11 The Black Menace
I I By ARTHUR B. REEVE
While Kennedy traced over
rapidly the history of the Black
Menace I could see that every
eye in the room was fixed on
him. Just how much did he
know! What was he aiming at?
Kennedy resumed, drawing
slowly from his pocket a paper.
“I hare here a cablegram re
ceived tonight m apswer.to an
Inquiry of mino to the perfect of
police in Paris. It concerns a
famous band of criminals which
was thought by him to have been
finally broken up—La Menace
Noire, as it came to be called—
a band of international black
mailers and swindlers.”
I could feel an almost electric
start in the air at thft very men
tion .of the Black Menace.
! Kennedy bent over the record
on the table. We could see that
a line of ink was being traced on
the ruled paper by the pen. But
to none of us as far as I knew,
except himself did it convey any
idea.
“This,” he remarked casually,
“is what is known as the pneu
mograph. It shows the actual
intensity of the emotions by re
cording their efforts on the
heart and lungs together. The
truth can literally be tapped by
this little nerve detective, even
when no confession can be ex
tracted. A moment’s glance
here at these lines traced by each
rise and fall of the chest, each
beat of the heart, can tell an
expert more than words.”
He paused.
Was Breshkaya breaking
down under the combined influ
ence of the drug and the sur
roundings that Kennedy had
carefully staged ?
Chapter 20
The Gorgon
“My story,” resumed Ken
nedy, speaking in a measured
tone, and still holding the cable
gram which seemed to possess
a peculiar fascination as a key
to unlock the mystery, “would
more properly begin at Monte
Carlo—in the Casino, or rather
tho garden about the famous
Casino,”
Ho turned to Clare. “It was
there that your guardian, Mar
tin Dale, first became involved
In the web of dissipation and
intrigue, as so many wealthy
Americans abroad do.”
Clare watched him with wide
ayes and Speed leaned forward,
dividing his attention between
Kennedy and the girl.
“The French Department of
Justice,” continued Kennedy,
“for its own protection keeps
very close watch on such things,
for the operation of many
foreign criminals is like a far
drawn web, from Paris to Nice,
to the Riviera, to Monte Carlo—
but always, as in the case of the
Black Monaco and Martin Dale,
centering finally in Paris. But
the Parisian police are no scan
dal mongers. That would never
do. For what would become of
the Paris which is not France,
but the playground of the world,
otherwise t”
He glanced at Speed. “There
too,” he added, “was involved
Ripley Oranby whom New York
knew only outwardly as the most
estimable of cultured men. That
is another, though related,
story.
There whs no sound now from
any of his auditors, no inter
ruption to prevent Kennedy
from leading along his exposure
in his own way.
A WILD INSTINCT
“How are we to account for
itt Only by the well-known
fact that in many men—and
many women, too—there lurks a
wild, deminondaino instinct
sometimes, as Freud has shown
so conclusively, almost unknown
to themselves. With those whom
wealth enables to get away from
the restraint of the society to
which they have by training
been aoouatomed to bow, this
wild instinct often breaks loose
and runs rampant.
“Thus it oame about that in
Paris, Martin Dale fell under
the power of this desperate
gang—La Menace Noire, as it
was called. There was in the
gang, the decoy, a dancer, Celio
Breton, whose career from her
childhood as the daughter of a
concierge, ruined by a profligate
artist and drifting to a low stra
tum of the Latin Quarter, is
known to the Paris police. Celie
Breton captivated Dale, who
had cast aside restraints which,
in New York, would have pre
vented such a meeting. **
Kennedy paused and we knew
10
that Celie Breton was no other
than the “Russian” dancer,
Breshkaya, before us.
“Later,” he resumed, “Dale's
affections were transferred to
another grisette, Cezanne. But
Cezanne was not playing fair
with the Black Menace. In her
ambitious mind rose a splendid
dream out of captivating this
wealthy American. She would
actually become his wife, return
to New York with him—take
him away from the Black Men
ace—for herself. Clever though
Martin Dale was, he was but a
plaything of these criminals.
“Cezanne planned a trip to
Monte Carlo where she hoped
away from the influence of Paris
and the Band, to capture her
millionaire. She captured him—
and in a wild debauch they were
%uarried.
SHE LISTENS FASCINATED
“In the garden of the Casino,
that spot in which innumerable
tragedies have been enacted, one
night, Cezanne and Dale were
walking. Suddenly they were
confronted by the jealous Bre
ton girl, who had followed from
Paris. There was a shot—and
another.
As Kennedy amplified the
bare facts that the cablegram
had repeated, Breshkaya listen
ed, fascinated, her eyes now
flaming with an unnatural light.
Clare drew closer to Speed as
though for protection against
some foul hand of the under
world stretched out and threat
ening her.
“It is a matter of police rec
ord,” nodded Kennedy, now
directly facing Breshkaya.
“The shots were fired, Cezanne
was found dead. Near her was a
little ivory-handled pistol. It was
known to have belonged to Celie
Breton. But she had fled—disap
peared. Dale suddenly was shocK
ed to his senses. And for the sake
of the wealthy American, the
affair was hushed up.”
Kennedy paused, still watch
ing Breshkaya.
“But here is the thing, Celie
Breton,” he shot out suddenly,
“which you do not know, but that
is also a matter of police record
over there, both at Monte Carlo
and in Paris.”
Again he paused. Breshkaya’s
breath came fast as she struggled
with her weakness.
Unknown, to you another
person had followed from Paris—
was in the garden at the same
lime—bent on the same mission—
that of removing Cezanne for
her treachery ana terrifying the
wealthy American into submis
sion. That person was the head of
the gang—the Apache.
Kennedy took a step closer to
the pneumograph, bent over it,
began studying the ruled tape.
“There is a record given to the
police since by a doctor at Monte
Carlo, that he dressed a wound in
the arm of a man that night. His
description and that of the police
tally—Raoul Rogue. Therefore,
on that fatal night in the garden
of the Casino, when the two shots
were fired, almost together, the
one you thought came from
either Cezanne or Dale in the
darkness was actually fired by
your master criminal—Raoul. ”
Kennedy turned full on Bresh
kaya. She had raised herself in
bed, a lovely figure now in her
dishevelled pallor. Criminal
though she was, one could not
not help seeing in her what Amer
ican jurymen proverbially see—
the woman whom fortune and
society had sinned against, some
how. Wild, burning light flashed
in her eyes for an instant—then
there seemed to overcome her a
nameless terror again. She sank
back.
TWO SHOTS FIRED
“You understand what I
mean7” enforced Kennedy,
loathe to let his advantage slip,
as he tried to hold her with the
tense tone of his revelations.
“Two shots were fired. One lod
ged in the arm of Raoul. There
fore, it could not have been your
shot that killed—his own. For
years he has known this—has
never told. What, then becomes
of the grip that this man has
held over you ever since7”
Breshkaya gazed about at us
wildly. Rapidly I could recon
struct what was passing in her
mind.
^ Not a murderess, after all!
Kennedy waited.
Evidently he had planned this
to be a breaking point at which,
free from the death terror of the
law, she might release herseli
forever by coming to the aid ol
the law.
Her lips quivered. But not an
intelligent sound came from
them. It was fear—not confes
sion. Even yet the terror was up
on her. ,
Kennedy slapped down the
telegr.v.**
“The last sentence of the mes
sage read," he exclaimed,
“ ‘Find the man who was Raoul
the Red, examine his left fore
arm, and the scar will tell.’ “
I could see that the tracing of
the pneumograph was now vio
lently agitated.
I glanced about at Rene and
Jacques. Stirred as they were, I
could make nothing of them. I
glanced again at Breshkaya. So
powerful was the terror of tlje
Black Menace that even now, in
the face of freedom, fear still
sealed her lips.
MERELY A TOOL
But what fear could do with
lips, it could not do with the
heart and lungs that were hidden
from our eyes, but not from the
eye of science.
Suddenly I realized that in
;entering my attention on Bresh
kaya, I had missed the whole
trend of Kennedy’s exposure.
Breshkaya was but a tool in the
hands of someone else. Back of
her stood the Black Menace.
Who was this dastardly fig
ure? Were we as far as ever
from discovering?
In fear, Clare clutched wildly
at Speed’s arm.
Kennedy bent over again,
still studying the pneumograph
tracing, a quiet smile playing
over his face.
“Miss Claremont,” he reassur
ed casually, “I think we’ll be
able to recover from a safety
deposit vault at least enough of
your fortune to make a sizeable
towry.”
He tapped the pneumograph a
gain.
“Strangest part of all this
strange story—as it is revealed
here by the emotions recorded—
this Black Menace hiding here
in New York for years, han an
unparalled opportunity to prey
upon the weaknesses of American
society had been welcomed al
most as a moment of society—en
trusted with society’s inmost
secrets—and never suspected,
although he has for months.”
The lights of the room flashed
out. In the semi-darkness of the
street light, shining at us through
the window, I could make out a
dim figure over by the wall
switch.
A woman screamed—Bresh
kaya’s voice.
The figure hurled itself at the
first.
One of the police flashed
a pocket bull’s-eye, and its rays
fell on an upraised arm, clutch
ing a gun.
The gun discharged wild in the
air.
But m the drifting smoke and
the rays of light I could see the
coatsleeve pulled back from the
forearm, the shirt ripped.
On the forearm was a deep
ploughed scar of a bullet.
I flung myself forward, just
as the arm wrenched down.
'' Never mind, Walter, ** panted
Kennedy. “I have the bracelets
on him now.’9
The lights flashed on again,
and I saw at last the Black Men
ace—head of a band of interna
tional blackmailers who had
fled to New York at the out
break of the war to prey on
American millionaires already
compromised abroad—Raoul the
Red, who for months had failed
to catch himself—Ravenol.
THE END
Jf f
ary for Use of “Beautifiers*9
Produces Real Benefit, Do
dares Professor
COLUMBUS, OHIO,—That cos
metics “are a waste of money" and
that Just as beneficial results are ob
tained by massaging the face with
pure water as by using cold oreams,
faolal creams, clays and other "beau
tlflets" rae claims voiced by Prof. J.
Seymour, assistant professor of
physiology at Ohio State University.
It Is the rubbing and massaging,
necessary in the use of the “beau
tiflers," for which American woman
annually spend millions of dollars,
that stimulate the skin and circu
lation and result In real benefit, ac
cording to professor Seymour.
"The skin absorbs outside agents
only to a negligible extent," he said.
“This Is demonstrated by the fact
that ws handle all sorts of poisons,
yet suffer no ill results. A small por
tion of the lead present in paints
whioh the painter uses would be
enough to kill him If It found Its way
Into his bloo<% yet lota of tl comes In
contact with his skin and does him
no harm.
The Master Man I
By Ruby M. Ayres
___ P
When Peter Rolf died Patricia
was away from home staying
with some people in a houseboat
on the Thames.
tlhad been ideal weather
for the river, hot and breathless,
with wonderful starry nights,
and it was an ideal night when
the telegram came summoning
her home because Peter Rolf had
inconsiderately died while she
was away and so spoilt a holiday
which she had been thoroughly
enjoying.
Patricia was Peter Rolf’s
adopted daughter.
For fourteeen years he had fed
and. clothed her and brought her
up in the lap of luxury, and had
thoroughly succeeded in spoiling
a girl Ayho had been born in
homely circumstances and who
had been meant by nature to be
sweet and unselfish.
Once or twice when people
had ventured a wel-meant crit
icism of his conduct, he had
laughed, the slow, mirthless
laugh which Patricia hated.
“When I die, everything will
be hers,” he said. “If she has
extravagant tastes she will be
able to gratify them for the rest
of her life. ”
.reier Jtoir was a strange man.
It was his boast that he had no
friends. He had been married,
but his wife had died so long
ago that nobody seemed to re
member anything about her. He
had had a son, but he had quar
relled with that son before
Patricia came upon the scene,
and the youngster had gone
abroad and died.
Patricia was the only person
with whom he never quarrelled.
He never snowed her any af
fection, but he gave her every
thing she wanted and let her do
exactly as she pleased, with the
consequence that she grew up
from the shy, affectionate child
she had been when he first
brought her to his house, to an
imperious, self-willed beauty.
admirably. She had the air of a
The name Patricia suited her
princess, though there were
people who sair unkind things
about the home from which
Peter Rolf had taken her.
But nobody really knew, any
more than they really knew why
Peter Rolf had adopted her at
all.
The general impression was
that he had wanted someone to
leave his money to and that his
queer nature had been attracted
by the girl’s prettiness.
She had been seven when she
first entered Peter Rolf’s life,
and she was one-and-twenty
when the maid crossed the lawn
behind the Rereat houseboat and
gave her the telegram that told
her of his death.
Patricia was lying in a ham
mock slung under the shady
trees on the river bank, and Ber
nard Chesney lounged beside
her in a deck chair.
There was a gramophone
playing from a punt somewhere
downstream, and Chesney was
idly humming the words of the
song under his breath as he
looke dat Patricia with adoring
eyes.
It was a silly song about a
coon and a moon, and a man
leaning over the railing of the
houseboat which was moored a
little way off looked across at
the singer with a sort of affect
tionate contempt in his eyes.
He was rather a tall man
heavily built, and he was not
very young, if one oould judge
by the tinge of grey in his hair
and the lines about his eyes, but
he was good-looking in a power
ful masculine wav, and he was
very much tanned as if by con
stant exposure to wind and
weather.
“When she said she lubb’d me
she didn’t speak true,
So I’m off with the ole lub an’
on wid de new”—
sang Bernard Chesney, keeping
time with the rather rasping
tone of the gramophone. The
man leaning over the houseboat
railing frowned a little and look
ed at Patricia.
She certainly made a picture,
lying there in the hammock, but
her beauty was entirely spoilt
for him by the knowledge that
nobody was more keenly aware
of its existence than was she
herself.
To his irritated eye there was
a pose in every line of her
figure, every fold of her white
frockj even the turn of her
pretty dark head on the scarlet
cushions seemed to him to be
studied. #
That he knew her to be quite
1
young seemed to make her self
confidence and queenly air more
difficult to tolerate; where 1$
heaven’s name had she aoquire^t
it, he wondered, even as he real
ized the perfection of her pal&
oval face and the deep brown cl
her eyes’" Her hair, which wa*
very dark and straight, was coll
ed rather untidy in a big knot at
the back of her head, and whdti
she smiled—which was ofttfa
when she looked at young Cheaa
ney—a most distracting dimple
appeared at the corner of her
mouth.
She was deliberately trying
to enslave the boy at her feet,
Milward knew, and he was juA*
turning away with a sort of
honest disgust when a mai4
crossed the lawn from the
house-boat behind him and gave
Patricia the telegram.
She opened it with a languid
hand; then she gave a little
scream, which was too inartis
tic not to be genuine, and sprang
up.
Chesney broke off abruptly
in the middle of his refrain and
“Good heavens! What’s the
matter7”
The telegram fluttered to
Patricia’s feet.
“He’s dead!” she gasped,
“Mr, Rolf.Oh, what shall I
do7”
The frightened words reached
the man leaning over the railing,
and he moved and came quickly
forward.
“Is anything the matterf”
Not bad news, I hope.”
Patricia raised her dark eyes
to his face; there was a world of
fear in them.
“It’s Mr. Rolf—he's dead.
Oh, what shall I dot” she said
again, and hid her face in her
hands.
Chesney had picked up the
telegram, and the two men read
its mesage together.
It was the elder man who
spoke.
“There is a train to town in
half-an-hour; if you hurry, you
can catch it, Miss Rolf. X will
drive you to the station.
“Half-an-hourI” Patricia
looked up quickly. “I can’t
possibly bo ready in half-an
hour. How can I, with all my
things to pack and everyone to
say goodbye tot”
“Your things can be sent on,”
he answered rather curtly. “Asd
I am sure that people will un
derstand. If you leave without
saying goodbye.”
His first pity for her distress
was passing; he was beginning
to realize that perhaps it was
only for herself that she was
upset. IBs face was pale and
stern as he turned to Chesney.
(Continued Next Week
(UNLESS PLANE
HAS lEWGONTilILL
"Idea of Player-Piano is
Adapted by French to Guide
Airplane in Intricate
Maneuvers
PARIS,—At the moment when
ever attention is riveted on power In
the air a new development of lncal
cuable Importance has taken place
In French aviation.
Nine months work by aeronautical
experts here has proved results which,
it is claimed, will revolutionize the
science of military flying and put
France definitely ahead of all other
nation*.
This Is the efefct of an Invention
whlchh as recently been tested at
Estampesi n thep reaenceo f the heads
of the service, and has. it Is report
ed In every sense of the ward come
through with flyAng odors.
The Invention consists In the
adaption of the prlnolple at some
thing like piano-player control ef the
movements of aeroplanes.
With a dynamo Installed la place
of a pilot the mechanism enables an
aeroplane to rise, perform scries of
pre-arranged evolutions at any dist
ance within the range of Its normal
flight, turn at a given point, drop
bombs and return to its own aero
droma
At the name time complete success
is said to have been obtained In aero
plane control by wireless, thus en
suring an alternative or complimen
tary method of direction In the
event of accident to the piano-player
mechanism without the necessity of
any one being on board, although
during the trials at Estampes a pilot
remained in the aeroplane a register
results.
Competent authorities declars that
bombing expeditions on a large scale
lwll now be possible without any
danger to the valuable lives of pilots.
In fact, the pilot of today will tend to
disappear and to be replaced by a
strategic scientist at the base of the
air fleet.
A quartet Is better than a chorus
because It makes less noise.
COMMISSION’S
ORDER BACKED
BY PRESIDENT
Leaders of Operators and
Miners Called to Present
Contentions Wednesday
Washingt n, Aug. 13.—Telegrams
carrying a virtual mandate from
President Coolidge went forward
Monday from the United States Coal
Commission, to S. I). Warrlner,
chairman of th anthracite operators,
and John L. Lewis, president of the
United Mine Workers, calling on
them to meet in New York on Wed
i nesday.
Thld* is the government’s answer
to the threat of an tfnthracite coal
Btrike or lockout on September 1.
The telegrams direct an immediate
resumption of negotiations looking
to a new wage agreement before the
present contract expires.
Otis Sees Hammond
The telegrams were dispatched
Immediately after Dr. George Otis
Smith, member of the coal commis
sion had conferred with President
Coolidge Saturday afternoon, made
a flying trip to Gloucester, Mass.,
where he conferred Sunday with
Chairman John Hays Hammond, re
turning to Washington Monday
morning.
His telegrams, which were identi
cal, called on the leaders of each
side to be present with their asso
ciate members of the Joint wage
committee, four on each side, at 3
o’clock Wednesday afternoon, at the
Pennsylvania hotel in New York, to
meet with the members of the coal
commission, flve of whom will be on
hand.
Will Report to Coolidge
Each-side will lay before the com
mission its contentions. The com
mission, after giving them a full
hearing and offering suggestions on
how they should proceed toward ar
riving at ji resumption of formal ne
gotiations and an agreement, will re
port back to President Coolidge, who
then will determine what further ac
tion the government should take.
For the present, at least, it was in
dicated that the president desired to
leave the situation entirely in the
hands of the commission. Whether
he would take any more direct steps
later to insure an agreement has not
been revealed.
Watches Situation vJVoseiy
There is no doubt, however, that
Mr. Coolidge is fully advised regard
ing the break between the operators
and miners, which is threatening
suspension of work in the anthracite
mines on September 1, and will re
main in close touch with all develop
ments.
Since the interruption in negotia
tions between operators and miners
at Atlantic City several weeks ago,
members o fthe coal commission have
insisted there would be no strike.
While the president has assured the
commission of his complete support,
republican leaders declared he was
not entirely satisfied with its “watch
ful waiting” policy and demanded ac«
tlon.
IOWA TAX LEVY
SHADE HIGHER
Fixed at 11.5 Mills for Next
Two Years—Average Land
Valuation $77 Acre
Des Moines, la., Aug. 13.—Iowa’s
state tax levy for 1923 and 1924 will
be .24 of a mill higher than last
year’s levy of 11.26 mills, according
to a decision of the executive council
which will be certified immediately
to county auditors for observance
during the next two years.
The levy of 11.5 mills includes
provision for the soldier bonus, but
not for capitol extension as that work
was completed through last year’s
levy. The bonus levy is about 1.31
mills for this year. Last year it
amounted to 2.15 mills.
The levy for the coming two years
is based upon an actual valuation of
property of more than four and a
third billions. This valuation excludes
exemptions. Because of the executive
council’s equalization, farm land
valuations generally will be lowered
instead of raised, as had been rumor
ed. The farmer will also profit by
the lower assessed valuation of live
stock. The executive council set the
average land value at 177 an acre,
the same figure the levy has been
based upon since 1921. Representa
tives of the farm bureau federation
sat in the conference with the ex
ecutive council when land and live
stock values were being taken up and
were said to have been pleased witia
the final figures.
SCIENTISTS OFF,
Havre. Aug 13,—A Scientific expe
dition en route to Point Loma, Cal.,
sailed today on the steamer France
to witness the total eclipse of the sua
Sept. 10.
’ ’ ’ * T * T ▼ ▼ ▼
4 4
4 BRINGS PIG TO 4
4 MARKET IN PLANE 4
4 4
4 Omaha, Neb., Aug. 13.—Peter 4
4 Harkert, jr., livestock breeder of 4
4 Hooper. Neb., arrived by airplane 4
4 with his pilot today with a pig 4
4 for the South Omaha market. 4
4 It was the first time any live- 4
4 stock has been brought here in 4j
4 this manner. 4
4 a
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