Evening star., 1922-05-28
1922-PART &

remained on the front seat IN charge
Of the car.
This man was smoking q cigar and
seemed very much at his ease. AZ he
sat there . group Of bank employees
deployed from the building behind
him. each carrying bundle neatly
wrapped and corded and sealed. These
bundles were piled methodicaily and
evenly in the tonneau of the car. and
the carriers. having emptied their
arms Of their first burden, returned
through the wide bank doors for 4
second load.
A 8 they. made their second trip. an
incredibly thin and pensive faced
young man passed through their
midst southward bound. He carried
4 small black leather handbag. and
from the wiy he peered up At the
ONCE doors. a. though looking for q
sign or number which was not to
be found. he might readily have been
taken for . stranger in New York.
In fact. he even stopped to ask his
way Of 4 larger and darker man, This
man pointed northward along Nassau
street and watched him As he passed
the National Trusts doors for the
second time.
Just what happened after that no
one apparently knew. Two men be.
gan fighting in the middle Of the road.
There was . pause In the traf'fc. A
cry went up from the crowd. Those
two combatants seemed to attract
the human units Of that busy thor
ouShfare as the two poles Of . horse
shoe magnet attract steel filings.
Whether the youth with the black
bag stumbled and fell. or whether he
deliberately threw his bag in under
the partly loaded truck no eyewitness
could say. But the next moment a
detonation shook the street. A sudden
geyser Of gold, hish-h -hung and bright
and yellow, famed and howered and
fell tinklingiy about the stone pave
ment A slim youth who had crouch
ed low against the rear wheel Of the
touring car sprang to the seat of that
car while the smoke still hung heavy
along the pavement. How or where
he struck the driver no one knew.
But before the smoke lifted the car
was circling out into the streets CEN
ter. turning north. AS 1t gathered
speed a stunned plain clothes man.
raising himself on his hip. drew out
his automatic and aimed At the
slender heure on the cars driving
seat.
The repeated bark of the hrearm
filled the narrow canyon of Nassau
street with 4 second tumult Of sound.
Tho crowd. utterly ignorant Of the
situation, gave vent to cries Of Muir
DER" "Police" Help" A blue-coat-
ed officer. seeing the detective's snok-
ing pistol, fell on him bodily. A sec
ond policeman raped for assistance.
and. losing his head, began to night
stick the headquarters mon who were
madly bucking the line to cleave q
passage northward after the fleeing
car. Then came the alarm Gon6s from
the bank itself. while the rabble
fought like mad dogs over the scat
tered gold coins. until the bank Of
6cers and a patrol load Of special
policemen drew a Gordon about TIE
district But in the meantime the
departing car had lodged from Mas
sau into John and then up William
street.
1t was not until he reached the
comparative safety Of Park Row and
its motley trafic that skeeter 0raden
adroitly shifted his license number
and flung q laprobe over the bundles
in the tonneau behind him. Then he
lighted q cigarette. threw in his
clutch, turned northward into the
Bowery. then westward along Canal
to Broadway. and then. proceeding
languidly and deliberately up that
crowded artery Of tranic. headed for
Yonkers.
csKEErERs Imagination was indu-
- rated. He did not dramatise con-
tinrencies in his own brain. All
skeeter wanted was his getaway.
His chief worry was to operate his
touring car without nishap. He did
not want to be interfered with or
held up for any foolish violation of
the traffic rules and routes. The mere
watching Of the road and the machin-
cry under him took most Of his time.
He was approaching 42d street,
and he saw that all north and
tarily, while the crosstcwn vehicles
shuttled east and west. He was
vaguely aware that his position. held
there in the heart Of the Ten6erloin,
was not without its dangers. But 1t
would be the last point of imminent
peril. he reassured himself. Once
past the Times Square trafic. he could
slip north Of Columbus Circle and he
would be comparatively safe.
He heard the trafhc oficer's whistle.
saw the street open before him, and
started 3ubilantiy. yet cautiously, for
ward, across 42d street.
Then Skeeter's heart went down In
his boots.
For there on the curb within ten
feet Of him, stood CreeGan-the
placid and sleepy -orbsd Creegan. with
his hat brim pulled down over one
sandy eyebrow. waiting for him.
skeeter knew better than to speed up.
But he moved forward without stop
ping. without looking up, holding his
breath a. he went.
Gould you given me q lift there.
Skeeter?'' asked casual voice from
the running board Of his car. And