The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1918-03-29

/
him to the bank. He unlocked the
front door and turned to the little
crowd that had gathered
| Better wait here, boys. Gopher and
1 will go in. 1 expect everything is
all right, but Wen let you know about
that as soon as we find out"
The bank president opened the door,
let the officer enter, and followed him
self.
| The sun had not yet risen and the
blinds were down. Macdonald struck
a match and held it up.
Banks been robbed" he announced
| quietly.
Looks like" agreed Jones. His
| voice was uneven with excitement.
The Scotch-C Canadian lit another
match. In the flare of it he saw that
the steel grill cutting off the alcove
was open and that the door had been
blown from the safe.
The marshal clutched at the arm of
the banker. "Did you see-that?" he
whispered.
His finger pointed through the dark
ness to the other end of the room. In
the faint gray light of coming day
Macdonald could see Il huddled mass
on the floor.
"There has been murder done. Ill
get light. Don't move from here,
Jones. / want to look at things before
The robbers have been gone for hours"
BY the light of another match the
mine-Owner crossed the room into the
sitting room of the cashier. Presently
he returned with lamp and let its
light fall upon the figure lying slumped
against the wall. A revolver lay close
to the inert fingers. The head hung
forward grotesquely upon the breast.
The dead man was Milton. His en-
ployer saw nothing ridiculous in the
twisted neck and sprawling limbs. The
cashier had died to save the money
entrusted to his care.
Macdonald handed the lamp to the
marshal and picked up the revolver
Every chamber was loaded.
"They beat him to it. They were
probably here when he reached home
My guess is he heard them right away
got his gun, and came in. He's still
wearing his dress suit. That gives us
the time, for he left the club about
midnight. )Soon as they saw him they
dropped him. / wouldn't have had this
happen for all the money in the safe.'
''How much was there in it,"
81 don't know exactly. The books
will show. I'll send Wally down tt
look them over"
"Shot right spang through the heart
looks like" commented Jones, follow
ing with his eye the course of thu
wound.
"Wish I'd been here instead of him,
Macdonald said grimly. His eyes soft
ened as he continued to look down a
the employee who had paid with hi:
life for his faithfulness. "It wasn't N
even break Poor old fellow! Yor
weren't built for job like this ROber
Milton, but you played your hand GU
to finish. That's all any man car
do"
He turned abruptly away and begar
stood sacked in one large compart
ment. The bank notes had escaped the
hurried search of the robbers, but th'
gold was practically all gone. On'
sack had been torn by the explosion
and single pieces of gold could b'
!, found all over the safe.
Macdonald glanced over the papers
rapidly. The officer picked up one O.
dozens scattered over the floor 1t was
q mortgage note made out to the banl
by a miner. He collected the others
Evidently the bandits had torn off TIL
: rubber, glanced over one or two t.
see if they had any cash value, ant
tossed the package into the air as ,
! disguised gambler does a pack o
cards.
: The bank president stepped to thu
: door and threw it open. He explained
the situation in three sentences.
81 can't let you in now, boys, unit
! the coroner has been here" he went OF
to tell the crowd. "But there is on,
way you can all help. Keep your eye
. open. If you have seen any suspicious
characters around, let me know. o.
if anyone has left town in hurry
: or been seen doing anything during tn,
. night that you did not understand a
the time"
A man named Fred Tague pushed t,
the front. He kept feed corral nea
the edge of town. II can tell you on
man who mushed out before five O'clocl
.. this morning-and that's Gid Holt"
: The eyes of Macdonald, cold ant
. hard as jade, fastened to the man
"How do you known"
: 'That dog team he bought from Tin
= Ryan Well, he's been keeping it il
my corral When I got there thi
= morning it was gone. The snow hadn'
wiped out the tracks of the runner
yet, so he couldn't have left more thai
!, fifteen minutes before"
"You don't know that Holt took tn
= team himself"
"Come to that, I don't. But he hal
q a key to the barn where the sled was
!, Holt has been putting up at the hotel
9 reckon it is easy to find out if he
. still there"
Macdonald's keen brain followed tn
,, facts as the nose of bloodhound doe
!, a trail. Holt, an open enemy of his
! had reached town only two days be
fore. He had bought one Of the bes
and swiftest dog teams in the Nortl
9 and had let slip before witnesses tn
! remark that Macdonald would 500
!. find out what he wanted with the out
. fit. The bank had been robbed afte
midnight. To file open the grill and t
:, blow up the safe must have taken sey