The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-12
NEWS.

doorway OF which was an inscription slgnl-
fving that this was the headquarters Of the
metropolitan police. A gentleman in a fur
lined overcoat aighted from the sleigh and
ran I'D the steps and asked the doorkeeper
the way to the Detective Bureau.
The doorkeeper indicated an entrance on
Che left and the visitor was conducted
through a seriesof rooms and corridors and
wicker gates and behind wire screens until
he reached small ante-room with desk
and chair in it; here there was a moments
na1lse and then he was ushered into ahand-
some sitting room and Inspector Byrnes
advanced to meet him with outstretched
hand
"Glad to see you so soon again, Mr..
Ovens" he said. "But you're not come on
business, are you9 There can't have any
thing new happened yetF'
II expect you know nearly as much about
that as / do" the other replied, throwing
open his. overcoat and taking a chair.
Fittings Certainly begin to move in re-
markable manner as soon as you take hold
of them. That personal of yours was very
cleverly worded."
''You don't mean to say that anything
has come of it?"
"There has, thought Our anonymous
friend seems to be reader of that paper.
| came right down here from my office SO
as TO lose no time"
"Have you learned anything about him?"
"Golding has received a letter from him
referring to the personal"
well, that is something, after all What
does he says"
Il have brought the letter with me. Here
it is" and he took an envelope from his
pocket and handed it to the Inspector
The latter opened it and read the words
that follow:
M GOLDING-Sir:: / have seen in pa
per, accidentally, a paragraph which bears
your initials and seems to have some refer
ence to the mission of destruction with
which the Lord has charged me toward you.
If you expect, by any such devices, to dis
cover who L am, you are much mistaken.
Though you see me every day, and l know
all Your movements, you will never recog-
nize me as the avenger of Providence until
YOU feel the blow that will send you from
this world forever II you think that you
can offer me any inducements to spare you
you are equally wrong. l know you are
wealthy, and you may think that because |
am poor you can buy me off. But you need
not flatter yourself. Your doom is written,
and even If /, for any reason, did not exc
cute 1t the Lord would raise up some other
Instrument for His purpose. If had wanted
money | should have spoken of it before this.
But have told you the simple facts. | had
no other meaning, and my wife and family
will gladly starve rather than that should
falter in my sacred mission. Prepare your
soul for eternity, for the time is now ripe
and | am weary of delay IL you have any
last requests to make you may put them in
the same newspaper am willing to grant
you any favor that does not conflict with
my lnlmovable purpose"
The Inspector folded up the letter and
burst into a saturnine laugh.
Well, thatis pretty plain talking between
business men, isn't itn he said.
You think he will consent to parley,
them"
''Consent to a parley! Why, you can
hear the jingle of coin in every world We
said nothing in our personal about money
that | know Of He has put the words into
our mouth. He is even more avaricious
than | gave him credit for. And yet the
letter is shrewd enough, too. He sticks to
his religious lingo and talks about being
weary of delay. Yes, it isn't bad piece of
work.
Brit you are convinced that money is
what lie wants"
las much as l am convinced that fish
wants water"
And that his only object has been to
trighten Golding into treating with himl"
And he fancieS he has succeeded in doing
It. Meanwhile, you can assure Mr.. Golding
chat if his life depended upon this mans ac-
tions he would live to be a hundred Not
only that, but If his life were in any danger
this man would risk his own to save him.
He is not going to kill the goose that lays
the golden eggs himself or allow any one
else to do it. He is blackmailer and that
Is all there is about it,
But blackmailers are never satisfied. If
we were to give him money he would come
back for more, and SO on indefinitely"
There is no doubt about that. And yet
the only way to put an end to the nuisance
will be to give him money, or rather to let
him make some, and perhaps a good deal
of itn
but that will not put an end to the NUS
ance permanently
ut will unless he is a cleverer rogue than
the ma GRITTY of his kind"
u don't catch your idea"
We'll, leaving details out for the present
this IS the idea in a nutshell: Ii you give
nm money, and he receives it, you will
have clew to catch him by. He must
either go to get the money himself or send
some one to get it for him; and then it will
De our fault if he is not detected"
But If he is as clever as you say he will
see that danger himself"
"A mans desires, if they are strong
enough, always obscure his Judgment. He
VIII suggest sone means of transacting the
affair which he will consider safe. 1t may
not occur to him that you have put the
matter in my hands; at all events he will
nave to risk something to gain his end
now that | know the sort Of man / am
dealing with the worst of the difficulty is
over
How shall you answer this letterp
FOR answer the Inspector took sheet of
paper and a pen and, after meditating for a
rev minutes, began to write. When the
writing was finished he passed it over to his
lts purport was to this effect: "The in
borlment of the Lords vengeance.-M. G..
acknowledges that doom which is written
cannot be escaped You have produced
deep impression upon him. He wishes, if
possible, to make reparation for some Of the
eVll he may have done. Can nothing be
arranged for your wife and family Can
you devise plan by which he can commu-
nlcate with you through this column. You
lIlislnterpret the motive of his advertise
inent Write freely and your wishes will
De attended to. He only asks that you re
Veei the secret to no one"
A. can suggest no Improvement" said
ar. Owens, after reading IL. THAT touch
HDout the wife and children is admirable"
III IS mere formality. lie can read be-
tween my lines as easily as / can read be
tween his; but IL is just lige many obsery-
snces m social life; everybody knows that
..hhey are hnmbuR, but they are shrewd just
,us same. We may venture on palmer talk