oomjwr isaf Johnston.
Illusbaticwby YJJSaroa
m
SYNOPSIS.
Harding K>nt calls on Louisa Farrlsh to
propose marriage' and finds the house In
l"*l excitement ovsr the attempted sui
cide of her sister Katharine. Kent starts
an Investigation and finds that Hugh
Crandsll, suitor for Katharine, who had
been forbidden ths house by General Far
rtsh. had Ulksd with Katharine ovsr ths
telephone just before she shot hsrself.
A torn piece of yellow paper Is found,
at sight of which OensrsJ Farrtsh Is
stricksn with paralysis. Ksnt dlscovsrs
that Crandall has left town hurriedly.
Andrew Riser, an aged banker, commits
suicide about the same time as Katharine
attempted her life. A yellow envelope is
found In Riser's room. Poet Office In
spector Davis. Ksnt's friend, takes up
the case. Kent Is convinced that Cran
dall Is at the bottom of the mystery.
Katharine's strange outcry pusslss ths
dettortlves. Kent and Davis search Cran
l all's room and find an address. Lock
Bo* 17, Ardway, N. J. Kent goes to Ard
way to Investigate and becomes suspi
cious of a "Henry Cook." A woman
commits suldds at the Ardway Hotel. A
yellow letter also figures In this ease.
Kent calls Louts* .pn the long distance
telephone and finds that she had Just been
called by Crandall from the same booth.
"Cook" disappears. The Ardway post
master Is missing. Inspector Davis ar
rives at AMway and takes up Inves
tigation. He discovers that ths dead
woman Is Sarah Sacket of Bridgeport.
Louise telephones Kent Imploring him to
drop the Investigation. Kent returns to
New Tork to get an explanation from
Louise. He finds the body of a woman In
Central Park and more yellow letters.
He sees Crandall. whom he recognises as
"Cook." enter the Farrlan home. Louise
again Imnlores Kent to drop the Investi
gation and rsfuses to give any explana
tion. Later Kent sses Crandall and Louise
In an automobile. Kent returns to Ard
way. Davis announce# that hs n*
planned to arrest ths missing nostmaster
and also the master criminal. While seek
ing ths criminals. Ksnt comes across
T-outse and Crandall. Pursued by Davis
ths postmaster jumps off s preclplos and
Is killed. Aleck Toung. the master crim
inal. is found In a hut in a morphine
stupor. Louise tells Kent that she and
Crandall had come to get papers from
Toung which gave him a strange hold
over General Farrlsh. It Is shown that
Crandall's only Interest in the case was
to help Katharine recover her father's
papers. Toung Is shackled and bound,
with morphine Just out of his reach. In
tn attempt to m&ke him confaaa and give
tip ttia papers.
.. CHAPTER XV.—(Continued.)
"If you had seen the name of An
drew Elser In It," said Davla. "would
——you not have examined ttf
"Was his mm* there?"
"Yes, and also the names of the
Bridgeport victim and Dora Hastings
and Henry Eberle. It was Young or
Rouser who sent out the yellow let
ters and checked the list, using Just
plain, ordinary shorthand for such
words as 'Sent,' 'ArfNrered,' 'Fire
Thousand.' Fortunately, the list
shows that while more than five hun
dred letters were sent out. hardly a
« dosen had brought responses, and in
only three cases had mohey been re
ceived."
"Was General Farrish's name on
toe list"
"No," answered Davis sleepily, "but
I hardly expected to find It there."
"And the letters sent out." I per
sisted, "were they the yellow let
ters?"
"Of course."
"What was In them?"
"That's Just what I've got to find out
rrom Young," said Davis, and In an
other minute he was fast asleep.
As I saw Davis lying there a new
thought came to me. If he could ex
tract the information he wanted from
Young, what was to hinder me from
doing It Surely our prisoner by now
had seen the hopelessness of his posi
tion and would be ready to talk. At
least there would be no harm „In try
ing.
I entered the room where Young
waa, and, approaching his couch, laid
ray hand on his shoulder, he had been
lying there with his eyes closed, and
the mere touch of my hand so jolted
his shattered nerves that his whole
body bounded to the limit of his
bonds. His tightened Hps showed how
difficult It was for him to suppress a
scream.
"Look here. Young," said I, "I've
corns to you as a friend to tell you
Just bow the land lies. Rouser Is dead
and the Inspector has possession of
all bis papers. He knows everything
about the yellow letters."
An evil smile was Young's only an
swer—the cunning leer of the man
who scents a trick.
"There are stacks and stacks of
evidence against you. We have the
list of people to whom Rouser sent
letters.**
"Damn your evidence!" he sneered.
"You may have evidence against tha*
fool Rouser, but you've nothing on
ate. If the Inspector, as you call him,
had evidence enough to convict me,
do you suppose he'd have me tied up
here He hasn't a bit of evidence
' against me. He never will have.
Reach me that medicine."
He Jerked his head *ln the direction
of the morphine that lay so tantalis
ing near. There was something in
his voice, some Indefinable power of
persuasiveness that almost Influenced
me to do what he asked. Involun
r- tartly my hand went out to the bottle
eentalnlng the solution, but I caught
myself in time.
"Go on, hand It to me." he begged.
"Can't you see how I need It? Give
it to me and I*ll tan you anything yon
want to know."
"Tell me Arsrt," said I, "and you
«m have it"
"I cant talk, I. can't think," be
cried, "till I get It. You can see for
yourself how shaky I am."
I could see for myself that he was
suffering the torture of the damned.
Every muscle In his body seemed to
be Jerking Involuntarily, doubling It
self Into little hungry knots that
Joined his aching nerves In the shrill
clamor for morphine—morphine.
"Give me Just one dose," he plead
ed, "and I'U tell you anything, every
thing you want to know. I'll die If
I dont get It"
So pitiable was his condition that
I found myself sympathising with
him In spits of myself. My eyas fol
lowed his glance to the chair near the
couch, where, beside the hypodermic
syringe and the morphine, Davis, as
if to accentuate the torture of his
fetters, had placed the key that un
locked them. I would not have known
how to administer the morphine, even
it I had wished to do so, and besldey,
I had a strong aversion to drugging
a fellow-man, but as I saw the key
there, I thought of a solution.
"If I unlock the fetters on your
arms," said I, "so that you can reach
the morphine, will you promise me to
answer my question?"
'Til promise on my word of honor
to answer every question you ask,"
he replied, an eager light coming In
to his eyes.
"1 swear it—on my mother's honor."
Thinking how amased Davis would
be when he awoke to learn that I had
the prlaoner's full confession, I reach
ed for the key. Young turned over as
far as hs could to permit ma to un
lock the fetters.
Then, quick as lightning, as the
steel fell sway from his wrists, his
hands shot out and clutched my neck
with maniac strength. I felt my eyes
bulge, my lungs fill to bursting. I
put forth my hands to try to shake
off his grip, but I felt my strength fast
falling.
Athletically inclined though I have
alwaya been, and matched though I
was against a drug-weakened wretch'
with fettered feet, I found myself no
equil for his maniacal desperation.
Back and forth over the couch we
swayed in a silent death-struggle, my
cut-off breath all the while pounding
unpurlfled through my bursting lungs,
my brain turning weak, and my sight
growing dim. I was beaten. I knew
I could hold out but a few seconds
I Fait My Ey«a Bulge, My Lungs Fill to Bursting.
longer. Inw nothing ahead of me
but death—strangled to death by a
drug fiend. «■
There passed through my mind In
my struggles a vivid picture at what
was about to happen. Toung would
silently cboke me to death. Silently
he would hobble with his fettered feet
to where Davis lay la the lean-to
sound asleep and brain him with a
blow. He would caafoff his fetters and
long before the constable would re
turn to find our bodies would make
his escape on Rouaer'a bicycle. The
mystery of the yellow letters never
would be explained. Poor Louise—
„ Young's hands fall from my throat
and I staggered back gasping for
breath. I thought at first that the
■train had been too much tor hla drug- i
racked body, but soon I saw what i
had happened. Hla muaolea had not
weakened, but hla will. Standing '
over htm waa Davla with a revolver i
pointed at hla Even before I ]
had recovered myself Davla had the
fetters readjusted and the rope passed i
through them. j
Our Uvea were aaved. The mystery
telght yet be solved. despite my foot- I
hardiness. ... :
Aa soon aa my aching throat would :
permit me to apeak I began making :
abject apologies for my foolhardy con
duct and trying to express my thanks, ;
but be would not llaten to me.
"I gueaa you'll guard him aafely
enough now," he aald, and one* mora
waa faat aaleep.
With aometblng of the feeling ot a
, chastised school-boy who knowa be
f deaerved far more than he got, I aat
down beside the couch and for four
i long houra watched tbe struggles and
, heard the curaea and listened to the
> entreaties of the drug-mad prisoner.
But now I had no aympathy left for
t him.
1
CHAPTER XVI.
The Forty-Ninth Hour,
f Two days—two unforgetable daya—
we passed there in the hut, Davla and
I and our aelf-tortured prisoner. Each
day the constable came and went, the
firat day to tell ua that the Inspector's
plan for disposing of the postmaster's
body had been aucceaaful and that no
auaplclon had been arouaed. The aec
ond day a pleaaanter mission brought
htm to deliver telegrams from Cran
dall and Loulae that all waa weft,
that the general waa alowly Improv
ing and that Katharine waa recover
Ing rapidly.
And all the while Young lay there
bound, defying ua, now cursing, now
pleading, now In brilliant phrases
striving to convince ua by logical ar
gumenta ao deft, ao forceful, ao cun
ning that a weaker and less wise man
than Davla might have been con
vinced by them.
Hla logic falling he would turn to
merclleaa invective and ribald threata,
hia penetrating voice making the
whole hut bideoua aa ha prophesied
for ua both grotesque horrible deaths,
brain-breaking punishments in thla
world and tbe next. Then, overcome
once more by the Intenalty of hla un
satisfied dealre for the drug that had
long been his maater, he would moan
and plead and weep for morphine.
At tlmea delusions would seise hia
. brain. By the hour he would rave of
beautiful cities and wonderfully fair
women and pleasant pastimes. 'Ma
jestic lines of poetry would flow from
his fevered lipa, to end In a shriek of
agony aa hla Quivering, knotted mui
clea all but tore hla nervea apart.
• Again tbe weird morphine fantaaiea
would take bold of him and a rush of
horrible groteaque rlbaldrlea would
foul the air.
But after forty-eight houra of this
terrible torture nature would be put
off no longer. She demanded rest.
Young had aunk into a troubled, un
eaay aleep about aeven In the morn
ing. Davla and I, having spelled each
other as guards during the night, sat
talking about otlr prisoner. I hap
pened to remark that It was a pity
that capital punishment could not re
more such criminals as Young from
the earth. The Inspector, in spite of
the rigorous way he had kept up the
torture, seemed to have strong sym
pathy for Young.
• "I don't beltere in capital punish
ment at all," be said explosively. "Our
whole system is wrong. It took us a
good many centuries to dlsooVer that
insane persons didn't need prisons,
but doctoring. They Just cant help
being criminals. Stand behind a line
of prisoners as they march In o
breakfast la the penitentiary. Not
one ot them «fll nave a Loii&ti >«ad
to that their fault? It la the fault of
society. It'a our faulty
There waa a atir on the couch and
Young opened hla eyea. Tbe fire ot
tbe drug-madness and the look of
hate seemed to have vaniahed.
"I give up," he aald. "I cant stand
the strain any longer. I'll tell you
janythtng you want to know."
He spoke quietly and calmly. Yet
there waa aomethlng In hla voice that
rang true. I. felt that thla time he
meant what he aald. Apparently
Davla, too, realfm* that at last
Young's apirlt waa broken. Without
healtatlon, he seised the hypodermic
"Take Charge of Tliese «nd GlveTh««*i
to Mlaa Loulae or Miss Katharine**
syringe and plunged It Into Young*a
arm. The prlaoner breathed a long
aigh of relief. The color came back
Into his face and strength to his
voice. His muscles stopped twitch
lng.
"Now," said Davis gently, "where
are the yellow letters hid?"
"In a tin-box under a flat atone near
the spring," Young replied.
"Which stone?"
"It's the third from the spring com
ing this way."
Davla was up like a shot and out
the door, reappearing quickly with ah
ordinary document box.
"And the FarrUh papers—where are
they?" he asked sharply.
"They are in the box, too," said
Young wearily. "May I have anotb
er shot?"
Davis atudled hla faoe and felt bla
pulso and then reached for the
syringe.
"Where'a the key?" he asked aa he
finished adinlntataring the morphine.
"In my left trousers' pocket,*
Young answered apathetically.
Quickly Davla possessed himself ot
the key and opened the box. In the
top tray were perhaps fifty letters,
type-written on yellow paper, with a
blank left for the name to be filled In.
Without stopping to read the letters,
which seemed to be all after the same
form, Davis lifted the tray. In the
bottom of the box waa a type-writ
ten Hat of namea and a bulky sealed
legal envelope, marked on the out
side "Papers In the Farrlab case."
"Hare, Kent." said Davis, handing
me tbe envelope, "take chargf of
theae and give them to Miss Louise
or Mlaa Katharine. You're entitled
to that."
Joyfully I stowed the envelope in
my breast pocket, my heart bounding
at the thought of the relief the sight
of the package would bring to the
Farrlab family. But as yet the whole
affair was a blind puzzle to me and
I waited eagerly for further develop
ments.
"Now, Young," said the Inspector,
"tell me all about your scheme."
"If the damn thieves hadn't bees
such cowards as to go and kill them
selves," said Young with a glow ol
enthusiasm, "I would have been a mil
llonaire within a year. Read one ol
the letters and you can see for your
self just how good the scheme was."
Lifting the topmost sheet the Id
spector read the yellow letter aloud i
Lock Box 17.
Ardway, N. J., Feb. 8, I#lo.
Dear 8lr:
I am writing to you In pursuance of
my duty as executor of the late HMwla
Green, who died here recently, leaving
hla entire estate, amounting to som«
SBXO,OOO, In my hands for what ha waa
pleased to term a "Defaulters' Fund."
I can best explain Its purpose by briefly
summarizing the founder's life. In his
early youth Mr Green was employed for
a short time In a bank In a small city In
another state. Becoming Involved la
speculation he used several hundred dol
lars of the bank's fund*. He had no rela
tives but a sister, .to whom he knew I'
waa useless to apply for aid. As dl»
covery seemed Inevitable he was con
templating suicide, seeing nothing bull
prison and disgrace ahead of him. Bit
an old friend of his tether, who entirety
by accident learned of hla plight, ad
vanced him the money he needed to maki
good his defalcation, exacting from him
a promise that he would help others la
similar plight whenever he had oppor
tunlty.
His subsequent life was of the hlglvaed
recltltude. Though he amassed a fortunn
he never found opportunity to aid any
one In a plight similar to lbs one !•
which he once four.d himself. It became
almost a mania with him and resulted l«!
hla leaving his entire fortune to aid ftrat
offenders In turning back Into the right
path.
I know of no way of reaching the per
sons he intended to aid. I am sending
out thla letter to persons employed la
banka and posltlona of truat, hoping tha4
you or others who receive It may know
of aome man, young or old, who has
made the first misstep and la wrongfully
using funds belonging to others, but la
dealroua of making good his peculations,
If you ehould know of any auch I wIU
gladly make good hia defalcation and eo>
deavor to save him from exposure, die*
grace and Imprisonment, aaking only hig
word that he will not err again, for Mr.
Oreen, in the deed of truat, expressly
specifies that thla ia ths only security M
be exacted. I am. air.
Very truly yours,
HENRY MALCOLM BTEWAB*
(TO BE coMTnnnat'
FREIGHT MIES
MUST BE ADJUSTED
GOV. CRAIG AND MEMBERS OF
COMMISSION ATTEND CHAR
LOTTE CONFERENCE.
MEETING OF MUCH INTEREST
—-— L ;
Strong Declarations Made For Ellmli^
\
atlon of Abuses Against North Car
olina Towns.—Eloquent Address by
Governor Craig.
Charlotte. —"We have put our hands
td the plough; we have pledged the
people of the state of North Carolina
relief from unjust and discriminatory
freight rates; we have said to the rail
roads that we intend to settle the
great issue on a basis of Justice and
equality and I for one firmly believe
that we are about to secure It anf
that the question now is rather one of
arithmetical calculations- than any
thing else,"
Thus spoke Governor Locke Craig
at the conclusion of one of the most
Important conferences ever held In
the state, that for the purpose of re
viewing the freight rate situation as
It effects the Carolina territory which
was held In this city under the Joint
auspices of the Charlotte Shippers and
Manufacturers' Association and the
Greater Charlotte Club. There were
present, aside from Governor Craig,
the members of the freight rate com
mission, consisting of Chairman E. J.
Justice of Greensboro, Judge W. B
Council of Hickory and Mr. N. B.
Broughton of Raleigh, Mr. C. W. Hill
man of Louisville, Ky., a noted rate
expert employed by the state to assist
the commission and Messrs. J. C. For
rester, traffic expert and secretary of
the Greensboro chamber of commerce
and Mr. J. T. Ryan, representing the
Southern Furniture Manufacturers' As
sociation of High Point.
' The day's activities consisted of a
conference In the afternoon In the as
sembly room of the Selwyn at which
time leading local shippers cited indl
vidual and specific instances of dis
crimination as practiced aganst Caro
lina points in favor of Virginia cities;
a banquet in the evening from 6:30 un
til 8:30 given by the Charlotte Ship
pers and Manufacturers' Association
and the Greater Charlotte Club in
honor of the distinguished visitors and
a few Invited guests; a smoker from
8:30 until 9:30 in the parlors of the
Selwyn assembly hall from 9:30 until
11 which was participated In by Chair
man Justice, Judge Council, Mr.
Broughton and Governor Craig, the
latter concluding the evening exer
clses with one of the most eloquent
and effective addresses ever deliver
ed In the city.
Farmers to Try Tort-ens Bystem.
The Wake county farmers are going
to try the Torrens system of register
ing land titles, and took action through
Wake county union. The recent gen
eral assembly passed a law, which
gave to all farmers the right to em
ploy this system If they choose. Its
particular merit its that under the sys
tem, farming lands, which are unsur
passed as collateral, may be used by
both state and national banks as se
curity for money loaned.
North Carolina New Enterprises.
The Harmon Engineering Co. of
Charlotte, ia chartered with SII,OOO
capital authorized SI,BOO subscribed
C. C. Harmon, Paul V. Harmon, of
Charlotte and L. Robblns of Concord.
Another charter Is for The Holly
Lakes Hill Co., of Tryon, Polk county,
capital $50,000 authorized and SIO,OOO
subscribed by Emmie Payne Ersklne,
No Bentlment As To Apportionments.
Governor Craig did not make any
statement as to the judgeship ap
pointment for the new district em
bracing Mecklenburg and Cabarrus
county while in Charlotte. He stated,
however, that he expected to make the
appointment soon. Mr. Charles H. Dulo
and Mr. J. W. Keerans are the two
candidates for the place.
Collectorship Contest la On.
The status of the collectorship con
test .In the western district has taken
a peculiar turn within the last week.
Dr. Henry Q. Alexander, who is very
popular with the farmers of the state
would like to succeed Collector George
H. Brown. He lives In Providence
township, Mecklenburg county. A. D.
Watts, of Iredell; Garland E. Webb,
r'orsyth; Samuel L. Rogers, of Macon,
W. C. Dowd and Henry Q. Alexander,
of Mecklenburg; A. H. Boyden, of Sal
isbury, are being considered for the
position.
North Carolina Is Third.
Commissioner of Agriculture W. A.
Graham calls attention tp the fact that
the government crop bulletin Just 11-
sed shows North Carolina to be the
third among the Southern states with
respect to the value of agricultural
products, Texas and Georgia, being tbe
the two Southern states that are lead
ing North Carolina. Also the report
shows that within three years North
Carolina has climbed from nineteenth
place to fifteenth among the states of
the entire union with respect to the
value of farm products.
MAY AGREE ON DIRECTORATE
Cas* of the State Hospital Director*
Will Hardly Reach Supreme
Court.
Raleigh.—Though the directors of
the state hospital could not agree on
the right of A x B. Croom, of Burway,
to supplant R. H. Saulsbury of Martin
as a director, it developed that the
case will hardly get to the supreme
court.
The story was told that Mr. Croom
had been appointed by Governor Craig
to succeed Mr. Saulabury aa one of
the nine directors of the hospital. The
senate had confirmed him. Mr. Sauls
bury had been appointed by Governor
Kttchin last summer. Governor Craig
appointed Mr. Croom because the
state's interpretation of the law. was
that Mr. Sauisbury's service expired
wkh the convening of the legislature.
Strong argument against this view was
found in the law by Judge J. S. Man
ning. Lawyers declared it very diffi
cult to say who holdß the place. The
recess appointment does not require
sanction of the senate. It does not
And full term service blocked by any
other law and Judge Manning thinks
Mr. Saulsbury Is the real director.
Wtth this in the air, the directors
would not proceed to the election of
a superintendent to succeed Dr. L. J.
Picot. It Is pretty well conceded that
Dr. Albert Anderson had a majority
of the board under any condlton. No
name was offered for a vote, however.
The paper may have intimated such
a thing but did not mean to leave that
Impression. There was not even a
permanent organization because the
personnel of the board was not deter
mined fully.
Presbytery Closes Sessjon
Mecklenburg presbytery completed
Its work at Albemarle. The last ses
sion was a very Interesting one. Dr.
Byron Clark of Salisbury preached
an excellent Bermon to a crowded
house, after which Rev. L. D. Shipley
was installed as pastor of Albemarle
Presbyterian church. The charge to
Rev. Shipley was delivered by Rev. H.
M. Pressly of Charlotte and the charge
to the congregratlon was made by Dr.
A. R. Shaw of Charlotte. Dr. J. L.Cald
well was then hoard In behalf of the
Presbyterian College, or Queen's Col
lege, as It will be known hereafter.
Mecklenburg Teachers' Meeting.
Comprehensive plans have been
tnade for a meeting of the teachers,
school committeemen, and patrons of
the county schools at the court house,
Saturday, April 19. Captain Anderson
has secured for speakers on this oc
casion Miss Jessie Kleld, formerly
county superintendent, Page county,
lowa, at present secretary of the ru
ral Y| W. C. A. work In the United
States. Dr. W. J. Martin, president of
Davidson College will also Bpeak. Doc
tor Martin is very much interested
not only in college work but also In
preparatory schools. He is a physician
as well as an educator. His breadth of
training and experience give him
power as a speaker. Not only for this
reason, but also as a son of Mecklen
burg county he will be heard gladly.
Hookworm Campaign In Btate.
R. O. Celf, clerk of the state sen
ate, has been engaged by Dr. John A.
Farrall as "advance agent" for the
hookworm eradication work in this
state, his entire time to be devoted
to this work. He will go into counties
where work is to be done, and pre
pare the way by advertising the time
and place of administering treatments,
making all arrangements for the com
ing of the physicians who are doing
this work for the department. He has
gone into Perqukne.ns county for his
first work of this kind. Campaign
work of this sort has been carried on
in 65 counties, and si* others have
made provisions for It. Five counties
have provided for a second round of
campaign work. The work is under
way now In Mecklenburg,, Forsyth,
Perquimans and Beaufort counties.
To Address Secretaries' Association.
A. W. McKean, secretary of the
Southern Commercial Secretaries* As
sociation, has notified J. H. Warbur
ton of Salisbury, that he has been
designated to address that body at its
annual meeting In Charlotte June 5 to
7, on "How to Secure New Industries
and How Not to Secure Them."
State Sunday Bchool Convention,
The North Carolina Sunday School
Association will meet in Greensboro
April 22-24. This will be a convention
of the Sunday school workers of the
state at which conferences will be held
on the various departments of Sunday
s. hool work. The conference will be
held by specialists in the various lines.
In addition to this there will be de
nominational conferences conducted
by denominational Sunday school lead
ers. Delegations will represent the va
rious associations and the schools and
colleges. *
Trust Company President Arrested.
President B. H. Smith of the Slate
Trust Company of Wilmington was ar
rested In Birmingham, Ala., according
to official information received by the
corporation commission and Attorney
General Blckett, and a requisition was
forthwith issued by Governor Craig
on the governor of Alabama for the ex
tradition of this much wanted head
of the get-rich-quick banking scheme
that has "trimmed" business men In a
number of small towns of tlie state,
and would probably have fleeced many
more.
■&'' 1 ' 4 ..-i-iV- 'V. _■ '. 'L,' ■ ■ rtlfSw