The Washington herald., 1913-07-13

the guilt Of the night watchman. Tn
duplicate keys to the stone vault foun,
beside his body. the severed thumb tn
facts that ali the windows were secured
and the bars in place. and the street doc
untampered with.
The cashier of the Manhattan Nationa
had been informed at once of the watch
mans attempt and his death. He arrived
about O'Clock, heard the detailed stor,
and quite agreed that Summers wa
guilty. He relocked the vault door art
dismissed the police in an effort 10 husi
up the matter. as the safe had provet
/ an efficient guardian of the funds In It.
trust, and there was no loss to the banl
except the lucky one Of a dishones
watchman. But the story had leaked ou
already and a newspaper extra came ou
around s o'clock.
At nine a square-chested gentleman o;
| medium height, In a soft gray suit cul
Oxford style. stepped into the bank and
| asked for the cashier. who came to the
door of his private apartment; he glanced
| at the visitor with an anxious frown and
suddenly his face lighted in relieved rec.
ognition. He bowed slightly, with def.
erence. and pushed open the door.
| "How do you do. Mr.. Poe" he greet
| ed. Il was on the point of calling you
up to see If you could suggest some way
| for us to muffie the clamor about this
disagreeable businesa Just a dishonest
| Waterman. but the stories in the paper
may cause US the loss Of public conf
dence" -
yes, 1 feared that. answered Christie
pher Poe. who was a director in the
bank. I've read the accounts, but please
tell me all about t. May look at the
safe, too?'
Certainly, certainly" said the cashier
nricElv leading N WHARF fhA
vault stood. Poe walked behind. his vivid
violet eyes moving deliberately, calmly,
beneath heavy brown eyes as he took in
every detail of the room. Observation
had become instructive with him in the
many years he had privately represented
the Bankers Protective Association,
solving mysteries and running down
without the knowledge Of any but few
old cronies.
The cashier having recounted all details
of the discovery with minute exactness.
Poe asked to see the body Of Summers
and was led to the presidents private
room, where it had been CARRIED.
He scanned the corpse In a quick. COM
prehensive glance and asked. where's
the missing thumb?"
"Oh, hereT answered the cashier. point
ing to a heavy piece Of wrapping paper
oH a 6IouP VI opycSts tdhCh
from Summers pockets. and the severed
thumb. Poe turned the thumb over.
looked closely at the nail made SUPER
fetal observatien- Of the rest and turned
to the cashier:
Kindly send a messenger with this
digit to DR.. Robinson, on Thirtieth Street
and Fifth Avenue. Please ask him to
cleanse it thoroughly. restore the skin
where 1t has been bruised and put some
IL =
be handled and examined. Tell him to
send it to my apartment within two
hours
Poe made a casual inspection Of the
personal effects taken from the dead
mans pockets. There was nothing un-
usual among them. Two pencils, a hand
a worn leather note book, some
a quill tooth-pick, an old but
ton. and a few miscellaneous papers:
nothing that . night watchman should
not carry.
As the cashier returned, having dis
patched the messenger, Poe asked
abruptly:
where's his watch?'
81 don't know" answered the cashier i
vaguely. Somebody asked IL he had .
watch. but it was decided that he wasn't
one. He had his roundsman's
clock"
Its no matter" replied Poe, but he
did have a watch. and it's gone. See,"
he gingerly pulled out the lining to Sum-
mer's vest pocket with the remark: IT'S
chamois; his wife sewed it in-see where
the weight sagged 1t and the wearing
blackened the skim" He stepped 20 q
corner wash basin and rinsed his hands
Now" he said, 'ff you will be 30 good
as to ask the janitor to bring me his
longest ladder I will see II can crawl
through the middle ventilator back there, |
the one with the glass cut out COM |
pletely."
WHAT" cried the cashier, gazing at |
Poe with wide eyes and then rushing |
through the door into the open banking |
room to stare up at three narrow Sits |
Of windows in the rear, twelve feet |
above the top of the bookkeeping cages. |
The windows were secured with bars and /
the cashier at first glance could see no
Inference between the middle ventilating |
window and the other two. All were Of |
he same size, twelve inches high and
wenty inches wide.
Poe had stepped to the cashiers side
ind remarked, Don't you see, there's
10 glass on that middle window; it looks
lull compared to the others. noticed 1t
Is came in. The pane has been cut out
lround the edges with great precision so
10 warning wires should be interfered
With. Where is the stepladder?''
The cashier went on to hurry the jani-
or. and when he returned Christopher
Poe stood inspecting the slight trail Of
Hood extending from the vault to the
Burglary Insurance Companys signal
OK.
Nobody could have crawled through
ne of those windows" cried the cashier
nxiously as he returned They're too
mall. 1t would be impossible. Besides,
ook at the bars
Poe made no reply but climbed the
adder quickly. When he reached the
op he rubbed his fingers along the
dge of the sill and pulled in his lower
p rehectively. He ran his free hand
trough his outstanding brush of brown
air and then hattened his palm against
ne ornamental bars that covered the
perture. As he did SO the grating Of
ars fell out and he thrust his head
uickly through the hole. looking down
} tine ground twenty feet below. He
ndeavored to thrust his shoulders
trough the window frame, but they
ere TOO broad. Glancing up at the
ank roof he found 1t quite as impos-
BILE that any one could have reached
ie ven.i,ator from there as from the
ground. The only chance was that the
indow had been gained from the adjofn-
g building, vaudeville theater, twenty
et away, which made It seem impos-
BILE.
Wriggling back through the window.
hritooher Poe descended at once 10
le floor of the bank. The cashier and
veral clerks stood in an astonfsheA