"You say you had been notified that a large draft would be presented. May
I ask who notified you?"
"The cashier told me this morning when we were getting ready to open,"
was the prompt reply.
"Mr. Roe, when did you last see this money?"
"This morning about a quarter after nine, when it was placed upon my
table; I counted the notes."
"Mr. Roe, do you feel free to tell the Board the name of the party who
was expected to draw on you for this large amount?"
The teller's head dropped somewhat, and after a slight hesitation he
replied: "Major, I cannot do this in accordance with the rules of
the bank."
"Ah! that is all right, Mr. Roe; I forgot your rules. We can get at this
in some other way. Mr. Roe, will you tell us if you did cash the large
draft today which you say the cashier had indicated?"
"Yes, sir. I cashed a draft for one hundred and thirty-eight
thousand pounds."
"Mr. Roe, was anyone in your room during banking hours?"
"Yes, the president and cashier both visited my room; it is their custom
and, I believe, duty to do so each day."
"When did you first miss the package?"
"When the large draft was presented about two o'clock."
"What did you do then?"
"I spoke through the 'phone to Mr. Bone, asking him to come in."
"Does not the porter come to your room occasionally?"
"He never comes into the room after nine o'clock."
"Cannot other clerks enter?"
"Not without permission. The door fastens with a spring lock."
"How about your lunch?"
"Our lunch is handed us at half-past twelve through the door which we
open."
"Now, Mr. Roe, with your knowledge of the case, what is your conviction
concerning this lost package of money?"
"Major, I am compelled to say that I have not the faintest suspicion as
to how it was taken."
Moving suddenly around, the major looked at the cashier and said: "Mr.
Bone, what was your business in the teller's room this morning?"
"It is one of my duties, morning and evening, to tally the cash taken
from the vault and returned in the evening."
"How long were you there this morning?"
"Perhaps fifteen or twenty minutes."
"When were you there the next time?"
"About half-past two, when Mr. Roe 'phoned me to come to his room, and I
again opened the vault, that the teller might get some money to cash the
large draft of one hundred and thirty-eight thousand pounds."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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