“Were there any evidences of a struggle?” the coroner asks, after a moment.
“Yes. Mr. Hathaway’s office chair was overturned and the directors’ chairs were disarranged. One of the drawers in Mr. Hathaway’s desk had been pulled so far out that it had dropped to the floor and the contents were spilled. A lot of old ledgers that had been piled in the closet were toppled over into the room. I glanced into the closet and then turned my attention to the open vault. I found the cash drawer in the safe withdrawn and empty except for a couple of canvas bags of silver and nickels. I then hastened to find Sheriff Wilson.”
“What hour was it when you entered the bank?” asks Coroner Lord.
“About 8:20 o’clock.”
“And at what time did you notify Sheriff Wilson?”
Mr. Felton hesitates a moment and glances inquiringly at that official. “It did not seem more than a minute that I spent in the bank. But I was so shocked—and I—and I stopped to gather up the papers on the floor—perhaps it was five minutes before I got to the hotel.”
“Did you notice any weapons on the floor of the cashier’s room?”
“No, sir.”
“What amount of money do you estimate was stolen from the safe?”
President Felton debates a moment, as if making a mental calculation, and replies: “At least $37,000 in currency and gold, and some securities. The exact amount of the latter we cannot tell until we have listed our papers.”