Stange Confession of a Banker.

Bay of Plenty Times, Issue XX, 20 June 1892, Page 4

Stange Confession of a Banker.

*&Uho*gh pn ;s!<? hatid mr^f, I torn* no prejudices against the younger MMrtHlu of the . "prof eteidn The po*§ffc of ob*r¥fttion-aDd t^lctriation lead to success among pnrate police■»ta, |««t*f they do in other calling* id ftfo, wnhifae^faeulffe* grow *nd become jnom «eate *mth thne and •xjttrietice. Of course a man orast pregfett with*be4?«nts— old fogeyism is no good in -soy ime of business. OrartHirg i§WJr certain, and that is thii— Jong service is a great ad vantijjN^the force. To explain clearly w^Cl, tnean, I'll gfre you a most •xyjpifcliriarY experience of my own. FjgtPß \a reryjowig officer when Oii#tM>rmrg I -wa« sent for before ■efetTVdlock. -A bank had been bnJBJ? 5 ' open and the messenger so nojgtiNotly assaulted that it war beared to bay* been \he work of. weMwrwn bavds. %c firm of which I vp««k is no loi^fiii existence, or it -has merged iotfj %n> of the great joint-stock affssmr It was of .the old- fashioned kiflj, h#ibg headquarters in Bircbinlanej^rodj branches near Golden. •ware, in Hammersmith, Lambeth, CntWit.aßd Islington. The robbery' „ wasjifcbe branch at Golden-square. TOg^bank premises was «n old. £a*n%ped house with a narrow-payed pswegfrno tbfrrigbt hand leading to Atom* courtyard, which separated tbe^uiftifig-houtes and the dwellinghoqgtf* I jand a -comrade were conducjg^c^ig this pastageand into the eouMpd ipy Mr ITpcott, the branch nuusjtjfr, aod there we found a pool of 4|83fl | besidev a wooden house, •^H^* * hoße ***& bf wad contractors as njowbl© officet. Tfee watchmin^an old soldier — bad been , removed to the kitchen, •nd'tfbere we at once went to find him nnd#r the doctor's bands, lying on a great cHintwiorered settle before the ire. We entered the room very •oftlr, butfthw medical man Mid i •No necessity for quieteess, gentleBen. He's beyond tearftg.' 4 Jfefc 4e*d, 1 hopef 1 «ft& Mr Uj^t^^aaerfy. -r * VKo.r»ir>*K*de«d^ butl fear he is ♦^b«yajid recovery, flis tkull k free • tared, and tbe chances ares thousand to one be will Bever?eturn to consciouww;* I was clrse behiafdMt Upcott, and was astounded by hearing him utter a long, sigh, which iwDTided to be like a iigh d*#fflm. Giving a qqick glance to bi» Wom)<J;*wi thought, a j •oddeßJigbting up of the eyes, which < I, of course, connected with the sigh, and called a Jook v of triumph. Ye were «bout to leare. this room, when toe houwitefiper appeared, and, approaching the manager, said % ia a lowtoice: 'Mr Barnett basarrifed/ * I dare cot meet bin/ he half murroopsd. ' 'Who Is Mr Barnett V I asked. 'Tbehetrd of the firm,' he answered. I then roticed what I had not ob•erred before, tbat the firm wai railed Tyndale, Barnett and Co.. and it feewed that Mr had long been dead.

'Why should you fear to meet Mr Bjrcnett f 1 asked, bolder than I WouJ* litre I*6fi b* I not heard tbe sigji or noticed the gleam of triumph. Mr TJpcott was a tall, browahaired, good looking man of about forty years of age. At first I was not >:prepoßie*«Bd by ? hifcr demeanour, but when I put the last question to bim b« drew himself up with considerable dignity and replied : 4 H it stvattge tbtt—l mean, should not a man in my position feel like one who has, in a seme, neglected! bis <joty when the property entrusted to feji-cf re bias been stolen ? Strange that I should hare slept through it all I ' and without other excuse he lurried away, aad shortly returned, bowfbfc somewhat obsequiously to an old-fashioned gentleman dad in a long, claretHJoloured frock coat, a bell-topped hat, and a volnminons wMte. cravat fbat reminded me of j pictures-of the Fourth. 'W|6lßirej{bei<e men?' Mr BaraettWed." 'The ofßcen. j ' What po you think of the affair V * Wo have seen nothing yet except i tbe pborttwn lyi^R ther^, ' I replied. ' ' How is this f * inquired Sir Barnett, sternly, of the manager TTpcott. ' They bad just arrived before you sir, and commenced their examinations here. lam ready to conduct them over tbe building now. ' 'Wait until I accompany you,* proceeded tbe old gentlenian. He then approached the doctor and asked in a gentle voice that was rather pleasant to bear: ' Will poor Munro recover ? ' ' I fear not, ' replied tbe doctor. ' Bpai* no expense, X pray yon.' 'I shall use every effort to brinfc bim to his senses before he dies,' was tbe doctor's ratber impatient answer. 'lam nottbinkirgqf what inforB»ati<fi 1»a»? me ns, • proceeded tbe b>Tikw. sternly. *«fle wa#a most worthy «m! trustworthy man, and I would give four times tbe money we have iosl to find him bale and hearty this nfonrittg. If you nted assistance fendrtap/tfis ll^st ioj the. profession. I \>t%j fo\i#&tr* D©*ipe*Be to bring bim back ta life.' 4 T shall gliitly :lMsi myself of your penfroui nffer,* said the doctor. * I t» Safrille-row for As the doctor spcke.be dropped tbe ri^bt aria^tbe JDJured man, and my

quick ear beard something drop on ;tE6 "Soar. At the same ioetant the doctor proceeded to explain the ! nature of the fracture of the | fiead, and as Mr Barnett, Mr Upcott, ard my comrade leased Ibtenicg ami looking at the old watchman on the sofa, I, unobserved as I thought, stooped down and picked up a small gold stud. 1 had no time to examine it then, so I slipped it quietly into my waistcoat pocket. The next moment Mr Barnett said : ' Now, gentleman, I am ready. ' 1 This waj, then, ' said Mr. Upcott. 'I shall show you bow the thieves came in, and ' • Steady,' I interrupted, 'It would suit us best to find that oat for ourselves/ •Of course, ' crieH the banker. 'They don't want your "theories, TJpVott.-:\ . 4 I suppose not, ' he said, quietly. 'Well I am at you service, sir,' he proceeded, looking squarely into my Teyes. ' The safe was broken open, I prelume? ' said I. 1 Unlocked, ' was the reply. ' Unlocked ! ' echoed the banker, raising his eyebrows. 'Yes, sir; unlocked by a key of such imperfect workmanship that it has remained in the lock. ' ' Lead the way to the door, ' I prooeeded. ' The nearest way? * ' The nearest way, ' I replied. Coming from the front door of the back, or dwelling-house, there was another door on the right hand which opened into a passage connecting the bank with a staircase leading to the managers apartments in the first- { named building. Under this staircase | was a flight ot stairs leading down to the vaults of tbe bank. This door on the right hand of the court was found open? as was the iron door at the foot of the stairs mentioned This door had so lock, and was simply heavily barred inside. We entered by this door. It was an old-fashioned cafe that stood open before us. The key, as Mr. Upoott said, was in the lock, and was evidently of rough workmanship, judging from the touch and comparing it with tbe highly polished on* tbe manager drew from his waistcoat pocket. As I knelt, examining the burglar key, Mr. Upcott bent over me with the other. Turning from it, my eyes fell upon the stud be wore. On a plain brilliantly-burnished surface of gold was a heart pierced by an arrow. I took a mental note of that as I do of mostly every thing, and proceeded with my examination. 'The amount of mosey missing is ' —I began. 'Two hundred ponnds, ' replied Upcott. 'How much would that sum weigh,' I tasked — ' speaking roughly, of course ? '

'I can tell you exactly, ' returned the manager ; but I interupted him ! by saying, ' Something short of two pounds, I suppose ? ' •Y«mi'* X DC) ' Permit me to take a note, ' I continued, rising and approaching tbe grated windows opening upon the pavement flanking the street. I Once there with note-book and pencil in hand, 1 surreptitiously drew ! the stud I had found from my pocket. ! Ode glance at it made me start. The device upon it was a heart pierced by j an arrow. ' Although young and impulsive, I did not permit myself to act upon the i | discovery I had made. Returning to the; banker and his manager, I proceeded j t ! ; 'Nothing else missing — no banknotes, securities, or valuables ot any i sort?* •None at all/ Ms there any more gold in the safe? 1 I proceeded. •None at all,' replied IJpcott. «I ihould explain that this is our silver safe/ 'How came the gold here, then?* 'I may explain, I suppose, Mr Barnett?' said the manager, turning to the banker. ' Of course/ replied the old gentleman. 'This safe, 1 Mr Upcott went on,| contains the sifter in use, and usually < the gold necessary for change or business during the first twohoura of the morning. On this safe the cashier j holds a duplicate key with myself. 1 ' Just so,* I went on. < 1 Of the other safes, I alone possess ! keys here. Mr Barnett, of course, has duplicates at the head office.* 'This is not the cashier's key, I suppose ?* pointing to the one fixed in the safe.

* Ob, no ; and the cashier is abore itispicion,' continued Mr TJpcott. IWo one is abore suspicion/ said I harshly, * in a case like this/ ■Jf&6 cashier, Mr Walton,' proceeded Mr Upcott, ' is the son of a friend of Mr Barnett's, and baa only been ft month her*.' 1 That does not alter the case much,' I laid. *Tnii t flier r* would suspect your owti toolbars !' exclaimed Mr Upcott. * Kot at all/ I replied. f Why exclude Jir Walton from suspicion ?' * Because, sir/ returned the manager, grareljv * there bare been a Beries of robberies here daring the last twelfe months. The amounts missing have not been large, but the pilfering baa been continuous. The fact i», tbt four bags of gold missing contain nothing but marked sovereigns. No one but Mr Barnett and I know this. They bave been brought up and down daily for some time, because we suspected some of our clerks. Others we bare discharged.' (To he continued.)