NEBRASKA III BRIEF
r
Carlton
NEWS NOTES OF INTEREST FROM
VARIOUS SECTIONS.
ALL SUBJECTS TOUGHED UPON
Religious, Social, Agricultural, Polit
ical and Other Matters Given
Due Consideration.
By FRANK LOVELL ' NELSON
Romance and Mystery Entwined in Master
's Coup
Clarke's
Case
inc
nid
Hastings will booh have ono of tho
finest auditoriums In tho state. Mr.
Hatyer, proprietor of tho Edison
theater In that city, is Just finishing
a new building which will be amply
largo to accommodate Hastings audi
onccs. If tho decision recently handed
down by the supremo court Is of tho
scopo tho lawyers In Central City be
Hovo Chapman Is likely to be without
n saloon shortly and Merrick county
"Will bo entirely without, saloons, savo
tor tho ono at Silver Creek.
David Sherwood, ex-county commis
sioner of Thayer county, wns found
dead In a room in tho Alexandria
hotel. Ho had gono to tho room to
prepare for a trip and dropped dead
of heart failure. Mr. Sherwood was
ono of tho oldest residents of tho
county and was commissioner two
consecutive terms during the time
tho $75,000 court houso was being
built,
, Farmers should all havo telephones.
Write to us and learn how to get tho
best service for tho least money.
Nobraska Tolephono Company, 18th
:and Douglas streets, Omaha. "Uso
the Bell."
Mrs. R. A. Cottlo sold her eighty
acre farm near Colon in Saunders
county to Charles Davis for $9,000.
Mrs. Cottlo when a young woman got
title to this land by preemption. She
was a girl about twenty years of ago
then fifty years ago this winter. Her
maldon name was Rebecca Keeler
and she was among tho earliest set
tlers, having come to Saunders coun
ty in 1857.
Tho government Inspector wan
'called to Auburn to cxamlno tho cat
tle In the dairy herd of Nixon & Har
lis, and twenty-two head of tho herd
"wore pronounced affected with tubor
culosls. These cattle had been separ
ated from tho cows that wero giving
milk for tho trade, and had boon kept
in other pastures because of tho fact
that Harris & Sons had found that
they were not doing well, though they
ihad kept In good order In all cases.
Mrs. Mathilda Ruser and John Sla
:ger havo been taken to tho peniten
tiary at Lincoln to begin their torms
of punishment for having plotted to
kill Mrs. Ruser's husband, Emil Ruser
of Sarpy county, as ho lay asleep In
bed. Thoy both pleaded guilty and
.Mrs. Ruser was sentenced to one
:year and Slager to six years. Thoy
wero taken to tho Douglas county jail
'for safe keeping until Sheriff Spear
:man of Sarpy county was ready to
take them to Lincoln.
Joseph Walter, against whom a
fomplalnt had been made on an In
sanity charge, sont word to Sheriff
!Sammons of Buffalo county that ho
would shoot If any attempt wero
miado to take him. Ho purchased tho
sun and a good supply of ammunition,
and when ho was arrested In n crowd
of Christmas shoppers ho trid to carry
out the threat, but was captured
without difficulty and taken care of.
Walter was released from tho asylum
only a few wo,0fl ago.
Judge Gutihe su, prosecuting attor
ney for Custtieriidunty, was badly In
Jurod by being' caught hotweon two
automobiles whtlo driving In n buggy
with his wife. Ho was taking tho
middle of tho road, when tho two
machines, driven respectively by
.Messrs, Willing and Johnston, nt
'temptod to pass on olthor side. Tho
.horses took fright and made a quick
;turn and upset tho buggy, throwing
Uho occupantB Violently out.. Ono car
was torn from tho judge's head.
Tho First Christian church of Frc
mont will pay off all its indebtedness
ion New Year's day, when tho annual
:meetlng Is held. It Is onablod to do
iso by a "lift" It has been given by
Uho trustees of a church which ro
'cently disbanded at Maplo Creek. Tho
Maple Creek church agreed to give
'tho Fremont church tho $500 It had
'In Its treasury for tho purpose of pay
ing off the church debt, provided an
equal amount was subscribed in Fre
mont. It was announced in tho
'church that tho amount had been sub
scribed. Tho State Board of Educational
"Lands and Funds made a bid for tho
Douglas county court houso bonds,
formally agreeing to tako them In
block at par or tako them In such
amounts as Douglas county commis
sioners may desire, with sixty days
notice. It Is tho understanding that
Douglas county has an offer for tho
ontlro $1,000,000 of bonds In a block,
but tho terms of tho bid make it pos
sible for tho county board to sell tho
bonds, ns It needs the monoy. Tho
'Offer of the board will not the stato
4 per cent.
Charles Collo, long a resident of
"Dawes county, committed suicide
:somo time December 18 or 19 about
three miles northeast of Chadron. Ho
cut his throat with a razor from ear
to ear.
Red Willow county furnishes n. enso
of swift JitBtice. Josiah S, Calvert
robbed an Intoxicated friend Saturday
night, was arrested on Sunday, ap
peared In district court Monday and
pleaded guilty and was sentenced to
one year In tho penitentiary, to which
lio was tnkon by tho sheriff the samo
night. Tho amount involved was ?C0.
Calvert is 23 years old.
ODY Found In Trunk.'"
begnn Clarke. "But I'll
skip tho headlines.
Upon opening u box
which they had purchased
nt on uneallcd-for-frelght
sale two young men resid
ing In Austin wero horrl
3cd yesterday to discover tho body
)f a innn. It wns hcrmotlcnlly sealed In
i zinc case which wns Inclosed In nn
Kdlnary round-topped trunk, which In
urn wns packed In sawdust within a
lno dry goods box. Considering tho fact
hat tho box had remained for thrco
'ears and a half In tho freight warehouse,
ho body wns In a remarkable statu of
reservatlon. duo probably to tho man
ler of packing It. Thcro Is no cluo to tho
dontlty of tho body other than that It
A-nn billed to a fictitious address on South
feffcrson street und was shipped from
3alt Luke City, having been robllled
there from Ktti-so, Wash.
"That's tho gist of it, but, of course,
aftor tho fashion of you reporters tho
Etory is told from several angles In or
der to fill tho column. It looks like
a promising mystery."
"Yes, but one that probably is im
possible of solution considering tho
length of time," I answered.
"I'm not so suro of that. Did it over
occur to you that any crime can bo
solved If someono is willing to ex
pend money, time, and travel? Given
unlimited resources, I believe I could
organize a detective force which would
make punishment a cortalnty for every
criminal. Crime goes unsolved be
causo tho men capable of doing ef
fective work can make more money
In other lines. I'd rather like to look
into this case. Docs your influence
extend to tho county morguo?"
"Deputy Coroner McNally in chargo
thcro is ono of my particular friends.
I am suro ho will favor us."
"Suppose wo call thero this after
noon, If your engagements will per
mit." I acceded, but shortly after break
fast something arose that put tho mat
ter entirely out of our. mlndB for tho
moment. I was busy nt my own de-
vices, and Clarke was deep in a very
'erudite " work on oriental mysticism
when thero was a vlolont tug nt our
door bell. I opened tho door and ad
mlttnd a handsome, athletic young fel
low, square of jaw and keen of oyo,
but apparently laboring under tho
most intense oxcitomont.
"Where Is Mr. Clarke? I must seo
him at once," ho gasped.
Knowing Clarke's rulo to seo all call
ors when possible, I immediately
ushered him Into tho library.
. "Oh, Mr. Clarke," ho began without
awaiting an introduction. "I am sure
I havo a word from her. I must havo
your holp. Tho pollco will laugh at
mo but I fool It is a clue. I shall go
mad If it falls. I know she is living,
I havo never given hev up."
"But calm yourself, my dear sir, and
lot mo havo your story connectedly,"
said Clnrke. "Remember, I nm Ig
norant oven of your name."
"Pardon me, I forgot. I am so full
of this new clue. My name is Rich
ard Dudley."
Ho needed to Bay no more to Clarko
or myself. Tho -name recalled In
stantly tho disappearance, six months
before, of Evlyn Mason. Tho coun
try had rung with It. Tho papors had
been filled with It. Tho best dotcc
tlves in the country had struggled
with it. Clarko himself, though not
called In by tho family had taken n
deop interest in tho progress of the
case. A note of romanco had been
added to tho affair by tho recently an
nounced engagement of tho Iron mag'
nnto's daughter to Richard Dudley,
Harvard's old crack half-back who, at
tho time sho so mysteriously dropped
out of sight, was traveling In tho orl
ent. Ho had hastened homo ns fast
as steamer and train could carry him
and had taken up tho thread whoro
tho pollco had dropped it in despair.
"Then you havo a clue, Mr. Dud
ley?" asked Clarko when ho had as
sured our caller that his troublo was
well known to us.
"I think bo. Hero is what I ro
ceived this morning. I hurried to you
at onco."
And Dudley handed Clarko a slip of
paper.
Clarko read tho papor and hnndod it
over to me. It contained but ono
word, "Osottc," written In a sprawling
hand.
. "Where did you got this?" asked
Clarke.
"It was slipped under my door last
night. I havo no Idea by whom. I
found it thero this morning. Oh, Mr.
Clarko, tell mo that you havo hope
and that wo will find her."
"What particular Importnnco do you
nttach to this paper?"
"Oh, can't you boo? But I forgot.
No ono knows It but myself and her
Immediate family. Why, man! that's
Evlyn's middle name! Evlyn Osotto
Mason. Sho never used it. No ouo
knows it. Don't you seo sho must
havo sont this?"
"In that case, Mr. Dudley, you havo
indeed a most valuable clue; moro val-
Telepatho Deductive Solver of Criminal
Mysteries Tackles a Problem Embodying
Smuggling, the Fearful White Plague, and
Two Lovers Are Brought Together in Grand
Finale Solution of the Complex Puzzle.
MYYJD6
5N0T
uable, I trust, than yon Buspect. It
will however tako time and labor to
dovolop It. I Imagine It may tako us
to tho Pacific coast. Aro you pre
pared to tako such a trip?"
"At once, If necessary. Oh! wo shall
find hor, shan't wo, Mr. Clarko?"
Tho body already had been propared
for burial, and Clnrko did not ask to
seo it. Tho plno box ho glanced at
just long enough to rend tho fictitious
address. The trunk also ho passed
with a look. When ho enmo to tho
zinc case, howovor, It riveted his at
tention. Ho examined closely ovory
seam and cornor of It.
Clarko decided upon a trip to tho
Pacific coast
When wo finally reachod tho end of
our long Journoy and succeeded in lo
cating tho town of Ettcso, wo found
a little hamlet numborfug about COO
souls. Across a snug harbor shono
the broad oxpanso of tho Pacific.
After some Bearch wo located tho
private sanitarium of Dr. Clinton
WlthorBbeo, a man known to Clarko
to bo a villain of the deopost dye. Wo
ontorod a room In Withersbeo's asy
lum. What 1 have next to relate has been
pieced together out of a blur of hazy
memories. I am not aware Just when
I lost consciousness. My first sensa
tion was that some ono was looking
Intently at tho back of my hoad.
Then a Boft, purring, volco said:
"Mr. Carlton Clarko, Mr. Richard
Dudley and Mr. Paul Sexton, I bo
Hovo; Dr. Wlthorsbeo is at your sorv
Ice." When I uwoko to consciousness
Bomo ono was alternately snapping his
fingers In my faco nnd roughly shak
ing mo. I was in pitchy darknoas, and
tho air was chill and clammy.
"Sexton, I'm nshnrned of you," said
Clarke's volco through tho gloom.
"You aro a particularly easy subject.
I should have given you Bomo lessons
In roslstanco."
"Whoro nro we? What Iiub hap
pened? Whoro Is Dudloy?" I asked, In
a breath.
"Dudloy Is hero. Ho recovered be
fore you did," answered Clarko, a fact
which Dudloy's volco confirmed. "Wo
seem to bo in somo sort of an oubli
ette, of that dear Dr. Wlthorsbeo."
In slnglo fllo wo mndo tho round of
our dungeon. Wo found It to bo about
12 feet square, walled with musonry
which dripped dampness, and floored
with cement. On one side wo came upon
a door tho height of my head, I
being thn tallest of tho party. From
tho rivet heads wo Judged It to bo of
Plato steel and it closed Into a stool
.franio sot Into tho masonry In a man
ner which offorod no ontranco for tho
point of a pick had wo had one at
hnnd. Tho absence of anv kovholo.
bolt or levor Bhowed thut It was never
intended to bo opened from tho In
side. At Inst, nftor a wait which seemed
an eternity, I heard a soft footfall
outsldo of tho door. Then lion lints
clanked and grated. I hoard tho
hinges creak and the door swing slow
ly opon. A dnrk form frnmoil In the
doorwny wus outlined through tho
gloom. Thon It stopped into our
mldHt. My hanilH Bhot to his thrnnt.
which wub cold and clammy um that
ot a corpse. Tlioro wus no resistance.
I heard Dudley wrenching tho Inn
torn from his bolt. At Clurko's com
mand I released him. Dudley was
about to strlko the light whon Clarke
shoiitod: "Quick, Dudloy; tho door!"
Wo omerjfod on tho nigged sido of
a hill overlooking tho broad oxpnnso
ot tho bay.
Lying flat on my back on tho sand,
my heart tugging und thumping, iny
breath coming in rasping gnspa which
seemed to sonr my throat, I waited, I
know not how long.
At Inst I was aroused by a soft "hol
lo," and tho noso of a swift gasolino
launch shot Into tho creek,
Wo had not long to wait. Clarko
lifted his oyes from his Intent watch,
on tho Blioro lino nnd said: "Ho's
coming."
1 know who "ho" mennt nnd I shiv
ered nt mooting WlthorBbeo on thoso
black waters. Then my ear caught
tho "puff putt" of a launch.
"Down in tho bont, fellows, ho's go
ing to fire," shoutod Clarko. Dudloy
and I dropped. Six times In rapid
succession his rovolvcr cracked. But
n swiftly (lying launqh Is not ensy to
hit and wo heard tho hullots whlstlo
overhead.
Wlthorsbeo's boat was almost upon
us when Clarke gavo the wheel n qulclc
twist and our pursuer shot past with
in throo feet of our gunwale. Ab ho
throw tho wheel Clarke's right arm
shot Into tho basket at his side. I Baw
his hnnd enmo out holding a writhing:
blnck object. Ho swung it nbout his
head onco nnd lot go. I saw It hurtlo
through tho air and strlko tho doctor
full between tho shoulders. Wlthors
beo dropped tho whcol nnd stood unf
trying to fight tho thing oft while him
bont, freo of hor holm, swung 'roundJ
In circles.
Suddenly ho Bprang to tho gunwnlo
of tho boat, throw up his arms and
with n piercing, tcrrltlod shriek disap
peared In tho black waters of tho bay.
Clarko shot our boat over to tha
staggorlng dorollct, reached ovor hor
sldo and stopped her engine. I hold
tho gunwnlos togethor while Dudloyi
leuped into tho doctor's boat at a
bound nnd roturncd bearing in his
powerful arms tho unconscious form
of a young woman. Tho flguro in the-
stern sat ilxed and motlonlcsB.
Dudloy BWlftly cut tho ropes which
bound hor. "It's fiho. It's Bhe," ho
muttered. Clnrko felt hor pulso. "Sho'
only fainted," ho Bald. Wo fell to
chafing hor wrists aiid Dudloy scooped!
up a handful of sea water and bathed
hor brow.
At tho tnvorn, after Miss Mason had
been Bnfoly stowed away in a clean
warm bed by tho motherly landlady
wo patched together tho ragged
threads of tho story ovor tho host In
tho landlord's collar.
"First," Baid Clarko, "if you aro
Oliver Dike, .whoso was tho body that
Dr. Wlthersbco shipped to Chicago in
an opium tyiso?"
"Ho was another attendant, a young
follow by tho namo of Frank Williams.
Wo wore very similar In appearance
oven to tho fillings in our teeth.
"I didn't worry much about hor for
ho treated hor well and sho aeomod
to bo In no dangor from him, and I had
seen bo many terrible things in cases
where ho didn't wnnt to marry them
that I was sort of hardonod to It any
way. I was tho watchman of tho
wholo placo after Williams disap
peared and tho only white mnn about
tho Institution, nil tho i rost being
Chinks. I talked with Miss Mason
on tho sly Bomotlmos but I pnld no
attention to hor appeals until ono day,
sho mentioned tho namo of Mr. Dud
ley hero. Ho was ono of my boyhood
football heroes and I determined to
do something.
"Hut, Clarko, how did you bog
through all tills whon wo wero In Chi
cago?" I naked.
"I didn't Bee through It by any
menus. Only I saw somo things
which you didn't. Part of It you
know. Then a connecting link was
tho zinc can which 1 recognized at
onco ns ono usod In smuggling opium,
I picked up the threads of Miss Ma
son's case whoro I had dropped them
before, und tho list of guests cotv
firmed my hazy recollection that there)
wan one from Etteso. Tho namo of
tho town did not strlko me tho flrBl
time, of course, but tho namo of the
doctor did, for whtlo turning tho cnB
ovor In my mind 1 thought of Bomoi
thing which I should havo remembered
tho llrsf time. It was that once In a
Clark streot opium den I had heard
tho namo 'Withorsbeo' in a cautiourf
whisper. My visit tb Chinatown com
firmed this. I havo a Chlnamun thor
that I depend on a good deal, and lc
roply to my question of who was thtf
greatest dealer In smuggled opium It
tho country ho whlsporcd 'Wlthor
boo,' swearing that ho would novor llv
to boo anothor day for having told."
Dudloy and Miss Mason wore mar
ried tho next spring ami Clarko and
I aro often guests at their beautiful
Lnko Forest homo. Wlthorsbeo's bo
called asylum, from which, aided bj
the powerful Chinese tongs In which
ho wielded grent lntluenco, he conduct
ed his extensive smuggling operations,
now atones for Its past sins as ono ol
tho principal outposts In the wai
against "Tho Great White Plague."
(Copyright. 100S, by W. G. Chapman.)
(Copvrljjht lit (1 rout Urltaln.)
