The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1916-03-02

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When the First National bank of a
certain large and prosperous middle
western city was robbed of $13S,OOO
To- gold and 100000 in currency and
Negotiable securities, the problem was
lot to discover how the vaults had
been reached, nor to learn the thief s
Identity, nor yet what he had done
with the money; all the factors, in
AAort, which commonly shroud such
ERairs in mystery were quite we'll
|nown in this instance, alike to the
eunk's officials and the representa-
lives Of the Sutherland Detective
Egency who were called secretly to
the banks aid in the awful hour of it's
Lft1ictiOn. Indeed, to make this case
positively unique in the annals of sue
cessful bank footing, the money was
known to be intact, and there were
perhaps half-doZen people who could
have guided you to within hundred
yards OF it, yet not one among them
was there who could so much as lay
a finger upon the treasure.
For the bright eagles and double
eagles, the currency and the negoti-
able paper, together with Elliot Perky,
late assistant-cashier of the First Ma
tional bank, later, embezzler in the
amounts specified, latest, suicide, all
lay somewhere upon the bottom of
Lake Michigan. And to that same bot
tom Elliot Perky was pretty securely
anchored, too, because most of the
gold, weighing in round figures 500
pounds, Was tightly fastened to his
person when he suddenly shifted him.
self and his precious cargo to the port
gunWale of his small boat, with the re-
suit that the little craft capsized as
quickly as the jaws Of a steel trap
close, and Mr.. Perky and the loot shot
downward through some eight or ten
fathons Of limpid blue water. in all
proba bility to be seen no more by the
eyes of man.
The banks president, together with
two Of its directors, and an operative
of the Sutherland branch at Metropo-
lis (Which we shall call the city, be-
cause that is not it's nance, were
eye-Witnesses to Mr.. Perky's spectacu-
ar finish. To be more circumstantial,
poWer-boat bearing the anxious bank
ers and the operative was only jump
or two behind Mr.. Perky's clinker;
the operative stood in the bow, his
fingers already crooked in alert readi-
ness to hook themselves firmly in Mr..
Perky's collar, when the fugitive re-
sorted to the desperate, irrevocable
sypedient described
1t likewise might seem simple mat
:er to have called in diver, shown
him him where the treasure had sunk
md sent him down after it.; ten faith
)ms is no great depth for diver to
work in; but
Well divers we're enlisted, several
II them. And therein lies our story.
Until his chief ordered him to Mack
nav Felix Hazard knew nothing about
he First National bank robbery; one
nay imagine how the hysterical bank
officials were straining every effort
20 keep the appalling calamity quiet;
out when he was informed of the ma
:ure of his journey to the northern
extremity of the peninsula he pro-
,eeded with exact thoroughness to &C
quaint himself with every available de.
tail of the crime. And the more he
learned the greater grew his admira
lion and wonder at the audacity, the
ingenuity and painstaking method
with which the robbery had been en-
gineered.
by heck, Felix" his chief burst
forth during the course of their talk
give man access to a quarter of a
ton of gold, and just see how easy he
can get away with it.
This Perky person chose a Satur
day afternoon, loads the gold into an
automobile and hustles to secluded
spot in the country-Lord only knows
where-where he boxes the stuff. The
same night he traverses the state tt
Ketcham, expresses the boxes to Prof
Henry Dwight at Mackinaw as min
eral specimens then to Remy, 81
miles away, where he catches a trai1
for sheboygan. Monday Perky shows
up at the express Office at Mackinav
and, as Professor Dwight, gets thu
boxes.
what I can't figure out is the res
of Perky's program. What did b
mean to do with his bundle when h
loaded it into small boat and head
ed for Mackinaw?"
well, what am supposed to do a
Mackinaw?" Hazard wanted to know
I'm no deep-sea diver"
The chief perplexedly rubbed hi
nose.
tits kind o. funny" he presently RI
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