The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-09-03

anu linpassdDle do q" n"i"iN
thought should have found my friend
Giuseppe Voltoni at your lodgings" said
he
"Your friend r. repeated Heinrich, with
a slightly sarcarstic emphasis on the words.
eyes" returned the detective, affecting
an air of joviality. 81 heard that you and
he we're always together, and as he was
not to be found in his rooms | came over
to you to ask if you knew where he was.
Il am not acquainted with Herr Volto-
mis- movements, returned Heinrich, coldly.
"Why should you come to me?'
because" answered the detective, draw
ing closer towards him and speaking in
tone entirely different from that which he
had first adopted, 'because | thought |
that Giuseppe Voltoni, after numbering
and robbing his uncle, might have fled to
YOU for concealment and advice.
This time the shaft penetrated the ar
NOR of impassibility in which the student
had clothed himself, and a faint flush rose
to his brow. In moment, however, he
recovered himself and replied in the same
lev manner as before ''You must have
been at the wine-fagon early, my friend,
or you wouldn't come and endeavor to
play off such sorry jest on me. Guisep-
pc is the kindest- hearted man in the world
and incapable of harming human being.
Anyhow, he is not to be found, answ-
cred the detective. "Look you here,
Herr Klippendorf, | am Gluckstein, of the
police. Cornelius Van Heuvel was shot
last night when seated at his window and
the bureau in his room broken open. Vol
toni has disappeared and left no trace of
his whereabouts, can you assist me?'
"You must be mistaken in your surmise.
Giuseppe would never have done such
deed" answered the student, earnestly.
''He has very likely gone out for one of
his long walks; indeed, he mentioned to
me yesterday that he was thinking of taking
one?"
'What time did you leave him?" asked
Gluckstein.
'About 5 o'clock in the afternoon" an-
swered the student readily, "as | had some
work to do here | went back about
o'clock, but he was not at home, and the
landlady, whom | met on the stairs, advis
ed me to 90 and see if he was not at his
uncle's. did so, but on opening the dool
| saw no one but the old man asleep il
the moonlight, and at once withdrew, fear
ing lest | should disturb"
ellis was the sleep from which there is
no awakening" replied the detective
solemnly ''Of course, Herr Klippendorf
you will have no objection to repeat what
you have said before a magistrate?'
"Not the slightest returned the stu
dent, "but.. t..believe me you are wrong ii
your suspicious, for Giuseppe Voltoni is
incapable OF Sucn crllne.
In spite of the prophecy of Kippendori
Giuseppe Voltoni did not return and NJ
trace of his whereabouts could be discov
cred. The general supposition was that
being disappointed of the booty he hat
expected and tormented with remorse he
had thrown himself into the Neckar and
his body carried far away by the swift
flowing current. The mystery Of the old
mans death, however, was still unrevealed
The medical evidence showed that he had
died from Il bullet wound and that the shot
had been fired at distance, as neither
clothes nor flesh showed any traces of the
explosion, but none could be found in the
neighborhood who had heard any sound
resembling the report Of a firearm.
As Giuseppe Voltoni could not be found
and as the murdered man appeared to have
left no heir, the authorities took possession
of the property of both until some claim
ant should come forward. The only person
who did so was Herr Klippendorf, who
claimed the sarcophagus containing King
Rameses, asserting that Voltoni had prom,
ised ii should be his on his death and pro.
ducing a short memorandum in Giuseppe s
handwriting to that effect, but as there
was as yet no proof of death the authoritie.
declined to make over the mummy, to the
intense chagrin of Klippendorf, who in
Weighed strongly against the injustice
shown in the rejection of his claim.
CHAPTER III.
Heinrich Klippendorf wasnot theonly one
who had an eye to the possession of the
receptacle in which the last of the Shep
herd Kings lay embalmed, for Professor
Wagentriber, who had dipped deeply into
Egyptian lore, was madly desirous of taking
peep at its contents, and spared no pains
until he reached his desired end His
only daughter was the wife of one of the pol
ice officials, and after many solicitations she
persuaded her husband to permit her father
TO open the sarcophagus in the presence OF
a few friends, on the understanding that
the matter was kept perfectly secret and
the contents werei in no way interfered with.
On the appointed day the Professor and
his friends, among whom was hevenerable
I
Herr Ruprecht, assembled in the room at
tached to the Police Bureau where the
sarcophagus was deposited. There was
very little trouble in opening it, as the
small screws which supported the lid
worked very easily and were all removed
in the course of few minutes. The
Professor rubbed his hands, and as he as