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THE WEEKLY TRIBUNE M. QUAD’S STORY. A BANK ROBBER’S FAILURE, [Copyright, IRTO, by Charles B. Lewis.] The attempt to rob the Second Na tional bank of Hartsville was such a neat piece of work, as looked upon from the crook’s standpoint, and the failure was brought about in such a strange, tragical manner, that the story, as a whole, will interest you: A year before the occurrence 1 was appointed night watchman ai the bank. All banks of importance have a day and a' night watchman, though the one on day duty is generally spoken of as a porter. 1 came on duty at 7 o’clock in the even ing, and the very first thing to be done was to see that all doors and windows were secured. Then I began in the president’s room with my broom and swept and dusted and put things to rights all through the place. This took about an hour. Just to the left of the •ashier’s window was a small fire and burglar proof safe, and I had to try the door of this to see if it was locked. At the rear of the building was the vault, inclosed by iron work extending from floor to ceiling. The door open ing into the vault had a heavy lock, and the door of the vault itself, which was * steel cage about 12 by 12 in size, was provided with a lock supposed to be proof against the wiles of the most skill ful burglar. Inside the vault were two large fire and burglar proof safes to hold the cash and valuable papers, and being thus doubly secured, with a well armed watchman ranging about, the bank officials did not worry about bur wol Zu® W 4 A STRONG HAND CLUTCHED MY THROAT, giars. But there was still further pro tection. A burglar alarm connected with doors and windows, and a special wire ran fropi the bank to the police station. 1 was required to send in a signal over this wire every 30 minutes. The code of signals ran thus: One push on the button, “All is well here;” two pushes, “I am ill;” three pushes,“Help wanted at once.” By 9 o’clock in the evening I was through with all my work, had sent in my signal and was seated in the presi dent’s room with a book in my hand. I would read until midnight. After send ing in the signal I would fall asleep and sleep for exactly 29 minutes. When the 12:30 signal was sent in, I would slum ber again until a minute to 1 o’clock. You may think this a bit odd, but I ven ture to say that eight watchmen out of ten do the same thing. After I had firm ly impressed it on my mind that I must wake up at a certain moment it was easy enough to do so. From 12 to 6 o'clock I had twelve 29 minute naps. Sometimes I awoke five seconds too soon, and sometimes five or six seconds past the 29 minutes, but I never varied over seven seconds at the furthest. My sleep ing was not exactly a dereliction of duty, as the burglar alarm could be de pended on to wake me up. and the sig nal at every half hour was proof that everything was all right in the bank. About the time of my appointment the suit of rooms directly above the bank were vacated by a lawyer, and a dentist moved in. Before the bank would rent to him, he being a stranger, he had to secure recommendations and thoroughly identify himself. He claim ed to hail from St. Louis, and he pro duced letters from half a dozen well known residents of that city, all of which were aft rward found to have been forged. The man gave his name as O. M. Hildebrande, and he fitted the rooms up very handsomely and was Boon established in business. This fel low’s real profession was burglary and bank robbing, and his real name was Ed Williams. He did not know one dental instrument from another, but hired a fresh graduate to do all the work which came to him. There were four rooms in the suit. The front room was the parlor, the second the operating room, the third a storeroom, and the fourth a bedroom. This bedroom was just above a small room at the rear end of the bank which was used as a cloak and washroom. In building the bank the ceiling of the first floor had been made secure by filling the spaces be tween the joists with brick. Over the vault there were plates of iron as a fur ther protection. Williams hired the rooms as part of a plan to rob the bank. There were three men in the plot, but the other two did not appear until the last mo ment. After occupying the rooms for nearly a year, doing business with the bank and making himself solid all around, he was ready to spring his trap. AU his work-was done in the daytime. Ho out a bole tn the floor of his bedroom •nd restored bricks and mortar until wlr • Ciwt remained. It was slow worK, ananenaa to exorcise great care. He knew of the small room below, and he knew of the burglar alarm, the po lice wire and the half hour signals. He could not know of my habit of sleeping after midnight, though he probably sus pected it. At any rate, at a quarter to 1 o’clock one October night the three burglars in the job broke through the crust of the ceiling, lowered themselves flown, by meajis of a rone, and at 10 uiiiiuies to ’r’a strong nana ciutcnea ny throat, the muzzle of a revolver <vas placed to my temple, and I opened my eyes to see three men standing be fore me. “Now, then, ” said Williams as he let go of my throat and stepped back, ‘ ‘ let us understand each other. We have come to rob the bank. You cannot pre vent it, and so you may as well save your skull from being cracked. We are going to bind and gag you, but un less you make a fool of yourself you will not be hurt. Do you savey?” “I do,” I replied. “You have got me dead to rights, and it's no use to kick, but make up your minds that 1 don’t answer any questions.” “We shall ask none,” replied Wil liams as he proceeded to tie me hand and foot and insert a ready made gag. Just as the clock struck 1 he step ped over and pressed the button to sig nal the police that all was well. How he got onto the signal we never could understand, but he used it correctly, and then turned and said: “Well, boys, it’s off with our coats and go to work. Our first job is to get into the vault. Bring the watchman along so that we may keep an eye on him.” Two of them carried me along in my chair, and the third man saw to the kit of tools. They placed me to the left of the door, lighted two gas jets and be gan work on the lock of the iron par tition. I had heard the bank officials do a great deal of bragging about this lock and fondly imagined the burglars would be delayed a good half hour by it. It was done for in about five minutes, and one of the burglars added insult to in jury by observing that it was one of the simplest, cheapest locks he had ever seen used for such a purpose. The door of the vault proper was a different mat ter, however. It was a massive affair, the material chilled steel, and the locks were warranted burglar proof. There was a combination which had to be set at certain figures before a key could be introduced. When this key had turned the bolts half way, a second had to come into play. Each of the„three men care fully examined the lock in turn, and then Williams queried: “Well, boys, what do you think of it?” “We'll have to use the drill and a blast, ” replied one of them, and the other coincided with him. At half past 1 o’clock the “All is well" signal was sent in, and the bur glars began work. They used what is called a blacksmith’s drill, the frame .of which had been smuggled into the dentist’s office and lowered down and put together. All of them seemed fa miliar with its working, and they had brought along no less than six different drills for the machine. Work was be gun just under the lock, the men spell ing each other at intervals of 10 min utes. When the 2 o’clock signal was sent in, they had made a very slight impression on the hard metal, but at half past 2 the signs were more encour aging. The fellows must hsye had the idea that when they got into the vault the money would be at hand, but after they had worked on the door for an hour a sudden thought occurred to Wil liams. He came over to me, removed the gag and asked: “Is there a safe inside the vault?” “I shall answer none of your ques tions. ” “Stiff, ain’t you? Perhaps you want a little thumping to humble you.” “If you want to thump, 1 can’t help myself. 1 am here as a watchman of the bank. If I hadn’t been asleep, you wouldn’t have got in, and I’m not go ing to make matters worse by giving away any secrets.” “Well, odds is the difference whether there’s a safe inside or not,” he growl ed as he replaced the gag. At 8 o’clock the trio were delighted with the progress of the work. At 3:80 thev ceased drilling, blew a lot of pow- I WHEN THE MINE WAS SPRUNG. der into tne Dole and inserted a ruse, and pretty soon there was an explosion which tore a great piece out of the door, I but did not burst i| open. As a matter I of fact, the force of the exnlosion threw ROME- UA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER .8. me kicks out or gear and made the job of opening it still more difficult. Upon ' this being discovered the fellows began ; to curse and growl and lament their ' luck. The two of them were for throw- I ing up the job, but Williams denounced . them as cowards and quitters, and it was finally decided to continue work. They had brought down with them some bottled beer and sandwiches, and they fell to and had a bite and sent in the 4 o’clock alarm. They did not use the drill again on the door, but on closer examination de cided to blow it open. They had two powder canisters, each holding a pound. They debated as to how much they ought to use, but as it was getting to ward morning and they were in a hur ry they were reckless as to the quanti-. tv. I think the fellow who had the can isters poured in at least naif a pound. What they feared was that the explo sion would be heard on the street. To deaden the sound as much as possible they took up the carpet in the presi dent’s room, ripped it apart and hung it over the two windows. There was fear also that the concussion might set the burglar alarm to ringing, and so Williams cut the wires. At 20 minutes to 5 o’clock all was ready. While Williams placed the fuse the other two picked up my chair to carry me into the president’s room. All were to remain there until the explo sion was over. Just what happened to bring about the premature explosion could never be learned, but the proba bilities are that in his haste Williams cut the fuse too short. He was still kneeling at the door, and the three of us were backs to it and about eight feet away when the mine was sprung. The jar of the explosion was felt two blocks away. There was a policeman on the opposite side of the street at the moment, and as the flagstones appeared to lift up under his feet he thought it an explosion of sewer gas. I cannot remember that I heard the explosion. I simply remember of being lifted up and hurled forward. The next thing I knew I was sitting up with a hand over either ear, and the room was in midnight darkness. 1 felt so stupid and dazed that it was many minutes be fore I could place myself. The gag was out of nr.y mouth, and the ropes with which I had been bound to the chair were hanging loosely on my arms and legs. When I began to feel around to see where I was, I discovered that 1 was close to the wire gate by which all employees entered the bank inclosure. The door of the vault was almost on a line with this gate, but 60 feet away. Between the gate and the vault were* the compartments of bookkeeper, pay ing teller, receiving teller and discount clerk, each railed off with wood or wire. You can judge of the strength of that blast when I tell you that everything in that 60 feet was leveled, the small safe blown over and the counters twisted like a rail fence. As soon as I realized the situation I groped for a match and lighted a gas jet, though the room was so full of powder smoke that it was some time before I could see a foot from my nose. I got to the police wire just in time to send in the 5 o’clock signal. 1 meant to send in the signal for help, but just as I touched the button I de cided to wait a bit. When the smoke lifted so that I could get about, I light ed more gas and then looked for the burglars. One of them lay in a heap against the front door, a second under the counter near where 1 had picked myself up, and the third I could not find, though I knew he must be under the vault door, which had been blown off and lay on the floor. The man at the front door was stone dead. The doctors said that his body must have swept down all the railings and partitions as he was hurled for ward. The man under the counter be gan to show signs of life as I overhaul ed him, and thinking he might prove troublesome I tied him hand and foot. You will wonder that I was not severe ly hurt, but that was the chances of ac cident. The chair was completely wrecked, but I got off with three or four painfui bruisee. The man under the counter had his nose broken, two ribs fractured and received a’bad scalp wound, but he had no sooner recovered consciousness than he began to struggle and curse. When I told him that both his partners were dead, he was awed to silence for awhile. Then he said to me: "This has been a bad night’s work, and I wish to heaven 1 had not been in the job! Have you sent in a police alarm yet?’ “No.” “You are a brave, level headed fel low. You have saved the bank from robbery, got two dead men here to ex hibit, and I hope you will let me go. I promise you that I will lead an honest life from this time on.” “Odds is the difference to me whether you are hon sst or dishonest, ’ ’ I replied. “But I will make it an object to you. Let ’ae go, and I will put $.500 in your hands within 24 hours.” “What? Only SSOO for a bank bur glar on whom there may be a reward of $2,000.” “My good friend, I will make it SI,OOO. You are a poor man, and sl,- 000 will be a little fortune to you.” "Couldn’t you raise it to $2,000?” 1 asked, appearing to have my price. “Two thousand! Two thousand!” he repeated. “If I do, my poor old moth er may have to want for bread, but be ing you are such a brave and sensible fellow I’ll do it. Yes, I’ll say $2,000, and you shall have the money inside of two days. Hurry up and untie me, for it must be near daylight.” I stepped over to the police wire and senr in tne signal, "tieip wantea at once!” It had never been sent in be fore, nor have the words gone over that wire since. In five minutes there were four bluecoats knocking at the door, and when I let them in my prisoner greeted them with jeers and curses and swore he would get even with me if it took a hundred years. Williams, as I have told you, was kneeling at the door when the explosion i occurred. We found him under it, crushed and burned and bearing little semblance to a human being. The one who escaped with his life was sent up for 12 years, and thus the trio were wiped out. I have an old scrapbook in which is pasted various newspaper ar ticles speaking in my praise, but it’s not much consolation to read them. The bank officials knew that 1 must have been asleep on duty, and instead of pat ting me on the back and raising my wages they waited about a month and then gave me the grand bounce. Per haps I had better taken the burglar’s $2,000 and let him go. What do you think? FOR HIS FRIEND. The Barcelona Bomb Thrower Tells Why He Did the Deed. Barcelona, Dec. 25.—Joseph E. Ce dina, the anarchist who has alreadycon fessed that he threw the bomb that caused upward of 30 deaths in the Liceo theater, has made a further confession, giving details of the crime. He says that he was selected by an anarchist group to assassinate General Martinez de Campos in September last. He, in company with two or three comrades, went to view the march pass of the troops, it being his intention to then as sassinate General de Campos, who was the reviewing officer. He took a position from which it would have been an easy task to have carried out his project, but when the troops arrived his courage failed. The reason for this, he says, was that he re alized that if he threw a bomb amid the vast crowd that surrounded General <’o Campos he would have killed or wound ed hundreds of persons. He had the bomb ready to throw, but the thought of the many innocent persons that would suffer, restrained him from throw ng i Pallas, as the time for the assass na ion drew near, urged Cedina to throw the bomb. Seeing that Cedina heeitatsd, Pallas angrily snatched the bomb from him, saying, "You are no g<_ol.” Pallas’s nerves were evidently un strung by the wrangle, and for a time he hesitated to throw the bomb that he had seized. Had he thrown it, as he originally intended, he would have killed General de Campos, but the delay, which allowed the crowd surging about the re ‘ viewing stand to grow thicker, saved theiiffflgpf the general. Pallas, when arrest^®, nd until his execution, insisted that was responsible for the at- and despite the close by the authorities, he never by a word betrayed that Cedina or any one else had anything to do with the crime. It was this fact that made him the hero in the eyes of the anar chists, who knew all the facts. His stoicism and willingness to accept death rather than to betray his comrade led Cedina to determine that be would give enecc co jraHas s tnreat tnar ms "ex ecution would be avenged. Shortly after Pallas was shot at Mount Juich, Cedina began his preparations to avenge his comrade’s death and the explosion at the Liceo theater followed. AMERICA’S HEROISM. Tlie Way This Country Has Stood th© Panic, as Noted Abroad. London, Dec. 25. The Financial News has an interview with Boissevain, who has gone to Amsterdam to confer with the Dutch bondholders in the mat ter of the Union Pacific reorganization. He said that he had been struck with the magnitude of the loss which Amer ica had sustained, and the people on this side of the Atlantic had no idea of its extent. Only when one conld realize the se verity of the ordeal through which America is passing and the enormity of the loss sustained by the whole commu nity could he begin to realize how splen didly America had behaved under such trying circumstances and how intrinsi cally sound things must be for the peo ple to brave such a etoruj. Recovery had already well started, but it must proceed stowly and cautious ly. He said he believed it would be possible to arrive at an amicable and far understanding with the govern ment on the Union Pacific matter dur ing the present session of congress. . YOUNG TALKS WAR. Honduras Is Likely*”to Get Into a Tussle With Rebels. Washington, Dec. 25.—The state de partment has received a dispatch indi cating that another one of the Latin- American countries is likely to be em broiled in war. The dispatch, which was from General P. M. B. Young, the United States minister to Honduras and Guatemala, reads as follows: "The Honduran revolutionists are advancing from Nicaragua on Honduras, The Honduran army is ready to meet the revolutionists.” American interests doubtless will be protected in the event of trouble. The Alliance has been at La Libertad and the Ranger joined her at that port. A Trunk Trust Broken. Oshkosh, Wis., Dec. 25. —The trunk trust, known as the National Trunk company, Is broken. The Schmidt Brothers’ Trunk company, of this city, the largest concern in the trust, wltn drew recently, and their action was fol lowed by all the trust companies but two. The trust was organized nearly two years ago in Chicago, and com prised all the important plants in the country. It was neither profitable nor harmonious. AT THE CAPITAL. z J A QUIET CHRISTMAS DAY. • Special to The Tribune. Atlanta, G»., Dec. 26.—This morning the attorney general had prepared a form for bond to be given by the state deposi tories who desire to increase the bond as provided by the last legislature. Under that law the depositories have until the second of January to pay any amount of mon-ry which they have over the bond they gave. The Columbus bank has paid to Treasurer Hardeman SIOO,OOO and the rest, of course, will be forthcoming on time. Four batiks have given notice of a desire to increase the present bond and carry as much as SIOO,OOO of the state’s money at one time. These are the Merchants bank of Atlanta, the La- Grange bank and Trust Co., the Third National bank of Columbus, and the Savannah Bank and Trust Co. It ia ex pected that the Macon bank will also make such application but they heve not done so as yet. Three of these banks will i ive bonds of SIOO,OOO The Colum bus b nk will, however, be required to give double that amount as it is a na tional bank. A Sentence Commuted- Z. R Bali, of Carrollton, was fined SIOO for a misdemeanor and was given a specified time to pay it in. He sent tne money to the arresting officer within the specified time but got to him just too late and he refused to receive it. The governor has commuted the sentence so as to enable Bell to pay the fine. A Big Contract. I am told, though not on the most re liable authority in that it come seeond handed, that the Piedmont Marble Co, of this state, has been given the contract to furnish the first lot of marble for the new city hall of New York. This is to be a $5,000,000 building and I understand the first lot puts up about $300,000. If this is true the marble interests of Georgia has accomplished a big thing. A Quiet Christmas Day. It has been very quiet in Atlanta the last few days, a quiet Christmas time but nothing big in the way of receptions, and outside of the usual display (of fire works there was nothing to indicate the presence cf the joyous season. The hard times have undoubtedly been the cause of this but Santa Claus came to all the little ones, rich‘and poor, and they, at least were happy as they deserved to be. ONE MILLION PEOPLE. Expected to Sign Col. Graves’ Colonization Petition, Col. John Temple Graves who spent Christmas day with his family here was warmly and enthusiastically greeted by his many friends. He left yesterday for Pittsburg, Penn., where he delivers his next leedne. His lecture on the colo nization of the negro is attracting a great deal of attention, and is being advocated by many northern people as well as several negro societies. Col. Graves ex pects a million negroes to sign a petition to congress asking tor “separation” from the whites by colonization When these signatures have been obtained Col. Graves thinks his position will be vindi cated. A Killing in Self-Delense. Birmingham, Ala,, Dec. 25.—A duel occurred at Coaling, Tuscaloosa county, in which Henry L. Norwood, a yoang farmer, lost his life. Robert Englebret and Norwood, both of them farmers near Coaling, in that county, had a mis understanding about a horse trade re cently. Sunday.ffhey met in Coaling and Norwood drew his pistol and com menced firing. Englebret returned the fire. Several shots were exchanged, when Norwood fell dead with a bullet in his heart. Englebret was not arrest ed, as appearances indicated that the killing was in self-defense. Now, He Has No Handl. Knoxville, Dec. 25.—While celebrat ing the approach of Christmas Ed Hay den, a young mechanic, had his left hand so mangled by the explosion of a giant firecracker that the doctors found it necessary to amputate it. Hayden’s right hand was blown off four years ago and this leaves him helpless, and to make his case more sad, he has a wife and several children. Another Pugilistic Match. New York, Dec. 25.—Joe Choynski, he San Francisco prize fighter, and Steve O’Donnell of New Zealand have been matched to fight in New York a finish fight at catch weights, Marquis of Queensbury rules within five weeks. If the club that takes the match will allow a stake, $2,500 a side will be put up. Both men were present. Ignorant of the Danger. Savannah, Dec. 25.—Homer Shepard, of Livingston, S. C., went to bed in room 69 in the Pulaski house after blow ing out the gas and was found dead in the bed in the morning about 10 o’clock. His death was clearly the result of igno rance of the use of gas. SHOT HIM TO DEATH. A Wounded Officer Held HU Assailant and Killed Him. Gainesville, Fla., Dee. 25.—At 11 o’clock Policeman John Bennett arreatad Den Ad! fins, colored, for disorderly con duct. Adkins resisted and fctabbed Ben net, wh(; would not shoot in the crowd. He ran back in the open street, the ne gro still (tollowing atid stabbing, until Bennett (fell to the ground, when the ne gro jumped on him just as he fell. Messrs). Benjamin Beal and John La fontaine ptruck the negro with sticks, which liaubered him. Bennett then suc ceeded inf getting his pistol out and held the negro in his lap and shot him to death. , Bennett is receiving the best medical and the physicians entertain some hopo of his recovery. CHINESE MOCK MONEY. Made by tbe Celestial, to Defraud Their 'Departed Ancestors. A correspondent of The North China Herald, writing from the interior ot Kiangsu province, mentions that one of the industries there is the manufacture of mock money for offering to the dead. Formerly the Chinese burned sham pa per money, but in these days of en lightenment and foreign intercourse the natives of Soongkong, Hangchow and other places have come to the conclu sion that dollars are more handy to the ghosts than clumsy paper money; hence they now, to a great extent, supply their ancestors and departed friends with mock dollars. These are only half the size of real dollars, but there appears to be no more harm in cheat ing the dead than there is in cheating the living. Besides the deceased are not supposed to know the difference, for many of them parted this life before silver dollars were imported into China. A hundred mock carolus dollars, done up in boxes, are sold for 34 cash. The operation of making this money is interesting. First of all there are blocks of tin which are melted down and then poured between boards lined with Chinese paper, and when the up per board is pressed down on the lower a thickness of tin remains. This is next cut up into strips 4 inches long, one wide and an eighth of an inch thick. Some 10 of these strips are placed evenly together, one on top of the other, and one end is held between the fingers, when the workman pro ceeds to hammer them out till he has beaten them so fine that they 3 feet h . >t broad andW that th< aii- thicker than tlifl nestpnpn. ’'te- is next pasted mon cardboard, which is then a punching machine io thy size of half dollars, and this having been done a boy takes the cut out pieces in hand and with two dies, one representing the one side and the other the reverse, ham mers impressions of dollars on them, and the money is ready for use. Another very curious instance of the practice of cheating the gods is record ed in the same journal, but from quite a different part of the country. It ap pears that districts of the Anhui prov ince have lately been ravaged by an epidemic, so that in many places the people were unable to attend to the har vesting of the crops. An attempt was then made to deceive the gods by “play ing at” New Year’s day and pretend ing that Sept. 1 was the first day of the new year. Every preparation for cele brating the bogus new year was made, such as burn ng firecrackers and past ing happy sei ences in red paper on the doors. The object was to make the god of sickness think that he had made a mistake in the seasons and had erred in bringing an epidemic on the people at a time when no epidemics in the course of nature should appear. As any action contrary to nature done by the gods is liable to punishment by the king of heaven, the actors in this farce thought that the god of sickness would gather his evil spirits back to him for fear of the displeasure of his superior divinity. This child’s play received the permis sion and co-operation of the local au thorities. —London Times. Dead In His Bath Room. Montgomery, Ala., Dec. 25.—Sidney Kirkland, one of the oldest citizens of Montgomery, was found dead in hie bath room. He rose about 6 o’clock and was apparently in his usual health, and went into the room to take a bath. An hour or so after some other member of the family went into the bath room and was horrified so find him lying on the floor. The deceased had been living here about 40 years. Getting Heady to Eight. Jacksonville, Fla.. Doc. 25.—Cor bett is now in training quarters at May port and has begun regular daily traih ing. His condition is excellent, and ne gives promise of going into the battle with Mitchell in the best of trirq. Mitchell will arrive early in the week, and is booked for an exhibition, similai 1 to the one given by Corbett at the opera house the first night of his arrival. Drink Caused III* Downfall. Lyons, N. Y., Dec. 25.—Frank R. Salmon, alias Frank Rogers, formerly a reipected and thrifty bookkeeper of Syr cise, was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary at Auburn for bigamy. Drink led to his downfall. “Christinas tree hooks, five cents a package, and a gold watch and chain thrown in with every package!” was the cry of an Eighth street fakir yesterday, ar d yet people talk about bard times.