Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1922-02-23
True
Detective Stories
SHADOW OF EVIL

Nopy iibhN ny Aho "hcSiSE hulCdlc' 3hS'
ifT'LL be back In a few minutes"
said Henry Goudie, cashier of
the Bank of Liverpool, to one of
his associates. Pm just going across
the street to get bite of lunch"
An hour later the officials Of the
bank began to wonder where Goudia
was, but the fact that his hat still
remained upon it's 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 Stin misslng-and
when an auditor weat over his books
it was discovered that a hundred and
seventy-five thousand pounds (some
$S50,0O0) 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, sP-
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, if it 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-
emf Of Scotland Yard, pointed out, it
was hardly likely that bank Official
and $S50,0O0 would vanish at one and
the same time without some conlec-
ton between the two events.
'As luck would have it," continued
Froest, one Of the aClest detectives in
England, "Goudie has chosen the sim
plest manner in which to make his es-
eNpe-the easiest from his point Of
view and the most difficult from the
standpoint of the police. 1t is COM
rhratively simple to find man who
lays his plans in advance. You can
ssnally trace his baggage or his rail-
Way tickets. But GCudie Just walked
nut to lunch and lost himself some.
where. He left only one clue behind
llln--his hat.
Therefore, working on the assump-
Eon that hatless man would be
fIite conspicuous, and that Goudie,
:rcwing this, would Immediately pur-
sh2se another hat, FreOst made the
:ornds of the shops near the Liver
AD6l bank. From he clerk in one Of
.hrm he obtained the information that
u man answering to the description Of
~fe missing cashier had purchased a
,-loth cap of a distinctive pattern only
few moments after noon on the day
eta. Goudie vanished.
Fy means of this clue and detailed
report on Goudies appearance, Freost
Sooh had every man connected with
Scutland Yard searching for the alb
lcuhdlng cashier But It was several
weeks before he was located and cap
tu-ed in a lodging house in the nerth
II England.
However, the arrest Of the man
who looted the Bank of Liverpool did
ret by any means close the case.
Even before ne was discovered,
greost had found out that Goudie had
been in the habit Of playing the races
.--Patronzing a Clique of Handbook
men" who had played upon his Gu
pidity In such manner that they and
not he, had secured the benefits Of his
dishonesty. In order to recover the
raoney, Freost therefore had to round
up the members Of this gambling ring
and force them to disgorgc.
1t developed that the leader Of the
organization, sensing q way In which
to make a lot Of money, without run
ming any risk, had approached Goudie
with an account Of a fixed race"
which was to be run at EPSON Downs,
and that the cashier, believing that
he could clean up fortune In sin
gle day, had taken twenty-five thousand
pounds from the bank, falsifying the
accounts to conceal the shortage The
mars credulity Is evident from the
fact that he placed the money at odds
Of 20 to l, which meant that he stood
to win half million pounds, or 81
100000 If his horse came in first OF
course, no bookmaker could afford to
pay a bet of this size-but Goudie
overlooked this fact and cheerfully
wagered his borrowed" capital. The
horse naturally failed to win, and, in
az EFFORT to recoup his losses, the CASH
Ter commenced Systematically to loot
the banks funds.
Ore of the odd features Of the case
which Freost discovered, by blind luck,
Goud.e 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 in
time, and he was advised to put 1t on
another "sure tip" which lost. When
his defalcations reached a point when
it was hopeless to attempt further con-
cealment from the bank authorities,
Gouldle "went out to lunch.'
1t didn't take Freost long to dis
cover that. I'm planning q roundup Of