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Show POLICE GUARD CORNER By Richard H. Wilkinson OLD Man Bursley phoned in to headquarters about 6:30 P.M. one evening. His voice was quite calm and unruffled. "I've just been held up and robbed," he explained. "I think if you go to No. 302 Market street you'll find not 1 only the bandits, 3- Minute but the money." r- ,. "Wait a min- ricuon ute., said Deke 1 1 Miller. "What is this? Let's have a few particulars." "I suggest," cut in Old Man Bursley, "that you get down to 302 Market street at once." Deke hesitated. "Where are you now, Mr. Bursley?" "I'm at my office at 1102 Main street." "O. K. You stay there till we get back." Deke hung up and nodded to me. "Come on," he said. "It sounds screwy, but you like screwy set-ups." Old Man Bursley owned and operated one of the city's biggest department stores. There were about 300 people in his employ and he personally supervised the making up of payroll envelopes. I asked Deke about details of the hold-up as the police car rushed us downtown. "I don't know any," he said shortly. "Bursley simply told us to go to 302 Market and we'd find the money and the bandits." The address at Market street was a saloon. We got out and went inside. in-side. "Where's the boss?" Deke asked. The barkeeper shot a quick glance toward a rear door, wet his lips and shook his head. "He ain't in." Deke headed for the rear door. The bartender shot a quick glance toward a rear door, wet his lips and shook his head. "He ain't here," he said. He banged it open. Three men were sitting around a table and on the table was a heap of money and pay envelopes. j There was a lot of excitement during dur-ing the next 15 minutes. No one but Deke Miller could have handled the situation so adroitly. He stood with his back to the wall at the farther end of the room with a gun in his hand while I called headquarters. T17E saw the three gangsters safe-ly safe-ly away in a patrol wagon, then returned to the police car. "Where to?" I asked Deke. "Bursley's department store. I don't mind telling you I'm burning up with curiosity." "Me too," I agreed. OO WE DROVE up to Bursley's and a watchman let us in and told us that Mr. Bursley was still in his office. Bursley was sitting there calmly reading the evening paper. "Did yon get the money back?" he asked. "Yes," said Deke. "Thought you would," said Bursley. j "What made you think so?" Deke asked. "Eh?" said Bursley. "Oh, well that's where they phoned before leaving here. I and my assistant were locked in that closet, We heard them phone." "Do you mean to say," Deke asked "that they were stupid enough to give away their hide-out by phoning from here?" Bursley chuckled. "It amounts to that, though they didn't know it. They used that phone. Dial, you know. Didn't have to speak a number num-ber so figured no one could check back." I counted the clicks. Easy You count the clicks of the dial when she goes back, and you can figure what number anybody's calling." It's quite a jolt whet, you find an ordinary citizen as calm and levelheaded level-headed in time of emergency as a cop should be. Deke cleared his throat. "Mr. Bursley, I'd like to remind you again that it is dangerous the way you make up your payroll. Now" "Tut, tut, tut," said Bursley. "I've taken care of that. Beginning Begin-ning next week I'm having the envelopes en-velopes made up at the bank. Also I'm paying off by check. Besides that, I'm having a police guard to watch over things." Yes, sir, gentlemen, gen-tlemen, I've decided I ought to have a police guard to keep' an eye on things." 1 s |