Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-07-08

up with an Illuminating lash.
Cant you seer he cried. who
ever did 1t tried to get away with both
the murdered bodies, to place suspi-
cion on the scrub-women. He got out
with one. and was evidently scared on
while dragging the other over the
SILL.
But how could the man himself
have got in?" cried John Beggs.
The cashiers ardor abated. He
made no reply. but went again to the
safe, set in the wall at the rear of the
room in a prominent position.
His inspection produced the aston.
ishing facts that the outer door had
been drilled through. evidently by
hand. In just the spot where the tum-
blers could be thrown: but the metal
OF the inner door, by far the more
important Of the two. had been melted
by powerful electric current. 1t was
curious combination, wholly UMPIRE
cedented. Why the same process
had not been used on both doors was
mystery. Why the automatic sig
nal had not worked when the safe
was broken, was another; for there
was = metallic casing In the outer
door which could not have been
broken through after five-fifteen, when
the burglar alarm was mechanically
set by the Burglar Insurance COM
pany.
That outer door In twelve inches
thick" declared the insurance man.
Nothing but diamond drill could
touch that chrome steel. doubt II q
man could drill through 1t In ten days.
The whole thing seems impossible.
The minute the drill touched the cleo
trio sheathing the signal would have
been sounded at our office. 1t regis
tered all right, when the front door
was opened at three-fifteen. The sig
nal hasn't been meddled with, either"
We'll, ! give 1t up" groaned the
cashier.
1T must be one mans work He
couldn't have let any confederates In"
declared the other. The alarm would
have been given at our office on the
opening of a window or door, and
there's been no tampering with the
circuit"
Maybe the second scrub.woman
was confederate!" suggested Crib
ben suddenly. she can't be found.
Beggs didn't see her killed. She
must have helped the thief. He
couldn't have done all this without an
accomplish"
But, sir" exclaimed John Beggs.
who was listening to the theory, that
woman's scrubbed here for two years.
She's all right. I'm sure she was
killed. heard her scream and moan.
know her voice."
Again the nervous cashier was
forced to give up his clue.
Well, what's to be done?" he
asked hopelessly.
Wed better wire the Bankers Pro-
tectiye association" suggested the in
surance man. You're members, and
Mitchell, the president, has great
way of getting to the bottom OF these
things. I've sent the news out through
our regular channels, our detectives,
and the papers,
Then telegraph Mitchell. Wen
leave things just as they are"
There isn't much to leave, but the
safe ITSELF" answered the other. THE
devil couldn't have done q heater job.
Not clue. Not thing"
At two o'clock that afternoon a
short-waisted man, OF medium height
and athletic build. dressed in sim
pie Oxford suit, stepped into the Mer-
chants National, and was shown in
to the despairing cashier.
my name is Hardy; Mr.. Mitchell
has asked me to come down and see
what can do he said simply, taking
OF his hat and running a thin hand
through his brown brush OF outstanding
hair, patch OF white tufting out near
the middle.
Cribben glanced grumpily at the
newcomers eyes; they were violet.
and he seemed more like dapper So
ciety butterfly than a world-hardened
man sent out on criminal investiga.
ton.
The cashier went into details In q
desultory manner. 1t was evident he
had little hope. Having told Hardy
all that had been learned, he summed
up in q weary, disheartened tone:
You see, it's something extraordi-
nary. A crime greater than the Man
haitian robbery, in rs; greater than
the Kensington job"
Christopher Poe, otherwise "Mr.
Hardy" leaned back, thoughtfully knit
ting his slender fingers together. and
two lines deepened into a cynical set,
one at each side OF his mouth, draw
ing the ends OF the sensitive nose to |
the corners of his twitching lips. He
did not speak for full minute; then
looked up with those intense violet |
eyes that puzzled all mankind, and re-
marked:
You say the man your Waterman |
saw had a dead-white face?"
Cribben looked up at him with a
OF doubt and disappointment. |
What possible difference can that |
make? He doesn't answer the descrip- |
ton of any known criminal"
Poe caught the irritation in his |
tone, and the lines deepened around |