The man then turned to Bunker, and made the same demand, but he also denied that he held that important post. The fellow next addressed the bewildered and fear-stricken Wilcox, whose terror prevented him from answering. The baffled man again turned to Heywood, and with oaths and threats endeavored to make him open the safe. Heywood replied that he could not, when the scoundrel fired a pistol close to his ear, and said “if he did not at once open the safe he would scatter his brains.” The brave Heywood still insisted upon his inability to comply. The ruffian then seized him by the collar and dragging him toward the safe drew out a long, keen edged knife, and posing it over Heywood’s throat, threatened to cut it from ear to ear if he did not at once open the safe. But the brave man, faithful to his trust, stolidly refused, when the robber released his hold of his collar and went into the safe vault. Now was the opportunity for the faithful Heywood. “If I can but get that ponderous door closed,” thought he, “and spring the bolts upon the scoundrel, the” VILLIANS WILL BE BAFFLED, “and my integrity saved from suspicion.” It was a supreme moment of dreadful anxiety to him, and such the intense excitement of his feelings, that when he rushed upon the door to close it, his strength was unequal to the task, and before he could recover himself to renew the effort, a powerful hand seized him by the throat, and threw him back from the vault, at the same time a ruthless arm struck him to the ground with the butt end of a pistol. Taking advantage of this struggle between Heywood and the robbers, Bunker sprang to his feet and bounded toward the back entrance of the premises. But before he reached the door a sharp report and the crashing of a ball showed him that he had only miraculously escaped from having his brains scattered by one of the bandits. Bounding out of the bank he ran madly down Water street, not however till another shot from the murderous revolver cranched through his shoulder. At this point another of the band of ruffians hastily entered the bank and exclaimed: “Clear boys, the game is up.” The three men instantly jumped upon the counter and made tracks for the door. But one man paused in his headlong retreat, and seeing Heywood reaching for his desk, turned round and leveling his revolver at the devoted head of the faithful teller, fired, and without a groan, the brave man fell to the floor, HIS LIFE BLOOD STAINING THE DESK and seat with its crimson stream. In the street the baffled and retreating murderers sought their horses and vaulting into their saddles they were soon rushing with frantic haste out of town westward. It was some few moments before the citizens could sufficiently recover themselves to take in thoroughly the entire situation.