The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-10-11
was no shadow OF doubt
in my mind as entered the off,
cos Of tha United Bankers Pro-

coS OF the OulLcQ DduAcIo IL
tective association that Resiliu!
Marvel was studying out a new ease
He nodded to me in an distracted way
On the glass-Slabbed table before hin
were a dozen or more little rolled-uI
wads of paper. I knew they repre-
scented puppets he had been moving
about, shaking up, almost talking to-
almost making them talk to him
separating, combining, Analysing, in
fact winnowing facts with sieve OF
probability.
81 think I've got it," he said, sweep
ing his mines from the table with an
air of precision and finality. You
have come in at the finish, probably.
You were in at the start, so you will
have glimmering idea of what it is
all about when I speak one word
Ransome."
"That is suggestive" l told Resilius
Marvel, "but scarcely enlightening. l
fancied that Alison Ransome was a
closed chapter in the suppressed SEN
sations of local banking circles"
What! with one hundred thousand
dollars unaccounted for, and the gag
placed with all hands ar,.und?" de-
tided the great one. Hardly"
Ransome had been anybody's friend
and everybody's favorite. He had
broken into banking about year pre-
vious in the eager, rollicking fash
ION of college lad full of financial
theories and expecting some day to
gain presidency in a jump. His I'M
Gle was the big man in the Unity
National bank, and Alison skipped
over messenger service, "the books"
and the currency pen in a very brief
period and had charge Of the ponder
Gus and opulent money vaults with
three men to help him fill an easy job.
Then one day big sensation was
born at the Unity National. Ransome
and a bank policeman who had left
the institution two hours previous,
the former handcuffed to a treasure
satchel, returned, both of them white
faced and scared looking. They bore
the satchel casually enough now, for
one side of it showed a circular cash
with half the surface Tapping loose,
and emptiness where there had been
fifty thousand dollars in neatly packed
and labeled national bank notes.
l. In word, this happened: A bank
ut Riverton, a suburb twenty miles
out had made a special deposit of
the money noted, subject to call and
personal delivery when required 1t
was a special fund and a larger sum
in ready cash than the suburban bank
cared to risk carrying. Besides that
the transaction was trusted by the
Unity National. The call of that
morning had been anticipated for sew
.eral days. Ransome was deputized to
deliver the money and bring back a
receipt.
I He never qualified for the receipt
and he and his guard never got as
far as the suburban bank. Once
aboard the train and occupying one
seat together, in order to rest COM
fortably the handcuff was unlocked |
and the satchel was set on the car |
6oor. The guard retained hold of the |
end of the chain, and Ransome set his |
feet firmly on the satchel so it could |
not be budged without his knowing it. |
| Lo and behold! in spite of all their |
precision, as they neared the end of |
their brief journey and lifted the |
satchel to rehandcuff it to the wrist |
Of Ransome, it was discovered empty. |
That is, some one occupying the seat |
directly behind them had reached |
Under the fitting footrack, had insert |
ed keen shoe blade within the leath- |
Or receptacle and had quietly lifted |
out it's contents. The train had stop |
ped at all local stations, so the clever
one of six stops.
Not soul recalled even noticing |
the missing passenger. The shoe |
knife was found on the car floor. Also |
a cane, light and somewhat peculiar |
as to its end fitting-of which more |
anon. It was now in the possession |
of the man who had reawakened in |
my mind the little history am trying |
10 epitomize in my struggling, faulty |
way.
Neither money nor thief was found. |
No possible blame could attach to |
young Ransome. 1t marked him, how |
ever. as an unlucky wight with big |
loss to his record. Then followed a |
happening that placed him In the |
"hoodoo" class. 1t was in connection |
with the bank cash reserve, the real |
strength and sinew Of the institution, |
kept sacred and apart within the holy |
of holes of the Unity National. When |
foreign capitalists visited the bank.
or 1t was policy and business to i'm |
press a client. or ruralite correspond |
ents were in evidence. 1t was the prac-
tice to show them over the institution, |
winding up with view of the treas
ures of the great inner vault where |
real money was really kept.
AS in all large banks the Unity Ma |
tional maintained its actual cash re-
serve in permanent form. Thus there |
were packages representing $4,000,
$4,000, even 100000. In these the
notes were of. large denomination,
mostly 800, $1,000, and some $4,000
bills. To facilitate the work of the |
bank examiner. these packages were
originally verified and sealed, at the
local sub-treasury and stamped as to
amount officially. When the govern |
ment examiner visited The bank he
would simply count the packages, &C
cepting their stamped value. tossing ]
them aside and aggregating amounts,