The Burglars Fate and The Detectives | Page 4

the
alarm upon the street. The news spread far and wide, and within an
hour after the robbery had taken place, the town was alive with an
excited populace, and numerous parties were scouring the country in all
directions in eager search of the fugitives. All to no avail, however, the
desperate burglars were not discovered, and the crest-fallen bank
officers contemplated their ruin with sorrowful faces, and with
throbbing hearts.
Meanwhile, Miss Patton had been carefully removed to her home, her
injuries had been attended to, and surrounded by sympathetic friends,
who ministered to her wants, she was slowly recovering from the
effects of the severe trial of the afternoon.
An examination of the vault revealed the fact that the robbers had
succeeded in obtaining about twenty thousand dollars in gold, silver
and currency--all the available funds of the bank, and the loss of which
would seriously impair their standing, and which would be keenly felt
by every one interested in its management.
Though sorely crippled by their loss, the bank officials were
undismayed, and resolved to take immediate steps for the capture of the
criminals, and the recovery of the stolen property. To this end they
decided to employ the services of my agency at once, in the full hope
that our efforts would be crowned with success. Whether the trust of
the directors was well founded, and the result so much desired was
achieved, the sequel will show.
CHAPTER II.

The Investigation Begun--John Manning's Visit to Geneva--Eugene
Pearson's Story--The Detective's Incredulity--A Miraculous
Deliverance With a Ten-Cent Coin.
On the evening of the same day on which this daring robbery occurred,
and as I was preparing to leave my agency for the day, a telegram was
handed to me by the superintendent of my Chicago office, Mr. Frank
Warner. The message read as follows:
"GENEVA, August --, 18--.
"Bank robbed to-day. Twenty thousand dollars taken. Please send or
come at once.
"(Signed,) HENRY SILBY, President."
This was all. There was no detail of particulars, no statement of the
means employed, only a simple, concise and urgent appeal for my
services. As for myself, realizing the importance of promptness and
despatch in affairs of this nature, and fully appreciating the anxiety of
the bank officials, I resolved to answer their call as speedily as possible.
But few words of consultation were required for the subject, and in a
short time I had selected the man for the preliminary investigation, and
requested his presence in my office. John Manning was the operative
chosen for this task, an intelligent, shrewd and trusty young man of
about thirty years of age, who had been in my employ for a long time.
Well educated, of good address, and with a quiet, gentlemanly air about
him that induced a favorable opinion at a glance. Frequently, prior to
this, occasions had presented themselves for testing his abilities, and I
had always found him equal to any emergency. Sagacious and skillful
as I knew him to be, I felt that I could implicitly rely upon him to glean
all the information that was required in order to enable me to devise an
intelligent plan of detection, and which would, as I hoped, lead to
eventual success.
Giving John Manning full instructions as to his mode of proceeding,
and cautioning him to be particular and thorough in all his inquiries, I
directed him to proceed as soon as possible to the scene of the robbery,

and enter at once upon the performance of his duties.
In a very short time Manning had made his preparations, and at eight
o'clock that evening he was at the depot awaiting the departure of the
train that was to bear him to his new field of operation.
After a journey of several hours, in which the detective endeavored to
snatch as much comfort as possible, the train drew up at the neat little
station at Geneva, and Manning was upon the ground.
It was two o'clock in the morning when he arrived, consequently there
were but few people stirring, and the station was almost entirely
deserted. Two or three passengers who were awaiting the train, the
persons connected with the railroad, and the runners of the two hotels
(Geneva boasted of two of these very necessary establishments), were
the only persons who greeted him upon his arrival.
Having never been to Geneva before, and being entirely ignorant of the
accommodations afforded by either of these houses of entertainment,
Manning, at a hazard, selected the "Geneva Hotel" as his place of
abode. Consigning his valise to the care of the waiting porter, he was
soon on his way to that hostelrie, and serenely journeyed along through
the darkness, all unconscious of the reception that awaited him. On
arriving at their destination, he perceived through