Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-24
Worlds Greatest Detective Cases

dBSi was W say. 4Sh SNSAS pSuy ~
carry on and finish their days worl
as quickly as possible, and tell then
then they can go home" he said.
As soon as his request had beer
complied with he said to the mana.
ger: Monsieur Benot tells me yor
sent for him just after he had left
the bank with the stolen box. What
did you want to see him about?"
Il sent for him?" answered the
bank manager. There must be some
mistake"
But one of the bank messengers
came up and gave me your message
himself" cried Benot. And after
wards countermanded it because an
important customer had called to
see you"
II have seen no customer whatever
today" replied the manager.
Send for the messengers" said
the detective. Perhaps Monsieur
Benot can identify the one who gave
him the message, though | fancy he
won't be able to do So"
Telltale Pencil.
AS a matter of fact the bewildered
bank official was cutie positive at
once that none of the messengers
who had been called into the room
was anything like the one who had
spoken to him.
Precisely as I thought" said Bait
hazard. "We'll now just stroll
through the bank, if you don't mind"
By that time the clerks had settled
down, eager to finish their work and
get away, for the delay had been a
matter of some hours. Slowly the
detective passed through the rooms,
apparently talking to the manager,
but keenly noting every face and
every desk as he passed by. On the
second floor he entered room
where there were a number of wo-
men clerks working. Beside one the
detective stopped and smiled.
That's pretty idea," he, said
pointing to two pencils, one of which
was tied round with red ribbon, an
other with blue. "You have an artis
tic soul, m'amselle," he added gal
lantly.
The girl blushed.
Il like my pencils to look pretty"
she answered, and so I tie ribbons
on them"
"Ah, l see you have one tied with
yellow ribbon on the window SILL"
added the detective.
"Oh. must have forgotten thatw
and the girl made a movement to
pick it up. but the detective was
quicker. Selling her wrist with a
grip of steel he dragged her away
from the window.
Have her taken into a quiet room,
and guarded by one of my men, he
said, and then as an after thought,
and see it is room where there
are no windows. Don't let her go
anywhere near windows till l come
back. I've found all I wanted here,
but don't let the staff go after all.
shall be back in a couple of hours
at the most"
Before the astonished manager
could say anything further, the de-
tective had hurried out of the bank
with one of his assistants, after leav-
ing final instructions that the pencil
with the yellow ribbon was not to
be touched in any way. Just as it
was propped up against the window,
so it as left.
When DR.. Balthazard returned,
accompanied by the chief of the
Marseilles police, he was able to
give the latter, as we'll as the bank
manager. sufficient information to
arrest the murderer of the unfor-
tunate chauffeur, as we'll as to trace
the missing notes and gold. In an
short time he had not
only reconstructed the main out
lines of this remarkable crime, but
was able to give a description of the
authors.
I'm the first place, I knew as soon
as l heard the outlines of the story
that the robbery must have been
planned for some considerable time,'
he began. "For it depended SO much
upon knowing the exact movements
of Benot and the dead chauffeur that
it could hardly have been one car
ried out on the spur of the moment
The fact that an exactly similar box
was substituted for the original one,
and that the clothing of the chauffeur
was so closely initiated as to deceive
even Benot proved how everything
had been carefully planned.
"The next thing that struck me
was that the day chosen for the rob-
berry was, as your branch manager
informed me, one on which a"larger
consignment of notes and gold than
usual was being sent. That pointed
clearly, to my mind, that those who
had planned the robbery had a con-
federate inside the bank, and that
was why l Immediately told one of
my assistants to phone you and keep
all your staff and even yourself in I
one room till I investigated further"
"Why, you even suspected me"
cried the manager.
ooh, no." smiled the detective. Il
merely knew someone IN the bank
was confederate, and that's why
sept all there till I found out which
particular person it was. 1t was, of
the girl with the pretty be-
.ibboned pencils. ......
"Well, / think there are FIVE peo.
pie at least in this affair. First of
III there is Santon's double; second
y, there is the bogus messenger;
hirdly, there is the polite stranger
who knocked Benot down in the
now and spent those valuable min
ties detaining him and apologizing
,rofusely while the chauffeur was
,eing killed; fourthly, there is the
pretty girl with her pretty pencils,
Who, by the means of them, gave
he signal that everything was IA
,orable for the robbery; and, finally,
to Rob Express Car