HOW THE DETECTIVE CHANGED HIS MOTTO.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXVI, Issue 168, 22 July 1890, Page 4

HOW THE DETECTIVE CHANGED HIS MOTTO.

The president- of the Bank of Stability, Illinois, sat at the green baize table m the large and airy dheclorß' room of that institution. He paused m his writing for a moment, touched the silver bell at his elbow, and m a moment the janitor appeared at the door;-- --' John,' be Baid, 'would you ask Mr Brooks to step thiß way V '■ ' Yes, sir,' said the departing ianitor. . • Soon after, John .came into the room and said — 'Mr Brooks is not down yet, air.' 'Not down yet?' echoed the president.' 'Why, that's strange. It's twenty minutes past ten.' The president arose and passed through to the bank. > 'Mr Finks,' he. said to the bookkeeper, ' hasn't the cashier come down yet?' 'I have not seen him this morning, Bin 'i said 'Fifiks; 'This lateness. is not customary-?' asked the pi estdent. 1 No,: sir.. Mr Brooks is "generallyi very punctual. ' . , " .-".,;;■..= , 'He' may be ill this morning,' said the v president^ : : ' but I should have : thought he would have sent, us word. ' The book-keejier ina'de no answer. He evidently had no. particular liking r for^.Mr-Brboks^ the cashier. - 'Ho li<ei at Baltimore > House, I think, continued the president. 'Yes, sir.' ' Well, I.wili. just. Btep down and Bee what is the matter. 1 As the directors come m kindly tell them I will be back: m a few minutes, . and te)l . them to wait lor me. • I want to see them particularly, this morning.' Mr Bonus, president of the Stability Bank, walked down the street towards the Baltimore Hotel, . intending to: make some enquiries after- Mr Brooks. He was. boa absbrbed'in'the/uiiusual. fact of theTcaahier's absence during the. business hours i that he, did not takesuch care as a portly 01d ... gentleman should take' m passing along a crowded street, and the first thing he knew he, had th'e breath Eno^ckedpu.i.ptHhn by a man with a bag m hia hand runningagainßT"hlm. Mr Bonus waß rather firm on, his. feet,;, however,- and the other colliding party -was thrown back- > wards a couple :of steps. "■ 'Hullo, Bonus,' cried hia acquaint^ ance, 'you are about a& solid ! as -your 1 own bank, I take it.' ' You are in^ a hurry this morning, Saunders, gasped Bonus, as he recovered from the shock. ' Oh, not particular: Just got m on the morning train- from Chicago.; And I say, Bonus; your Bank must bea solid institution.' 'It is,' said Bonus: ; but why do you make that remark ?' : • : 1 Well, it is not every financial.-in-stitution now-a-daya that can afford to let its cashier take a 1 vacation trip : to' Canada.' • To Canada,' venturfld-Mr Bonus, cautiously.. ' You mean Mr Brooks, I presume V ' Yes. As I got into .Chicago last night I saw Brooks buying'a ticket for Detroit for the nine o'clock train, Michigan Central. I flapped him. on the shoulder and asked him if he were going to take a vacation, and he said he had relatives m Detroit. I told him Detroit was pretty near the Border line for a cashier, and he laughed a trifle nervously, it seemed to me, and said, ' Yes, it waa^' Then- her asked me if I was going back to Stability, and I said to-morrow niorning. So he shook hands, and said if I saw any. of his friends to; give them, his regards^ and then he took, his bag and' went oa the Pullman. ' Yes,' said the President, ' Brooks haa gone" away for a couple of weeksT He haa been a little overworked for the past year.'. - , , ' I thought he looked a trifle fagged out,' said the other, as -he went on hia way. Mr Bonus walked dowu the street as far as the hotel, but he did not go ; m. He turned round and looked at bis watch. It was nearly eleven o'clock. He knew that the train which left Chicago at nine o'clock the night ■ before was well into the interior of Canada by this time; and if. Brooks was really an absconder he was safe from pursuit. As Mr Bonus entered the Board room of the bank, the directors were all seated round the green table waiting for him. He turned the key m the door, and took his place m the armchair at the head of tne table. ' Gentlemen,' he began, m a husky voice, ' I. am afraid that I shall have to announce that Brooks,* your cashier, is at present m Canada.' There was silence around the board for fully a minute after this startling announcement. Then Mr Meigga spoke up— ' How are his accounts, Mr Bonus V 1 At ; the last inspection,' replied that official,, ' they appeared all right.' ' Appeared, humph ?' growled Mr Meiggs. 'You know I never liked that fellow. He waa a good sight too clever for me. Now, if he haß got away with any cash it will be for a considerable amount.' The Bilenoe: that ensued seemed to give assent to the statement by Mr Meiggs. ' I met Saunderß m the street just now,' said Bonus, 'and he aaw Brooks leaving by the nine o'clock train last night; . Brooks evidently gave him to understand that he had gone on his vacation. I think it would be a good idea to . have that information go abroad. Also we might have it announced that Brooks had gone, off for a couple of weeks to visit friends at Detroit. This would give us time to turn round and consult as to what is bestto b 9 done.' There were several . nods at thiß proposition, but Meiggs, who waa the grumbler o f the Board, said gruffly ' Stuff ! What good would that do t The truth is bound to come out the moment the reporters get a scent of the affair. After that it would only postpone the difficulty a week or two.' ' I'm. thinking of the credit of the'bank,'said Mr Bonus. 'IfyoUidon't like r . my : .plan,s Mr . Meiggs,- propose something^': .>•-.•..■. •. • . ; i :,••■:-. >--v • Ye.Sj'; murmured the -others; prbpoße something.' ... :. The phrase "'•Propose something *' went round the table, and each one i of; the members' looked anxiously at Mr Meijsrgs. '"."'■'' ' The first part of; the proposition,' said Meiggs, 'is to telegraph to Chicago for an expert accountant, and ask him to bring down as many aBBiatants as he requires, so that' we may speedily know our position. Are , there any objections to that proposal?'

"Mr Meigga- glunced~:up and down the table. There were no objections. -. 'My next proposal ia this — telegiaph to Chicago for one of tho beat bank detectives m the city, and place the case m his hands. A train leaves Chicago at one o'clock. It ia now shortly after eleven. If you commission me to write the despatches I will guarantee to have them both on . that train, and we can meet here at throe to consult. In the meantime, :Biy nothing at all abou*- the affair, ., »nd 1 after consulting with the detective if youithink it beat to put, the, announcement suggested by Mr Bonus m the paper, there's ample time to do it.' This was unanimously agreed to, , and at three o'clock the Board of JDirectbr> again met. The interview with the accountant was brief. He was given' charge of the books, and cautioned not a little to keep silent, a caution •. which he! assured the .igentlemen waß quite, unnecessary.,, Mr Meiggs had met £he.r at the station, and they had been^n "consultation up to the time of ■' the • meeting of the Board. 'Gentlemen,' said the defective, I who looked like a prosperous commorJ cial traveller, ' is your bank m such a state that it can stand a run V . Bonus looked rather aghast at the proposition, but he said. he thought it was. Money had been rather a drug on the market for Borne time past. The directors were all solid men, the amount of liabilities was not large, so the conclusion wa3 that if necessary the bank could stand a run. ' Then, gentlemen, I propose,' said tbie detective', 'that we tell the truth. X 'propose that,, we announce m the 'papers that Brooks has absconded, arid that an accountant ia now engaged m finding the amount of Mb defalcation. 1 . . • ' I don't like to agree to that,' faltered Mr Bonus; '"Very well, 1 said the deteotive, taking out his watch, ' I have five minutes yet before I . must leave to ,'tako the Chicago train. You have 'th&t time to make your mind. The case must be entirely m my hands, arid you moat do exactly as I say or y6u must put the matter m tho care of i someone else.' ' " ' But there will be a run,' said Mr Bonus. * Would it not be better to .say the amount of the defalcation is very small V „ i'No, Bir,' answered the detective. ' \ye do not know what the amount of this defalcation is. It may be very laige. My motto is to "Tell the truth." 1 The Board of Directors seemed rather astonished to think that such a motto was part of a. detective's equiprment, and they' consulted "m whispers. •?-■• ' There will certainly be -a run if we : let it put that way.' ' . ■.■ ' You i say you are able to stand it, suggested the detective, glancing down at ;his. watch; : . i' ! : ? Yes; Ant-* # ' 'Just one minute more,' said the detective. There was & half-minute's conversation, then Mr Bonus said, with a Bigb.— ' We leave the case entirely m your hands. I understand Mr Meiggs is satisfied as to your ability to manage it.' \ Perfectly,' Baid Mr Meiggs, speaking for- the. first time. • The 'sensation of the next day's papers .was' the " absconding of, the popular.Mr Brnrikß,.,of' the Stability ißank. The ticket, agent was inter? viewed. ;.,,. the' hotel clerk .w.as^ interviewed; Saunders was interviewed, and gaye a;graphio,account of meeting Brpoks m Chicago; . and added inuoh : about his ghastly, conscience-stricken face, which he had not mentioned to. Mr Bonus} Bonus ♦was interviewed,; but said nothing ; and the directors were interviewed and said- nothing.: The detective was interviewed and wa3 loquacious ; and the accountant -was nterviewed, but gave no inforaaationi' ••' ■ ■. • • :.••■■' ■'■ Next' day there was a iron on -the bank, bnt all claims were: promptly paid, and things seemed to be going, on so much as usual that before- 'toe* second day it died out, and the bank resumed its former appearance; THero was a meeting of the directors a few days afterwards. ... They v were all present witb3Mrf>Bonuß m a chair. ('.The detective was seated" near a window, the accountant atood-, with some) bal-ance-sheets m his hand at the lower end of ..the stable, r- , .; ' ' Gentleman,' he said, looking at hia paper, 'there is a deficiency of 65, 340 dollars.' A look .of horror went round the Board] Th'e president leaned back m his chair with his face as white as ashes. , Meiggs had a frown 1 on hia brow, and drummed on the table with i his fingers, but he resisted the temptation.of saying ' I told you- so.' 'The stealing, resumed the accountant, ' has been going on for some time, and it haa been most ingeniously covered up. The books apparently balance perfectly, and it was only by discovering this paper, which- 1 found m Brooks' private drawer, that I got aiclue to the defalcations.' ' I suppose,' said Mr Meiggs, ' that we have no further need of Mr Ruler ; he haa done the work m a very satis t factory manner.' So Mr Ruler departed for* Chicago^ and the detective took hia place at the table. ■;; ' Gentlemen,' he began, ' I propose to announce m to-morrow's papers that the books have been examined by experts from Chicago, and that all is perfectly straight.; ; The theory that will be given of the absconding will be that through overwork Mr Brooks has become deranged, and I think that'we may. wind up', with a tribute: to hia honesty. You may have . observed that, the papers aay he haa not ■ speculated, and that he had no bad habits, BO'th'at we may infer that the money is' m the bag which he took with him. If you ever wish to see any' of this sixty odd thousands I hope you will express your regretß for Mr Brooks. I trust that nothing serious has happened to h^m.' . . ' I thought,' said; the president, . that truth "was your motto.' 'Ah, that was last week; petectiveB 1 mottoeshave to' change aome l^ times.! : _■:, '-. , . • .. : . • jNext day the whole town, of Stability .heard of the derangement of the pro raising >¥ young : man Brooks, lately caahier.of the .welUknown?bank of that city. The detective had gone home. The papers announced that nothing m the extraordinaryitraneaction reflected on the good name of Mr Brooks. Meanwhile Mr Brooks had exhausted the resources of ..Canada, and was looking, yearningly across to the American ,shore. fLe watched with interest what the papeis said of his

caß e. At last* when- it- came out that hia innocence had been made clear he felt a glow of triumph that his bookkeeping had stood the severest teßt that Uhicago had been able to apply. There was now no reason why he should remain m Canada. He telegraphed to MrJßonus that for the past week he had been feeling very queer, and had come to himself m the Dominion, and would be back shortly. I When Mr Brooks stepped off the 1 ferry on to the wharf m Detroit, a man who had crossed with him put his arm through his and said— 'Mr Brooks, lam very glad to see are you?' asked the astoni 8 hed Brooks. * I don't think I know ■, y °' No, you don't,' said tho other, 1 but I know you. lam a man who hears sermons m runniDg Brooks, and I may tell you that your race i« ended; for the present. You are just a trifle hio smart, Brooks. lam Detective Grabum, of Chicago.'