Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1919-12-11
"A Chance
Order
00
BywALTER ]. DELANEY
Copyright. 1919. BY the Western News.
paper Union.)

Observation-Disclosures
Copyright. 1919. BY the Western News.
paper Union.)
Bruce Stanley had his business fu-
ture all before him, which meant that
he had Still to make a success or fall
ure, as fate might decide. He had
married pretty, Industrious Nettie
Lane and they had settled down in
diminutive, but neatly-furnished
three-room fiat. which Nettie deemed
q palace and Bruce a real home, which
made 1t to him the dearest spot on
earth.
ITS Just beginning" declared the
ambitious Bruce. THE mansion comes
later. 1t all depends on the self-lock-
Ing cage door,"
Not bird cage, nor prison cage,
was it to which Bruce's cherished In
vention applied. hut the doors Of those
bank cages in which, safely immured,
the teller or the cashier is surrounded
with piles of opulent bank notes and
rouleaux of gold and silver. The de-
vice that was the coin of Bruce's In
genious Grain had real merit.
His dream was to get the merits OF
the device before bankers associa-
tons, and especially in use in some
Of the leading banks. Then others
would follow, but with neither CAPT
tai nor influence, Bruce knew that IT
must be slow, patient up hill work.
One day shrewd-faced, keen-eyed
man came into Bruce's little shop and
locked over it's equipment. especially
stamping machine for cutting out
metal discs. He seemed to be salts
fed with this cursory investigation
and said to Bruce:
II can give you quite a profitable
little contract, young man. if you have
the ability to turn out what | want"
Bruce nodded in receptive way
| and the man drew from his pocket a
round piece of iron the exact size of
twenty-dollur gold piece Ii had
cavity III its center and this was filed
in with lead.
II will take initially two thousand
| Of those discs" went on the chance
customer "only they must be accurate
ly made. Your main task is making
the hollow indentution and each one
must be tested and tally to a certain
uniform weight"
| A bargain was struck and at the
end of a month the man came araund.
paid for the completed discs and went
away. A trifiing circumstance attach
ed to the final visit of tile mysterious
| customer. Nettie made u fad of pho
Biography and, happening to have her
camera with her as she passed through
the shop. she snapped husband and
client in desuitory way. Both Bruce
and Nettie puzzled themselves many
times after that wondering as to the
intended Use of the discs, but could
surmiSe no plausible solution and
soon forgot all about the circum-
stnnce.
Meantime In the great world OF
finance there was in progress a new
swindling scheme that was vastly
troubling the National Bankers Pro
tective association and the general pO
lice service. Perhaps half dOZer
times week sets of two men In wide
~ separated districts visited bank.
and carried away with them In eacf
instance the sum of five hundred dol
lars In gold. They seemed to be work
ing from coast to coast and their meth
cd was identical III each case ant
never unsuccessful.
What happened at bank at Spring
field was sample of what transpiret
at four banks in the country in sin
gle day. a well-appearing young mai
entered that Institution and presented
a check for five hundred dollars dull
certified by n Chicago bank. The tell
er consulted the signature of the cash
fer In the possession of tile banl
found it all right and accepted TIL
check.
II want to draw the money in gold.
said the Juveniles, five in
; ROLL" and receiving this tossed tn
gold into Il little satchel he carried
just as he was about to leave,
stranger entered the bank and caugl
him by the arm, with the words:
1--WE found you at last, my mar
have y" and he exhibited sta
Then to the teller: 'That check
forged. Give it to me for evidence
and you" TO his prisoner ''retur
the money paid YOU
The latter produced the five pape
covered rolls and the teller was to
excited to particularly notice thel
until after the confederates had e.
capped, when there was disclosed twel
ty-five iron discs each precisely til
size and weight of twenty-dol1,
gold piece.
One such an episode Bruce Stanle
read about in a newspaper one da
1t set him thinking and then I'M
action. lie went to one of til
swindled banks and told his story an
showed the photograph of the pm
chaser of the metal discs. His info
nation was received with great sati
faction, the bankers protective agent
sent him to thoir detective depar
ment and within ehort time II
brains of the gang of bank raj
ers was apprehended and his bar