Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1878-10-24

asleep with my head upon my
desk, and / did not awaken until
noontime. 1t was wonderful how
a brief repose will clear the mind
took up the paper with renewed
energy. and bright idea flashed
over me.
Simple as it was, I had nc
Thought of it before. The entire
message was written on the sub
stitution Of letters, based on the
reversal of the alphabet. Instead
a, 2, the last one, was substituted;
INSTEAD of b, y was used; the al
phabet reversed was the key to
the solution of the puzzle.
| / gave utterapce to a shout of
Joy, for, following out the theory,
lit read:
Larry, meet me Saturday night
at l27 Fire street. NED !"
And Ned or Edward was the
name of Dsyton's footman. ! be-
gan TO See very large mice. But
Fire street--there was no such
thoroughfare in the city, and /
was flooded again.
Gradually. however, the thought
occurred to me on the basis of re
vers Il and opposites adopted by
the sender OF the message, why
should not fire" mean "water'
its direct reverst?
dashed down tue stairs, and,
hailing a cab (for / did not forget
that it was Saturday, and that
evening was the appointed time
for the meeting of the two burg
lars, if such they were6 ! soon
had reached Water street.
Vacant! Number 127 was an
empty loil
paused, disappointed, and dis
missed the vehicle, again having
recourse to the pnzzling enigma!
So near the solution, ,and yet doom
ed to be balked at last, and
A sudden inspiration of renew.
ed energy, and had forged the
last link in the chain of evidenced
There had been reversal in the
order Of numbers from one to ten,
as in the letters of the alphabet,
and l27 meant 1854.
| looked at my watch; three o.
clock. | went to the nearest 10.
cal telegraph Office, and sent the
following dispatch to Chief of
Police:
"Send to this office three eff
cient men in citizens clothes"
signed my name, lit a cigar,
aud awaited the arrival of evening
aud my companion officers.
1t was dark when we reached
the place for the meeting appoin-
ed by the two men. 1t was vile
'groggery, kept by woman, and
resort for the very lowest class of
rufians / had put on felt hat
and a pair of talse whiskers, and
| entered the bar room. having
first placed my men in advan.
tageous positions on the outside.
Within half an hour there en-.
tered an old woman. veiled. bear
ing some bulky object under her
cloak. She made a sign to the
woman behind the bar, and went
into the next room. | caught
sight of her feet as she passed
through the door; they were in
cased rot in shoes, but in mems
boots. | went quickly to the bar,
and made sign to the woman.
us Larry in tbere?" l inquired
in loud voice, pointing to the |
other apartment.
She looked at me sharply, and
then replied in the affirmative.
"Keep anybody that comes out"
| said, Significantly I'VE are
going to divide the swag"
And | opened the door.
There was no one in the first
room, but in the second, by ia
bic, on which lay large tin box,
was my game--Larry. the burg.
Ter, and tall, spare form in fe.
male attire, with veil thrown
back; and terrified face, aud the
footman, Edward.
"You can drop on that little
Dodge, gents | said, quietly whip
ping out q brace of revoIvers. |
"The house is surrounded, and |
any resistance will only make it
worse for you. Larry, open that
door"
He unb1lted the rear door up-
der the silent persuasive eloquence
Of my revolver, and the three of |
6cers entered
Need tell the rest? Edward, |
the footman, had admitted his &C.
complice into the house and had
chloroformed bis employer. He
had kept the booty hidden in bis
room, not daring TO go out to com |
municate with his pal, except as
has been seeu, for fear be was
watched. |
'rhe property had not been dis
turbed bat justice wascbeated, for
both the men escaped before con !
yiefi.,n and were r.av.sr hoard nf |