CHAPTER II.

The Investigation Begun—­John Manning’s Visit to Geneva—­Eugene Pearson’s Story—­The Detective’s Incredulity—­A Miraculous Deliverance With a Ten-Cent Coin.

On the evening of the same day on which this daring robbery occurred, and as I was preparing to leave my agency for the day, a telegram was handed to me by the superintendent of my Chicago office, Mr. Frank Warner.  The message read as follows: 

“Geneva, August —­, 18—.

     “Bank robbed to-day.  Twenty thousand
      dollars taken.  Please send or come at once.

“(Signed,) Henry Silby, President.”

This was all.  There was no detail of particulars, no statement of the means employed, only a simple, concise and urgent appeal for my services.  As for myself, realizing the importance of promptness and despatch in affairs of this nature, and fully appreciating the anxiety of the bank officials, I resolved to answer their call as speedily as possible.  But few words of consultation were required for the subject, and in a short time I had selected the man for the preliminary investigation, and requested his presence in my office.  John Manning was the operative chosen for this task, an intelligent, shrewd and trusty young man of about thirty years of age, who had been in my employ for a long time.  Well educated, of good address, and with a quiet, gentlemanly air about him that induced a favorable opinion at a glance.  Frequently, prior to this, occasions had presented themselves for testing his abilities, and I had always found him equal to any emergency.  Sagacious and skillful as I knew him to be, I felt that I could implicitly rely upon him to glean all the information that was required in order to enable me to devise an intelligent plan of detection, and which would, as I hoped, lead to eventual success.

Giving John Manning full instructions as to his mode of proceeding, and cautioning him to be particular and thorough in all his inquiries, I directed him to proceed as soon as possible to the scene of the robbery, and enter at once upon the performance of his duties.

In a very short time Manning had made his preparations, and at eight o’clock that evening he was at the depot awaiting the departure of the train that was to bear him to his new field of operation.

After a journey of several hours, in which the detective endeavored to snatch as much comfort as possible, the train drew up at the neat little station at Geneva, and Manning was upon the ground.

It was two o’clock in the morning when he arrived, consequently there were but few people stirring, and the station was almost entirely deserted.  Two or three passengers who were awaiting the train, the persons connected with the railroad, and the runners of the two hotels (Geneva boasted of two of these very necessary establishments), were the only persons who greeted him upon his arrival.