An Interview with Miss Patton--Important Revelations--Doubts
Strengthened--Mr. Bartman's Story--William Resolves to Seek Newton
Edwards.
As the morning was not yet very far advanced, John Manning concluded to
pay a visit to Miss Patton, the other eye-witness to, and active
participant in the robbery.
Ascertaining the locality of her residence, he walked along the pleasant
shaded street, revolving in his mind the various points upon which he
had been enlightened during the interview just concluded. Arriving at
his destination, he found a neat, cosy little cottage, set in the midst
of a bright garden of blooming flowers, the perfume of which filled the
morning air. There was an appearance of neatness and beauty and comfort
about the place, which at once gave evidence of the refinement of those
who dwelt within, and as the detective walked along the graveled path
that led to the front door, he found himself involuntarily arranging his
shirt-collar, and calling up his best manner for the occasion.
His knock was responded to by a kindly-faced, matronly looking lady,
whom he instinctively felt was the mother of the young lady. Making his
business known, and requesting an interview with Miss Patton, he was
ushered into a cool, well-furnished parlor, to await the conveyance of
his message and to learn the disposition of the invalid.
In a few minutes the lady reappeared, and stated that although her
daughter was still very weak and nervous from the shock she had
sustained, she would see him, and requested him to step into her room.
Entering a neatly furnished little chamber, he beheld the young lady
reclining upon a couch, looking very pale, but with a pleasant smile of
welcome upon her face that at once gave him the courage to proceed with
the unpleasant business he had in hand.
Bidding her a polite good morning, he took the seat, which had been
placed for him near the bed, and as delicately as possible, stated his
business and the reason for his calling upon her. At this point Mrs.
Patton excused herself, and retired, with the evident intention of
leaving them alone.
Manning quietly and delicately made his inquiries, and the girl answered
them in a plain, straightforward manner. Her story corroborated all that
had previously been related by young Pearson, and left no doubt in the
mind of the detective that the occurrences of the eventful afternoon had
been correctly detailed. He could not, however, control the doubtfulness
that was impressing him with regard to Eugene Pearson.
"I cannot forbear the thought," said he, when Miss Patton had concluded
her story, "that if Mr. Pearson had displayed a reasonable amount of
manly bravery, this robbery could not have taken place."
"There is something very strange to me," said the girl, musingly, "about
the manner in which Eugene acted; and--there are some things that I
cannot understand."
"Would you object to telling me what they are?" said the detective.
"Perhaps I can enlighten you."
"Well," responded the girl reluctantly, "I fear that Eugene has not told
the entire truth in this matter."
"In what respect?" inquired the detective.
"I would not do anything to injure Mr. Pearson for the world, Mr.
Manning, and he may have forgotten the circumstance altogether, but I am
sure that I saw one of those robbers on two occasions before this
occurred, in the bank and talking to Mr. Pearson."
"Why should he seek to conceal this?" asked the operative.
"That is just what I cannot understand," answered the lady.
"Tell me just what you know, and perhaps I can help you in coming to a
correct conclusion."
"I don't like to say anything about this, but still I think it is my
duty to do so, and I will tell you all that I know. More than two weeks
ago, I returned from my dinner to the bank one day, and I saw this man
in the private office with Mr. Pearson; I noticed then that their manner
toward each other showed them to be old acquaintances rather than mere
strangers. This man left the bank in a few minutes after I came in. He
had the manner and appearance of a gentleman, and I did not think
anything of it at the time."
"Did Mr. Pearson tell you who he was, or explain his presence there at
that time?"
"No, I did not ask anything about him, and he did not mention the matter
to me."
"When did you see them together again?"
"That same evening about dusk. I had been making a call upon a friend,
and was returning home when I met them walking and conversing
together."
"Did Mr. Pearson recognize you on that occasion?" inquired the
detective.
"No, sir, he did not seem to notice me at all, and I passed them without
speaking."
"You are quite sure about this?"
"Oh, yes, quite sure. I recognized him immediately when he came
yesterday afternoon to leave the valise in the bank, and also when he
came with the other man when the robbery was committed."
"Do you feel confident that you would be able to identify him, if you
were to see him again?"
"I am quite sure that I would," returned the girl confidently, "his
features are too indelibly fixed in my mind for me to make any mistake
about it."
"Have you said anything to Mr. Pearson about this?"
"Yes; as soon as we were out of the vault, I said to him--'One of those
men was the man who left the valise and the same one I saw in the
office the other day.'"
"What reply did he make."
"He appeared to be doubtful, and simply said, 'Is that so?'"
"Very well, Miss Patton," said the detective at length, "we will look
fully into this matter; but in the meantime, I particularly desire that
you will say nothing to any one about what you have told me to-day. It
is very necessary that a strict silence should be preserved upon this
point."
The young lady cheerfully promised compliance with this request, and in
a few moments the detective, after thanking her for her kindness in
seeing him, arose and took his departure.
As he strolled back to the hotel, he revolved the information he had
received carefully in his mind. He had also obtained from Miss Patton a
description of the two men, and found that they agreed very nearly with
what he had learned from Mr. Pearson. He went to his room immediately,
and prepared a report of all that had transpired during the morning,
carefully detailing all that he had heard relating to Mr. Pearson's
alleged intimacy with one of the robbers, and of the successful attempt
he made to extricate himself from the vault, by means of the ten-cent
piece. After concluding his relations, he requested the assistance of
another operative, in order that they might scour the country round
about, in the hope of finding some clues of the escaping robbers.
On the next morning, operative Howard Jackson, a young, active and
extremely intelligent member of my force, arrived at Geneva, and placed
himself in communication with John Manning, for the continuance of this
investigation.
When Manning's reports were duly received by my son, William A.
Pinkerton, the superintendent of my Chicago agency, he gave the matter
his most careful and earnest attention, and as he finished their
perusal, he formed the opinion that young Pearson was not entirely
guiltless of some collusion in this robbery. The more he weighed the
various circumstances connected with this case, the more firm did this
conclusion become, until at last he experienced a firm conviction that
this young man knew more about the matter than he had yet related.
It seemed strange to him that a young, strong and active man like
Pearson should not have manifested even ordinary courage in a crisis
like this. He was behind the desk when the attack was made upon Miss
Patton at the door, and saw what was transpiring before the second
assailant had time to reach him. Even if powerless to defend her, it
seemed reasonable that he could have raised an alarm, which would have
attracted the attention of the passers by; or, failing in that, he
could, at least, have hastily closed the vault doors, and thus have
saved the money of the bank. He knew that these doors were open, and
that within the vault were nearly thirty thousand dollars, for which he
was indirectly responsible. But a moment's time would have sufficed to
close these doors and adjust the combination, and yet he made no effort
to prevent a robbery which he knew was intended.
The ordinary promptings of manhood would, it was thought, have induced
him to make some show of resistance, or to have gone to the rescue of a
young and delicate girl; but none of these things did he do, and, if the
story related was true, the young man had acted like a base coward at
the best, and submitted without a murmur to the outrages that were
perpetrated in his presence. Instead of acting like a man, he stood
tamely by and allowed a woman to be cruelly beaten, the bank robbed, and
the robbers to walk off unmolested and unharmed.
There was another matter which seemed impossible of accomplishment.
Pearson had stated that while in the vault he had removed the screws
from the lock upon the door with the aid of a ten-cent piece. This idea
seemed to be utterly incredible, and prompted by his doubts, William
attempted the same feat upon the lock on his office door. After several
efforts, in which he exerted his strength to the utmost, he was obliged
to desist. The screws utterly defied the efforts to move them, while the
coin was bent and twisted out of all shape, by the pressure that it was
subjected to.
While he was thus engaged with his thoughts upon this perplexing
problem, he was informed that two gentlemen from Geneva desired to speak
with him. Signifying his readiness to receive them, two well-dressed
gentlemen entered and announced their business.
One of these men was a Mr. Perry, a director of the Geneva bank, and his
companion was a Mr. Bartman, a merchant in Newtonsville, a little town
situated but a few miles distant from Geneva.
"Mr. Bartman," said Mr. Perry, addressing my son, "has some information
to communicate, which I think is important enough to deserve serious
consideration, and I have brought him to you."
Mr. Bartman's information proved to be of very decided importance. He
stated that he was a merchant, doing business in Newtonsville, and that
he was in the habit of purchasing his goods from various traveling
salesmen who represented Chicago houses. Among this number was a young
man named Newton Edwards, who was in the employ of a large commission
house, located on South Water Street, in the city of Chicago. He had
known Edwards for some years, and had frequently dealt with him during
that period. During the forenoon of the day on which the robbery
occurred, he saw Newton Edwards in Newtonsville, but that instead of
attempting to sell his goods, that gentleman was apparently seeking to
avoid observation. He met him upon the street and familiarly accosted
him, but Edwards received his salutations coldly, and did not engage in
any conversation. Mr. Bartman thought nothing of this at the time, but
in the afternoon, having business in Geneva, he drove over to that
place, and, to his surprise, he found Edwards, in company with a
strange young man, lingering around the public house in Geneva,
apparently having nothing whatever to do. He noticed also, that Edwards
was somewhat under the influence of liquor, and that he had effected a
complete change in his apparel. A few hours after this he heard of the
robbery, and instantly his mind reverted to the strange appearance and
actions of Newton Edwards. He endeavored to find him, but, as if in
confirmation of his suspicions, both Edwards and his companion had
disappeared.
Mr. Bartman gave a full description of Edwards as he appeared that day;
and in substantiation of his suspicions, it was found to agree perfectly
with that given by both Eugene Pearson and Miss Grace Patton.
Mr. Perry stated that within two hours after the robbery had been
discovered, men had been sent out in all directions, in search of the
fleeing robbers, but without success. They had only been enabled to
learn that two men, carrying a valise between them, had been seen
walking along the railroad track in a north-westerly direction from
Geneva, but that was all. In the darkness of the night, they had
succeeded in eluding their pursuers, and on the following day all traces
of them were obscured.
Two things were now to be done at once; to ascertain the antecedents of
Eugene Pearson, and to seek the whereabouts of Newton Edwards. To these
tasks William applied himself immediately, and with what result will be
shown hereafter.