The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-02-24

A Remarkable Scene Greeted Us-
sneeplsnIy.
Sturtevant Martin was a typical So
ciety business man, quietly but richly
dressed.
In the excitement I glanced about
hurriedly.
Directly in front of me was sign
tackled up on a pillar, which read:
This store will be closed at noon to-
lay Martin & Co."
All the customers were gone.
Martin himself was evidently very
nervous and very much alarmed. In
deed, no one could blame him for
that. Merely to have been singled out
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 cor
ner, as we came in, we had noticed
limousine which had driven up. Three
faultlessly attired handles had entered
a doorway down the street, as we
learned afterward, apparently going to
a fashionable tailor's 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 moment sooner
we might have seen, / suppose, that
one of them nodded to taxicab driv-
er, who was standing at public hack
stand a 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 circle at a respectable dis
lance.
In deep-lunged tones the clock
played the chords written, 1 believe,
by Handel. Then it began striking.
Nothing had happened.
We all breathed sigh of relief.
| W0Il, IL ID Bull tncTc! CACldlAnCN
Martin. pointing at the showcase with
forced laugh.
Suddenly came rending and crash
ing sound. It seemed as if the very
floor on which we stood was giving
way.
The showcase, with all its 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 bidder
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.
A volley of shots whizzed past us
and another. While one crook wa
hastily stufing the untold wealth o
jewels into a burlap bag the other
: had drawn revolvers and were firini
up through the hole in the floor des
perately.
Look outi" cried someone behin'
us before we could recover from GU
, first surprise and return the fire.
: One of the desperadoes had taken
bomb from under his smock. lighted
) and thrown 1t up through the hole Il
!. the floor.
1t sailed up over our heads and Land
ed near our little group. on the fool
/. the fuse sputtering ominously.
J. / heard an exclamation of fear froT
Elaine.
Kennedy had pushed his way pas
] us and picked up the deadly inferns
machine In his bare hands.
7 watched him. fascinated As nea
) as he dared, he approached the hole /
} the floor. still holding the thing on 9
arms length. Would he never thro'
/ TT
He IVES ccolly holding It. allowin