Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-07-22

Slipping light spring coat over his
thin office-suit, cut Oxford style,
Christopher Poe walked briskly to the
Manhattan National, neighboring
bank, of which he was a director. On
the way he heard newsboys shouting
an extra, "All about the Manhattan
National robbery" Purchasing a copy,
he read the story. printed at length
beneath a brief news-notice, clever
scoop secured by descriptive writer
who CHANGED upon the scene as he
was returning home in the early morn.
ing:
If there's anything wrong, it's an
anside job, that's sure commented
Police Sergeant Muldoon. left In
charge with three of his men while
the Burglary Insurance inspector, who
received the alarm from the Manhat-
tan National this morning, rushed of
to summon a superior officer who held
keys to the front door of the bank.
Ten minutes later the Burglary In
surance manager arrived, blown, in a
taxi. The door was unlocked, and the
men filed in. There was not q move
ment, not sound, not another person
in the big banking-room besides the
group that had just entered, unless the
limp bag Of bones by the safe door
could be counted.
The inspector approached the body,
and turned 1t over with his toe, reveal
ing the terror-fixed face of Summers,
bank Waterman.
The officers and inspectors huddled
together about the safe, staring stupid
ly from the body to the open masonry
door The sergeant stopped to look
through the heavy stone doorway open
ing into the vault which contained the
safe proper
What's that? he cried, as he
caught quick motion and q CLINT Of
light in the dim interior.
That's the safe itself. It's one of
the new whirling safes The light that
startled you was reflected by the spin
ning steel, the safe itself; 1t whirls
like a top after it Is wound up and
set to stop at a certain hour in the
morning. It's absolutely burglar-proof
Even the motor that runs 1t and the
time-lock regulator are inside it. We
can all be mighty thankful the safe
is still whirling. That shows she
hasn't been opened
There's no way Of stoppin' 1t Them
queried the police officer, poking his
finger In toward the revolving mass
of metal
Here! The manager jerked the
officers arm back by his sleeve.
You've heard of people having their
fingers neatly nipped off by electric
fans? Well, this safe will do the trick,
only thousand times as we'll You've
got to be
Look Here's where they got
him., came an interrupting cry from
Burglary Insurance callman who
had been examining the body of Sum-
mers
And here's A police officer
who had been scanning the floor
Iurched heavily forward. blood rushing
to his apoplectic face as he stopped
to pick up small object from beside
the safe. The thing was notified red
and green, badly discolored, and about
three quarters Of an inch square at
the top and two inches long. At the
bottom chung clotted blood.
"a finger, huh?' grunted the Bur
glary Insurance manager. jumping to
his feet, and thrusting his eager face
over the policeman's shoulder.
Yes. It's thumb!
Look" cried the callman, on his
knees besides the night watchman's
body Summers thumbs gone!"
Bit off, prob'ly. said the inspec-
tor, STOPPING to examine the hand the
callman held up. 'Plucky guy. that
Summers! Probly put up stiff fight
fore the petermen got him.
He pushed the corpse of the watch
man musingly with his broad toe. AS
he did so, a bunch of keys came to
light The manager bounced on them.
What's Summers doing with keys
10 the vault that contains this safer
he cried.
The inspectors jaw dropped, and he
looked dazed; the tall man let the
thumbless hand fall back to the floor
in his establishment
Il said from the first it was an IN
side job" remarked the police ser
seant with intense satisfaction.
That's how he lost his thumb,
added the manager, deity fitting the
KEYS in the vault door Got his hand
in the way OF the safe. and it clipped
the thumb of. He should have been
more careful. considering the fact that
he was clever enough to make Keys
10 fit this door"
'Rut he couldn't have undertaken
tba iob," cried the cail-man: here
hole in the back OF his head, It's
where they hit him with a pipe or a
gun. or some tool"
The manager kicked a neaVy'
smashed bulrs-eye that lay near the
dead mans head It's his own lamp,
he said: when his thumb was cut
of in the whiriing safe, he fell back
in the surprise of it, and landed square
on his cwn lamp. That's what Old
for HIM" -.
Then what's this trail OF blood?
cried the callman, pointing to scat
tering of red drops across the moor in