Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Oct. 13, 1907, edition 1 / Page 18
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THE . CUArTER L It was precisely twelve rolnu'ws f one when Mr. Felix Boyd leaped out of a cab and dashed. top-speed l-ito the director" room of the National Bank, in Broad street A aotne of reater dismay scarce could be Imagined. The very air was imbued, with mute despair.: Mr. Graf ton, the venerable president. looked if stricken with deathly nines.? The chief cashier nd influential financier, Marshall P. Taft eat faint and ghast ly in one of the great leather chairs, (too weak to stand. .Clerks, tellers, nw-ssengers, ohV and all wore n s pert of overwhelming horror. 1 . Even the grim countenance of the central office mat Detective Jlmrate Coleman, who had arrived! only Ove minutes before, was mightily off color. Little wonder, however! v Half-a-million had vanished as bub ble burst and are rone, t Vanished in the full glare of; open day, in busi ness hours and amid all the atlr of . bank examination. Half-a-million in negotiable bonds and easily convertible etoek of the gilt-edged kind. The roar of the stock - exchange could almost be heard from the bank windows. Brokers on the floor near th previous day's closing had won dered1 at the unusual volume of .certain Al ' securities that were being sacri ficed at weakened prices. Hay was being made while the sun shone. Al ready the game of felony was on, and the crooks were converting their plun der into good, hard cash. "Yet only now, whhln a brief half hour, had the monstrous robbery ben discovered, c One glance at the inmates of the di rector's room, and at the huge table strewn with worthless promiscuous certificates and empty security boxes from the vault, gave Mr. Felix Boyd a startling hint of what had occurred. At such a time and la such an emerg ency he was quick-' than jmost men to seize the toult toy the horns. It was, n fact, an occasion well calculat ed to throw Felix Boyd into the lime light, and display him and his remark able talents to tlw best advantage. "A case of robbery!" he instantly exclaimed, with a swift glance at his several hearers. "State the fact for tn, Grafton, quickly" Before the elderly president could make the -effort to comply. Coleman hastened to explain th alarming situation.- . . "It's a had mess, Felix, with close upon half-a-mlllion gone." Hammond, the bank examiner, came h-;re yester day morning wfcth two assistant to Inmke an examination of the bank. The work Is not yet completed, but he and Ms helpers ar now at lunch. Purely by chance, about twenty minutes ago, it was discovered that some of the se curities in one of the vault boxes, all of which had n examined and tab ulated "by one of the accountants, had! een yemoyed, and worthless certifi cates subtsituted for a temporary blind." - "Good heavens, JlmmW "An examination of the other boxes reveals the same startling fraud. Worthies imitations of bonds and securities have. been placed In nearly cverv boar and government bonds and stocks to the amount mentioned have Ibeen abstracted. It appears to hav been the work of one of the nan ex . "Stoni, bit!' Interrupted BoyA with browsknittlo. "Ha a list of the stol- A - 1 - . v "Yes " '' "Send a copy of it to the stock ex change at once, wkh a statement of the robbery. The facts must be pub lished without delay," . "That already has-been done." cried Grafton, the bank president, now pull ing himself together. "We also have sent ; messengers to find (Examiner Hammohd and his assistants. They went out to lunch half-an-hour. ago, ell thiree of them, and1 should return by one Ah! here' Hammond, now, thank God." , A portly man, in middle life, was (hurriedly entering fallowed by one of his assistants, a young man named . Damon. Pale and excited, wKh Irre pressible dismay reflected In hi dilat ed eywa, he glanced quickly at the dis ordered table and instantly exclaimed: ' "If true, thenl I could not believe It, . I heard It reported on the street. Merciful heavens, Grafton I It must bs the work of that man Moseley, my as sistant who was a stranger to-" Here Boyd Interrupted his Itnpftu ous words, for the well-known bank examiner appeared; as well he might under such circumstances, -even more horrified and excited than th bank officials themselves, and fairly blind to the prensence of Boyd and the detec tive, v.: ' "Calm yourself. Hammond," was jmjju uiierrupuun. i iiene is nuui- lng to be gained by " ' .''Ahl Boyd, is it you? How fortu sate!" . "There's a tig jdb been done here, and the sooner we calmly get at tho facts the better," added Boyd decisive ly. "Cut out all other matters. Whom do you mean by Moseley, and whe-M 1 her Boyd had a faculty for making him self felt at such a tkne, and his hear ers, thu admonished, subdued their -perturbation and rose to the nds of the moment. "Moseley said he wished to lunch with a friend, and he left ns when we went out," Hammond hastened to re ply. "I don't know where he went, lie should! return " "Never!" declared Boyd, In a way revealing ' his alarming convictions. "In ca your man Moseley had a h and M this Job, which already Is the talk of the street, he never will re turn,? H will look to his own safety, "IV haf Moseley Is her "I cannot say. I'm ta the dark as to who he is or -f "What!" . "What!" "Hrel This will explain!" cried Hammond, hurriedly producing a let "r from hi po-ekot, "It's from John Volney, an Xpert accountant, and one t my regutfir- aJwlstants. We bank i xamlners, you understand, have to mploy and pay our own helpers, Vol ley ha worked for me for a num I r of " years. yesterday morning I received thitter from him, dclJv tr d to me ity Moseley, as I was en '"ring this bank to begin an examina tion, Damon saw me at the time sad ivi:i corroborate me. .The letter ex-t.l-Jns itself." Boyd already was rapidly reading It, 'i lan-cut feature eiviwn vthim ami : iff his lipf eomprnd, and his eyt i ,)' . ')y bright. 'i he fetter, dated two-days earlier, Ib "My iear' Hammond? I hatre: Just j ive-d a wire stating that my wife. " ho ; rHUng'ber sister in Troy, is -!-. roufly ill, I must go to her M.out dtlay, so cannot hslp at th ' i M j-morrow. I nd you mv pr l frhnd. however, Mr. Ralph .-i'-i' yoi msywlshtfl etn- , , j He u an expTiJac- , :j.i!lar wit:i all A'-UiU of i ! j t's d'ne, and l l!l vouch DEIOV,:TOE:'DEfli XING CASE OF THE EXrERT ACCOCXTAXT. for him in all respects. If I can re turn day. after to-morrow, or erajrller, . I will do so and join you at the -bank. That wlir depend upun the condition of "my -wife. You a lll find Mosel?y in every way capable and thoroughly re liable, and I shall be glad if you can use him. He ha cone this sort of work before, Hope to see you Thurs day. Your as e ver.; v ' "JOHIT VOLXEY." The face of Mr. Felix Boyd before he finished reading th above might have served an artist for a study. "Do you; know this hand, Ham mond?", he asked, with startling ab ruptness. "As well a my own," 3eclared th other, still very ; pal and agitated. "The letter certainly wu written by Volney. The paper bears, moreover, his house address, He must have writ ten it at home Tuesday evening, for I saw him as lat as 6 o'clock that af ternoon." r "Did you expect to meet hltn here yesterday morning?" . , , " , . n mjif , "To begin 1 the bank ' examination here?" "Precisely." "He knew about that?" v "Certainly. We had planned: for it the previous day.": "Yet you were met, inetead, by the bearer of th! letter ?" i "Exactly. He was waiting here when Damon and I arrived." '.'A stranger to you, do you say?" "Yes. 1 never had scn him," "What did he say to you? When had he seen Volney?" "The previous evening,' said Ham mond, meeting with ready replies Boyd's rapid Are of questions, ."He said he dwelt near Volney, and that the latter had called on him that even ing, before kaving for Troy, to ask him to fill the engagement with me. Moseley further Stated that he would be very glad to do the work, as h had been Idle for some little time, and he named another of our bank exam iner with whom I am acquainted, by whom hi claimed to have been em ployed at times.- He appeared like 4 gentleman -In fact, tall that Volnej-s letter implied and I did not for a moment distrust him." '"Yet you certainly must hav. real ised the danger Incurred in employing a stranger for such work," remarked Boyd", a bif censoriously. A tinge of color rose oyer Ham mond's pale fac, and he hastened to reply: -:- -. "In th light of VoJney's letter, Mr. Boyd, I did not regard Moseley quite as a stranger. I should not have em ployed a total stranger. I am, howev er, a very busy man, and, having ar ranged for thl work. I did not wish to defer It. Knowing Volney to be the soul of honor, and believing he knew Moseley to be all that he had stated, I consented to avail myself of his ser vices. Heaven above! I would give my entire fortune had I declined his aid!" "Against the fortune of which Moseley has relieved this hank, you probably well could afford to," said Boyd dryly. "Tell me, now. Mr. Hammond, what work you assigned to Moseley. Answer me briefly, pWe. We must get after the scoundrel with the least possible delay." "Naturally," replied Hammond. "I assigned him. the work laid out for voiney, mat or examining ana tatm latlng the bank securities. He worked at that all of yesterday and part of this morning -' "Stop moment. Did he leave the bank at any time during his work?" "H.9 did not. He cannot thus have removed any of the securities, nor- " "Walt again, sir. Was he visited by anybody during business hours?". "Yes, Boyd, he was," put tn Cashier Taft impulsively. "Twice yesterday a young man called to see him, and for several moments they talked in the passage between this room and the public office," "Humph!" cried Boyd. "Well out of general observation, I see, A trans fer of stolen securities limited only by the capacity of their pockets, could have passed between the two. In that way sotim of your bonds took wings out of doors, Mr. Taftr take my word for that. Tell me, Hammond, how was Moweley clad?" "He is a large man," groaned Ham mond, we-ll-nlgh in tears; "and wore a long frock coat, quite loose and " "And in the pocket and linings of which wre brought the worthies sub stitute for a part of the bonds and certificate removed In the same way and under your very eyes." cried Boyd, with scathing austerity. !'l'm surpris ed, Hammond, that you could hay.? been so lax." "But I assure you, Boyd " "Well, well, regrets are useless, Hammond, and so colossal a trick could have hardly been anticipated," Interrupted Hoyd, more considerately, "Describe Moseley for me. What type of a man is he? Hasfcav sir, for every moment is of value." i "He is a noticeable man, one to quickly Impress you," cried Hatmnond, anxious to extenuate hi own culpabil ity, "He stands fully six f-fet, with brood, slightly rounded shoulders, yet a distinguished carriage. He is about fifty years old, with full, shaven fea tures, hair shot with . gray, and with " .;llt."-.-'-." "With thin lips., a hooked nose, a pair of narrow, gray eye,' a sonorous yet carefully modulated voice " "You appear to know him you must know him, Felix Boyd!" shouted the bank examiner, with the hopeful enthusiasm of oao intensely relieved. "That's the man, lr, the very onan!" Yet Boyd, with an utterly tndescrlb. able expression, had thrown both hands into the air and was loudly snapping his thumbs. v ;r "Yea, the very mahr.he ech-ieif, in accents of swelling excitement and dismay. "Know him? yes, Indeed. I know him! The greatest crook of th century. The one and only man ca pable of devising such a crime as thl nd bold enough to have executed It. The master criminal of the pat de cadethe notorious Big Flngerl" "ScAnlon!"? roar&dJimmle Cot-man Involuntarily. . ' ,j ' "None other, Jlmmlei my fife upon It," declared' Boyd, with augmented fiwllng. "He' at his knavish work again, Ms gnu Seanlon himself. Hark you, gentlemen, and follaw . vny in struction to the letter. Notify 'In spector Byrne at once, and g him m thl case- without a moment's de lay, The u most effort of the entire polio department must be directed against this arch-criminal.'' ; V "I'll send a messenger at once," cried Grafton,- starting to hi feet, y i "Do so do w' 'continued Boyd, displaying an excitement that father mystified the central office man, "Also have th robbery published .broadcast thl v.ry day. We ars up against the craftiest crook In thJcountry, Sum mon Bym- and rhwiro that he Ah but he'll know what to dot Huvo fcu. Hammond,, got, Volney' adores in Troy," . :-rj .. "I have not," was the hurrted reply, "I don't know where he can ba found," "Naturally: not. sir. after all. &nd telerram to the Troy chfc-f of police, however; and have tilm trya locate Volney and Arrest him, I'll see you h re a little later, Hammond, and then return this lettor. First of all, I must 5CCTT try to get on the track of this master crook - You, Jimmle, come with me." With ths last, apparently too excit ed to remain to Insure the execution of his commands, Boyd dashed out of the bank, closely followed by Coleman, and sprang into the cab in which he had arrived a short time before. As he closed the door after entering with his companion, he leaned from the window and said to thu driver, in a single sharp whisper: ; c ' - , - "To No., Twenty-eighth street! At the top of your speed!" In the light of hi past experiences with the notorious criminal mention ed, the excitement so abruptly display ed by Felix Boyd owr learning that Soanlon was again at work below the o'ead-Un appeared entirely natural to his observers. ; That it was, only super ficial, actuated by deductions and de sign, the superlative . shrewdness of which placed Boyd ki a class all his own, even his most Intimate friend of the central office failed . to dietecc or conjecture. It was month before that Magnus Bcanlon. with a death sentence upon him, had escaped from custody, since remaining carefully concealed - and confining his knavery to the direction of a small army of less accomplished crooks with whom he was constantly In league. That he again had appear ed in the open, having just perpetrat ed one of the greatest crimes Of his career, seemed quite sufficient to have stimulated Boyd with a determination to locate and securs him. Buch was the impression left upon, his observers when he rushed out of, the bank that afternoon, rather than that any defi nite suspicloTWand,' secret designs in spired him. .. i . Yet their carriage scarce had start ed Bp-town before Coleman, with cu riosity stirred by Boyd's, abrupt and hurried move, and despite ths ratter's aversion to questions at emch a time, bluntly demanded: . "Where fire we bound, Felix, and what the dickens do you maka of this robry ?" ' uBoyd did not reply for several mo ments; He sat grimly chewing his Up and staring at his knees, with quite as ugly a look on his face as Coleman ever had ?en there. Yet he presently rejoined, instead of express ing his own vl ws: "What do you make of it. Jimmle? You most hare some opinion." "Well, since reading his letter, Fe lix, It looks to me as If Volney had a very willing band In this Job," Cole man bluntly declared. t'As ficanlon's confederate?" queried Boyd, with brows lifting. "Exactly." "Why so. Jlnwnle?" "Because Scan Ion must In som.? way have learned that an examination at this bank was to be begun yesterday morning, or he could not have pre pared himself so well for this robb?ry. Ordinarily, a bank examiner keeps his business designs to himself, as you well know, and springs one of these examinations without the slightest no tice." "Certainly." " "Yet we know that both Volney and Daimon were informed of Ham mond's Intention, since both went- t meet him at the bank yesterday morn ing" " "True." "Then on of them may have In formed Scanlon, thus enabling him to prepare for the rascally Job. Since Da mon showed up as expected, and as all of his work at the hank appears to have been above board, he having had no hand in the examination of the se curities, it see-ms safe to assume that he is not the guilty one." "Tha's reasonable, Jimmle." "On the other hand." added Cole man, "this letter of introduction enab ling Scanlon, or Moseley, to deceive Hammond so completely, together with the fact that Volney now ha left town, certainty appears most suspici ous. I bellewe Volney is in the job with both feet." "Possibly. I'll admit" nodded Boyd. "Even If arested and charged with having conspired with Moseley, it may be difficult to prove that Volnay lied In vouching for hl honesty, or that he has even known Scanlon' true name and character." 1 Coleman con tinued to argue. "It hi even possibte that Volney designedly sent hi wife to Troy, there to feign sickness and wire him to come to her. thus lending reas onable color to hi conduct in giving the Introductory letter to Moseley. Such a scheme could have very-easlly been planned, and, in a measure, it would shield Volney- from lncrlmina tlon." - For a moment, an odd fcleam light ed the keen, gray eyes of Mr. Felix Hovd. "Very well reasoned. Jimmle, hut It will not stand washing," said he ti ulotltr "What do you 'mean? detnanded Coleman, startled. ' "You'll know, Jimmle, after we have had a talk with Mr. John Vol ney." . . - "A talk with Volney!" "Precisely." ' . "You're not thinking of going to Troy after hlm?'I "Not etrlously, ' said Boyd dryly. "It's mi opinion, Jimmle, that we shall find Volney a long distance this aide or Troy." "Not at " . "Yes. at his house. Jimmle! You ob served th address printed on the sheet containing the introductory let ter. If odd then, that Volney waa at home when he wrote the letter and he may be there at this moment." "By Jove, Felix " "Break off for a spell, Jlmmte. I wish to consider all the possibilities of this very curious situation." - CHAPTER It It was close upon 2 o'clock when the cab swung Intp Twenty-eighth street and arrived at Volrvy' resi dence, 'The house Was hut a short dis tance from Third avenue, one of a block,-and Boyd glanced sharply at H and at the dwellings adjoining, while he sprang out of th cab. Th next house ease was vacant, with the placard of a real estate agent at one of the windows. At those of the Volney house tha curtains were closely -drawn,'; Indicating that the family was absent,, The next dwell ing west evidently waa occupied yet no inmate was visible. Boyd noted these several facts as he jumped to the sidewalk, then hatn ed up and rang the door-bell. Ths central office man Joined him on the steps, and for several minutes they vainly waited for" some response to the summons, Then Boy rang again, at the same Urn glancing (utlvely to ward the busy avenue sotrt fifty yards Away..,;;'': vv Not a sound front within the house could be heard, and, Boyd presently sprang down the steps, ? exclaiming curtly: -.' Sui- rCv-i'v- "Wait here, cabbie.' Yo,r Jimmle, comfc with me,, , We'll' have look at the rear." : I -.f-., -y. Though puxsled v again by Boyd's mystiiylng conduct Coleman follow ed him around the block and through an aIIfTwhcr both vaulted the fence enclosing the yard back of Volney' hout', At one of two basoment win dows, both oX which be hastened to f I - 1 - .' r, 1 "A1.: j i i ,n I t ' t, Jimmle. This window bus brcn forced. Here's when a thin knire-blade was thrut between the sashes in or :cr to throw the catch. -Note where It niarrPd tt eash. Tha scamps reloeked it aft- r them, however, Let'a try your knife, Jimmle." "By Jove, you're right," growled Coleman,' hastening to comply, "Can you mane it work?" , , ' "Easily," nodded'Boyd, as in forced the -blade between the sashes and threw the catch. 'Xockvlt after us, Jimmle. We're hot likely - to depart thl way! .Now follow mi. I've an idtea we shall find our-man up-stalrs." Stealing quickly through the base ment laundry Into which they had en tered, Boyd quietly led the way up the rear stairs and into the main hall of tha house. He was about to mount to one of th, chambers, moreover, when faint groan from - one of the side rooms broke the silence, and both- men ran to the open door nearby. . It led, to a small library, and the scene within brought a startled cry from the cen tral office man; u-.j-rJ-v--: ?'",' .The curtain at the single window was closely drawn, yet objects Tn the room wisre X plainly ; visible. Bound hand and foot Upon a couch, to-which he. was securely tied- o securely that: the ropes confining him had eaten In to his wrists and limbs lay Mr. John Volney prone upon his back, brutally gagged and- ;but half ' dressed, In a seml-oonsclous i condition, and as ghastly palo as If death already had settled upon his haggard features, Upon the floor In one corner lay a large hanging-lamp, the shade and chimney of which was broken Into a thousand fragments, as if the lamp had ben rudel cast upon the floor. From an Iron hook In the celling, from which the lamp evidently had been re moved, there still hung a atrip of rope with a noose at one end,- the knavish una of which was only too plainly ob vious, i, 1 . With the knife he still had In his hand, Boyd ran to the couch and slashed off the -bonds confining Vol ney, while Coleman hastened to re move the gag from the mouth of the miserable man, who was In a condition approaching physical collapse. - -The flickering of his eyelids, and ; low moan of distress that issued from his parched and swollen Hps, were about the only outward signs of llfl- "Borne water Jimmle," cried Boyd. "Or, better still, some brandy. .I'll get some at the saloon on the corner. Do' what you can for h ten till I re turn.", - -v. OlV-' "Hurry up, thkn," nodded Coleman. "The poor fellow's nearly done for." Leaving the house by the front door, Boyd dashed at the top of his speed to the saloon mentioned, wheiO he quick ly procured a flask of brandy. He ap peared to have no Interest in any of his observers, of which there wen several; yet his eyes were furtively turned In every" dlri.ctlon, and when ne emerged from tne, saloon ne nur rledly accosted a policeman. "Come out lo yonder cab, wersey, and wait thi;re till I - need you," he cried, without halting. "You know me, I believe." "Very well Mr. Boyd " cried the of ficer, hastening to follow. For Boyd already was a dozen yard away, and presently disappeared Into Volney's house. Hersey halted at the cab, however, and inquired of the driv er: "What's the trouble in thi:re?" "Search me!" said the cabman terse ly. "I'm blessed if I know, yet I reckon it s something to do with a bank robbery down-town. I Just brought up a central office man and the chap you saw. Going in there?", "Not yet. replied Hersey, "I was ordered to wait here." Others were approaching, and pres ently quite a group had gathered on the sidewalk, waiting to learn what had happened. - Boyd, meantime, had given Coleman the brandy, with Instructions to re vive volney a quickly as possible; In st).ad of aiding him, however, he hast ened Into the front room, where for upward of five minutes he peered cau tiously from the window at the gath ering people, YU-t upon hearing Vol ney's voice, he again returned to the library, where he then found the man seated upright on thi couch, obvious ly much restored by Coleman's min istrations. "I'm getting him back on his pins, all right," cried the detective, as Boyd entered. 'Now you can wag your tongue a Iblt beter. old -man, eh? If we hadn't arrived when we did I reck on you'd have gone toes up, sir." Volney, . who was a man approach ing fifty, smiled In ghastly fashion and slowly nodded. , - , "I think so," he hoarsely replied, with an effort. "I've been tied here since early yesterday morning. The devils havle nearly killed me. What about the the bank? Have they-" "Don't delay to question us," inter posed Boyd, taking a seat beside him. "First tell mo what happened here. Time may fee very valuable, Mr. Vol ney, so pull yourself together and give me the main facts as quickly as possi ble. Who did you up In thla scurvy fashion? ' "Thrfca men who broke into "the house Tuesday night," replied .Volney, striving to explain as rapidly as his exhaustion permitted. "Were you alone here?" "Yea My wlfte and daughter are In Troy." ' "Did you know either of the men?" - "No. I was abed and asleep when they entered.'. They overcame and gagged me, then made me partly drem myself and marched me down Hre In to the library. Here they compelled me to write letter to Bunk "Examin er Hammond, for whom I" "We know all about this lettef ." "Good heaven! then the bank has boen " H "Never mind "about the bank." Boyd curtly interrupted. "Tell me Just what occurred htre." . Volney groaned aloud, seeming to appreciate the alarming situation, yet he strove to comply." : "I at first refused to write tt, said he. "Th)?n the ruffians threatened to murder me unless I obeyed, and twice, in order to intimidate me, they hung roe with yonder rope to tho hookln thb celling," . , '.. y- -",. - 11 "Had they told you What you must write?" , - "Yes. at the outset, t soon was con vinced that I must obey, or be brutal ly killed. My meek, as you may see, ja raw from the stretching they gaw "A brutal Job, fndeod."' assented Boyd. ' I don't mltch 'blame you for having yielded.". - "I really had no alternative,"- moan ed Volney. "RathL-r than be cruelly murdered. I decided to -chance that Hammond would, suspect something wrong, or that the contemplated knav ery would be In some way prevented. I could, of course, easily conjecture of what the rascals' designs consisted." "Did Hammond know your family was away, and that you-we re alone here Tuesday n1ght?" ' .. ; ''I so lud Informed him." A bowed Volney "and for that reason I hoped he might distrust the Utter." v .'fWhat occurred after you. had wrlt- ."The scoundrel '" bound tne here, JtiM as you found me, then left the house. , For hours tried to free my self,, that I might summon aid, but the ruffians had guarded well against that . I have bebn here since early yesterday,; morning, and am nearly dead for want of food and water." 1 "You soon hNll have both. Mr. V.il ney," cried Boyd, abruptly rlalngnve will bring the rest or your garment from your chamber, . and thr-n - will properly care for you. Come, Jrmrnle, i j . t .i i.." : v. -, .. . .-. ..;.;0y." - It rt-j;rtI t-tit JVv ww to prr-n.-ire Volney f-r the ii 1;, As thry .t-i.-t--d him out to the eu, to the in tt'Ji.st Interest of pearly ' a cfn of iwaitiRj obst-rvers, Mr. Felix Boyd waved the group aside, crying fchurply while he did eo: ."Make a passage for us .you fel lows; theij' nothing here for any of you. That's all, Hersey; be oft about your busSneas. Sit on the farther seat, Mr. Volney. In with you, Jimmle, and look after hiim sharply, or he may give you the slip. . I'll s" e you later after I've had another look for some clue to these rascals. : Away with you, cabbie, to the police headquarters." Whljj speaking, in tones sufficiently loud to reach the ars of all, he closed the cab door with a- resounding bang. It Is putting it mildly to say that Cole man was surprised, at this abrupt and unexpected turn of affairs.' Before he fairly could recover himself, however, the vehicle was whirling rapidly away, and Felix Boyd had dash.d up the steps and into the Volney house, nois ily closing the door after him. Vs. From that moment his every move was with a decision and despatch that evinced not only the very decision and despatch -that evinced not only the very definite designs by which he from the first had been actuated, but also th tense mental strain under which he had labored. . - . ' First hs sprang; to tho front win dow, to glance again between the cur tain and casing at he" dispersing crowd outside. . Next he darted to a mirror, slipped Into a disguise, turned his reversible sack coat changing it from a dark stripe to a grayish plaid; and then ne dashed down the rear stairs, out of the hQuse, and through the alley, ' from which he -cautiously emerged Into Twenty-eighth - street, precisely two minutes aXter entering Volney's front door. .- He now was after a stinder, dark featured f man in brown who was about crossing Third avenue and heading for the elevated. He was an entire stranger to Boyd, yet the latter already felt tolerably well acquainted with him. When he -went after the brandy, he saw this fellow slinking be hind one of the posts of the elevated, with a furtive but obvious Interest In Voney's house. Next he had seen him In the group on the sidewalk, where he had remained till after Volney's de parture, being one of the last to leave. With no great difficulty, Boyd sha dowed this man a-board an elevated train, and at the end of half-an-hour both - were ncaring that 'precinct which, in the days of the " dead-line, was known as the Five Points, than which there waa hardly a -more despe rate and disreputable quarter of tha city. Boyd'lc quarry, moreover, head ed for the very worst portion of this section, to which a verbal description can scarce do justice. . ; e - ( Such a crowded aggregation of mis erable " buildings ' and disreputable dwellings could not be found In these days. 'Filthy courts and narrow, wind ing alleys abounded. on every side, with dark passageways through adjoining cellars and basements, with treacher ous wooden stairway and crumbling brick walls, through and by means of which a fugitive- from justice and there were hundreds - constantly haunting - this quarter could . pass from house to house for a block or more without "breaking cover.- A stranger in this labyrinth .would havs required a guide. For a crook famil iar with, the locality, it was an ideal field for flight and escape. , , Into one of the narrow courts men tioned -Boyd cautiously followed , his man, and saw him- vanisrr tnto di vergent alley. vUpon reaching the lat ter,, he detected the closing of a, gate some forty feet away. . The man in brown had crossed a foul back yard and entered the cellar of one of the dwellings described. , Sheltered by the wooden fence, Boyd stole to i the gate and peered across the' yard and up at the several windows, at none of which was any Inmate visible. The cellar was entered through a slanting bulkhead door. in th last stages of decay; and Boya quickly decided to hazard detection and cross the narrow yard. Listening, he could hear no sound from within, and he quietly forced the door open and entered. , , - The foul-smelling cellar waa In seml-darknesa and deserted. From some quarter abovu, however, Boyd now could faintly hear the sound of voices evidently those of men in ani mated conversation, Mounting a shaky flight of . stairs he- reached a long dim i?ntry leading Into a side sec tion of the building which appeared to have been once a storehouse of some sort and since turned into a dwelling, such as it was. The voices still sound'?d from above and Boyd quietly stole through the long entry and reached the base-of a second stairway. . There he . briefly paused, grim and frowning, and slip ped his revolver Into his side pocket He was not absolutely certain that his deductions would prove correct not sure that the man he had followed would lead him to the person he sought; and his mission here at this time was chiefly to verify his belief and then seek assistance. The latter was precluded in a way he couicu not an ticipate, however,, and. which evinced the keen discernment of the master knave h- was after,,.:., . ,.,-?:. With the tread, of a- cat, Boyd mounted ths stairs, reaching a second entry, at one end tof which was a clos ed door. Now th voices of two men were plainly audible, one of f which Boyd Instantly recognised as that of scankm the notorious Big Finger. v - As , he crept i nearer the door, the first words that fell upon Boyd's ears both confirmed his shrewd thtorle and thrilled him -wltn the startling crlsi the situation How presented. For the voice was that of Magnus1 8canlon sounding harsh and strained, as if with rising apprehension. "Then Volney waa arrested by Cole- man, not by Boyd?" he waa hurriedly saying. "Didn't Boyd have any hand In it?" .-..- . ..... '"Yes, yes, 'that 'parr of" It was all right," wa the re pry of his compan ion, in tones plainly meant to reas sure the other. 'Boyd sent them both to headquarters. " ' "Didn't he go -with them?' snapped Scanlon. ..... k ' "Sure not! vHe went hack Into the house. He said he wanted to have a look for some clue ' to us coveys who " r - "Stop! Where were you?" "On the sidewalk. ' I'A been hanging (ibout since they first arrived" "Hanging about perdition! were you mad? Clue he hanged! Cen't you see what a chance you've taken?" The last came from Scanlon with a snarl like that oftan angry wolf. Boyd heard him leap np and "ibound to ward the door, and he instantly drew his revolver.. Contrary to- Boyd's ex pectation, however, the door was not opened. Instead, an inner olt was forcibly shot, white the lowered voice of the Big Finger, now thrilled with suppressed passion, was mingled with the sound. " "Cln be ' hanged! he - reiterated. "Why should we have looked there for a clue? You don't know him as I dot He may have been - watching you, watching - for- some sign . that Pcrld'tlont you don't know the tricky hound! By which-way did you, en ter?". . .t - ,4 v , "By the . cellar. - I felt no suspicion- " -"-- - "Suspicion!" he yelled with an oath. "If Boyd who may suspect! He may have seen and shadowed you! Even 1---H f-'-ir-,!" cl-'vl!!" "Gt-t our goods from t'vj :,-j! a - 1 cram them Into this lo ?! V. e t t rnke a change cf q- v.-ft ,nee! Leave none of the stuff b- hind! Look lively, I say! Not that way, you fool, Ufct we run foul of him and the devil knowa whom! Got all of it. eh? You're sure? I?y this door, then, and over the shed. roof tc " , , Bang- crash! - ' . j . Tho door At which the eavesdrocoer had been listening had been hurled from its miserable hinges and dashed Violently to the floor of the room. Mr. Felix Boyd, ,in the crisis con fronting him, had seen, no alternative ; to forcing an entrance,; -The word of both men as well as their hurried movements, were plainly audible to him, and indicated not only that Scan- i Ion had shrewdly hit upon the very scheme by which he had been located, but also realised his Imminent danger and the' need of a Msty ' - departure. That the goods mentioned were, the stolen bank securities; that he was about to , remove them at once and seek- some concealment where .It might be impossible again to locate mm, were so onvious to Boyd that h promptly resolved to tackla the situa tion single-handed. v -k With features grimly set with his revolver drawn, he had stepped hack a few paces, then thrown himself with ail his weight and strength, and with the result mentioned, against the bolt ed? . door. As It fell crashing to the noor, he leaped Into ,the room, shout ing sternly: ; ' "Halt, you fellows!;, I'll shoot the. first who moves! - The man in brown was engaged in securing the straps of a large leather nag on the floor. : ' J Scanlon,. Impatiently :wadtihg,; with his hard features grown white and drawn, with a hideous vision of the gallows suddenly risen in his mind th death penalty that Inevitably must follow nis arrest Scanlon stood on the threshold of an open door leading to an adjoining room.' Blind to the fact that the Intruder was alone, fear ful that the house was at that mo ment surrounded, feeling that it was a well to be shot as, hanged, the des perate scoundrel obeyed his first Im pulse." With a quick, backward leap into the next room, he darten toward one of the closed windows. i Bangt . - v. - c Boyd's weapon rang like thunder through the dismal place, and a veil of smoke quAckly filled the room. . He saw, : as a sprang after the fleeing man, a gush of red blood over Scan lon' face and neck, from a furrow plowed by the fball through the rob ber cheek. itt -? Yet Scanlon did not pause' for an Instant With utter desperation, he hurled himself through one t of the closed windows, landed amid a shower of broken glass and splintered sashes on the roof jot a shed outside, from which he leaped full twenty feet to a narrow court adjoining, and through which .he'fied as if ten thousand fiends were after him. .-.'V:-- Boyd started to follow, . then ab ruptly turned back. The man In brown had caught up the leather bag and was heading for the opposite door, that toy which Boyd had entered. Then the spiteful crack of the tatter's weap on, and the whis of a bullet within an Inch of the crook's ear, brought him to a sudd-en halt. i-:i,..;- ''You do what I command, my man, or the next ball will lodge In your rascally head," Boyd sternly cried, as he strode nearer. "Drop that bag, and throw up your hands. Look live. y!" - :- - h "Lively It Is; mister, since th Jig seems to be up," was the reply, with a villainous leer. -But don't .. shoot again. I don't fancy tha song of an ounce of lead coming my way,'? v 'You'll fancy tho next one, less, it you invite it," Boyd sternly answered, as he caught up the bag. Wow march down and out y the way you entered. Eyes front, you rascal! A turn to right or left -win cost you ybur life. Hand up, I say! Now march!" ' y In another five minutes,' amid the stir of the city street the man' m brown was In the custody of man in blue.'1 " i:, In twenty .mdnutes, Just at the close of business hours. Mr. Felix Bovd again ' entered the directors' room of the - . National Bank, still a scene of - consternation and confusion;' for Jimmle Coleman had arrived but five minutes before, with th startling story of -Volney; discovery; disclos ures, and arrest.. .;;':,.. ;; .!-.:'".;.:..,,-;..;: Naturally, however, when Boyd en tered the room every ye was quickly turned upon Win. With an odd emilo on his strong, clean-cut face, he placed th leather bag on the direc tors' table- and began to. urstrplLi v "Welle well, gentlemen, any new de velopments?" - he x glibly remarked with a fleetdng glanc at Hammond and the several bank officials. "I in f er. that Jimmle yonder, ba told you how we landed your expert account ant Mr. Hammond. A bad mes he's In,; too, I imagine. . Stilt I hope to have helped you out after a fashion. I can't say just how much of the stol en stun ia in this-bag, -but I hope - Ah! yes, most of it, surely! Capital work for two short hours, eh? Con gratulate me, Hammond!" ! , , Amid startled cries from' all sides Boyd had dumped the contents of the bag 6n the table nearly half a million in cash and bonds and stock certifi cate. With his last remarks, how ever, his left hand glided under his coat, while his right waa extended with a smile toward the amazed hank examiner. - v . n . nuininunu, aumioundeo, with a countenance words could not describe, involuntarily accepted Boyd prof fered hand. Then h suddenly heard the clink of steel, and caurht th gleam of a pair of handcuff oearing am wruti. wun me yen of one sud denly Irensled. ha tore himself frM. leaped back a few paces, snatched out a revolver irom his pocket and clap ped t miuala. to his brow, Boyd sprang at hlm like a stag hound at a' deer, however, and the crash of both nin to the floor was mingled with the ringing report of the weapon, and the noise of a wasted bul let tearing through the celling. . "Quiet, my man!" oyd sternly cuiiwiaoueu. - -in-ere nothing in sui ciae. Let go your toy- Here, lend nana. Jimmiej , kow you have hwn the Iron first, old chap! There you are, Mr.' Hammond, as fast as steel can make you. Now have a chair and be calm. You should have known at the outset that he who dances must pay tne piper.- s ' , . , .',.' tWhy, ' Hammond. Jftmmtn. rathsr than any other?" queried Mr. . Felix uoya, as the two sat In his Pine street office an hour latere "Well, . Jimmle. It looked to me like Hammond from the outset . . - . . . ,i i "But why?" growled Coleman, sas lngff perplexedly through a cloud of cigar amok. 'Tm blessed If I once thought of him." - ' ' "Tllitell you why," smiled Boyd, re moving his pipe from his mouth. "To begin with, Jimmle, he plainly aimed to turn suspicion upon Volney, the missing accountant. For several rea son.! however, I soon decided that Volney would not have taken chances of successfully pulling off - such a crime; ' He could not have been sure that Hammond would employ strand ger for such important work, mrely upon the recommemtatl-in of an In troductory letter, Furthermore, the t ; ! 1 f ..... 1 ) I ! I t l.-j . ; n' 1 ! i i " . !!, there's t a '. fitted Coleman. -hirj In t: "Ho from the beginning," continued Boyd, "I puspected Hammond h In1 "elf of being Scanlon's confederate. This was indicated by the fact that i he so readily employed Moseley, and assign- ed him the work or examining Cse bank securities, thus enabling him to remove some and leave worthless sub stitutes for a temporary blind. Despite- that precaution, however, , th fraud was accidentally discovered sooner than the rascals expected1, and If the bank officials :ad kept quiet in stead of spreading the news so qulc-i ly, they might easily have arrested ad three examiner when they returned . from lunch. As it was, however, Scan lon . got wind ' of ths danger and promptly vanished." ' ' 4 "I now begin to see the point," nod- : ded tha central office man. "Yet you ' got after Volney first of alt-- "Certainly, Jimmle." laughed 'Boyd, with a Joss of his head.. "Aa soon as t nxea upon Hammond-tor my man, 1 and saw that Volney' letter had been , - ' written at home. I decided that ha v , oronablv-rftlvn nn irint Triun . Troy, but still was at his house and in ', about the' shape we found . him. The scheme the rascals were working, as- -Burning. that Hammond knew Volney was to oe - at home aione Tuesday , . night, at qnc.9 appealed to me and led me to act upon the possibilities pre- -sented." 1 ' , - 1 Y'Namelyr - "I reasoned tha Scanlon wduld an- tidpate an early vlsdt of the detectives ? . to Volney's house,' and that aoine spy ' in his employ would be watching the v. - same la order to learn what was done . there, whether Volney waa suspect- ea ana piacea unar arrest.- in case i could discover such a spy, I foresaw that 1 could possibly shadow him to - Scanlon's concealment and at least re- -cover a part of the stolen- property. So I reassured Hammond by appear- lng much exerted over the hopeles,- -prospect the case presented, thus in- : surlng that he would not resort t ' night before I could get In my work. : : and I then bolted with you tip to Vol- , ney's house to try to locate same chap i ,? worthy of my suspicion X had no N great trouble in doing o, Jlnvmle." -"I should say not", laughed Cole-; man. t - ,''"".-;. "Had I failed in that however. X . still had another resource that of ' shadowing Hammond- until I could : , . track him to a rendeivous - with hla - confederates. - I'm not so sure JJut that would have been the better plan. Jim- ' mie. since Scanlon succeeded injrlx lng tne the slip. I was fairly forced - i into tn last moves, nowever, ana ww compelled to let him go, or lose th 1 plunder. I could not suffer that, you : wtt 1 bnriiiv : brawled Coleman. ' '.Jet you marked him wlth'ev bullet. ., I think you said." " - - Boyd's eyes took on again' that curl- Jf, ous, subtle gleam.- ', . Mm t". ' o(fl fin ulnwlV. Jimml. I marked him. - So well . that within' another month I shall ' ' land rum oeniaa me Dr. - ; "Humph! That sounds rood, Fe lix." , .. , i Becalilng their past experiences with the-BJg Finger, the central office man smiled doubtfully, by -no mean -dreamlng that Mr. Felix Boyd had de clared -what waa destined to prove tha? . . trutn. , , t , -( . a Wext eek "Th Man In Disguise;") AGBaCBMENT WITH GEIDIANY, , ' Reasons for Thinking Tariff pact Fa- vorabie to Tnl uonniry. John B. Osborne, In Harper's Week ly. , ' ' , i No commercial arrangement be; . TTnito.1 KtatM . and a for - elgn country has ever been concluded that has, in equal time, excuea wiaer Interest and more general discussion; m th nr And among -business men - conoerned with' tarilt question than Germany, which went Into effect on jniw i rtt this vear bv : virtue of President ' Roosevelt's proclamation issued on Jurrs 1st xnis agreement ; has aroused no little opposition on, me pan oi Ainernnu iimuum"-- v who fear that tha modifications mad In the United States , customs regu- ( cessions lo Germany will Imperil their ' . Interests in the home market' , . From ajLAfionomlo, as well as fiscal, , , .':, point of view, - ft would seemFthat tha :;. istmmnt lit more favorable to ' rS.uu.ll. MLm .... t V --'" " . ... the-United States than to Germany -: that Is, regarding it as a commercial bargain; and that after- all, 1 pre- ',; ,-. iui ntmt : evsrv ' arranrement of : commercial reciprocity amounts to. Treating the matter, then, as a "bar gain,'?, this is what we find:' AmerH . , can food representing 98 per cent, , Of our total exportation to Germany continue to enjoy in tnat country the treatment of the most favored ,. natinn.. whether this be fre entrv or the lowest rates of duty accorded ,to . the like product of any otner coun try.. On the other hand, the German - products that participate In tho bene fit of the reductions of duty, granted . -by ' the agreement amount to only. - 11,81.000, or only j. per cent.' or" ,, cur total Importation from Germany in the fiscal year 1108, - . A" DIVIDED WAtL STREET, . Not All Financial New fork Snllenly - Antagonising Roosevelt , Policies. j Wall Street Journal ; -- It Is hot true , that Wall . Street is standing In- united, stubborn, and sullen opposition to. Roosevelt and, his policy of reform of corporate) abuses. A large and powerful rac tlon in Wall Street is so opposed. It Should not be taken - for granted.: however,-that all who belong to this faction - are among the class of those who 'have violated law and abused sacred trusts. There are many who, oppose the President from sincere motives, believing that- In striking the abuses of wealth, be . is also, 1 strlklna at wealth itself, and ..in.,mlfitn - n rights of private property. , , But there ' Is "another faction in" Wall Street which believes that the President's policy Is right and that. In order to restore confidence -" In Wall Street and Wall Street' se- curltles, it Is necessary to clean out" the abuses altogether, and to cs operate with the , President In the establishment of, reasonable gov ernment control. ,. , v .. . - . A striking proof that Wall- Street -Is divided on this subject is afforded . by the circular Just Issued by John H. Davis Y Co., and understood to have . been written by dward D. ' Jones. This Is a powerful argument In favor of co-operation between the . financial leaders, the press and the government In the establishment of - reasonable regulation by which cor porate abuses shall be swept away, property right - upheld and eonfl- dence restored " tn American . socurt-""" ties; - This is practically the doctrine " which The Wall Street Journal has been preaching for years. sKtL
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 13, 1907, edition 1
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