Pardoned by the President; or, Nick Carter at the United States Treasury — page 2: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a _ reason why he was suspected ji | ce e 2 Bt fi Re to get a pardon for him. ee ae oe Eee ea tee 4 NICK CARTER LIBRARY. “Pardoned by the President; Nick Carter at the United States Treasury. By the author ot “NICK CARTER.” —_—_—_—_—_— CHAPTER I. THE PARDON OF ED SANDERS, The convicts were marching across the prison-yard. ‘“Number 967 fall out.” At this command Ed Sanders, the bank robber, dropped out of the line and went with a guard to the prison-office. Warden Rockwell sat at his desk looking over some papers. Une of them had the Great Seal of the United States on it. “You may go, Jacobs,” said the warden to the guard. When Jacobs was gone the warden got up and held out his hand in a friendly way to the convict. “Sanders, I have some good news for you,” said he. ‘What good news can there be for a man doing twenty years here?” “You are not doing twenty years. vou will be free.” “Free?” “Yes. It has been proved that you didn’t rob that bank, and the President of the United States has par- doned you.” The warden touched a bell on his desk and an assistant came in. “Take this man to the clothing-room and have him fitted out with a good suit,” said the warden. When Sanders and the assistant had gone, Warden Rockwell went to an adjoining room, where a special officer from Washington stood near the door. “Did you get a good look at him, Leggett ?” “Yes,” said the officer, ‘‘but if I’m going to shadow him, I’d like to see him again after he has changed his eclothes.” ‘Certainly, I'll arrange that. vou had ?” “None, except that I am to shadow a man. to tell me the rest.” “Well,” said the warden, “this fellow is Ed Sanders, who robbed the Cumber land Bank in Washington last fall and got away with over $350,000 in money and bonds. None of the plunder was ever found, and it is believed Sanders has it hidden somewhere. The bank people got a pardon for him, believing he would go to the place where the plunder i is hidden, and that they would find it in this way.’ ‘“‘T understand. Then what you said to him about the proof that he did not rob the bank was——” “Simply to keep him from suspectin oF ita’ patton. p g the real purpose “TI see.” os ou muta not a him Bet out of your sight for-a momen e might have the money w ‘his hand right on it.” yee re. could/put “If he gets it I will know it,” said the special officer “ Have they any idea where the money is hidden ?” “It must be either in or very near Washington. He wasn’t far away from there between the time of the rob- bery and the time he was arrested. He was suspected and watched. The money was probably hidden on the night of the robbery and has not been moved since.” pone pal could have take Away.” ~ Yes, but Sanders always works fone: pues WAS one the firs - robbery seemed to have been “committed by 5 ores ae spoked like a one-man job.” | 4 _ “The bank must have had 4 strong pull at the White Mt ee should say so. por “a ala pape In less than an hour W.hat instructions have You were Gigeinge 22 Sanford is one of we 2k ¥ r ; SrA apringy A} 7% . Dat. .d hae y sas - , si sf 54a au eee i <a) a) . $1.60 change. | which cost. publ A en RD he 0 BE Le ‘quarter, — This: ues im 7 FF. vo * re ,* a, ey + “Mr. Bowton is the man you will iva! with, He ia the. president of the bank. He will help you in any way he can, and you are to report Sanders’ movements to him ai often as seems necessary. “Suppose Sanders should lead me to the money a once !” | F ‘Get the money.” : “Shall I arrest him ?” ‘“ Not unless you have to. They want the money.’ “What if he doesn’t go to Washington ?” “Follow him wher ever he goes and report by telegraph — to Mr. Bowton.’ “Pretty tough job, warden.” “Oh, I guess nob. ies money than he will have when he leaves here. I think he — will go straight to Washington. If he does he will reach there with less than two dollars in his pocket. That won’t > | a last long. He will have to have more very soon, and I shouldn’t be surprised if he tried to tap the bank plunder before to-morrow morning.’ “Tf he does, I will tap him,” said Leggett, putting his hand on the ‘pocket where he carried his little leather | billy. | ; “Good } How many assistants have you?” Two.” ‘““Where are they ?” “One is outside. The other is at the railroad station.” In an hour Ed Sanders walked out of the prison and turned down the road toward the railroad station. A peddler coming the other way asked him where Mar- eus Anson lived. Sanders said he didn’t know. A farmer_on horseback, just behind Sanders, heard the _peddler’s question and said : “Mark Anson? Why, man alive, you’re a-goin’ jest the wrong way to find his house. Turn right around and go back whur ye come from. He lives up over acrost the railroad track yender.” So the peddler turned around and trudged slowly with | his big pack on his back, following Sanders toward the railroad track. ) The farmer hit his old mare with the end of the halter rope and galloped on ahead of Sanders. He was soon out of sight. Noe | They don’t want Sanders, — * nt - 4 < ma . “7 hx th He can’t go far unless he gets more. Vi a3. "y v ee When Sanders reached the track two railroad men. w@re taking measurements with a tape-line. Sanders turned down toward the station. The two men took meas- urements along the track in the:same direction. ‘ The peddler did not turn toward the station. He went on across the track and over a hill bevond. There he found the farmer’s old mare tied to the In another moment he was mounted on her and to the next fence. hurrying down a back road to beat the train station, three miles away. The arrangements for shadowing Sanders had been care- fully made. men, seen by at least one pair of watchful eyes. Sanders bought a ticket for Washington and received boarded the train, and Leggett knew it. * Sanders took a seat in the smoking-car. The farmer had turned him over to the ped- a dler, and the peddler had turned him over to the railroad He had not made a movement that had not been — aS This was all the money he had when he The two rail- road men sat across the aisle from him, making figures — tr and discussing questions about ties and rails and MERE one way. At the next station 2 passenger came aboard. Nobody ts would have recognized him as the peddler. The two railroad men threw away their cigars and went — back into another car. The new passenger settled down — into their seat, pulled his hat over his eyes, and seemed — to go to sleep. | When the train reached Washington, this sleepy loo) ing passenger could have sworn that Sanders had r me oa ie talked with anybody, and that. Ree Oy. had given vy thing to him. iis My | This wasabout noon. = = ams Sanders went to a cheap restuarant 9 and Oleh + + ® . ae 4 : hog ‘h Rd Lie c + v ae hed - + Vy on f 4 i 4 ” i “* 2 4 > . 4 Sty tas ot h ¢ ps be Pa peter ; “"s * Pe al - ‘a ° + , j Te Se ga Lg METS ec ke Aes Oe ; cane «Se 6° a 4 . 4 Ln i Leap comicbooks.com My 2! : ‘ ~ ~ D4 ig RE Jd ey ri r ss