The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-11-27
Her
Presentiment
By ESTHER VANDEVEER

dealers In railway supplies One night
his wife gave him his supper, he went
to the little bed where bis two children
lay, kissed them, then babe his wife
adieu, with sigh.
whats the matter, Reuben?" she
asked.
II dunno" said kastner. X got a
presentyment."
"A presentiment Of what?' asked his
wife.
THAT somepn's goin' to happen.
Somep'n turrable; somep'n that'll leave
eat and no roof over your heads
And I've got presentiment, too"
said Mrs. Kastner.
whats that?'
"That somep'n is goin to happen
that'll set us all up"
"Oh. you're foolin'!" said the hus-
band as he walked away. You never
take anything serious" :
kaStner went to the Office, where he
relieved the porter, who acted as day
Waterman, and began his dreary night
| watch. He walked about from one
room to another, occasionally going
into a room where stood the safe. 10
| do this he was obliged to take out a
key and turn the bolt in the spring
lock in the door that connected this
room with the main Office. After TAX
| ing a look at the safe he would let
the door close and would sit down in
an office chair, and at the expiration
Of an hour would 60 through the proc
| ess again. +
He had opened the door to the safe
three men-where they came from he
could not surmise-seiZed him from be-
hind and threw him to the floor. Pro-
ducing cord; they bound him hand
and foot and gagged him. Then, sit
ting him in chair, they tied him to
1t. and one of them, knocking of the
knob Of the safe door with hammer,
put q charge OF nitroglycerin in the
hole made and attached a fuse Hav-
| ing done this they placed gunny bags
over the safe to. deaden the sound.
| lighted the free end Of the fuse and
Fall left the office: Their idea was to
blow open the safe. killing the watch
man. on the principle that dead men
, tell no tales, return and help them
selves to the contents.
When they left the room the door
was closed by the spring. and Kastner
was shut up in the safe room while a
suffering fire was running along the
fuse toward the explosive. =
A great many things came to Kast-
ner while watching that running fire.
He saw himself blown into pulp by the
explosion; he saw his wife waking
from slumber to think about her lonely
husba watching through the long
night; he. saw his little children sleep
ing in their bed with their arms around
each others neck.
He would not die. He would make
an effort for life. If he could get down
on the floor he might possibly escape
the worst He began violent rock
ing, a swaying from side to side. This
he kept up till he upset the chair. His
fall broke the cord that bound him to
it. There was still foot Of the fuse
trailing on the floor not yet consumed.
Kastner, having his hands and feet
tied, could not reach the fire or kick 1t,
but he could roll toward it. This be
did and presently rolled on it.
Another danger confronted him.
Would the fire be smothered or would
it ignite his clothing and first burn him,
then blow him to pieces? He lay fat
on the fire and felt the heat beneath
, him.
He, heard rafting at the door. The
ing ON within the safe room. were try
ing to open it. but, finding 1t locked,
could not do so without breaking 1t
down, and this might attract attention
from those without. Since nothing
, seemed to be gained by enecting an
entrance. they determined to await the
explosion.
Meanwhile Kastner lay on the fuse.
praying that it would be smothered.
Gradually the heat under him died
down. He watched to see II It were
j burning beyond his body, but since 1t
did not he made up his mind that. It
had been extinguished i. ~
1t last the robbers, having conc}ud-
ed that the explosion had failed, after
debating the propriety Of kicking down
the door, decided that they had better
get out while they could. Some one
might have gone into the safe room
from another entrance: Y: Ill
When the porter went into the safe
room in the morning and saw the
night Waterman on the floor, bound
hand and foot, he knew at once what
had happened. He released Kastper
and telephoned for member Of the
irm to come Immediately to the Office
since an attempt had been made to.
blow up the safe.
The senior, Mr.. Jones, came without
waiting for his breakfast, and when ne
saw the safe and heard Kastner's sto-
~ he exclaimed: -
"Thank heaven! There was $4,000
in there in bank. bills" III i.