“Just a little bit,” the scout agreed.
“Shall I break the door in?”
“That is my advice.”
When it was battered in and they entered, they found no one inside.
A warrant had been secured, authorizing the house and the mine to be searched. Therefore, the officer forced the door which led to the mine. The mine looked dark as a cave; so lights were secured, before they tried to enter it.
They examined the mine back of the cabin, the scout flashing the light curiously on the walls.
He made no remarks about his discoveries, and his examination was not a close one; but he commented freely enough on the fact that the couple must have departed by the front door.
“Yet it seemed to have been barred on the inside!” was the officer’s objection.
This was overcome, when a closer examination of the door was made. The bar of wood had been so arranged that it would drop down on the inside and so hold the door when it was closed from the outside. Hence the theory that it had been barred from the inside fell to the ground.