur
rise of it and landed square on his
wn lamp. That's what it did for him."
Then what's this trail of bloodr'
ried the call man. pointing to a scat
ring of red drops across the floor in
wavering line to the Burglary Insur.
nee Company's signal switch set in the
all.
The manager shrugged his shoulders.
Summers did the job" he said with
nality, waving his hand about the big
anking room II there'd been anybody
Sc in it with him where are they now?
hey wouldn't disappear in the air, you
now, and they weren't blown to atoms.
lcuuse there was no coup used. Talk {
lctsr'
Facts were talked until early morning I
I'd all Of them pointed straight toward I