The Washington herald., 1913-06-29
CHAP1 Err /.

nero, but the unenlightened pubic count
him a cheap sort OF slippery criminal
He isn't that: he's a self-respectint
pompous sort OF person, as a rule, re
sembling for all the world your next
Goor neighbor who you think Is enjoy
ing royalties from patent taken GU
at an early age on a transmitter 70
mental vibrations.
But there are many different kinds o
bank sneaks in the business, and diver
are their modes OF making away witt
the money. A very common method, |
bit out OF style OF late because of tn
preparedness of bank cashiers, is TO
the sneak to provide himself with a wir'
as crooked as himself, which he insert
cautiously between the bars OF the cash
iers cage, and with which he dexter
ously hooks and removes through tn,
rods a neat pile OF bills while the money
handlers attention Is attracted else
where, being careful to choose no new
crinkly bills. the rustling removal o.
which might distract the cashier IRON
his duties and cause him to shoot point
blank at the thief making his getaway
In this common method many a sue.
cessful bank sneak has found 1t expedi.
ent to carry a can, in the head OF which
has been concealed telescope rod
which, on pressure of button, is re-
leased to harpoon a wad of bills and
carry them back autom atcaily through
the grating.
Both very pretty methods, indeed. and
so usual that when a clever bank sneak
thinks up a slight departure from the
regular method the bank cashier is al
a loss to even imagine how the thing
was done, the police are puzzled. and
The public at large speculates and guess
sDout in a futile circle.
The big Traders National of New
Orleans transacts its business in great
brownstone edifice, as impenetrable as
Gibraltar. The bank has never even been
threatened with a break, and only once
has it suffered any loss of actual cash.
That happened one Saturday afternoon.
just ten minutes before the l o'clock
closing hour, when the building was SO
jammed with customers cashing checks
for weekly pay rolls and transacting the
usual weekend business, that the man
who secured a neat little package of
twenty $1,000 bills and shot at Paying
Teller Jackson escaped in the crowd I'M
detected.
1t happened like, this: Chief Paying
Teller jackson had his desk piled with
money for the regular Saturday distribu-
ton Among the moneys he had taken
from his safe that morning to last
through the day was the thin package
of 8, 900 bills, which he held in readiness
for the convenience Of prominent Span
ish shipowner, who wanted gold certih-
Gates of large denomination with which
to transact a foreign deal
Jackson, in arranging his money that
morning, had put the bundle OF big bills
at the extreme left of his desk, and in
working during the busy morning hours
it had gradually been pushed close up
against the narrow. strong, steel grating
his cage and protecting him
perfectly from the usual attempts Of
sneak thieves. AS jackson picked up the
bunch several times, mistaking it for a
package of 800 bills, he finally clapped
the gold certificates down on top of his
tin safe box, out OF the way, and i'm
mediately forgot them until ten minutes
of l, when his trained eye was sud-
denly attracted to the top of that box by
a quick movement. The bills were there,
safe. At that moment he heard a low
which sounded like the word
"Generalr The paying teller was about
to reach for the bills to put them in
safer place. when a shot blazed out, not
two feet in front of him, bullet nipped
his hand, and he drew it back sharply
with a twinge of pain, leaped on his
stool and scanned the surprised, fright
ened faces of his customers outside the
bars. The line had been broken up by
the effect of the shot and it was i'm
possible to tell which of four or five
men might have pulled the trigger.
Jacksons eyes returned mechanically
to the bunch of bills for which he had
reached.
They were gone.
Twenty-one thousand-dollar bills stolen |
while the paying teller's eyes were of |
his money for a confused instant.
The two bank detectives and the door |
man had drawn their revolvers at the ]
sound of the shot and rushed to protect |
the doors. but before they could reach |
them several alarmed customers had |
dashed into the street, and probably the /
bank sneak among them.
The president rushed out of his room |
N front, pushed his way through the !
oanicky crowd, cried to the detectives. /
Lock those doors"' and stopped in front |
,f the chief teller's window.
What was it, Jackson?" he cried.
Twenty thousand dollarsr'
How'd it go?" demanded the president,
Mortified.
Must have been a sneak, but didn't
zee a false move: the shot startled me:
When I looked up couldn't make out
Who did it,
did you see anything suspicious, any
Il you?" cried the president, turning to
he room full o customers. many of whom
lie knew well.
A wiry little Southern gentleman, a
vell-known cotton merchant, stepped up,
ugged at his tobacco-yellowed mustache,
md remarked, 81 was standin', sub,
ext in line beside the teller's window
nd the bullet must have come as close
o me, sub, as the one that grazed my
lbow at Pickett's charge, but it's my
pinion. sub, though there was a pow
hful explosion, that the shot was fired
rom the street or the door, by Cad.
uh"
Couldn't have been' cut in a ponder
us, low-browed foreigner, who proved
o be the very Spanish merchant for
hon Jackson had provided the bills.
was standing right behind this man
nd the gun goes of right behind me, the
hot sounded boomI right in my ear"
That's strange" answered the presi-
ept, glancing at the Spaniard's broad
and. his check for the twenty thousand
ollars trembling slightly between a !.
nick thumb and forefnger Looks as |.
Rough the powder singed you. What's :
lat on your hand, Gonzales?'
The merchant glanced at a big black :,
olotch on the back of his hand. That's
thats-well, maybe the powder did
urn me. Didn't tell you it was close" r
And who stood behind YOU in the line,
II. Gonzales" came the quick question.
The merchant dropped his eyes, con-
ised. Il don't know: it looked like
r. Reilly's clerk there" he stammered. a
The young man in question, who had |,
me in to cash check for his employ :
vraIl nushad and said he or,aeea1 4 -