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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1915)
SI refill a W h iTTiii A Detective Novel and a Motion Picture Drama Presented by The Omaha Bee in Collaboration with the Famous Fathe Players and the Eclectic Film Co. c?n-e Miss Pearl White, Arnold Daly and "Craig Kennedy" v The Famous Scientific Detective of Fiction. .fern Written by Arthur B. Reeve The Well-Known Novelist tod the Creator of the "Craitf Kennedy" Stories Dramatized into a Photo-Play by Charles Goddard Author of "The Perils of Pauline' Cast of Leading Characters b tie Motion Picture Reproduction by the Famous Pathe Players ELAINE DODGE Miss Pearl White CRAIG KENNEDY . Mr. Arnold Daly HARRY DENNETT Mr. Sheldon Lewis Everything you read here today you can lee in the fascinating Pathe Motion Pic tures at the Motion Picture Theaters this week. Next Sunday another chapter of "The Exploits of Elaine" and new Pathe reels. 1 Synopsis of Previous Chapter. The New York police arc mystified by a aerie of tnunrer of prominent men. The principal rlue to tha murderer la the warning letter which la aent the vie tlma. signed with a "clutching hand." The latent vic tim of the myeterlous ajmaaxln la Taylor Itodge, the Innuranc president Ilia daughter. Klalne, emplnra "rale; Kennedy the famoua aclentlflc. detective, to trv to unravel the myatcry. What Kennedy accomplished la told by hie friend .lameaon, a newapaper man. The criminals make many bold attempta to rile courage Kennedy and Klalne from following their trail, but all their Ingenlou and crafty echeinea are check tnated hy the wonderful detective ability and aclentlflc knowledge of Craig Kennedy. The notorious women of the underworld are utilised by the maater criminal, and they employ their feminine biiindlahmenM and wllea to dcatroy Elaine and Kennedy. One of them poeea a the aecret wife of Taylor Dodge, and, through thla ruae entlcea Klalne Into a aearch for proof of the alleged marriage, finally manoeuvring her Into a dangerous trap. The oilier adventure leads Kennedy into a Imllar trap, but hia dlatrust of the woman prompts him Jo tako peculiar precautions, which finally enable him to save Klalne and hfmaelf from destructions. The Hidden Voice. CHAPTER VIII. A MESON, wake up!" I leaped out of bed, still In my pajamas, ' end "food for a moment staring about. Then ran Into the living room. I looked about, rubbing my eyes, startled. No one was T there. "Hey Jamesson wake up!" It was spooky. I ran back Into Craig's room. He was gone. There was no one In any of our rooms. The sur prise had now thoroughly awakened me. "Where the deuceare you?" I demanded. Suddenly I heard the vole again no doubt about It, either. ."Here I am oyer on the couch!" I scratched my head, puzzled. There was cer tainly ho one on that couch. A laugh greeted me. Plainly, though. It came from the couch. I jtent over to it, and, ridiculous as it seemed, began to throw aside the pillows. There lay nothing but a little oblong oaken box, perhaps eight or ten Inches long and three or four Inches square at the ends. In the face were two peculiar square holes, and from the top projected a black disc, about the size of a watch, fastened on a swinging metal arm. In the face of the, disc were several perforations. I picked up the strange looking thing in wonder, and from that magic box actually came a burst of laughter. "Come over to the laboratory, right away," pealed forth a merry voice. "I've something to show you." "Well," I gasped, "what do you know about that?"': x ' cry eariy mat morning craig bad got np, leav ing me snoring. Cases never wearied him. He thrived on excitement. He had gone over to the laboratory and set to work in a corner over another of those peculiar boxes, exactly like that which he had already left In our rooms. In the face of each of these boxes,. as I have said, were two square holes. The sides of these boles converged inward into the box In tne manner of a four-sided pyramid, ending at the apex In a little circle of black, perhaps half an Inch across. Half an hour afterward I walked into the laboratory, feeling a little sheepish over the practi cal Joke, but none the Ices curious to find out all about It. "What Is It?" I asked, indicating the apparatus. "A vocaphone." he replied, still laughing, "the loud speaking telephone, the little box that hears and talks. It talks right out In meeting, too no transmitter to hold to the mouth, no receiver to hold to the ear. You see, thla transmitter Is so sensitive that it picks up even a whisper, and the receiver 1 placed back of those two megaphone like pyramids." "J believe the Clutching Hand has been shadow lag the bodge house," be continued thoughtfully. "As long as we watch the place, too, he will do nothing. But if we should seem ostentatiously, not to be watching, perhaps be may try aomething. and we may be able to get a clue to his Identity over this vocaphone. See?" ! nodded. "We've got to run htm down some Low," I agreed. "Ves," he said, taking his coat and hat. "I am toing to connect up one of these things In Miss Dodge's library and arrange with the telephone company for a clear wire, to that w can listen Wre. where that fellow will never suspect." At about the same time tiiat Craig and I aallied forth on this new mission, Elaine was arranging tome flowers on a stand uear the corner of the Dodge library where the secret panel was In which her fitter had hidden the papers for the possession of hlh the Clutching Hand had murdered him. The did not dtrlo his identity, we knew, but tbey did give directions to at leant one of hls'hang vuts and were therefore very important. f he bad moved away from the table, but, as she tid fco, her dres caught in aomething in the wood work. She tried to loosen it and Jn so doing touched the little metallic spring' on which her (rtm had taugLt iLfcUnllv, to her utter surprise, tbs p""-l moved. It slid open, disclosing a strong box. Inside were some papers, sealed in an en velope and marked "Mmpy Red Correspondence." The fatal documents seemed almost uncanny. Their very presence frightened her. What should nhe do?" She seized the telephone and eagerly called Kennedy's number. "Hello," answered a voice. "Is that you, Craig?" she asked excitedly. "No, this Is Mr. Jameson." "Oh, Mr. Jameson, I've discovered the Clutch ing Hand papers," she began, more and more ex cited. "Have you read them?" came back the voice quickly. "No; ahall I?" "Then don't unseal them," cautioned the voice. "Put them back exactly as you found them and I'll tell Mr Kennedy the moment I can get hold of him." "All right," nodded Elaine. "I'll do that And please get him as soon as yon possibly can." "I will." "I'm going out shopping now," she returned, suddenly. "But, tell him I'll be back right away." "Very well." Hanging up the receiver, Elaine dutifully re placed the papers in the box and returned the box to Its secret hiding place, pressing the spring and sliding the panel shut. A few minutes later she left the house In the Dodge car. Outside our laboratory, leaning against a rail ing, Dan the Dude, an emissary of the Clutching Hand, whose dress now greatly belled his under world "monniker," had been shadowing us, watch ing to see when we left. The moment we disap peared, he raised his hand carefully above his head and made the sign of the Clutching Hand. Far down the street, In a closed car, the Clutching Hand himself, his face masked, gave an answering sign. A moment later he left the car, gaslng about stealthily. Not a soul was In sight and be managed to make his way to the door of our laboratory without being observed. Then he opened it with a pass key which he must have obtained in some way by working the Janitor of the university officials. Probably he thought that the papers might be at the laboratory, for he had repeatedly failed to locate them at the Dodge bouse. At any rate he was busily engaged in ransacking drawers and cabinets In the laboratory, when the telephone sud denly rang. He did not want to answer It, but it It kept on ringing some one outside might come in. An Instant he hesitated. Then, disguising his voice at much as he could do Imitate mine, he took off the receiver. "Hello!" he answered. "Have you read them?" be asked, curbing his impatience as she unsuspectingly poured forth her story, supposedly to me. "Then don't unseal them," he hastened to reply. . "Put them back. ' Then there can be no question about them, You can open them before witnesses." Clutching Hand lost no further time at the laboratory. II -had thus, luckily for him, found out what he wanted. The papers were not there after all, but at the Dodge house. .Suppose she should rea'ly be gone on only a short shopping trip and should return to find that she had been fooled over the wire? Quickly he went to the telephone again. "Hello, Dan," he called when he got his num ber. "Miss Dodge Is going shopping. I want you and the other Falsers to follow her delay her all you can. Use your own Judgment." It waa what had come to-be known in his organ isation as the "Brotherhood of Falsers." There, in the back room of a low dive, were Dan the Dude, the emissary who had been loitering about the laboratory, a gunman, Dago Mike, a couple of women, slatterns, one known as Kitty the Hawk, and a boy of eight or ten, whom they called Billy. Before them stood large schooners of beer while the precocious youngsters grumbled over milk. "All right, Chief." shouted back Dan, their leader, as be hung up the telephone after noting carefully the hasty Instructions. "We'll do it' trust us." Elaine had not been gone long from the house when Craig and I arrived there. She had followed the telephone instructions of the Clutching Hand and had told no one. "Too bad," greeted Jennings, "but Miss Elaine has Just gone shopping and I don't know when fche ll be back." Shopping being an uncertain element as far as time waa concerned. Kennedy asked If any one else waa at home. "Mrs. Dodge is in the library reading, sir," re plied Jennings, taking it for granted that we would see her. Aunt Josephine greeted us cordially, and Craig set down the vocapuone package he was carrying. She nodded to Jennings to leave us, and he wlthrew. "I'm not going to let anytblug happen here to Mina Elaine again If I can help it," remarked Craig in a low tone, a moment later, gating about the library. "What are you thinking of doing?" asked Aunt Josephine keenly. "I'm going to put in a vocaphone," be returned, unwrapping IC "What's that?" she asked. "A loud speaking telephone connected with my laboratory," he explained, repeating what he had already tild me, while she listened almoet awe struck at the latest scientific wonder. We was looking about, trying to figure out Just where It could be placed to best advantage, when he approached the suit of armor. "I see you have brought It back and had it re paired," he remarked to Aunt Josephine. Sud denly his face lighted up. "Ah an Idea!" he ex claimed. "No one will ever think to look inside that" "Now, Mrs. Dodge," he said finally, as he had completed installing the thlng'and hiding the wire under carpeU and rugs until It ran out to the con nectlon which he made with the telephone, "don't breathe a word of It to any one. We don't know whom to trust or suspect." "I shall not," she answered, by this time thor oughly educated in the value of silence. Kennedy looked at his watch. "I've got an engagement with the telephone company now," he said rather briskly, although I knew that if Elaine had been there the company and everything could have gone hang for the present. "Sorry not to have seen Miss Elaine," he added, as we bowed ourselves out, "but I think we've got her protected now." "I hope so," sighed her aunt. Elaine's car had stopped finally at a shop on Fifth avenue. She stepped out and entered, leav ing her chauffeur to wait. As she did so, Dan and Billy sidled along the crowded sidewalk. Dan the Dude left Billy And Billy surrepti tiously drew from under his coat a dirty half loaf of bread. With a glance about, he dropped it into the gutter close to the entrance to Elatne'a car. Then he withdrew av little distance. When Elaine came out and approached her car, Billy, looking as cold and forlorn as could be, shot forward. Pretending to spy the dirty piece of bread in the gutter, he made a dive for It, Just as Elaine was about to step into the car. t Elaine, surprised, drew back. Billy picked up the piece of bread, and with all the actions of hav ing discovered a treasure began to knaw at It voraciously. Shocked at the disgusting sight, she tried to take the bread away from him. "I know It's dirty, miss," whimpered Billy, ' "but it's the first food I've seen for four days." Instantly Elaine was full of sympathy. She had taken the food away. That would not suffice. "What 'a your name, little boy?' she asked. "Billy," he replied, blubbering. "WThere do you live?" "With me mother and, father they're sick nothing to eat" lie was whimpering an address far over on the East Bide. 'Get Into the car," Elaine directed, Oee but thla Is swell," he cried, with no fake, 4 " time. , - , On they went, through the tenement canyons, dodging children and pushcarts, stopping first at a grocer's, then at a butcher's and a delicatessen. Finally the car stopped where Billy directed. Billy hobbled out, followed by Elaine and her chauffeur, his arms pled high with provisions. She waa In deed a lovely Lady Bountiful as a crowd of kids quickly surrounded the car. In the meantime Dago Mike and Kitty the Hawk had gone to a wretched flat, before which Billy stopped. Kitty sat on the bed, putting dark circles Mnder her eyes with a blackened cork. She was very thin and emaciated, but It was dissipation that had done It Dago Mike was correspondingly poorly dressed, ; He had paused beside the window to look out "She's coming." he announced finally. Kitty hastily jumped Into the rickety bed, while Mlk took up a crutch that was standing Idle In a corner. She coughed resignedly and he limped about, forlorn. They had, assumed their parts, which were almost to the burlesque of poverty, when the door was pushed open and Billy burst in, followed by Elaine and the chauffeur. "Oh, ma oh, pa," he cried, running forward and kissing his parents, as Elaine, overcome with sympathy, directed the chauffeur to- lay the things on a shaky table. "Ood bless you, lady, for a benevolent angel," mattered the pair, to which Elaine responded by moving over to the wretched bed and bending down to stroke the forehead of the sick woman. - Billy and Mike exchanged a sly wink.' Just then the door opened again. All were genuinely surprised this time, for a prim, spick and span, middle-aged woman entered. "I am Miss Statlstlx. of the organized charities," she announced, looking around sharply. , " saw your car standing outside, miss, and the children below told me you were up here. I came up to see whether you were aiding really deserving poor. Miss Statlstlx took a step forward, looking In a very superior manner from Elaine to the packages of food and then at these prise members of the Brotherhood. She snorted contemtuously. "Why wh what's the matter?" asked Elaine, fidgeting uncomfortably, as If she were herself guilty. In the Icy atmosphere that now seemed to envelop all things. "This man Is a gunman, that woman Is a bad woman, the boy is Billy the Bread Snatcher." she anawered precisely, drawing out a card on which to record aomething, "and you, miss, are a fool!" Kitty and Mike, accompanied by Billy, sneaked out. Elaine, now very much embarrassed, looked about, wondering at the rapid-fire change. Miss StaUaflx smiled pityingly. "Such Innocence!" she murmured, sadly shak ing her head as she led Elaine to the door. "Don't you know better than to try to help anybody with out Investigating?" Elaine departed, speechless, properly squelched, followed by her chauffeur. Meanwhile, a closed car, such as had stood across the laboratory, had drawn up not far from the Dodte house. Near It was a man In rather shabby clothes and a vlsored rap on which were the words In dull gold lettering, "Metropolitan. Window Cleaning Company." He carried a bucket and a small extension ladder. A few moments later, Dan appeared at the rervants' entrance of the Dodge house and rang the bell. Jennings, who happened to be down there, came to the door. "Man to clean the windows," saluted the bogus cleaner, touching his hat in a way quietly to call attention to the words on It and drawing from his pocket a faked written order. , "All right," 'nodded Jennings, examining the order and finding it apparently all right. Dan followed him in, taking the ladder and bucket upstairs, where Aunt Josephine was still reading. "The man to clean the windows, ma'am," apologized Jennings. "Oh, very well," she nodded, taking up her book, to go. Then, recalling the frequent In junctions of Kennedy, she paused long enough to speak quietly to Jennings. "Stay here and watch him," she whispered as she went out. Jennings nodded, while Dan opened a window and set to work. Elaine had started again in her car down the crowded narrow street From her position she could not possibly have seen Johnnie, another of the Brotherhood, watching her eagerly up the street. But as her car approached, Johnnie, with great determination, pulled himself together and ran forward across the street. She saw that. "Oh!" she screamed, her heart almost stopping. He had fallen directly In front of the wheels of the car, apparently, and although the chauffeur stopped with a jolt, it seemed that the boy had been run over. They Jumped out. There he was, sure enough, under the very wheels. People came running now in all directions and lifted him up, groaning pite ously. lie seemed literally twisted into a knot, which looked as if every bone in his body was broken or dislocated. Elaine was overcome. For, following their natural instincts, the crowd began pushing in with cries of "Lynch the driver!" It would have gone hard with him, too, If she had interfered. "Here!" cried Elaine, stepping In. "It wasn't his fault. The boy ran across the street, right In front of the car. Now we're just going to rush this boy to the hospital right away!" A few minutes later they pulled up before the ambulance entrance to the hospital. In the reception room were a couple of nurses and a young medical student when Johnnie was carried in and laid on the bed. At that moment the door opened, and an elder ly, gray-beared house physician entered. The others stepped back from the bed respectfully. He advanced and examined Johnnie. The doctor looked at the boy a moment, then at Klalne. "I will now effect a miraculous cure by the lay ing on of hands," he announced, adding quickly, ' "and of feet!" To the utter surprise of all, he seized the boy hy the coat collar, lifting him up and actually bouncing him on the floor. Then he picked him up, shook him and ran him out of the room, de livering one last kick as he went, it was quite evi dent that he wag no more Injured than the chauf feur. Elaine did not know whether to be angry or to laugh, but finally Joined In the general laugh. "That was Double-Jointed Johnnie," puffed the doctor, as he returned to them, "one of the greatest accident fakerc in the city." "Elaine, having had two unfortunate experi ences during the day, now decided to go home, and the doctor politely escorted her to her car. From his closed car, the Clutching Hand gazed Intently at the Dodge house. He could see Dan on the ladder, now washing the library window, his back toward him. Dan turned slowly and made the sign of the hand. Turning to his chauffeur, the master crimi nal spoke a few words in a low tone and the driver hurrled'off. A few minutes later the driver might have been seen entering a nearby drug store and going into the telephone booth. Without a moment's hesita tion he called up the Dodge house and Marie. Elaine's maid, answered. "Is Jennings there?" he asked. "Tell him a friend wants to speak to him." "A friend of yours wants to speak to you over the telephone, Jennings," said Marie, as she came Into the library. The butler responded slowly, with a covert glance at Dan. No sooner had they gone, however, than Dan climbed all the way into the room, ran to the door and looked after them. Then he ran to the win dow. ' Across and down the street the Clutching Hand was gazing at the house. He had seen Dan disappear and suspected that the time had come. As the master criminal came in by the ladder through the open window Dan was on guard listen ing down the hallway. A signal from Dan. the Clutching Hand slid back of the portieres. Jen nings was returning. "I've finished these windows," announced Dan as the butler reappeared. "Now, I'll clean the hall wlndowa." Jennings followed like shadow, taking the bucket No sooner bad they gone than Clutching Hand stealthily came from behind the portieres. One of the maids was sweeping in the hall as Dan went toward the window, about to wash it. "I wonder whether I locked these windows?" muttered Jennings, pausing tn the hallway. "I guesa I'd better make sure." He had taken only a step toward the library again, when Dan watchfully caught sight of him. It would never do to have Jennings snooping around there now. Quick action waa necessary, Dan knocked over a costly Sevres vase. "There clumsy see what you've done!" bereted Jennings, atarting to pick up the pieces. Dan had acted his part well and promptly. In the library Clutching Hand was busily engaged at that moment beside the aecret panel searching for the spring that released it He ran hia finger along the woodwork, pausing here and there without suc ceeding. ' "Confound It!" he muttered, searching fever ishly. Kennedy, having made the arrangements with the telephone company by which he had a clear wire from the Dodge house to his library, had rejoined me there and was putting the finishing touches to his installation of the vocaphone. every now and then he would switch It on, and we would llHten in as he demonstrated the won derful little Instrument to me. We had heard the window cleaner and Jennings, but thought nothing of It at the time. Once, however, Craig paused, and I saw him listening more Intently than usual. "They've gone out," he muttered, "but surely there Is someone In the Dodge library." I listened, too. The thing was so sensitive that even a whisper could be magnified, and I certainly did hear something. Kennedy frowned. What was that scratching noise? Could It be Jennings? Perhaps It was Rusty. Just then we could distinguish a sound as though someone had moved about. "No that's not Jennings," cried Craig. "He went out." He looked at me a moment The same stealthy noise was repeated. ( "It's the Clutching Hand!" he exclaimed, excit edly. A moment later Dan hurried into the Dodge library. "For heaven's sake, Chief, hurry!" he whis pered hoarsely. "The falsers must have fallen down. -The girl herself Is coming!" Dan himself had not time to waste. He re treated into the hallway Just as Jennings was open ing the door for Elaine. Marie took her wraps and left her, while Elaine handed her numerous packages to Jennings. Dan watched every motion. "Put them away, Jennings," she said softly. Jennings had obeyed and gone upstairs. Elaine moved toward the library. Dan took a quiet step or two behind her, in the same direction. In the library Clutching Hand was now fran tically searching for the spring. He heard Elaine coming and dodged behind the curtains again Just as she entered. With a hasty look about, she saw no one. Then she went quickly to the panel, found the spring and pressed it So many queer things had happened to her since she went out that she had begun to worry over the safety of the papers. The panel opened. They were there, all right She opened the box and took them out, hesitating' to break the seal before Kennedy arrived. Stealthy and tiger-like, the Clutching Hand; crept up behind her. As he did) bo Dan gazed In through the portieres from the hall. With a spring. Clutching Hand leaped at Elaine, snatching at the papers. Elaine clung to them tenaciously. In spite of the surprise, and they strug gled for them. Clutching Hand holding one band over her mouth to prevent her. screaming. In stantly Dan was there, aiding his chief. "Choke her I Strangle hert Don't let her scream!" he growled out. They fought viciously. Would they succeed? i It was too desperate, unscrupulous men against one frail girl. Suddenly, from the man In armor In the corner, as if by a miracle, came a deep, loud voice. "Help! Help! Murder! Police! They are strangling me!" The effect was terrible. Clutching Hand and Dan, hardened In crime aa they were, fell back, dazed, overcome for the mo ment at the startling effect. They looked about. Not a soul. Then, to their utter consternation, from the visor of the helmet again came the deep, vibrating warning. "Help! Murder! Police!" Kennedy and I bad been listening over the vocaphone, for the moment, nonplussed at the fel low's daring. Then we heard from the uncanny instrument: "For Heaven's sake. Chief, hurry! The falsers have fallen down. The girl herself Is coming!" What It meant we did not know. But Craig was almost beside himself, as he ordered me to try to get the police by telephone, if there was any way to block them. Only Instant action would count, however. What to do? He could hear the master criminal plainly fum bling now. "Yes, that's the Clutching Hand," he repeated. "Walt," I cautioned, "someone else Is coming!" By a sort of Instinct he seemed to recognize the sounds. "Elaine," he exclaimed, paling. . Instantly followed, in less than I can tell It, the sounds of a suppressed scuffle. "He seized her gagged her," I cried In an agony of suspense. We could now hear everything that was going on in the library. Craig was wildly excited. Aa for me, I waa speechless. Here was the vocaphone we had Installed. 1 It had warned us. But what could we do? I looked blankly at Kennedy. He was equal to the emergency. He calmly turned a switch. Then, at the top of his lungs, he shouted: 'Help! Help! Police! They are strangling me!" I looked at him In amazement What did he think he could do blocks away? ' "It worka both ways." he muttered. "Help! Murder! Police!" A loud metallic ringing came from the voca phone. Then silence! What had happened? In the library, recovered from their first shock of surprise, Dan cried out to the Clutching Hand. "The deuce! What is It?" Then looking about, Clutching Hand sent Elaine reeling. She held on to only a corner of the papers. He had the greater part of them. They were torn and destroyed, anyway. (Continued on Page Eleven, Column Three J