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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 1921)
I M THE BEE: OMAHA, SUNDAY. NOVKMUKU 20, 1U21. Th irie: Williams e -.v-wt-4iw Jiimilltiti mlWMiiiiWHiwiiii'""' ' ; wmw ' uiJtmwwwww" '"""- ..j,. in inn in ii r-1 1 mi i "" "" ' "" ' " -- SYNOPSIS. SarOy Parrw. war ulllloualr, ta fa eVa at th library of hw eoiui-rr pl.. Uarklrara, wrib Mi rreol-er ta Ma hand. Knbta Qrree. ko t4 lall Marr Traverl. Parnake auxaw, km aacer whoa aba aaaalMed eaemamary naUra, vara back at bar eaarnlhal. la aaeuecl-d of vxBa counerUon Vila ta , aawaraal asanas, lia and Biyeirna bra papar kastas Pamaa'a body, and advsocea lim theory PwJ rteh aa arunkrad. brur Wnaht, a torasar sea play, tail kiat of Parrtah' caret la Soalh Africa, l Victor Martina, a possible enemy; el esrtaia biee latter that Farrlah lesrsd. aod ol a Maura aileorea that e'laapprared from I'arruhs aatutnaue. Data tm Maadsloa, who ha baaa lalUi Hobia. dsclerea aad aaka help. Ha reveal thai Jeehaa, Per rtah'l aamtary. haa truxi ta plsr Robin la a bad Uaht baton Mary. BoUa drrlvra CarrUh probably u alala by biackmaurra, who arar reeparathlo for th btu lellera, alLrr ba had fired oaa ahot fraaa ike atlancad antonaue. Mary YWit Kraal Duffcbay bar, aalrar of aarrst eo.le, with on at the bio latlara. Ba arada bar to WUtlam Bchnla of Roaaaf asav thai lb eoorc of tha lelun, Mia van oar pyck a Co, Buy ba hunted down. Jereea ataMa kaawladta of anj bloa lrUrre. but lalrr aanda a ya arlaoa Hlacram to Hoturrlam, whiUier KoMa Slaa kf atrplaBa. Robm Is on hi way to lilaa Toa dar aatyck aT Co. hra b I ulouodrd to matt Jmkaa. Mary rararre a txu mcanaira aud toa to " WU Ibun SchoU' country pbut," where a aaJlov farad aaaa of tba Baroa of Victor drure her. Robla, trail bar Jaekaa aad Vict or" a rhauUeor. arrtn Jaat ta tlaa ta men Mary, ttoulinf the sallow farad aaaa. h ahw i oblltad to cow Jrrfca. with Mary kalp. balor ha aacaoc with bar la a mo lor car a Batlaroaaa. Thcra b find a a nota froai th real WUilaas Bchois, who is tba bsad of Iha Mask sacral arrrice. maaqueraiUn as a German. Beboi rarasl that DalUnaiiora ba warnad hua that Vie . tar Marbrao, Parnab'a oM enemy, aad bat anas ' pjatably an eoaaacted with faxriafra doaU. 1 i i ; TWELFTH INSTALLMENT. The Secret of tha Bins Letters. If r ARBRAN! said Robin. UtoOsTbt- fully. "When I read Dulklochora'a letter "jurt now I thought I had wart that name before. Of com Victor Ifaiteaa! That was It! I remember rioaji B kaaay HartJey Parrlah In the old day. Irrtah once said that Uarbran would do kkn aa injury If be could. ' Who la afar Iran, strT" . All nnceopctousiy he paid the trswts sf atr " to Berr 8chnht, undoubted bastt of Victor Marbran," replied the big- '. ! EUm Van der Spyck and Co, a Arm which made millions In the war by trading with the enemy. In every neutral country . there were, of course, firms which special. , - htet) fc Importing contraband for the use of : ; th Germans, but Van der Spyck and Co; brought the evasion of the blockade to a line art. They covered up their tracks, how-, ever, with such consummate art' that we Mid never bring anything home to them. ' Jb fact, it was only after the armistice that we began to learn something of the lm nense scope of their operations. There was a master brain behind them. ' Bat It was never discovered. It strikes me, however, that we are on the right track at last," , ."By Jove!" exclaimed Robin tmpHasltely. . 'Hartley Itelshl- . The big man raised a hand. ' "Attettdou!" he interposed suavely. "Th tain is not yet complete. I wonder what" . this Van der Spyck letter of Miss Trerert's aontatned that made Victor - Marbran and; the secretary chap so desperately anzions to bold of it. "For you uodenrtand, don't yon,' he said briskly, ' turning' to Robin, "that they were after that and that alone? 'And they risked penal servitude In this coun try to get nV" - Bobta nodded. "To save their necks jn another," he said. . "I have the letter hfero," mCdly remarked the doctor from his corner, of the room. Miss Trevert gave it to mel" He produced a white envelope and drew from It a folded square of slatey-blue paper.' la great excitement Robin ' sprang forward. , "Ton "re a downy bird, doctor, I must say," he remarked, "fancy keeping It up your alwave an this timer Ha eagerly took the letter, spread it eat n the table and read it through whilst Herr 0ohnhi looked over his shoulder. -, ' "Code, ehT" oommented the big man shak- ' Sac his head humorously, "If it beats DuHo tnghocu h beats mel" ' Ttom his note case Robin now drew- a folded square of paper identical in color with tha letter spread out before them. . " "I found this on the carpet beside Par fish's body," he said. " Look, it's exactly the asune paper." , Behind the tortoise shell spectacles the , -' big man's eyes narrowed dawn to pin points as he caught sight of the sheet which Robin "unfolded and its series of slits. . ' ' "Aha!" he cried and his voice rang out, clear through the room " the grill, eh? .Well, well, to think of that!" .. '- : He took the slotted sheet of, paper from Robin's hands and laid it over the letter so that it exactly covered it, edge to edge and . corner to corner. In this -vray the greater -part of the typewriting in the. letter was covered over and only the words appearing , in the slots could bo read, And, thus It was that Robin Greve, Herr Schuls and Dr. Col- . llngwoed, leaning shoulder to shoulder, read the message that came to Hartley PsrriBh , " in the library at Harking. . , - . '"Bias Van' Der Spyck 4 Co. "General Importers." . ... Rotterdam. " Rotterdam J5th ?v. "Code. ... 'JL B. C. ' v :Ubler's. . - Personal. .:', "Dear Mr. Parrtsh, " .Tour favor of even date to hand ; and ... contents noted. THE LAST, delivery of steel was to tuna but we have had WARNING from the railway authorities that labor troubles at the docks are likely to delay future consignments.. IF TOC DOVT ' mind we should prefer to SETTLE the crea tion of future delivery BT NOV. 27TH as w hare a board meeting on the 30th inst. -While -we fuHy appreciate your orrn difficulties with labor at home, TOC win understand that this fUm friSoal Hit;- 5- "MM is a question which we cannot afford to ad journ sine DIE. Yours faithfully, pro KLIAS VAN DER SPYCK A CO. "The last . . . warning," Robin read trt, '"'if yon don't . . . settle ... by Nov. 27 . . . you ... die , . . ' . He looked up. " Last Saturday." he said, "was the 27th. the day that rarrish died." "The' grill," remarked the big man au thoritatively, "la one of tha oldest dodges ' known to the secret service. It renders a eanTentioaai code abaolutery Tmdedpherable ' as long as it U skillfully worded as it is in this case. Tom send your conventional code - , by one route, yoor key by another. I make no doubt that this was . the way in which Van der Spyck A Co. transacted their busl- nesa with Hartley Parrish. They simply , posted their oonventlorotl 1' code letters ' through the post in the ordinary way, eon- ' ndent that there was nothing in . them to eatch the eye of the oensor'a department The key might be sent in half a dozen dif ferent ways, by hand, concealed in a news paper, In a parcel" "So this smld RoWn, pointing at the letter,' "was wbst oaused Hartley Parrish to make his wtU, It would lead one to op pose that it was what induced him to oom mit suicide were not the presumption so strong that he was murdered. But who killed him? Was It Jeekes or Marbran?" s Herr Schuhi pitched Ms cigar stomp fats an ash tray. " '. . "That," he sasd. "to the QoeEfkm which I am going to ask you gentlemen to help ' me answer. Ton will realise that legally we have not a teg to stand apn. We are in a ' foreign country where, without first getting a warrant from London we eaa take no steps whatever to run these fellows in. .To get the Dutch police to move agatost these gentry in the matter of the assault upon Kiss Trevert would waste valuable time. , And we have to move quickly before these two lads get away. I therefore propose that we start this instant for the Villa, Bergen dal and try, if we are not too late, to force . Marbran or Jeekes, or' both of them to a confession, i That done, we can hold them if possible until we can' get the Dutch police to apprehend them at the instance of Miss Trevert. Then we can communicate -with the English police. If s all quite Illegal, of coarse! Ton have a car, I thmk, Mr. Greve! Too win come with trs," Dr. Colllngwood? Good! Then let us start at once!", t Robin intervened ' with a proposal that ' they should call en route at his hotel to see It there were any telegrams for hlrri. ' "Mandarton knows I am in Rotterdam," ' he explained, "and he promised to wire me the latest developments in the lmrtrlry he Is ' eoodocUag." . "Miss Trevert should be fully recovered by this time," put in the doctor. "Apart from a nttie sickness she Is really none the worse for. her disagreeable experience. If there was anything you wanted to ask her " There Is;" said Robin promptly. "Her repfy to one question," he explained, turning to Herr Schulz, "will give us the certainty that Parrish was murdered and did not com mit suicide. It will -not delay us more than - ' five minutes to stop at her hotel in passing. We w!3 then can In at my place. We should . be at the villa- within half an hoar from now." ."Gentlemen," said Herr Schub, as they prepared to go, "I know my Mr. Victor ' Marbran. You should all be armed." , Robin produced the pistol he had. taken from Jeekes, Herr .Schulz slipped a Brown ing pistol into the breast pocket of bis Jacket . fed productag a. long barreled service re- . volver, gave it to t-e doctor. a .77 7 i v . , .. y i i: . 4 Si 3) i thm roam, Uoawaf for aw imtqent upon a windomvpamm, Aua piekmj aap man's form swaying in th doorway. There are three of them, I gather, count ing the chauffeur," commented the big man, pulling on his overcoat, "so we shall be equally matched," Darkness had fallen upon Rotterdam and the lights from the houses made yellow streak in the water of the canal as the car, ' piloted by Robin, drove the party to Mary Trevert's hotel. They found the girl, pale and anxious, in the lounge. JJWell, now," cried the doctor breerUy, "and how are you feeling? Did you take my advice and have some tea?" . . -" What has happened? " asked the girl, I : have been so anxious about you." ' .' , Her words were addressed to the doctor but she looked at Robin. . , "Mary," said Robin, "we are very near the truth now. But there is one thing you can tell us. It is very important. ' When you beard the shot in the library at Har kings, did you notice - any " other sound before or .after?" The girl paused to think. " There was a sort of sharp cry and a thud." ' "I know. But was there anything else? Do try and remember. It's so important." ' The girl was silent for a moment. Then she said, slowly: " Yes, there was, now I come to think of it Just as I tried the door it was locked, you know there was a sort of hiss, harsh and rather loud, from the room. . . "A sort of hiss, eh? Something like a aneese?" "Tes. Only loader and harsher." "Now, answer sae carefully. Was this before or after the shot?" , "Oh, before! Just as I was rattling the door handle.1 The shot broke In upon it" 4 Robin turned to Herr Schnbi who stood ' with a grave face by his side. v "The silencer, yon see, slrl" he said. Then, to Mary, he added: " Mary, we are going off now. But we will be back within the hour and" . "Oh. Roblnr the girl broke in. ."don't leave me alone. I don't feel safe In this placo after this morning. I'd much rather come with you." , . . .' "Mary, it's cruite Impossible," Robin began. But the girl had turned to a table and taken from It her hat and fur. ' ." i don't care," she exclaimed, wilfully. " rm coming anyhow. I refuse to be left behind!" She smiled at Herr Schulz as she spoke and ihat gentleman's rather grim face re laxed as he looked at her. " Tm not sure I wouldn't say the same! " . he remarked, f The upshot of it was that despite Robin's objections, Mary Trevert accompanied the party. She sat on the back seat rather flushed and excited, between II err Schulz and the doctor while Robin took the wheel again. A few minutes' drive took them to the big hotel where Robin had booked a room. They all " waited in the car whilst he went to the office. He was back in a minute, an open telegram In his hand. "I believe I've got It in my pocket," he cried, " the actual weapon with which Hartley Parrish was kHled! " And he read from the telegram: " Masterson's gunsmiths sold last July pair of Browning automatics identical with that found on Parrish to Jcefccs, who paid with Parrish's cheque." ' The message was signed " Manderton." At that moment a man wearing a black bow'.or hat and a heavy frieze overcoat came ' hurrying out of the hotel. : "Mr. Grave!" ke cried, as F.obia, who waa back In the driving seat was rclaz'jiz the brake. --.. T O " Did you have the wire from the Yard say ing. I 'was coming?" he asked. "Probably I beat the telegraph, Uiough, I came by air!" Then he tipped his hat respectfully at Herr Schulz. "This is Detective-Inspector Manderton of Scotland Yard, air," said Robin, The big' man beamed a smile of friendly recognition. " Mr, Manderton and I are' old friends," he said. "How are -you, Manderton? I didn't expect you to recognise ine h' these duds." ' "'- i- '":;vf. '.':,''.:. ".ra know you anywhere, sir," said' the detective, with unwonted cordiality.. '" Have you got your warrant Manderton? " -( . . asked Herr Schulz: "Aye, I have, sir,",. replied the detective, "and rvo a colleague from the Dutch police who's going along with me to effect the arrest" "Jeekes, eh?" - "That's the party, sir, charged with wilful murder. This is Commissary Boomjes, of the Rotteadom Criminal Investigation depart ment" . r ' , : A tall man with, a short, black heard had approached the ear. It was decided that the whole party should proceed to the Villa Bergendal immediately. Manderton sat next to Robin and the Dutch police officer perched ' hjeiaalf on the footboard. "And where did yon pick him irp, Pd like to know?" whispered Manderton in Robin's ear, with a backward Jerk of the head aa they glided through , the brightly lit streets. "D'ye mean the doctor?" asked Robin. "No, your other friend!" "Mies Trevert had a letter to htm. Some thing in the secret service, Isn't hot" Mr. Manderton anorted. "Something in the secret service'" he repeated,' disdainfully. Well, I should say ha was. If you want to know, Mr. Greve, he's the head!" . . . The rain was coming down m torrents and , the night was black aa pitch when, leaving the lights of Rotterdam behind, the cor ' swung out on the main rood leading to the Villa Bergendal. Thanks to a powerful head- . light Robin was able to get. a good turn of , speed out of her as soon as they were clear of the city. As they slowed down at the gate in the side road, Herr Schulz tapped him on the shoulder, . " Better leave the car here and put the lights out," he counseled. " An4 Miss Tre- 4 vert should stay tf the doctor here would re- ; main to took after her." . - "Ton think there'll be a scrap? "whispered the doctor, ' ' ' With a man like Marbran," returned the chief, " you never know what may happen." " Zero will be no faight" commented the Dutch police officer in lugubrious accents, " my vriends, ve are too late." . " " ' ' But the chief insisted that Mary should stay behind and the doctor arrecd to act aa her escort Then, in single file, the party pro- ceedod up the drive, Robin In front then the Dutchman, after him the chief and Mr. Man derton In rear. , , . s . , . They walked on the grass edging the ave nue. On the wet turf their feet made no sound, When they came In view of the house they saw It was in darkness. . No light shone in any window and the only sound to be heard was tha melancholy patter of the rain drops on the laurel bushes. When they saw the porch bulking black before thorn they left th. grass and stepped geatly across the drive, th gravel crunching softly beneath their feet Robin led the way boiuly under tha porch and laid a hand on th doer knob. 1 The door opened easily and the next moment the four men were in the halt As Robin moved to the wall to find tha electric light switch, 'a torch was silently ' thrust into bis hand. "Better have this, air," whispered Man . derton. " I have my finger on the switch now but we'd best wait to put the light up until we know where they are. Where do we go first? " . " Into the sitting room," Robin returned. Switching the torch on and off only as he required it he crept silently over the heavy carpet to the door of the room In which that . morning he had come upon Mary. Mander- , ton remained at the switch In the hall whilst the other two men followed Robin through the door. The room was in darkness. It struck chill; for the fire had gone out The beam of the , torch, flitting from wall to wall, showed the room to be empty. ' " "I don't believe there's a soul In the house," whispered the chief to Robin. "Ve are too laite; I have' said itl" mut tered the Dutchman. ' " There is another room leading out of this," replied Robin, turning the torch on to ' the blue curtain covering the door leading Into the office. "We'll have a look in there and then try upstairs. Manderton will give us warning if anybody comes down." - So saying he drew the curtain aside and pushed open the door. Instantly a gush of cold air blew the curtain back in his face. Before he could disentangle himself the door slammed to with a crash that shook the -. house. "That's done It!" muttered the ehlet . The three men stood and listened. ' They ' heard the dripping of the rain, the sough ing of the wind, but no sound of human kind came to their ears..- ' " The place is empty," whispered the chief. "They've cleared." . ."It Is too lair; I have said it" The Dutchman spoke in a hoarse bass. . "Well -go in here anyway," answered. Robin, lifting up the curtain again. " They may have heard us and be hiding." He opened the door, steadying it with his ' foot The curtain flapped wildly round them as they crossed the threshold. The broad white beam of the electric torch swung from window to desk, from desk to safe.' ' "The door over there it open," exclaimed the chief. " That's the way they've gone." . Suddenly he clutched Robin's arm. ."Steady," he whispered, "look there ... in the doorway. There's somebody moving. Quick, the torch! " .... The light flashed across the room, blazed for an instant on a windowpane, then picked out a man's form swaying in the doorway. He had his back to the room ' and was rocking gently to and fro with the . wind, which they felt cold on their faces. "It's only a coat and tronsers hanging In the door," began Robin. Then, with a suddenness which pained the eyes, the room was flooded with light The Dutch detective stepped from the e:ec- trie light switch and moved to the open door, "Too laite!" he cried, shaking his head. ' . " Have I not ten yoa? " Suspended by a strip of colored stuff, the body of Mr. Jeekes dangled from the cross beam of the door. The corpse eecillnted In the breeze, sil--houetted sgainst an oblong of black sky, turning this way and that loose, unnatural, horrible, and as the body, twisting gently, faced the room. It gave a gMmpse of start ing eyes, swollen, empurpled features, pro trudirg tongue. Without the least trace of emotion th black bearded dclcctiv picked up a rush pottota chair and, gathering up tha corps) by IU collar, hoisted It up without an effort x that the feet rested on th chair. Than, producing a clasp knife, he mounted the chair and with a vigorous slash cut tha colored strip which had been fastened to a tsple projoctlng from the brickwork above the door on the outside of the house. Ue caught the body In his arms and laid It face upwards on th matting which covered the floor. Ue busied himself for an instant at the neck, then rose with a twhrted strip of colored material In his band. , - "His braces," he remarked, "very com mon. The stool what he has stood upon and knocked away, she Iks outsaldet My vriends, ve are too laite!" The doctor, fetched in baste by Mander ton, examined the body. The man had been oaad, he said, for several hours. Mary re mained in the hall with Manderton while Robin and the Dutch detective went over the house. There was no trace either of Marbran or of the chauffeur. In the two bedrooms which showed signs of occupation the beds had been made up, but the ward robes were empty. ...,. "Marbran' mads a bolt for It" avid Rohta, coming Into the office where ha had left tha chief, "and taken overythlng with him." I gathered as ' much,' answered that astute gentleman, pointing at the fireplace. A pile of charred paper filled the grate. ' "There's nothing here, and I think we can . wipe Mr. Victor Marbran off the slate. Z doubt If we shall see him again. At any rate we can leave him to the tender mercies ' of our black bearded friend here. As for us, I don't really see that there is anything more to detain ns here. ' . . ." "But," remarked Robin, looking at tba stffl figure on the floor, the face now merci fully covered by the doctor's white hand kerchief, "surely this is a confession of guilt Has he left nothing behind in writ tag? No account of the crime? " "Not a thing." responded the chief, "and I've been through every drawer. Even th safe is open end empty!". "But how does it happen, then," asked Robin, " that Marbran has legged it while Jeekes la here?" ' " Marbran left him la the lurch," the chief broke. In decisively. "I think that's dear. While you were upstairs with our Dutch friend I went through the dead man's pockets. He had no money, Greve, except , a few coppers and a little Dutch change Ha had not even got a return ticket to London. I Which makes me think that Master Jeekes had left old England for good." "Another thing - that pnxstos me," re- . marked Robin, "is bow Jeekes knew that Miss Trevert had a letter to you; sir.' Or, : for the matter of that, how he knew that she had gone to Rotterdam at an?" '; "That's not hard to answer," said Mr. Manderton, who had just entered the room. " On Sunday night Jeekes rang up Harking from his club and asked to speak tq Mis '' Trevert Bude told him she had gone away. Jeekes then asked to speak to Sir Horace Trevert, who told him' that his sister had gone to Rotterdam. ' Jeekes takes the first available train in the morning, recognize . Miss Trevert on the way across, and tags . her to her hotel in Rotterdam. The next morning he follows her again, shadows her to this gentleman's rooms, and there, as we know, contrived by: a trick to see to whom she had a letter." ' , -j . "But why did he 'not attempt to get the letter away from her as soon as she arrived? Miss Trevert never suspected Jeekes, She . might have shown him the letter if he'd . asked her for it." ' Tho detective shook his head sagely. . i "Jeekes was pretty cute," he saidi' "B fore letting the girl know he was in Rotter, dam he wanted to find out what she wanted . here and whom she knew. Remember, he had no means of knowing if the girl sus pected him or not." ..'..., " So he devised this trick of impersonal ing Mr. Schulz cm the telephone, eh? y "Bah!" broke In the chief. "I bet that was Marbran's idea. Look' at Jeekes' face and tell me if you see in it any feature In' dicatlng the bold, Ingenious will to try . a bluff like that I never knew this fellow here. But(I know Marbran, a resolute, un-' daunted type. Tou can take It from me, Marbran directed Jeekes merely carried out Instructions. What do you say, Mander , ton?" ' - But the detective had retired into his she!! again. "If you will come to Harkings with mo the day after tomorrow, sir, I a ha 11 hope to show you exactly how Mr. Parrish met hi death." ,'.' .. "No, no,. Manderton," responded . the., chief, "I can't leave hero' for a bit. Ther ore bigger murderers than Jeekes at liberty In Holland today." " , The detective slapped his thigh. . , ."Td have laid a shade of odds," he cried merrily, "that you Were watching the gen- -tleman at Amerongen, sir." " Tut tut, Manderton," said the chief, raising his hand to silence the other, "you run on too fast my friend. I wish," he went on, changing the subject "I could be with you at Harkings tomorrow to 'witness your reconstruction ot the ci.'ine, Mander ton. YouH go, I suppose, Greve," "I certainly shall," answered the barrister. "1 have bad some experience of criminals, but I must say I never saw one leas endowed with criminal characteristics . than little Jeekes. A strange characterl" . ' The chief laughed sardonloally. " Any way," he remarked, " he had a dam good notion of the end that befitted him." Oonfinuett V-xt Smiflar. (Copyright ii.i by Taa Chicago Trltmn . 1