River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1922-02-16
True
Detective Stories
SHADOW OF EVIL

the Bank of Liverpool, to one OF
his associates. I'm just going across
the street to get bite of lunch"
An hour later the officials of the
bank began to wonder where Goudle
was, but the fact that his hat stiii
remained upon ire 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 missing-and
when an auditor went over his books
1t was discovered that a hundred and
seventy-five thousand pounds (some
$S50,000) 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 beinS
away over night His clothes were IN
their accustomed position, and even
his toilet articles we're untouched.
In fact, if 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 bank official
and $S5O,O00 would vanish at one and
the same time without some connec-
l. fxun
"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 Goude just walked
out to lunch and lost himself some
where. He left only one clue behind
him-his hat.
Therefore, working on the assump-
ton that hatless man would be
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 he obtained the information that
q man answering to the description OF
the missing cashier had purchased a
cloth cap of a distinctive pattern only
few moments after noon on the day
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 alb
sconding cashier. But 1t was several
weeks before he was located and cap
tured in a 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
--patronzing a clique of Handbook
men," who had played upon his Gu
pidity in such a manner that they, and
not he, had secured the benefits of his
dishonesty. In order to recover the
money, Freost therefore had to round
I'D the members of this gambling ring
and force them to disgorge.
1t developed that the leader of the
organization, sensing a 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 sim
gle day, had taken twenty-five thousand
pounds from the bank, classifying the
accounts to conceal the shortage. The
mans credulity is evident from the
fact that he placed the money at odds
of 20 to /, which meant that he stood
to win half a million pounds. or So
100000 IL 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
an effort to recoup his losses. the cash,
Ter commenced Systematically to loot
the banks funds.
One of the odd features of the case
which Freost discovered. by blind luck
Goudie one day placed 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 it 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
Gouldie "went out to lunch"
1t didn't take Freost long to dis
cover that, in planning roundup OF
the gambling gang he was tackling
one of the most difficult jobs of his
career.
One nv one FrpOSt picked up the