Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-08-12
POPPY SEED

out OF the way and Immediately for
got them until ten minutes OF one,
when his trained eye was suddenly at
tracted to the top of that box by q
quick movement. but the bills were
then there, all right. Jackson heard
| a low whisper which sounded like the
| word General and was about to
reach for the bills, to put them In a
safer place, when shot blazed out,
not two feet In front OF him. bullet
nipped his hand, and he drew 1t back
1 sharply with twinge OF pain, leaped
of his stool, and scanned the sur
prised, frightened faces OF the GUS
toners outside the bars. The line
had been broken up by the effect of
the shot, and II was impossible to tell
which of four or five men might have
pulled the trigger.
/ "Jackson's eyes returned mechan-
lcally to the bunch of bills for which
he had reached. They were gone!
Twenty thousand-dollar bills stolen
while the paying teller's eyes were
off his money for one confused in
1 slant!
The two bank detectives and the
doorman had drawn their revolvers
Mt the sound of the shot, and rushed
to protect the doors, but before they
could reach them several alarmed
customers had dashed into the street,
and probably the bank sneak was
among them.
/ Il rushed out of my room, pushed
through the panicky crowd, told the
detectives to lock the doors. and stop
ped In front Of the chief teller's win
| dow.
What was It. Jackson asked.
| Twenty thousand he said. i
didn't see 1t, but 1t must have been a
sneak, The shot confused me; when
looked up, couldn't make out who
did It. That's all, Mr., Hardy"
There's q crowd out there yet"
said Poe quickly. ASK them what
they saw"
/ Mr.. Farley stepped to the door. and
called out to the roomful, did you
see anything OF this. any Of your"
A wiry little southern gentleman,
a well-known cotton merchant, step
1 ped up. tngged at his dropping mus
tache. and remarked;
Il was standing. sir. next In line
beside the teller's window, and the
bullet must have come as close to
me as the one that grazed my elbow
at Pickett's charge: but It's my opin-
ion, sir. though there was powerful
explosion, that the shot was fred
from the street or the door. by Cad.
sir."
Couldn't have been." cut In pom
derous, low.browed foreigner. who
proved to be the very Spanish mer-
chant for whom Jackson had provided
the bills. Il was standing right be-
hind this man. and the gun went or
Boom! right In my ear"
That's strange" answered Farley.
glancing at the Spaniard's broad hand.
his check for the twenty thousand
dollars trembling slightly between a
thick thumb and foreinger. Looks
as though the powder singed you.
What's that on your hand, Gonzalese"
The. merchant glanced at big
black splotch on the back Of his
hand "That's--thats-well, maybe
the powder did burn me, Didn't
tell you 1t was closer"
"And who stood behind you In the
line. Mr.. Gonxales9' came the quick
question.
The merchant dropped his eyes.
confused,
Il don't know. 1t looked like Mr..
Reilly's clerk there" he stammered.
The young man in question, who
had come to cash a check for his
employers payroll. flushed, and said
no guessed he was behind Gonzales,
though he couldn't remember. he
hadn't noticed. everything had hap
pened so quickly.
As. a necessary precaution every
| man In the bank submitted to a
search before the big outside doors
were unlocked. and even then Farley
asked Jackson. Gonzales, and Mr.
Reilly's clerk to confer with him In
his office.
The conference developed nothing
OF Importance. but 1t gave time for
| the two bank detectives to station
themselves outside at a suggestion
from Poe. and when Gonzales and the
clerk left the building their trails
were diligently taken up by the soft
footed pair lying In wait.
President Farley had no sooner dis
missed them than Poe rose. passed
his smooth. firm hand through his up
standing touzle OF brown hair In a
movement habitual with him. and
said:
Really, I can't recall anything In
my experience to fit the case. 1t Is
evident the usual bank sneak's meth
cd has not been used. We must look
; for what the detectives call a clue
There's nothing to SO by but the
! bullethoie in the ceiling: It seems
/ that the bullet went almos,
straight up after it nipped Jackson's
. hand"
, THAT rather conflicts with the
statement Of the depositor nearest
. the window who thought the bullet
. 0Fp e. - n