Year: 1868

with all possible fury. Every unfastened
easement and shutter trembled and clat-
tered; through every loose splinter of the
fences the wet wind whistled; and the
rain dashed against the windows, as if
indeed, 1.-THE windows of heaven were
opened"


In the midst of the storm the burglars
crept out of low, dark dwelling in Loan
street; and obtaining chisel and hammer
from nelghboring workshop, they eau
tiously hurried to the rear of the bank
building. By means of plank, one end
of which was placed upon the ground and
the other upon the easement they quickly
ascended to the window, which was easily
forced open.


The particular manner in which the
robbery was performed is still matter Of
much speculation and tits only definitely
known that when the morning dawned the
vault and the safe had been most success
fully opened, their contents stolen and the
thieves were more than fifteen miles
away


At eight o'clock in the morning the man
ager of the bank entered the building; but
discovered nothing unusual until he at
tempted to open the iron door of the



lock of such intricate construction that a
few years before, at the Worlds Fair in
London, it had defied the skill of Hobbs,
the celebrated lock-picker. The burglars
had picked the lock, and locked it again
with such ingenuity that it could not be
opened.


After various attempts to unfasten the
door, a mason was sent for and a hole
made in the side of vault sufficiently
large to admit a mans body. The bank
officer still supposed the lock had been ac-
cidentally broken; but as the manager en-
tered the vault, a burnt match upon the
floor aroused his suspicion. Immediately,
beneath the safe he discovered a guam
tity of plaster, and, on turning the key,
the door swung open, and 10! the safe
was entirely empty. Not solitary penny
was left as sign of the treasure it had so
recently contained. The desperate fellows
had first unscrewed the brass doorplate
bearing the name of the manufacturer,
and had then bored directly through the
chilled iron platings and plaster smooth,
round hole about four inches in diameter,
through which the specie and notes were
easily extracted.


Officers were Immediately dispatched
throughout the country; but were all I'M
able to ascertain even the course the
thieves had taken and despite the skill of
the detectives who were employed to work
up the case, no trace of the fugitive vii
lains could be discovered.


AS entered the coach one morning /
was agreeably surprised to find that it con-
tanned the manager of the bank, who, like
myself, was starting on a Journey


TakinU fha train et Rilc0n wn continual
our journey.


AS the train stopped at Crewe two well
dressed men came in, and took seat i'm
mediately in front of the one we occupied.
In a few moments one of them slightly
changed his position and rested his arm
upon the back of the seat. His hand was
stril1ingly white and delicate, and on the
little finger cleaned chased ring of pecu-
liar pattern and exquisite workmanship.


l observed that my companion had
watched them closely since they entered
the train; and as his eyes rested on the ring,
his face lit up with an expression of nerv-
GUS satisfaction. Whispering to me that
those fellows were the bank burglars, he
hurried to obtain assistance from the guard,
and the strangers were arrested without
the slightest resistance.


Before returning home with the prison
ers the manager related the manner of
their detection. Beneath the window,
through which they had effected an en-
trance stood large table, upon which the
dust had been allowed to accumulate and
in creeping across it, one of them had left,
in several places, perfect impression of
his left hand and. chased ring, bearing the
initials I'D. p" which he wore upon the
little finger. The prints were carefully
preserved and on applying to them the
burglars hand and ring, they were found to
exactly fit the impression,


1t is scarcely necessary to add that they
proved to be the identical companions of
the lecturer on elocution.


In their baggage and upon their per
sons were found full sets of burglars in
struments, and nearly thousand pounds.


No trace of the travelling elocutionist
has yet been discovered, but the unfortu-
nate I'D. p" and his sporting companion
are serving ten years apprenticeship at
making locks instead of picking them, in
the sepulchre of the Portland Prison.