CHAPTER XI--LOOKING FOR THE ROBBERS
All in the offices listened with interest to Oliver Wadsworth's words.
"The jewels were probably what the rascals were after," was Mr. Porter'scomment. "Evidently they did not touch any of the gold plate orsilverware."
"That shows they must have known the jewels were here," said DunstonPorter.
"Couldn't they find out about them from the workmen?" questioned Dave.
"I suppose so--although it is a rule of the works for the men to keepsilent regarding precious stones. No one but myself and the generalmanager are supposed to know just what we have on hand."
"We must get busy and see if we cannot follow the robbers!" cried DavidPorter. "No use in wasting time here now. Let us scatter in alldirections. One can go to the railroad station and the others to theroads leading out of town. We may pick up some clew."
"The police, we'll have to notify them!" said Roger.
"Yes! yes! Call the police up on the telephone!" ejaculated Mr.Wadsworth, starting to his feet.
Dave ran to the end of the office, where a telephone rested on a stand.The shock of the explosion had severed the wires.
"It's out of commission," he said. "I'll have to use the one in theshipping-room."
He left the offices, and made his way through two of the workrooms. Philwent with him and so did Roger.
"This will be a terrible blow for Mr. Wadsworth," was the comment of theshipowner's son.
"He said if he didn't get the jewels back it would ruin him," addedRoger.
"Oh, we must get them back!" cried Dave. "Why, they are worth afortune!"
In the shipping-room all was dark, and the boys had to first light amatch and then turn on the electric illumination. The telephone was nearby.
"Ruined!" cried our hero, as he beheld the wrenched-away receiver andtransmitter.
"Here is where they must have caught the watchman while he wastelephoning to Mr. Wadsworth!" said Phil.
"That must be it, Phil. We'll have to go to the police station, or findanother telephone."
The boys rushed back to the offices and told of what they haddiscovered. Then Phil and Roger volunteered to run to the policestation, over a quarter of a mile away.
"If you'll do that, I'll go to the railroad station," said Dave. "I maybe able to pick up some clew. The twelve-fifteen train is almost due andthose rascals may try to board it. If I see anybody that lookssuspicious, I'll have him detained."
"Don't get into trouble!" called his father after him.
"I'll try to take care of myself, Dad," he answered.
Dave ran the whole distance to the depot. As he went along he kept hiseyes wide open for a possible appearance of the robbers, peering downside-streets and alleyways, and into vacant lots. But he saw nobodyuntil close to the station and then he received a sudden hail from infront of a coal office.
"Hi, you! Where are you going in such a hurry?" And a man in a dark blueuniform stepped into view, night-stick in hand.
"Just the man I want to see!" cried our hero. "I guess you know me, Mr.Anderson. Come on down to the depot, quick! We must get there before thetrain comes in!"
"Why, it's Dave Porter!" exclaimed the policeman. "What's the row,Dave?"
"Mr. Wadsworth's jewelry works has been robbed. They have just gone tonotify headquarters. I thought maybe the robbers might try to get awayon the train. We want to stop any suspicious characters."
"The jewelry works robbed? You don't say! All right, I'll go rightalong. Hope we can catch 'em!" And Officer Anderson swung up besideDave, and both continued on a dog-trot to the depot.
Nobody but the station master was in sight. Dave and the policemanthought it best to keep out of sight.
"You stay at one end and I'll stay at the other," said the officer. "Ifyou see anybody suspicious, whistle twice and I'll come on thedouble-quick."
At last they heard the train coming. Nobody had appeared, but presentlyDave caught sight of a burly figure sneaking beside several emptyfreight cars on a side-track. He gave the signal for aid and thensneaked after the man. By this time the train had rolled into the littlestation.
Only a well-known young man of Crumville alighted, accompanied by anelderly lady, his mother. There were no passengers to get aboard, andthe conductor swung his lantern for the engineer to go ahead again.
At that moment the burly fellow near the freight cars made a dive forthe trucks of a baggage car, with the evident intention of stealing aride. He had almost reached the trucks when Dave came up behind him andhauled him back.
"Not so fast!" said our hero, firmly. "I want to talk to you."
"Hey, you let me alone!" growled the burly fellow. He was ragged andunshaven and evidently a tramp.
"Where did you come from?" went on Dave, and he continued to hold theman, while the train moved off.
"Wot business is that o' yours?" was the sulky return. "Wot did yer makeme miss that train for?"
"You'll find out in a minute or two," answered our hero, and just thenOfficer Anderson came running up.
"Got somebody, have you?" he panted.
"I guess he is only a tramp," was Dave's reply. "But we may as well holdhim and see what he has got to say."
"It's Applejack Joe," said the policeman, as he eyed the prisoner. "Wewarned him out of town this morning. What was he going to do, steal aride?"
"I think so. I caught him making for the trucks of a baggage car."
"That's Joe's favorite way of riding," chuckled the policeman.
"I can't see why that young feller had to stop me," growled the tramp."You folks wants me to git out, an' when I start yer hold me back."
"Why didn't you go this morning, if you were told to go?" asked Dave.
"Say, I don't move as swift as some folks. Wot's the use? Take yer time,is my motter."
"Where have you been for the last three or four hours?" asked thepoliceman.
"Where have I been? It won't do you no good to know, cap'n."
"Well, you tell us, just the same," said Dave. "I want to know if youhave seen any other men sneaking around town to-night. If you have, itmay pay you to tell me about it."
"Provided we can land on those other chaps," put in the officer.
"Oh, I see; somethin' wrong, hey?" And the tramp leered unpleasantly."Want to pull me into it, mebbe."
"You are pulled in already," answered Officer Anderson.
"Oh, don't arrest me, an' I'll tell you everything I know!" pleadedApplejack Joe. He had once been in the Crumville jail in winter andfound it very cold and uninviting, and he wanted no more of it.
"What do you know?" questioned Dave. "Answer quick. There has been a bigrobbery here, and if you can help us to catch the men maybe you'll get areward."
"Reward? Say, I'm your huckleberry, young man. Wot do I know?" The tramprubbed his unshaven chin. "Yes, that's them, I'm sure of it," hemurmured, half to himself.
"Who?" demanded Dave, impatiently.
"Them two fellers I see down at Casterbury's stock-farm this afternoon.They had a bag wot looked suspicious to me, an', say; did they usedynamite, or somethin' like that?"
"They did!"
"Then that's them! Cos why? Cos when they walked past where I washidin', I heard one of 'em say, 'Be careful o' that, we don't want it togo off an' git blowed up.'"
"Two men?" came from the policeman. "Did you know them?"
The tramp shook his head.
"Never set eyes on 'em before. But I see 'em after that, down back ofthat jewelry works over there," and he threw up his hand in thedirection of Mr. Wadsworth's place. "Say, is that the place theyrobbed?" he continued, with some show of interest.
"Yes," answered Dave. "Now tell me how those fellows looked."
"I can't tell yer that, exactly, fer my eyesight ain't none too good, Igit so much smoke an' cinders in 'em from the railroad. But they waskinder young fellers, I think, and putty good educated--not commonfellers like me. Somethin' like yerself. An' they was dressed puttygood,
long overcoats, and soft hats wot was pulled down over theirfaces."
"Did you hear them speak any names?" asked Officer Anderson.
"Nary a name."
"Have you seen the two men during the last hour or so?" asked Dave.
"No, ain't see 'em since I spotted 'em back of the jewelry factory. Thatwas about seven, or maybe eight o'clock."
"Did they go into the works then?"
"No, they just stood by the back fence talkin'. I thought they hadsomethin' to do with that new buildin' going up there, so I didn't thinknuthin' more about it."
"I see. Well, Joe, I guess you had better come with us for the present,"went on Dave. "We'll want your testimony."
"It ain't fair to arrest me!" whined the tramp.
"We won't call it arrest," went on Dave, before the policeman couldspeak. "You'll be detained, that's all, and I'll see that you don't loseanything by it."
"All right then, if that's the way you're goin' to put it," answeredApplejack Joe resignedly. "But I hope you'll see to it that I gitssomething to eat an' a warm place to sleep."
"I'll remember," returned our hero.
There seemed nothing now to do but to return to the jewelry works andthis Dave did, taking the tramp and the officer with him. When theyarrived they found the chief of police there, with two officers. Thechief was questioning Mr. Wadsworth and the distracted manufacturer wastelling what he knew about the crime that had been committed.
The arrival of those from the depot, and what the tramp had to tell, puta new face on the matter. One of the officers said he had seen the twostrangers with the tool-bag, but had put them down for travelingsalesmen visiting Crumville on business.
"They are undoubtedly the guilty parties," said the chief. "The onlyquestion is: Where did they go to?"
"Well, they didn't take that twelve-fifteen train," answered Dave.
"Then they either got out of town by the use of a horse or an auto, orelse they are here yet," said Mr. Wadsworth. "Oh, catch them! Catch themif you can! I must get those jewels back! I'll give a big reward fortheir safe return."
"Have you heard from Phil or Roger yet?"
"No, Dave."
"They may bring in some word."
"Let us hope so," groaned the manufacturer.
"What became of the watchman?"
"That is a mystery. Perhaps they carried him off and threw him into theriver, or something like that!"
"Oh, they wouldn't be as rascally as all that!" returned Dave, inhorror.
"Perhaps. Some robbers are very desperate characters."
At that moment came a cry from one of the workrooms, where one of theofficers had gone to take a look around.
"What is it, Carr?" called the chief of police.
"Here's poor Tony Wells," was the answer. "He's in bad shape. Bettersomebody run for a doctor at once!"