Newspapers / The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.) / April 25, 1913, edition 1 / Page 3
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ODF/RfSHT 1921 Johnston Illustrations b/ YlZaroes SYNOPSIS. Harding Kent calls on Louise Farrish to propose marriage and flnda the house In great excitement over the attempted sul etde of her slater Katharine. Kent starts an Inveetlgatlon and finds that Hugh Crandall, suitor for Katharine, who had seen forbidden the house by General Far rish. had talked with Katharine over the telephone Just before shs shot herself. A torn piece of yellow paper Is found, at eight of which General Farrish la stricken with paralysis. Kent discovers that Crandall has left town hurriedly. Andrew Elser, an aged banker, commits •ulclde about the same time as Katharine attempted her life. A yellow envelope is found In Riser's room. Post Office In spector Davis. Kent's friend, takes up tne case. Kent Is convinced that Tran dall Is at the bottom of the mystery. Katharine's strange outcry puasles the Sstectlves. Kent and Davis search Cran flall's room and And an addreaa. Lock Bos IT, Ardway. N. 3. Kent goes to Ard way to Investigate and becomea suspi cious of a "Henry Cook." A woman eommlts suicide at the Ardway Hotel. A Cillow letter alao figures In this case, ent calls tioulsa on the long distance telephone and finds that she had Just been sailed by Crandall from the same booth. "Cook" disappears. The Ardway post master Is missing. Inspeotor Davis ar rives at Ardway and takes up inves tigation. He discovers that the dead woman Is Sarah Backet of Bridgeport txmlse telephones Kent imploring him to flrop the investigation. Kent returns to New York to get an explanation from Louise. He finds the body of a woman In e intra) Park and more Tallow letters, e sees Crandall. whom he recognlsss as "Cook," enter the Farrish home. .Louise again Implores Kent to drop the Investi gation *nd refuaes to give any explana tion. Later Kent seee Crandall and Louise In an automobile. Kent returns to Ard way. Davis announces that ne has planned to arrest the mlMlng postmaster and also the master criminal, while seek ing the criminals. Kant comes across Ix>u Ise end Crandall. Pursued by Davis the postmaster Jumps off a preclploe and Is killed. Aleck Toung. the master crim inal. Is found In a hut in a morphine stupor. Loulee telle Kent that shs and Crandall had come to get papers from Young which gave Win a strange hold over General Farrish. It Is shown that Crandall's only Intereet In the case was to help Katharine recover her father • paper* Toung Is shackled and bound, with morphine Just out of his reach. In an attempt to make him confese and give up the papers. After 4t houre of torture from morphine hunger Toung gives up and reveale the blackmail plot. CHAPTER XVi As Davis finished reading the let ter I took It from hla hand and care fully re-read it. There could be no doubt that it was the same in form aa the scrap Lonlae and I had found. Aa I scanned the lines, the words at the beginning of each, from the eeventh on to the thirteenth, were the same as those over which we had racked our brains. The context now made them plain enough, but still I failed to see what deadly Import the letter had or what sinister meaning in It should drive Its recipients to desperation and suicide. Surely on its face It appeared to present the harmless whim of an old man's slight ly unbalanced brain. I turned to Davis for an explanation. "An ingenious letter," Davis was saying. "And they fell for It?" A look of pride came into the pris oner's face. "Wasn't it great," he exclaimed. "Why, they ate It up like hot cakes!" "Just plain blackmail," said the !n --apeetor. "No, Indeed—fancy blackmail," said Young indignantly. "They never had It dished up to them quite in this way b«fore: I Insist, if I've got to go to jail for It, on at Jeaat receiving credit for a new criminal Invention." "I fall to see," I Interrupted, "just how the letter was a criminal one or why It should have bothered any one." "I'm afraid you will never make a good detective," said the Inspector pityingly. "Don't you see how It worked? Young devised this letter. He needed the co-operation of some one in the post office to send it out without arousing suspicion. He tried yellow letters first on General Far rlsh to test the terrifying effects. Sstlrf.ed that hie yellow letter plan would bring results, he recalled his acquaintance with Rouser, whom he knew to be weak and easily • led. He returned to Ardway—his old home— and found It child's play to enlist Rouser's services. It was part of his general scheme for Rouser to send and receive all the mall through a lock box with a false name. His ob ject In this was to enable him, In case the postal or police authorities got on his trail, to have all the docu mentary evidence point to Rouser alone. Before his connection with the letters could be established he could make his escape with the money the letters brought to." "I still don't see," I protested, "how these letters could bring to money. They read exactly the opposite. They promise to give away money." "That's the cleverest thing shoot K," the Inspector said, and Young's malevolent eyes glistened at thij tribute. "Can't you see how It work ed? Young snd Rouser, frodi tax lists, bank directories, from telephone books—from a variety of sources— compiled a list of persons employed to positions of trust sfid began send tog out these yellow letters broad cast. If one of these should reach an honest bank employe or cashier, the conspirators figured that he would' laugh at it and tear It up. But sup of a man who was guilty of pecu lations of some sort. Suppose, for la stance, old Andrew Elser, when his law business had failed him, bad bo sun to speculate with the flUnds be longing to the boy for whom he was guardian. His speculations are un fortunate. He plunges and loses still more. He becomes desperate. He sees no way of replacing the money he has stolen. It seems certain that his crime will be discovered and that he will be disgraced. He can not sleep nights. His brain, constantly agitated by foar and worry, will not permit him to rest. His Judgment, never acute, or he would not have be come a thief, becomes more and more unbalanced. Then one day this yel low letter comes. It reads convlno- Ingly. It promises Immediate aid. It pledges secrecy. At last he sees an honorable way out. He hastens to send a reply to Lock Box No. 17, Ardway, N. J., as directed. Can't you Imagine what happens then? Young communicates with him at once. Tou used the telephone, didn't youT" "Sure," he said, "the telephone ev ery time. It leaves no records behind It and the Bertlllon system can't Identify a voice." "Now," the Inspector went on, "what does Young say over the tele phone to EleerT Something like thla —'You're an old thief. Vim .got the proof. You are ateallng somebody's money. Steal aoTne more and give It to me or I'll tell.' Unfortunately, In old Elser'a caae there waa no more money left to steal, so he killed him self. Am I right. Young?" Again the prisoner nodded, and again ho demanded another doae of morphine. His muscles were again getting beyond hie control. As Darts fixed the hypodermic, I aaked: "But where does the old maid from Con necticut come in? Surely ahe wasn't • defaulter." "I suspect it was the brcfther with whom she mads her home," said the Inspector. "Damn her," said Young bitterly, "It «M ahe who queered the whole game. We tackled her brother for lire hun dred and It came >o easily we de cided to make another,try. The weak kneed old thief. In his terror of us, told his sister all about It. She In sisted on coming down here. She saw Rouser and tried to And the sign er of the letter. Rouser denied know ing him. Bhe was a wise old creature and pointed out that as postmaster he must know who got the mall. Her suspicion of Rouser scared him stiff. He wanted to give ber the money back, but at first I wouldn't hear to It. Bhe was threatening to commit suicide If we didn't. He was so scared that I finally consented to let him square her. I wanted to use him still further and wasn't ready to have him get cold feet. I gave him the money, and he went to the hotel late In the afternoon to see the old girl. He slipped up to her room and found her hanging there. It gave him such a shock that he dashed back to the post office, grabbed his bicycle and hustled out here as fast as he could come, wherf I was waiting to meet Katharine Farrlsh." With difficulty I suppressed an ex clamation of astonishment: I could not doubt that he was telling the truth, for his story dovetailed so well with what Louise had told me. Yet it seemed Impossible to believe, It surely was preposterous to Imagine that General Farrlsh, wealthy and honorable as he was, could have been a thief. I refused to believe It I decided to demand an explanation from Young of why he had sought a meeting with Katharine. "It's too bad Rouser was so easily frightened," Davis was saying sar castically. "He was to scared that he left behind In the xash drawer five thousand he had Just received from Henry Eberle." "The accursed fool!" screamed Young to a frenzy of rage that he had failed to get his hands on this bit of plundsr. "The sneak didn't tell me that All he said was that Dora Hast ings, who was a rsstaurant cashier, had Insisted that it was utterly Im possible for her to pay up. The dirty, damned sneak!" to a lit of madness he cursed and cursed again his dead associate, foul : oaths rolling to streams from his parched lips. Anxiously I waited for his fury to subside to ask him about Katharine and Hugh CrandalL II seemed a desecration of her woman hood to mention Katharine's name to the presence of such a man, so as he subsided I merely asked: "But what about Hngh CrandallT" "Damn him," he cried, "that was another of my mistakes! I knew Crandall to college. When I got the goods on old Farrlsh I .thought I could rely on Crandall to help me to turn the trick. 1 didn't know he was In lore With the daughter. When I told him about It be refused to have any thing to dp with It sad rushed off and squealed to the general. Much thanks •rml ordered htm out of tb« house and wouldn't let tbe daughter have anything. more to do with bin. I tried then to get him In on the scheme, but It was no go. For weeka he kept trying to worm my secret from me. 1 fired yellow letter after yellow letter at the general, but he kept defying me. and all the. while Crandall kept after me to make me give up the papers. I was afraid I'd weaken. There are times the dope gets me and I hardly know what I'm doing, so 1 vanished. It struck me that if tbe general wouldn't come across maybe the daughter would. 1 put It up to Crandall and we arranged a meeting. I was to put the papers in her bands and she was to pay over the money. I slipped up on the first appointment and I guess you must have spoiled the second." I still was puxsled. What could be the terrible mystery In proud old General Farrlsh's life that gave this miscreant such a hold on him 7 " It was beyond my imagination to con jecture, so I put the question bluntly to the prisoner. "Why ask me?" be snarled. "You've got tbe whole thing—every paper bearing on it in your pocket there." Quickly I snatched the envelope from my pocket and was about to rip It open. At last I was to know the secret that had brought such unhap piness into the life of Louise. At last the mystery was to be cleared up. Gut Just as my thumb went rudely under the flap. Darts laid a restrain ing hand on my arm. "Walt," he said gently. "Would It not be just as well tp deliver that envelope to Katharine Just as It Is? The fewer people know Its contents the less unhapplness there will need to be." Davis was right. I was beginning to think be was al ways right. CHAPTER XVII. # The End of the Mystery. With one of the conspirators lying In the undertaking shop of Miller vale and the other safe behind the prison bars In Ardway, tbe docu mentary evidence against him In our 'possession reinforced by his full con fession signed and witnessed, Inspec tor Davis and I that same afternoon hastened back to New York, where, It can be Imagined, I lost no time In reaching the Parrlsh home. As we waited for the train I had telephoned Louise and she was ex pecting me. She met me In tbe lower hall. One glance at my radiant face told her that our mission had been successful and she flung herself Into my arms while I rained happy klribes OB her Hps, her cheeks, her glorious hair. But thoughtful ever of others, even In such a moment of eostasy, she gently unclasped my arms and whispered: "The papers—did you get them V A little cry of Joy came from bar Hps aa I handed her the envelope. "Burn Them, Hugh; Burn Them at Oncel" "Come," abe cried Jubilantly, "tot's take It to Katharine at oncet The sight of It will do more to cure her than all the doctors In the world." Together we hastened to Kath arine's room, where we found her sit ting up In bed, much stronger than when I had last seen her, though a nurse was still In attendance. Hugh Crandall was seated In a chair beside tli* bed. The Joy I read In the faces of Katharine and Crandall as Louise handed her sister the envelope was reward enough for all I had gone through since I had set out to solve the mystery. Frantically Katharine tore open the envelope and inspected three docu "They are all here." she exclaimed with a sigh of relief as'she passed them to Crandall. V "Yes," echoed Crandall happily, "thoy are all here." "Burn them, Hugh; burn them at once," she demanded. Crandall, gathering them up with the envelope In which they had been encased, crossed to the grate where a cheerful Are was burning and one by one fed tho documents to the flames. That was three months ago. Louise and I are married now and Katharine and Hugh are on their honeymoon, too, taking a six months' European trip. Though we never mention the mystery of the yellow letters In the presence of our wives, for It reoalls too many sad memories unnecessarily, my new brother-in-law and I had a good laugh the night before I mar ried Louise. As I at first suspected him of being one of the conspirators, so it seems he had suspected me. It was he who peered into the post of fice that night as I was examining the books by the light of my electrlo lantern. He knew that Young had an associate and was trying to find him. The mystery of tbe disappearance of the yellow fragments that had giv en us the first clew Is a mystery no longer. It merely had slipped behind the drswer In which Louise had put It. Aleck Young is serving a well deserved sentence of fourteen years, as uonchalantly, I presume, as he un derwent his trial. So long as prison keepers can be bribed to keep him supplied with his beloved drug, I doubt if he bothers over bia lack of freedom. Sometimes I think his pun ishment falls far short vhen I recall all the misery and suffering he caused, yet my new-fotnd happiness has softened my view of life. As for General Farrfih. he died three weeks after Youug's arrest Before the end he regal bed his facul ties sufficiently to understand that the papers that had menaced his peace and reputation had betn destroyed. In his last hour he put Katharine's hand into Hugh CrandaH's. What was in 4he documents that Katharine and Hugh Crsndall burnedT What was the secret with which Young threatened him fcr months and months? I do not know. Louise does not know. We never discuss it even among ourselves. It Is better so. Only Katharine and Hugh Crandall and a poor drug sot In a distant cell know what those papers were. I might conjecture If I cared, and what would be the use? After Gen oral Farrlsh's death it came out that his vast estate had shrunk to almost nothing. Un fortunate Investments in his old ag« had swept away his fortune. He was the custodian of various trust funds. It may b« that in a srinlle effort to recoup his losses he had misused some one - else's money and Young, wlth his devilish k tenuity, ha* found It out. Certain If Is that whlU the papers commented widely on th ■mail estate he left, In none of then was there the slightest hint of scan dal. Equally certain am t that nclthei his daughters nor his nons-in-lan' be moan the lack of an inheritance Loutae and I, I know, have lecirnv that happiness lies not in wealth and luxury, but In loving sin Ice eanh tc the othor. And one thing more. Both Davis and myseM have quiet ly withdrawn our accomfls from th Million bank. The cashier's name tie *la "nrrT Eberle. [TUB JONr . * •■ * * Stanton T tor enthusiast | ■mm. J[ you will hugely Hi VMM C U® DCW Wlf I|| AJL serial we have ar- V V AMMO 9*9 ranged to print, "Stanton Wins," by Eleanor M. In j gram. If you know nothing about mo toring or care noth ing about the sport you will be. capti vated by the sheer pitch of excitement and skill of the plot. The author has woven a clever love story around a hair raising speed con test and through it all there runs a most Better Subscribe Today if You pleasant glow of Do Not Receive This Paper Reg- mystery and expec nlarly so as Not to Miss a Single tation. 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The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.)
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April 25, 1913, edition 1
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