THE BANK ROBBERY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 12, 12 July 1889, Page 23

THE BANK ROBBERY.

(Told by an Ex-Detective in All the Year Round.') The bank has been robbed I Such was the discovery made by Ebenezer Grubb, late one Saturday night, and the information was obtained in this wise : Frank Jackson, a junior clerk, who lodged on the opposite side of the street a little distance d»wn, was sitting that evening at his window. He lingered over a quiet pipe, listlessly watching the passers-by, and dusk crept on unnoticed by him. He was about to draw the blind and light the gas, when two men passed on the other side, one of them pausing and looking up towards the window, while the other went on to the bank and knocked at the private door. The you^g man's curiosity was roused upon seeing ihe one who remained enter a doorway as if for concealment ; so, standing behind a curtain, he watched them. The dull, gray front of the bank was lit by a street lamp, and as the man who knocked turned round while waiting, Jackson recDgnised Mark seeley, the senior cashier. After a little delay the door was opened by the resident porter, and he and Seeley entered the building. In a minute or two they came out again, and the porter went toward a cross street, while the cashier stood at the door, apparently awaiting his return. However, no sooner bad the man turned a corner than Seeley again went in, and his companion hurried toward the bank. As the lamplight fell upon him, Frank recognised another of the clerks, an intimate friend of Seeley's named Williams, They reappeared in two or three minutes, and Williams, carrying in each hand a small bag, hastened down a by-street and was out of sight before the porter returned. Then, after a minute, the cashier took the same direction. Jackson was puzzled to explain these movements, especially as Williams had a couple of days' leave and was supposed to be far from Oretown. Seeley was a high and well-paid officer, possessing the entire confidence of his employers. Frank sometimes thought that confidence misplaced. Att all event", he had reason to believe that both men speculated in stocks, a practice wbich the partners strictly forbade to their staff, It was only a few days before that, one of the clerks, glancing through an evening paper, cried : " Hallo ! ' Xl Dorados' are gone down to nothing ; the affair is a complete smash I By Jove, I know a fellow who bad some of them." Jackson noticed (Seeley turn white ; the hand that held the pen shook, and he turned round to speak ma whisper to Williams, who listened with a dazed look on bis face. Frank felt uneasy. He knew nothing certrin. and it was an unpleasant task to mention hia suf-picioas to his employers ; however, he determine i to do so, and at once set off to seek Eb j nezer Grub. Hardly knowing what result to hope for dreading Mr. Grubb's annoyance ou tbeoui' hand, if his suspicions were wrong, and fearing robbery on t* c other, Frank accompanied the principal to the bank. Mr. Kbentzei walked str tight to ihe btiong room and opened ii with his piiv,ite kejs, and tl en, thiowmg open the eh st in which the cash was kept, proceeded to examine its contents. A gas jet above them threw a bright light into toe reaesses of the safe, and showed the b inker some p ureis of bond*, a small pile of silver aud copper, and nothing mole. The clnet cleik, an old man, who as well as tie poiter, lived on the pieaHseH, was by this time on the spot, aud held open a cabh book. '■There s ould be there," he said, in an agitated voice, in reply to Mr. Grubb'u question. " Unrt\ -one thousand six hundred and seventeen pounds, djjht shillings and uinepei.ee." Ihere was no sign of foice having been usei, and the chief clerk produced his key, which he av<rred had not left his hauds since the Hafe was locked tbat dit>_ruooo, wh( n the money was c;rtainly there. Mr. Seeley ofieti borrowed it during business bouis. With that excep'ion hj bad nevi-r los> siL'ht of it The porier returned to bay that Mr. Seeley was not expee'ed home until Monday morning, and the man explained that the cashier called tbat evening for si m -thing he f jr^rot in his detk, and sent him on an trrand, which occuuied pirhaps ten minute c . There haidly lemained. a doubt that th>- two clerks were the culprits, iind Mi. Urubb at olcj placed the matttr in the hauds of the police. Frank Jackson lay long awake that cigat, wondering whether the events of the past lew hours would biing Lim promotion, and if bo, what effect it would have on a certain cherished hcheme ot his. Six or tight mouths before be had met at a picnic Mary the junior paitner's daugntei, a fair, wius me little thing, with dimpled chetks aud eyes soft as those of a fawn, the had just returned from schi 01, ai.d before Frank kn^w who she was he admired her. Upon learning that bhe wag Mr. Eb»nezer's only cr.ild, he was keenly disappointed, fjr the daughter of ihe wealthy baoker was, he ieared, beyond his leach. In spito of thu?, his attentions weie not diminished, hncl before thj day was nt an cud he adored her. bhe received his little services w.tb maike 1 favour, he thought, and even sober refLciiou could not prevent him from cuteitaimug hopes which anyone but h lover would bave considered wild. .flary of it n drove down for htr father, and it generally fell to Frank s lot to take a message out asking tur to w<nt or to call again, which furnibbed. oppoitunuies fira pressur : of tne hand and a few Wordb. lie wamjoc endowed wuuan undue amount of vanity, but he could not help seeing that on these occasions her eye brightene 1 and a vivid flush sprang to her che k, and he could not help thinking that if his happi i^ss depended on ber it would not be long deferred. But the social gulf between them kept his lips sealed. Tne events of tie evening would probably brm^ him promotion, and he wondered if ibey would bring mm nearer 10 Alary. His thoushts flew from her to the robbery and back agai >, until sleep deserted him, and bis brain, grew dizzy.

Suddenly a thought flashed through his mind, and, in the midst of the dark rooms, on the walls, on the ceiling, there appeared before him as in letters of fire a remark of Seeley 'a uttered months before.

Some of the clerks were discussing the arrest of a dishonest bank clerk, and Seeley said, laughingly : "If fellows will do that kind of thing, they ought at least to show some common sense in their method of escape. If he had gone to some quiet seaporr, hired or bought a yacht, and sailed quietly, lie would now be enjoying himself In safety. " The tone, the cynical laugh, rang in Frank's ears, and it occurred to him that Seeley would adopt some such course. Twenty miles away, on a branch line, stood Northport, a yachting centre, and Williams might easily, on the previous day, have arranged for their flight. Early on Sunday morning he called on Mr. Grubb to inform him of this idea, wbich, by being dwelt upon, had become a conviction. As F/ank entered the banker's study Mary left it, her face pale and ber eyes red, and Mr. Ebenezer himself sat listlessly in an easy chair looking haggard. •' Above all," said the Utter, when Jackson had finished what he went there to say, " silence about tbis wretched affair is necessary for the present. I don't micd telling you that it has occurred at a rather unfortunate moment, and we shall be obliged to get accommodation, and to pay a heavy price for it, and if the story of the robbery leaks out prematurely we may be ruined." The young man was nattered by the confidence, and as he looked at the weary face and heavy eyes, eloquent of anxiety and sleeplessness, and remembered Mary's troubled features, a feeling of wrath against those who caused all this grief possessed him . After a short silence Mr. Grubb said : " Perhaps you would not mind running over to Northport yourself and making inquiries. I have faith in your shrewdness, and shall give you a letter to an old friend of ours, a magistrate there, who will help you if necessary. Here is some money, and remember, my lad, that time is of vital importance." The trust made Frank colonr with pride. His first hope was that fortune might make him instrumental in saving his employers from disaster ; but he may be pardoned if there also entered into his mind a wish to earn a smile from Mary, as well as her father's gratitude. A few inquiries among the Northport police and the loungers on the beach satisfied him that his surmises were correct. Some days before two gentlemen, whose description tallied with that of the runaways, bought a small schooner yacht from a local builder. The crew were ordered to hold themselves in readiness, stores were shipped, and the new owners arrived by ihe la9t train on tee previous night. They met the seller on board, paid the purchase money, and at once sailed, for a month's cruise, they eaid. " I have an urgent message for them," said Frank, to an old salt. " Would it be po3Bib.e to get a fast steamer here and overtake them? " " Well, tir, ef cc could borry that ttaur crnf t," pointing to a small, rakisb-lookintr steamer, whose brass fittings gleamed [ a the morning sun/'je 1 . Th^y must 'a gone south; her'll go nigh unto twenty knot 1 ' an hour. ' Frank looked longingly at the vessel, and upon hearing the name of the owner his heart bounded. It was the person to whom Mr. Grubb's letter was addressed. " I fear yours is a wild goose chase," said ihe gentleman when the youo" man had told his story and explained hi 9 wishes. "However, the Grubbs are dear old friends, aod the Lorna is «t your Bervice. Come with me, and I shall give directions to the master." In a little more than an hour the Lorna was steaming swiftly out of the harbour, and Frank, standing on the bridge beside the captain, felt almost intoxicated as the vessel's head rose and fell, and a frebh breeze blew acrcs^ the sunlit sea, fanning his hot brow. ''There was a lignt noi-west wind afl nigbt," remarked the captain, " and if we say they are eighty or ninety miles abead we shan't be far out. I don't suppose we'll overtake her before dark," the captain went on, "so we'd better take it easy, lest we might pass 'em iv the daik. ' 'J hey left their course several times, in order to make inquiries of pissing vessels. Some bad not seen, '• a thirty-ton yacht, schoonerrugyd. aretn below the water line, and with a broad gold Btripe." Others thought the? had, and gave such coitra lictjry information that it was of no tenefit. Ah the s-u-i went down, dark clouds arose to windward, and it became wet and btirmy. All through the night the wind moaned, the waves whirled and his-sed about the Lorna's bow. and it fell in masses 0 i her deck, and the r»in fell nt urerva s. " Five pounds a man," Fiauk had batd, ■' if we overtake her ! ' He had promised the captain and the policeman whom he had brought with him. liberal gratuities if the chase eaded successfully. He himself was too agitated to think 010 1 repose. Accordingly, thioughout the night all were on the alert, p eiing in f o the darkne's as the vessel slowly pursued a zig-zag course. "A«id goose cha9e, indeed, I fear,"' Jackson said sorrowfully, as morn'Dg broke, finding bun cold, hungry and exhausted. "Never fear, tir," replied the skipper. "'Twill be hard if we d ju'c meet 'em before they °ot out of Bt. George's Channel." At length they got positive news. A yacht's captain met tho object of their pursuit an hour before, steering ttue south. He could n^t be mif-takeu, he knew the Eulalie very well, and his crew recogn sed her, too. Ihe Lorna was put at full speed, and bounded forward, throbbing and panting — not c imbing thu waves, but clearing them, and over either bi'ie of the bow a cjustaru stream of water poured inward and lushed along the deck. •• There phe is 1" exclaimed the ciptain, who fcr Borne minutes Md been silently scanning the horizon, and he handed the glass to Frank. It was some time before the young man could discern an>thing ; then be saw the dark hull, the slender spara, and the white s aiN. like gossamer, againßt the sky. Boon figures were s-ein on boird the Eulalie, then the sails neie slightly altered, and as the little craft heeled over, thefoaui flew

in clouds from her bow. Pursuit was evidently suspected, for two men at their stern did not take their eyes from the steamer, which was rapidly overhauling them and darkening the sea with a dense cloud of smoke. At length the two vessels were abreast, the Lorna about fifty J^rds to leeward of the other. There was no one on the Eulalie's Week except three or four sailors in blue guernseys and red caps. " Tell your gents," roared the master of the steamer, " that there's some one here wants 'em." One of the men thrust his head down the cabin stairs, and in a few moments replied, with a grin : " He's to come on board if he likes to." There was a heavy sea running, and the Eulalie was going at perhaps ten miles an hour, so that boarding, if not impossible, was at least dangerous. The policeman, who was in plain clothes, and whose identity no one on board the Lorna suspected, came forward and eaid : " Now, my lad, I am a police officer, and have a warrant for the arrest of two men for a bank robbery. You are all known, and if you aid them to escape you will get into trouble." The jaw of the jocular yachtsman dropped, and he went forward to his fellows. After a short consultation they sprang to the halyards, and the mainsail coming down with a rush and a clatter, the vessel lighted and her speed at once diminished. At the same moment Frank saw at a porthole Seeley's face, white and terrorstricken. The Lorna was brought nearer, a boat was lowered, and Frank, ths officer, and the master went on board the Eulalie. As they stepped on the deck a pistol-shot was heard, and they rushed toward the cabin. Frank was the first to go down, and he saw the two fugitives. Wliliama lay on the cushion, at one side of the compartment, his face covered with blood. Opposite him sat Mark Seeley, an expression of abject terror on his pale face, one hand hanging loosely and holding a revolver, which dropped from his nerveless fingers as Jackson came down . He uttered a hoarse cry an^ made a feeble effort to seize the weapon, but Frank grasped his arm, and he fell back on the couch, fainting. The young man turned towards Williams, who, amid his agony, was looking contemptuously at his accomplice. "We thought of sinking the vessel," he said, in a weak voice, " but found it too slow. Then we agreed to shoot ourselves. I led off, but the cur backed out, though it was all his doiug. He took the impression of the other key, and His eyes became glazed, he fell back, and in a few moments he was dead. After a search, E'rank found in a locker two bags, which, to within a thousand pounds — the purchase and fitting out of the yacht, probably — contained the whole of the stolen property. " She's leaking I " exclaimed the skipper of the Lorna. A small stream ran from under a closed door and trickled across the floor. It rapidly grew larger, and suddenly the door was burst open and a volume of water poured into the little cabin, rising to the height of the couches. The master of the steamer sprang upon the stairs ; Frank followed with the precious bags, and the officer, grasping Seeley's arm, said : •' Now, *ir, if you please," and pushed him towards thedeck. As the policeman drew a pair of handcuffs from the pouch the ex-cashier looked wildly around and with his hands pressed to his brow, ejaculated : " Oh, my God ! am I going back to Oretown for people to stare at?" Then he looked over the side, and the officer, fearing an attempt at suicide, hastily seized his arm. " She's sinking ! she's sinking " came irom some of the sailors. and the bow of the Eulalie " was suddenly raited out of the water, lhere was a moment of confusion, dunng which Mark Seeley bounded toward tie cabin, and. before he could be stopped, had closed and bolted the door. The burly officer thiew himself against it and made it quiver, but was unable to open it. Meanwhile the bow rose slowly higher and higher, and for their own safety those on board the " Eulalie " were obliged to leave the doomed craft. They had reached the Lorna when the cud came. The yacht rolled from side to side and gradually sank lower ; then the deck blew up with a loud crash ; a nidsa of foam and spray hid the Eulalie for a moment and when it had cleared away she was gone. The steamer was headed for the nearest landing and as Frank drove toward the railway station he saw in the window of newspaper office, a poster, in front of which a crowd was gathered. One or two of the words attracted his attention, and, stopping the cab, he alighted and read in huge letters : "Run on an Oretown Bank. Alleged Extensive Ilobbery by Cashiers. Flight of the Supposed Delinquents." When Frank, accompanied by the policeman, dashed up in a cab to the bank doors, he siw groops of idlers loitering on the opposite side of the way and two streams of people, one entering aud one leaving the building. He went in by the private door, and on getting inside the counter found the space alloted to the public filled to its utmost extent. The partners sat iv a private office at one end of the large room, from which they could see what passed iabide. Both looked weary and anxious. Mr. Ebenezer sprang to his feet upon seeing the young clerk, and afiked quickly : "Well?" "It is all right, sir," Jackson replied. " Here it is. "Thank Heaven !"' said the younger man, a tear springing to 4^. his eye ; and, turning to his brothei, he shook his hand. "We are saved ! " he said. " Ttns will keep us going until tomorrow. Go out," he continued, addressing Frank, " and distribute the money. Do it without any fuss— just as you would had it come from next door." Frank emptied the bags on a large table ia view of all present,

showing glittering streams of bright gold, and large bnndlesof criip notes, neatly folded and securely tied. " Half an hour more," whispered [one of the clerks, " and we should have been cleared out."

The sight of so much money reassured the timid ; the crowd, composed almost altogether of small depositors, gradually melted away, and when at length, after vainly waiting for further claims, Mr. Grubb ordered the doors to be closed, there were still several thousands of pounds in the bank coffers. The crisis was past. The branches had met all demands, and when the bank doors were opened next morning several heavy cases, bearing the Beals of the Bank of England were being unpacked, and Grubb's bank was saved. It was some hours after Frank's return that Mr. Ebenezer first referred to the cause of his absence.

" Run home and dress, Jackson, my boy," he said, " I shall call for you and take you home to dinner. We want to hear your story." Frank obtained immediate promotion, but his reward did not end there. He had won Mary's affection before his adventure, and that event secured her father's consent to their union. He is now virtually at the head of the bank, Mr. Ebenezer, the only surviving partner, having unbounded faith in the sagacity of his son-in-law.