Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1915-07-02


lower jaw dropped down. In an in
slant Poe was all action. He stuffed
handkerchief into the open mouth.
and securely tied his man, arm and
leg. The stupor's strength held, the
man did not awaken.
Going to the opening in the room
and making sure the coast was clear
except for the guard, Poe caught up
the insensible man. paused to give two
staccato taps on the bamboo pipe. and
rushed through the damp, dimly light
ed passage.way, half carrying, half
dragging the limp body. /;
At the door the wiry little China
man sprang from his post, and took
in the strange spectacle with wide.
wild eyes.
mo glo OUT" he squealed, as Poe
silently twisted the yellow hand from
the door-knob, giving the man q Shout
der shove and trying to force tho
door.
It was locked! /
A terrorized, shrill jabber Of Chi
nese burst from the guard; there was
slight commotion in the large smok-
ing room, and Poe glanced over his
shoulder just in time to see Burns
backing out, blocking the passage to
Simmy, who rushed at him, until stop
ped at the point of his gun. covering
and screaming in sheer devil-terror.
The surprised guard made sudden
feint, grasped twist-tongued dirk,
and, with leap and howl, drove it
full force for Poe. At that instant
Poe managed to wrench back the
heavy bar blocking the door. and stag
gered through, the knife slashing
across the shoulder of his insensible
burden.
Make run for it," he yelled back
to Burns, who was already dashing
down the passage to the open door,
Poe having rushed on up the cellar
stairs. Burns leaped through, slammed
the door behind him. caught up half Of
Poe's burden, and together they
dashed into an alley.
"They won't follow!" breathed Poe.
They're afraid to peep their noses
outside. FIJI phone for taxi. You
stay here, and fix the cut this poor
devil got in his shoulder"
Half an hour later the pair Of bank
ers carried their insensible bundle
into Poe's apartment uptown. With
deft fingers Poe searched him thor
oughly, and finally held up . thick
belt he had taken from the mans
waist.
It was padded. With q pair Of pock-
ct scissors Poe ripped out the stitches.
and drew forth the amazing contents
"a handful Of $1,000 bills. Taking
from his pocket q memorandum Crib
ben had given him. describing the
missing money, Poe compared the
numbers on the notes with the list.
Suddenly grasping Burns hand. hs
cried:
you picked the right man"
During the succeeding hours q full
confession was wrenched from tho
poor wretch, who had revived to face
the proof of his guilt.
Two years before he had conceived
the scheme. and, calling on his expert
ence as an amateur actor at Cam
bridge, had disguised himself a. Q
scrub-woman, his tenor voice helping
the deceit, and managed to secure the
position at the bank through forged
references. He explained in detail
how on Saturday afternoons, when the
clerks had all left and when the watch
man was sometimes reading his paper
at the door, he had managed to work
at the safe, little by little, with dia-
mond drill, concealed in his scrub
pail, carrying OF the shavings in his
mopping-rag.
He kept at the thing doggedly and
secured. through small crimes, the
money to buy and perfect a powerful
and compact electrical drill, which he
had attached to an electric power
trunk in the bank, and with it melted
the inner safe door. He told how he
had bored to the right depth in the
outer door, having a complete knowl.
edge Of the safe, acquired in his work
at Liverpool. On the fatal day he
had slipped of his wig, skirt, and
waist, when Begg's back was turned,
and appeared before him in the mans
clothes he had on beneath. knowing
that he would not be recognized. The
killing of the scrub.woman, he de-
clared was accidental, and explained
that he had rushed to the rear of the
bank directly, kicked over a stool.
broken the bucket. and screamed
in the voice he had assumed as scrub
woman, to fool the Waterman. Then
he had chloroformed Beggs, cut
through the alarm plate in the outer
door of the safe, and sent in the prop
er signal to the insurance company at
Sis. In penetrating that plate be-
fore signaling the insurance company
to set the alarm. he knew the opening
Of the safe could not be registered. He
had then gone to work on the inner
door with his electric drill, which he
had concealed in his pail. The power.
full current had melted through the
lock and exposed the treasure tying