Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-04-23


by this amazing master criminal was
| enough to cause panic. Already he
| had engaged detectives, prepared for
whatever might happen, and they had
| advised him to leave the diamonds in
the counter, clear the store and let
the crooks try anything, if they dared.
Just back of us, and around the COT
ner, as we came in, we had noticed a
limousine which had driven up. Three
| faultlessly attired handles had entered
| learned afterward, apparently going to
a fashionable tailors which occupied
| the second floor of the old-fashioned
building, the first floor having been
renovated and made ready for renting
| Had we been there a moment sooner
we might have seen, l suppose, that
one of them nodded to a taXicab driv'
| er, who was standing at a public hack
| stand few feet up the block, The
driver nodded unostentatiously back
at the man.
In spite of the excitement, Kennedy
quietly examined the showcase, which
was, indeed, veritable treasure store
of brilliants.
Slowly the hands of the clock came
nearer together at noon.
We all gathered about the showcase
with it's glittering hoard of wealth
forming a circle at respectable dis
! lance.
In deep-lunged tones the clock
played the chords written, | believe
, by Handel. Then it began striking.
Nothing had happened.
We all breathed a sigh of relief.
We'll, it is still there!" exclaimed
Martin, pointing at the showcase with
forced laugh.
Suddenly came a rending and crash
ing sound 1t seemed as if the very
floor on which we stood was giving
way.
The showcase, with all it's priceless
contents, went smashing into the eel
lar below.
The flooring beneath the case hat
been cut through!
All crowded forward, gazing at the
black, yawning cavern.
Down below, three men, covered
with smocks and their faces hidden
by masks, had knocked the props
away from the ceiling of the cellar
which they had sawed almost through
at their leisure, and the SHOWCASE hat
landed eight or ten feet below, shiv
cred into thousand bits.
volley of shots whizzed past us
and another. While one crook was
hastily stuffing the untold wealth Of
jewels into a burlap bag the others
had drawn revolvers and were firing
up through the hole in the floor des
perately.
Look Quit" cried someone behinc
us before we could recover from oul
first surprise and return the fire.
One of the desperadoes had taken {
bomb from under his smock, lighted i
and thrown it up through the hole ir
the floor.
1t called up over our heads and land
ed near our little group, on the floor
the fuse suffering ominously.
/ heard an exclamation of fear from
Elaine.
Kennedy had pushed his way pas
us and picked up the deadly inferno
machine in his bare hands.
u,otobod hin, focoinotol .ao,
as he dared, he approached the hole il
the floor, still holding the thing off a
arms length. Would he never throw
it?
He was coolly holding it, ALLOWING
the fuse to burn down closer to the
explosion point.
It was now within less than an incl
of sure death.
Suddenly he raised it and hurled the
deadly thing down through the hole.
We could hear the imprecaticns O
the crooks as it struck the cellar floor
near them
Leave the store-quick!" rang ou
Kennedy's voice.
DOWu DelOW Ihe CfOOhS were Dedt
ing a hasty retreat through secre
entrance which they had effected
THE bag! The bag!" we coul,
hear one of them below.
"The bomb-run!" cried anothe
voice gruffly.
The explosion that followed lifte,
us fairly off our feet
AS the smoke from the explosion
cleared away, Kennedy could b. seer
the first to run forward
Meanwhile Martins detectives ha
rushed down a flight of back stair
that led into coal cellar. With Goa
shovels and bars, anything they coul
. lay hands on, they attacked the doc
that opened forward from the coal ce
lar into the front basement wher
the robbers had been.
moment Kennedy and Bennet
paused on the brink of .he abvs
which the bomb had made, waiting fo
the smoke to decrease. Then the
began to climb down cautiously owe
the piled-up wreckage
The explosion had set the basemen
aflre, but the fire had not gained muc