The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1922-04-06
True
Detective Stories
SHADOW OF EVIL

the street 10 get Dite Oh iuhch.
An hour later the officials Of the
bunk began to wonder where Goudie
was, but the fact that his hat still
remained upon Its accustomed peg In
dicated that the cashier wasn't far
away, and that he would soon return.
But at the closing hour that after
noon Goudie was still misslng-and
when an auditor went over his books
1t was discovered that a hundred and
seventy-five thousand pounds (some
$3.50, O,OOO) had also disappeared
Inquiry at the house where Goudie
had lodged failed to bring to light any
trace of the missing cashier, who had
left home that morning as usual. ap-
parently without any intention Of being
away over night. His clothes were In
their accustomed position, and even
his toilet articles we're untouched.
In fact, II 1t hadn't been for the dis
appearance of the money from the
bank, the police would have searched
the hospitals, on the theory that
Goudie had met with an accident.
But, as Frank Freost, superintend-
ent of Scotland Yard, pointed out, 1t
was hardly likely that a bank official
and SS5O.O00 would vanish at one and
the same time without some cOnnec-
tiOn between the two events.
"As luck would have it." continued
Froest, one Of the ablest detectives in
England, "GOudie has chosen the sim
| plest manner In which to make his es-
cape-the easiest from his point OF
| view and the most difficult from the
| standpoint of the police. 1t Is COM
| paratively simple to find a man who
lays his plans In advance. You can
| usually trace his baggage or his rail-
way tickets. But GOudie just walked
| out to lunch and lost himself some
where. He left only one clue behind
| hm-his hat.
! Therefore, working on the assump-
| tion that Il hatless man would he
quite conspicuous, and that GOudie,
! knowing this, would Immediately pur-
! chase another hat, FreOst made the
rounds Of the shops near the Liver
pool bank From the clerk in one of
them lie obtained the information that
man answering to the description Of
the missing cashier had purchased
cloth cap of n distinctive pattern only
that Goudie vanished.
, BY means of this clue and detailed
report on Goudie's appearance. Freost
soon had every man connected with
Scotland Yard searching for the ab-
Scondivg cashier. But 1t was several
weeks before he was located and cap
tured IN n lodging house in the north
Of England.
However. the arrest of the man
who looted the Bank of Liverpool did
not by any means close the case.
Even before he was discovered,
Freost had found out that Goudie had
been In the habit OF playing the races
-pairOnZing a clique of Handbook
men," who had played upon his Gu
pidity In such Il manner that they, and
not he. had secured the benefits Of his
dishonesty. In order to recover the
money, Freost therefore had to round
up the members of this gambling ring
and force them to disgorge.
1t developed that the leader Of the
organization. sensing way in which
to make lot OF money, without run
ming any risk, had approached GOudie
with an account of fixed race"
: which was to he run at Epson Downs,
and that the cashier believing that
he could clean up fortune I'm a sim
gle day, had taken twenty-five thousand
pounds from the bank. falsifying the
accounts to conceal the shortage. The
mans credulity is evident from the
fact that he placed the money Mt odds
Of 20 to !. which meant that he stood
to win half n million pounds, or $2.-
100000 II his horse came I'm first. OF
course no bookmaker could afford to
pay bet of this siZe-but G0udie
overlooked this fact and cheerfully
wagered his borrowed" capital. The
horse naturally failed to win, and, In
an effort to recoup his losses. the cash
Ter commenced systematically to loot
the banks funds.
j, One Of the odd features of the case
which FreOst discovered, by blind luck.
Goudie one day placed a big bet on a
horse that won. When he went to
collect his bet, with the firm intention
OF squaring his accounts with the
bank. he was casually informed that
the wager had not been placed I'm
time, and he was advised to put II on
another "sure tip" which lost. Wnen
his defalcatiOns reached point when
: 1t was hopeless to attempt further con.
cealment from the bank authorities.
, Gouldie went out to lunch"
1t didn't take Freost long to dis
cover that, In planning a roundup of
the gambling gang he was tackling
one of the most difficult jobs of his
career
One by one FreOst picked up the
various threads OF the tangled case.
One by one he followed the various
clues. at least one of which led to
the suicide OF member Of the book.
makers clique. But, in addition to
seeing that Gouldie was sent to prison