Jack Wright and His Electric Stage | Page 4

done he took the right hand piece of Jack's check, upon which
were the date at the top and signature at the bottom.
He then took the left hand piece of the check he had made out and put it
to the piece with the signature which Jack inscribed.
The check now, instead of being for ten dollars, called for $5,000 and
although a composite thing the signature was no forgery, and that was
the principal writing studied by the paying tellers of banks.

It looked like a perfectly genuine check torn in two, for as both checks
had been torn together, the curves of one fit the grooves of the other
piece to perfection.
Jesse now burned up the remaining two pieces.
"Eureka!" he exclaimed, with an evil smile. "I've done it well. The most
experienced bank clerk in the country would fail to detect the deception.
Now to get it cashed!"
He put on his hat, and holding the two pieces of check in his hand, he
left the Sea Spider House.
Making his way to the Wrightstown bank, he coolly entered, and
approaching the paying teller's little brass barred window, he thrust in
the two pieces of check and said blandly:
"Please cash that for me."
"You've torn the check in two," said the paying teller.
"I had it in my breast pocket, and as I was coming in the door I put my
hand in my pocket to draw it out, when the end of the check caught in
some books and it ripped in two."
The paying teller matched the torn ends.
They fitted with the utmost accuracy.
He then keenly scanned the signature.
Familiar with Jack Wright's checks as he was, he saw at a glance that
the signature was genuine.
Without the slightest hesitation he cashed the check, paying the bandit
with one hundred dollar bills.
Jesse requested him to give him bills of smaller denomination for one
of the bank notes, and when this was done, he leisurely counted the

money, placed it in his pocket and strolled out into the Street.
Here he came face to face with Jack.
The young Inventor was just about to enter the bank.
The shock upon a man of weaker nerves than Jesse James had, to thus
meet Jack, would have been awful.
But the bandit king bad nerves of steel.
He did not start, turn pale, or twitch a muscle.
On the contrary he assumed a cheerful smile, shook hands very heartily
with Jack, and said in apologetic tones:
"I deemed it best to pay for my railroad fare in cash, so I came here and
got the money for your check, Mr. Wright."
"It's just as well you did," replied the Inventor. "I'm a director of this
bank, and hold the position of president. The board meets to-day, and
as I need some cash, I'm killing two birds with one stone."
"Very clever," said Jesse. "Good-bye. I must be off."
"Good-day, sir," said Jack, and he entered the bank.
The bandit strode swiftly to the Sea Spider House.
He found his companions dining, and joining them, he made a good
meal, and at its conclusion all hands repaired to the bar again, and
indulged in several more drinks.
Jesse then startled his companions by pulling out his big wad of bills,
and paying the landlord for their fare.
The moment the gang got him alone, Frank whispered:
"Where did you get the roll, Jess?"

"From Jack Wright," laughed the outlaw.
"Tell us about it!"
"Certainly. It was the easiest game I ever played, and I got $5,000 out
of it, too. Ha, ha, ha!"
Looks of intense astonishment appeared on the faces of his friends.
He then explained what he had done.
A roar of delight went up from the gang when he finished.
"Bully for you, Jess!"
"Oh, Lord, what a game!"
"You've done splendidly."
"What a roasting for the bank!"
They laughed and chuckled over it for some time.
But suddenly the solemned-faced Frank exclaimed in startled tones:
"Say! Suppose Jack Wright finds out in the bank what you've done!
We'll have all the police in this town looking for us. Hadn't we better
get out of here?"
"Oh, don't hurry yourself," coolly replied Jesse, as he noted the blank
look of dismay on the faces of the rest produced by his brother's words.
"There's no danger."
The bandit king always exercised a powerful influence over his brother
and his men, and they immediately became imbued with his reckless
carelessness, and got over the sadden fright which had for a moment
shocked them.
Jesse then questioned the hotel keeper about the departure of trains

from there, and learned that they could not leave Wrightstown in less
than an hour.
He told his companions the news.