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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 1923)
| The Black Menace By ARTHUR B. REEVE Nearing the front porch, but «till able to see about the side of the house, I saw that some dis tance back of it, was an old barn. There 1 could see that Kennedy paused just for an instant to leave Clare in the shelter of the bam, unwilling to have her in the actual fighting whch he thought would take place when yre all reached the house. I Thejre were several cars about the side of the house, showing that there were the usual after noon visitors. But we did not atop. On my end I managed to break through a French window that opened out on the side porch, While I could hear Speed batter ing at the front door, already barred to him. In the rear Ken nedy was attacking a stout back door. NO ONE THERE The French windows bulged In before our blows and we found ourselves in the room where the roulette wheel had been in operation. T had expect ed an immediate attack. In Ntead there did not seem to be a loul in the house. Besides, the roulette wheel was gone. Several other articles of furniture which’ might have proved of an indis criminating nature were smash ed. I knew that it was all mere ly a blind; that they must have •een us coming. Speed dashed in through the Central hall at the moment that Kennedy, coming from the rear, joined us. Somehow 3t. all seem ed too easy. The silence was ominous. Wo dashed from room to room. Everything had been Wrecked or removed, evidently In the greatest haste. Had some One tipped them off, after all? Whore were Mme. Rone and the ■nave Jacques? Suddenly there was a violent explosion and a radiator -in the living room blew up as if it had been a bomb. Not a second later another in the hall shattered, Scattering flame far and wide— as from the unjointed end of a pipe a jet of- gas apparently shot out in a long tongue. We retreated to the middle of the room in which we were, as amid flying splinters and pieces of steel another radiator explod ed. One after another they Went, like a bombardment and instantly almost every door and Window was a curtain of flame. “Must have connected the gas main somehow with the steam heating and wired the thing— like a set of bombs,” cried Ken nedy to us from the hall. “Get to the windows where there are , xadiators—quick—jump.” .mere was no need to urge haste as the booming of the ra diators bombs all over the house . continued, surrounding us with t veritable curtain of fire. Floors And ceilings were shattered, the air was thick with plaster dust and smoke. Everywhere was wreck and ruin. And above all were the licking, hungry flames for the old rebuilt colonial house j was but a huge piece of timber, i dried out. by years and ready at a touch to flare up. Speed on the second floor, was cut off from t.lio stairs as Ken nedy and I gained the lawn. "Throw down a rug—blanket ►-anything," shouted Craig. ' Just as Speed turned from the Window we heard a scream down near the barn. In spite of his peril Speed paused in the win . dow pointing. ' It was from Clare, and as we looked we could see several hooded fgures running from the ham. They had seized her and Were bearing her off, struggling 1 but no longer screaming, ns a gag was forced over her mouth. * Evidently there had been a secret passage from the cellar of • the House of Mystery to this bam, and we had overlooked,it. They had waited long enough for Craig to pass the barn and become involved in the fire trap that had been set in the house against such a raid. Then they had darted out, seized Clare, and now were away, with hen. Above us was Speed, caught in the flames which were already mounting about the windovh Wo could not leave him to per ish there miserably. Nor could we stand still and allow Clare to be carried off bodily, no one knew by whom or where. Chapter 17 The Cray Cruiser The fire was gaining rapidly 13 on Speed, but he stood in the window, almost fascinated at his helplessness, as -lie witnessed the capture of Clare. “Hurry,” shouted Kennedy, “Get a rug—something, any thing that’s big.” Speed closed his eyes, held his breath, and fought his way back into the flames and smoke of the room. A moment later he emer ged staggering and gasping, half blinded, and threw down to us a partly blazing rug of grass cloth. Wc seized it and stamped out the fire. Kennedy grabbed one end, waving at me. “Get tho other corner, Wal ter,” he cried, then as he caught sight of a couple of the opera tives, shouted, “Here—you fel lows, take the other corner.” Thus we improvised a net. Standing in the window, Speed leaped into the rug. Although the impact of his weight bore down one side until it almost touched the ground and his feet went through the other side, it broke his fall sufficiently. Kennedy dropped his end now intent only on the rescue of Clare, which had been delayed even now too long. Over the lawn he dashed away, after the retreating figures bearing Clare. INTO THE WOODS Speed and I followed closely and as we ran wq could see the group of four or five disappear ing into the clump of woods, and making for a direction opposite from that in •whch Kennedy had approached in his car. Some one in the neighboring house must have seen the smoke and flames from the House of Mystery and telephoned the news to the local, fire depart ment, for at that moment there burst upon the still air of the country-side the weird windings up and down the scale of steam siren at the fire-house and power plant. It was sufficient to wake even the volunteer fire depart ment, and we were content to leave the house now'to their ten der mercies, as well as to those of the detective bureau opera tives whom Kennedy told off to stay as we wallowed after our fugitives. Fortunately the clump of woods was not so thick or under grown that it completely con cealed them as they fled through it, with Clare held firmly and forced along between two of them. As we ran we could see that they had gained a little private garage on the back road and had seized a car which was evi dently kept there for emergency. Kennedy began signalling frantically on a police whistle three sharp blasts repeated as often as lie could above the gyrating echoes of the siren. “They"re off,” fumed Speed watching them helplessly as their car swung into the road and started away, gathering power. “And there isn’t a chance that anyone will stop them on this road, coming to the fire.” Kennedy said nothing, but waited with outward confidence in himself as the valuable min utes passed while the car he had come in, and the road, with the driver alert, came sweeping down to us. Speed and I leaped into the back, while Kennedy directed five of the dectatives. to join us, crowding in the* limited space. He himself swung into the front seat with the driver, preferring to let the men who understood this particular motor best handle it. A GOOD START We were away in an instant and as we sped along Kennedy drew his gun and began exam ining it hastily to make sure that it was alright. Speed and I and the rest dd the same, for we were all well armed, and as I looked about I was sure that if there was going to be any gun-play we preserved as fine a band of gun men as could be desired outside of a moving picture. They had a start of us of some minutes but the road was fairly straight and there was little rea son that they would get off it, at least for some miles, for the up per road was the more travelled and was especially likely to be congested as the Heaton Hillians turned out for the great event of a local fire. Our car sped along, in spite of the weight it was carrying, nor did the driver, who was getting into the spirit of the chase, neg lect to take any chances in pass ing the few farmers’ toams we met or in shooting past the wretched dirt crossroads. At last we came to the brow of the hill. Over the valley and al most at the brow of the next hill, we could see the car. It was some encouragement to know ! that we were gaining, if only by a few yards, and at least on the trail. The occupants of the car ahead, looking back, saw us and it seemed to act as a stimulus to them. They were getting every inch of speed out of their engine, as we were out of our own. One thing that gave me an air of relief was that no longer were they able to elude us. We had got close enough for that. “Going in the direction of North Harbor, by Jove,” mut tered Speed recognizing some of the landmarks as they flashed past. “Where the Black Menace led you and Clare?” I inquired. “Yes,” he cried, “only not by this road.” REELING OFF THE MILES It was evidently their destin ation, for we were already far out of the flat country of the middle of the island and among the hills and good roads of the north shore, bearing ever nearer to Long Island Sound. Past estate after estate we reeled off the miles, now and then skirting near a village, but for the most part keeping away from the main arteries of traffic The Black Menace, for by this time we were convinced that it was he and his emissaries who were leading us the chase, had no mind to involve himself in any stretch of road that might fur nish delay. Instead, he was playing for any opportunity. that chance might offer to slip away on a side road, double and throw us off the trail. But we clung to him tenaciously and even continued our slight gain. If nothing went wrong with the motor we might even expect to overhaul him the longer the chase lasted. Although we clung to them we seemed never to get within such distance that from the careen ing car they offered even a fair ly good shot. I felt sure, though, that as we opproached the vil lage of North Harbor they would be forced to slacken speed and then at least we might have a chance to get up with them. And, indeed, I was right, for as we left the large estates and came to the suburban develop ments with the small houses which denoted the approach of a town, it seemed as if the chase was really becoming too hot for them. Craig exclaimed, as just this side of the town, their car veer ed away and down toward the head of the harbor, glimpses of which from the last hill-top we had caught. It was the chance we sought and at once we opened on them with a volley carefully directed at the lowest part of the car and aimed at the tires. Speed watch ed nervously and I noticed that he was the only one who did not fire. He said , nothing, but I could see that Clare’s safety was the sole thought in his mind. There was no need of another volley. From the car itself we could hear an explosion, as though one of our bullets had been an explosive shell. The car ahead swerved. One of the rear tires, by lucky chance, had been hit and had exploded. NO NEED OF BRAKES Off the road the driver of the car deliberately shered it, into a clump of bushes, bumping on the flat shoe. It was now only a matter of seconds for us to sweep down and follow the deep-cut tire tracks into the self-same bushes. Nor did we stop for fear of an answering volley. uur driver had no need of J brakes, as the car plowed through the soil up to the hubs, the engine stalled. Ahead of us, only a few- feet, we could see the other car. We leaped out and piled after the abandoned motor* Speed and Kennedy leading, with a shout of triumph". In the body of the car was Clare herself, half faint ing. Speed jumped into the car and bent over Clare as she lay hud dled on the back seat where her captors had abandoned her, in fear that we might overtake them if they delayed to carry her. “They seized me—I tried to break away—but there were five of them," she murmured. “What did they look like? Who were theyt” questioned Kennedy. “Could you recognize any of them?” She shook her head. “They were masked and in long coats— with the collars pulled up over their faces.” . “Was there one that looked like that Monsieur Jacques?” asked Speed. “Perhaps—I cannot tell.” “Which way did they go—to ward the harbor/’ queried Craig. “Yes... .1 heard them say something about a boat.” Clare was reviving in the ex citement of the rescue. We pressed forward, leaving Speed with her, his arm about her, and helping her to follow more slowly. I he trees thinned out and we saw that we were coming to what was a sort of a cove open ing into the harbor head itself. IN THE BOAT As we approached, it was evi dent that our delay with Clare had given them just the seconds they needed. The Black Menace had hidden a boat in the cover. It was high tide and he was hav ing no trouble in getting away, which might not have been the case when the tide was low un covering much of the cove as flats of mud. Already he was in the boat, the engine had been started, the anchor hauled up, and he was gathering headway as he ap proavined the entrance to the cove, rounding out into the har bor and away. We stood on the shore and made the party out. We saw that it was the same gray cruiser which he had used the time when he had escaped from Clare and Speed. There was only one thing to do and that was to find another boat in which we could pursue. Yet down here, away from the activity of the town, there were no boats at anchor. We stood on the shore helpless. Out across the water, however, we could hear a speed-boat which a boy was handling, evi dently just to see what he could do with her. Kennedy raised his gun and fired a volley into the air, to attract his attention. Then we all waved and together sent up a shout at him. He did not understand, but evidently for the lark of the thing, brought his scotter about and headed it at us. Further and further the gray cruiser melted into the distance, turning the point and about to disappear around it into the Sound bearing to the east whence there were more ways of escape. “What do you want?" shout ed the boy through a megaphone Kennedy clapped his hands to his mouth to megaphone back. “Rent us the boat-name your own price." The boat shot in as close to the shore as he could without grounding. Kennedy did not wait, but waded out nor did he stop to dicker over money. The rest of us follewed, Speed and I between us carrying Clare out to the boat. At last we were ready and our boat shot out across the water, cutting the waves like a knife. MORE AND MORE EXCITED Not much was said, but our boat was indeed the fastest of the two, for as we rounded the .point we could see the gray cruiser not so far ahead. Speed grew more and more excited as we headed after it and it became evident that we were gaining. Nor could I blame him. Would the Black Menace repeat his former performance and try to shoot us up—perhaps not hit the gas tank this time, but one of us. This time if he attempted any shooting we were better pre pared than Jack and Clare had been alone. We were more heavily armed, and with more people. In such a contest I felt sure that the Black Menace must inevitably be brought down him self. “If it’s a race he’s looking for,” cried the boy gleefully, “my boat outclasses his.” “It’s a race, all right,” en couraged Kennedy. ““And if you beat him—we ’ll all make up a purse.” The boy handled his boat splendidly. We overhauled the gray cruiser gradually, and as we drew closer we could see that it was a low, slim craft, not of the high-decked type, but with a small hunting cabin in which evidently one of the party had taken refuge. The lack Menace veered off, but it was of no use. We were plainly overtaking him now. I saw one figure duck down under the stern. We covered ourselves as best we could, ex pecting him to fire. Kennedy did not wait. His gun cracked and we could see that the bullet had made a hit on the coaming of the boat. The Black Menace, or at least ' the lone figure visible redoubled his efforts. Was it another Cos ton signal gun and flare he was preparing to aim at ust Chapter 18. The Smoke Screen. As our boat forged ahead, we. waited, expecting some devilish! attack, either shooting or per haps a bomb. Instead, the Black Menace rose for an instant over the side of his boat and threw overboard what looked like a, sthall square box. Instantly I thought that, per haps, he was trying to lighten the draught of his cruiser, espe-, cially so when, a few yards ahead he rose again and threw over another box. “Look!” exclaimed Clare quickly. The water about the spot where he had thrown over the first box had begun actually; smoking, throwing up a thicfc; white impenetrable haze, and, as we looked, from the second box} another cloud of haze arose. The wind took the two rapidly spreading clouds and wafted them together while the heavy haze mushroomed out over thq water. Other boxes nfust have been thrown overboard, for the smokei became thicker, spreading in all directions, but hanging low. We ran into it almost before we knew it and found that now we were going blindly ahead as in a maze, our only sense of direction being the compass. (Continued Next Week Become Better Americans Frank Aydelotle in Scribner’s maga zine. One of the most important things whidh a Rhodes scholar gets from his Oxford experience is a changed at-j i titude toward his own country. AJ Rhodes scholar always returns to the United States, a better American than he was when he went over. The fears which were widely ex pressed when the Rhodes will was made public, tlhat three years at Ox ford would make British subjects, on at any rate Anglomaniacs out of oui; American boys, have proved to be without foundation. Out of about 600, Rhodes scholars who have been elec ted since the scheme started in 1904, only one has become a British sub-' ject and the others canViot be told[ from American college graduates' who have not enjoyed that experience by any tendency to use tihe English accent or a monocle. Practically all the Rhodes acholara have returned to the United Statea to live. A few have gone abroad aa members of the diplomatic corps of the United States, or as representa tives of American newspapers or business firms. The largest single' group living abroad are those who have become American missionaries. In China, and perhaps no Rhodes' scholars are better placed to serve tihelr country than are these. -The Rhodes scholar comes back a better American than he was when he went over, but he comes back less of a jingo. The jingo, like every other blusterer, is a man who is at heart not sure of his own cause. The at tidude of the United States toward England has been for a century one of sensitiveness to criticism, of re sentment of fancied slights on our manners and culture, of a disposition to undervalue those Intellectual and artistio achievements in which Euro pe has excelled us, and to overvalue those political and material goods In which we have excelled Europe. The American has often carried a chip on his shoulder because he was scarcetly conscious In some points of this own, lnferlorty. The American Rhodes scholar sees that he need take that attitude no longed. The energy and idealism of the people of the United States, and the good fortune of her position, have brought America to a place where she need no longer envy ot/her nations their points of excellence, where her cue should be to thank God for her own blessings, to admire frankly and to study carefully the best of other countries in order, if possible, to add all good thlAgs to her own heritage. b ► EVERYBODY’3 GOVERN ► MENT. h Elihu Root. b A French nobleman could at tend the court of Louis XIV b or retire to his castle, as he ► chose, without discredit; for under that system of govern ► ment the question was wheth ► er a certain man or certain b other men conducted the gov ► ernment. The essential fea ► ture of the present condition b la that the burden and duty of b government rest upon all men, b and no man can retire to his b business or his pleasure and * b Ignore his right to share in - b government without shirking ■< b a duty. •> b < South Dakota Goas in For 8trawborrioa From the South Dakota Huronlte A strawberry club for boys and girls living on the farms near Spear fish la being planned by the Law rence County lfcrm Bureau. The) members start with a plot of Pro gressive Everbearing strawberries ten rods square containing 500 plants. Mr. Ford of the State College at Brookings will obtain the best plants available for the use of the club. A Good Time Expected From the Atlanta Constitution What a good time the summer va cationists will have when they come home to “rest up”! Ten pins were Invented in the four teenth century. Handkerchiefs were first manufac tured In Scotland In 1743. ILLEGAL FISHING GIVEN HAP JOLT Aurelia, la., Men Caught Catching Catfish From Under Rocks At Storm Lake Storm Lake, la., July 28—Three fishermen from Aurelia were arrested f at midnight Friday by Deputy Fish and Game Warden Dan Fuller who caught them In the act of pulling cat fish out from under rocks along th« shores of the lake with their hands. Mr. Fuller had been suspicious that some of this illegal fishing ihad been going on and he determined to stop it. From the Swallum banks, he watched the Aurelia trio until he was convinced that they were violating the laws. He and C. M. Boldt then descended upon the anglers, found them with eight big cat fish in their possession and placed them under arrest. Justice of the Peace Charles Aikln was summoned to his office. Here ' Fuller filed information charging that Ralph Troeger. Walter Mein king and W. H. Swenson, all of Aurelia were "taking cat fish from, the waters of Storm Lake from among the rocks unlawfully witih their hands.” They pleaded guilty and Justice Aikin assessed each man $10 and costs, amounting to $14.35. T1 BEjf SENT Kendall, Preus and Bryan To Attend Ceremonies at Mil itary Training Camp at Des Moines Des Moines, la., July 28.—General John J. Pershing; Maj. Gen. George B. Duncan, of the Seventh Army corps area; Governor C, «W. Bryan, of Ne braska, Gov. J. A. O. Preus, of Min nesota, and Gov. N. E. Kendall , of Iowa, will be honor guests at the citizen’s military training camp at Fort Des Moines next month, it is announced. The governors of Nebraska and Minnesota and Iowa will attend the camp on August 17, "Governrs' Day". Pershing and Maj. Gen. Duncan will be ihere August 23 and review the stu dents. BIDS RECEIVED FOR NEW LE MARS SCHOOL Le Mars, la., July 28. (Special)— Bids for the construction of the new high school and grade school building were opened Wednesday afternoon. C. F. Buettner of (he firm of Buettner and Arnold, architects of Sioux City who drew the plans and specifica tions for the building read the bids and also the various deductions and additions. Twelve contractors and construc tion firms had filed bids on the gen eral construction of the building. Five bi3s were filed for the plumb ing, heating and ventilating, while eight firms made bids for the elec trical wiring. The Devereux and Olson Construc tion of Minneapolis, presented the low bid for the general construction work. The original bid was $108,571, with certain deductions and additions on the various alterations specified in the plans. The Mathey Plumbing Co., of Le Mars made the low bid for the plumbing, heating and ventilat ing. The sum asked is $24,746, sub ject to deductions and additions for alterations. The Consumers Electric Co., of Carroll made the low bid for the electrical wiring in the new build ing, the offer being $3,754. More than a hundred representa tives of construction firms and others interested were at the meeting of the school board at which the bids were opened. AUTO 8MASHUP IS CAUSE OF SHOOTING Fort Madison, la-. July 28—A mys terious shooting, climax of an auto mobile accident near here is being investigated by police while one mo torist is in the hospital and another under arrest. Charles Kessington, Salem, Mo., was the injured man. He was shot through the jaw after an attempt to pass another machine had resulted in a smash-up. Kessington was driving on wlhen the shot was fired. C. W. Smith, Salina, Mo., driv er of the other car, was held In the county Jail with his wife and son, while police tried to clear up the shooting. No weapon was found by the officers. RELATIVES MADE GOOD FOR HER BAD CHECKS Council Bluffs, la., July 28. (Spe cial) Miss Anna M. Fennern, who checks for $1,000 upon her employer, an Omaha Insurance man, left today with her parents for their home near Shelby, an uncle having made good the checks and the banks offering the girl a chance to be good. Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst, English militant suffragist, is making an auto mobile tour or a month In northern Ontario,, to make Canada the "cradle of a stronger race” through social hy giene education. MAIL POUCHES ARE STOLEN AT CEDAR FALL8 Cedar Falls. Ia., July 27.—Thieves, believed by police to be amateurs, stole three pouches of flrst-class mail from the local postoffice early Friday morning. The robbers gained en trance by prying open a window dur ing a clerk’s absence. No register ed mail is believed to be missing. WASHTA NEWSPAPER UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT Washta, la., July 28. (Special)—Mr. and Mrs. R. R. Robinson have pur chased the Washta Journal. G. N. Crane, formerly part owner, will re tire.
