FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111  
112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   >>   >|  
e war chest was at its fullest. Never, so he tells me, was there so much money in the war chest as at that particular time. Something had occurred that in his opinion called for extra watchfulness, and so he doubled the guard. But about midnight there was a tremendous explosion. The strong door communicating with the passage was wrenched from its hinges and flung outwards into the hallway. It is said that dynamite must have been used, and that in a very large quantity. Not a vestige of the chest remained but a few splintered pieces of iron. The four soldiers in the room were blown literally to pieces, and those in the passage-way were stunned by the shock. The fact that they were unconscious for some minutes seems to have given the criminal, whoever he was, his chance of escape. For, although an instant alarm was sent out, and none but those who had a right to be on the premises were allowed out of or in the Treasury, yet no one was caught, nor has anyone been caught up to this day." "But the gold, the gold?" cried Jennie eagerly. "There was not a florin of it left. Every piece has disappeared. It is at once the most clever and the most gigantic robbery of money that has taken place within our knowledge." "But such a quantity of gold," said Jennie, "must have been of enormous weight. Two hundred million florins! Why, that is twenty million pounds, isn't it? It would take a regiment of thieves to carry so much away. How has that been done? And where is the gold concealed?" "Ah, my child, if you can answer your own questions the Austrian Government will pay you almost any sum you like to name. The police are completely baffled. Of course, nothing has been said of this gigantic robbery; but every exit from Vienna is watched, and not only that, but each frontier is guarded. What the Government wants, of course, is to get back its gold, the result of years of taxation, which cannot very easily be re-levied." "And when did this robbery take place?" asked Jennie. "On the night of the 17th." "On the night of the 17th," repeated the girl, more to herself than to the voluble old woman; "and it was on the 16th that the Premier made his war speech." "Exactly," said the old lady, who overheard the remark not intended for her ears; "and don't you think there was something striking in the coincidence?" "I don't quite understand. What coincidence?" "Well, you know the speech of the Premier was against England. It
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111  
112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

robbery

 

Jennie

 

Premier

 
pieces
 
quantity
 

speech

 
caught
 

Government

 

million

 

passage


coincidence
 

gigantic

 

pounds

 

police

 

baffled

 
completely
 

concealed

 

regiment

 

questions

 
thieves

answer

 
Austrian
 

Exactly

 

overheard

 

remark

 

intended

 

voluble

 
England
 

understand

 

striking


guarded

 

twenty

 

frontier

 

Vienna

 

watched

 

result

 

repeated

 

levied

 

taxation

 

easily


literally

 

soldiers

 

splintered

 

stunned

 

minutes

 

criminal

 
unconscious
 

remained

 

vestige

 

communicating