The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-05-04

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 huddled mass
on the floor.
"There has been murder done. I'll
get light. Don't move from here,
Jones. / want to look at things before
we disturb them. There's no danger.
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 It's
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 1t. 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 it2"
II don't know exactly. The books
will show. I'll send Wally down TO
look them over"
"Shot right spang through the heart.
looks like" commented Jones, follow
ing with his eye the course Of the
wound.
"Wish I'd been here instead of him."
Macdonald said grimly. His eyes soft
ened as he continued to look down at
the employee who had paid with his
life for his faithfulness. "It wasn't an
even break. Poor old fellow You
weren't built for Job like this, Robert
Milton, but you played your hand out
to a finish. That's all any man can
do"
He turned abruptly away and began
examining the safe. The silver still
stood sacked in one large comparts
ment. The bank notes had escaped the
hurried search of the robbers, but the
gold was practically all gone. One
sack had been torn by the explosion
and single pieces Of gold could be
found all over the safe.
Macdonald glanced over the papers
rapidly. The officer picked up one OF
dozens scattered over the floor. 1t was
a mortgage note made out to the bank
by miner. He collected the others.
Evidently the bandits had torn off the
rubber, glanced over one or two to
see il they had any cash value, and
tossed the package into the air as a
disguised gambler does pack o1
cards.
The bank president stepped to the
door and threw it open. He explained
the situation in three sentences.
II can't let you In now, boys, until
4 the coroner has been here" he went on
to tell the crowd. "But there is one
way you can all help. Keep your eyes
open. If you have seen any suspicious
characters around, let me know. Or
If anyone has left town in a hurry
or been seen doing anything during the
night that you did not understand at
the time."
A man named Fred Tague pushed to
the front. He kept feed corral near
the edge of town. II can tell you one
man who mushed out before five o'clock
this morning-and that's Gid Holt"
The eyes of Macdonald, cold and
hard as Jade, fastened to the man.
"How do you known"
"That dog team he bought from Tim
Ryan Well, he's been keeping 1t in
my corral. When I got there this
morning it was gone. The snow hadn't
wiped out the tracks of the runners
vet, SO he couldn't have left more than
fifteen minutes before"
''You don't know that Holt took the
team himself?
Come to that, / don't. But he had
a key to the barn where the sled was.
Holt has been putting up at the hotel.
| reckon 1t is easy to find out If he's
still there"
Macdonald's keen brain followed the
facts as the nose Of bloodhound does
trail. Holt, an open enemy of his,
had reached town only two days be-
fore. He had bought one Of the best
, and swiftest dog teams In the North
, and had let slip before witnesses the
remark that Macdonald would soon
find out what he wanted with the ont
, fit The bank had been robbed after
midnight. To file open the grill and to
blow up the safe must have taken sew
eral hours. Before morning the dogs
of Holt had taken the trail. If their
owner were with them, 1t was a safe
bet that the sled carried forty thou.
sand dollars in Alaska gold dust.
(TO BE CONTINUEDA