payable to bearer. For
the thief, if he had any knowledge of finance, and knew how to negotiate
them, such a sum as this in bonds was better than the same amount in
gold, it being more portable. One million two hundred thousand dollars
in gold would weigh upward of a ton, and would be difficult to handle,
but that sum in bonds would hardly fill a carpet-sack. In our day, with
safety deposit vaults everywhere, it seems strange that any sane man
would keep so vast a sum in an old-fashioned vault in his private
office, but Lord did so. His office was a very quiet one, with but few
visitors, there being no business transacted in it but that of his
estate.

[Illustration: "BY HEAVEN, I WANT MONEY."--Page 33.]

At this time there were three or four gangs in New York, all well known
and friendly with the police--that is, some or all were more or less
under "protection," and had pulls at Police Headquarters. But the pull
could not be depended upon at all times, particularly if the robbery
made a noise and the press took it up. Then there would be violent kicks
at Headquarters, and a general all-around scramble to get the thieves,
and so far as safe, stick to more or less of the plunder. The gang that
got Mr. Lord's bonds was what in police and thieves' slang was known as
"On the Office," so named because they went around visiting offices in
the business part of the city, one of the gang going in on pretense of
making some inquiry and so engaging the attention of one of the clerks.
Then the second member would come in and endeavor to attract the
attention of any remaining clerks, while the third would try to get in
without attracting attention, and, if unnoticed by those now busy
talking, would slip around behind the counter to the money drawer or
vault and carry off any cash box or package visible which appeared to be
of value. This gang consisted of three men, Hod Ennis, Charley Rose and
a man by the name of Bullard, afterward made notorious by engineering
the Boylston Bank robbery in Boston.

In the absence of Lord the office was under charge of two men,
old-fashioned fellows, who had grown gray in the service of the Lord
estate. The bonds were all in a tin box something larger than a soap
box. The interest on the bonds being due, the box had been taken out in
order to cut off the coupons, and was left in the door of the open
vault. None of these circumstances was known to these men; in fact,
while "looking for chances," t