Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-05-26


acquaintance he made on the train on
the night OF the murder.
Paxton had resolved TO attempt to
take up the trail OF Marion Oakburn
and the suspected man from the house OF
the female fence" whose name, by the
way, was Mrs. Kits. Paxton, person
ally and through the fundamentally OF
his agents, acquired a surprising fund
of information regarding the woman.
Among other items, the detective
learned that Mrs. kits had acquired
modest fortune in the pursuit Of her
nefarious and Illegal business. That
she was the owner of real estate in the
neighborhood where she dwelt, and that
she employed a rascally old drunken
lawyer by the name of Ajax Crawley to
transact all her business.
The circumstance was discovered by
one OF PaxtOn's agents that, on the last
night OF every month, Ajax Crawley was
in the habit of visiting the old woman
and arranging her accounts for rent and
the like.
Mrs. kits was one of those women of
whom the notorious Mother Mandel-
baum, the female fence" of whose
career the newspapers at the time of her
exposure and flight from New York, gave
an account, is a type.
1t was Paxton's idea that Mrs. Kits
man, whose escape the latter had favor
ed, were now in hiding.
Believing this, his course was clearly
indicated.
He must win the old woman's conf
dence.
To accomplish this, he had determined
to impersonate Ajax Crawley, and ac-
cordingly Paxton visited the rascally old
lawyer, who occupied a dingy little den,
called by courtesy an office, in the neigh
borhood of Mrs. kits abode.
1t was the detectives purpose TO study
the character he meant TO impersonate.
Paxton invented an excuse for his
call, and during the interview he closely
studied his man.
When he left Crawley's office the de-
tective carried with him a sample of
Ajax CrawleY's peculiar ehirography,
which he had appropriated, and in his
mind there was mental picture OF his
living model.
Two days subsequently was the last
day Of the present month, and on that
afternoon, through the fundamentally
Of one Of Paxton assistants, Mr.. Ajax
Crawley, attorney at law, became help
lessly intoxicated, and he was arrested
and locked up for the night.
Assured that the real Crawley could
not appear upon the scene to thWart
him and expose his ruse, Paxton dis
guised himself to perfectly represent
Crawley, and set out for the den Of the
female fence"
He had appeared before half a dozen
of his agents in his office, where his
marvellous disguise was completed, and
they had one and all assured him that
there was no possibility of his identity
being questioned.
If such men, experienced as they were
in DISCUSSES and past masters Of all the
arts OF their strange vocation, gave the
detective this assurance, he could have
little cause to fear the woman with
whom he had to deal, cunning though
she was.
Paxton arrived at Mrs. Kits house at
about eight O'Clock in the evening.
He was accompanied by one of his
men, a shrewd fellow, who had been in
Paxton's service a long time. He re-
manned without.
1t CHANGED that this man and Paxton
had both acquired the trade of telegra-
| ply in their youth, and since they had
| been thrown together in detective work,
| they had utilized their knowledge of this
| art serviceably more than once.
After Mrs. Kits had seen Paxton E
| face through the wicket in the door, she
| admitted him without delay.
We'll, you are in time, Ajax. Here E
| an old friend of yours. What's the mat
| ter with you? Have you been drinking
| too much that you don recognize him?'
| said Mrs. kits. And she pointed to q
w-browed, thick-set man, who was
seated at the further side Of the room
smoking a short black pipe.
OF course the detective did not know
| the name of this dangerous-looking fel-
! low, but he was equal to the emergency
and initiating the voice Of Ajax Crawley
he said, crossing to the fellow:
How are you, old man? Didn'i
notice you until Mother Kits spoke.
"TOlerable, Ajax, tolerable, answered
the other.
Some conversation followed, and al
they turned to a desk, Mrs. Kits said:
We'll, you may as well get TO work
Crawley."
All right, I'll tend to business d.
facto," answered Paxton, who had no
ticed that it was Crawiey's habit to use
law Latin in ordinary conversation.
Mother Kits, as she was fRmiliarly
called, produced account books, anC
seating himself at the desk, Paxton be
| gun to busy himself with the accounts
Mother kits watched him, and sud
| denly her eyes became fixed upon Pax
tons hand that held the pen with which
he was writing. AS she looked her vel
| low eyes dilated, and a startled express
| sion came upon her features.
The man with the short black pip'
had retired to an inner apartment, anC
| presently Mrs. kits carelessly sauntereC
out of the room in which the detective
was at work, and joined the man witt
the pipe.
It CHANGED that Ajax Crawley hac
peculiarly long and claw-like hands
covered with red hair, while Paxton
hands were small, white and shapely.
Mother" Kits had discovered by hi
hands that Paxton was not Ajax Craw
ley.
The man in the other room is a sp,
in disguised I know it by his handsl
she said to the man with the pipe, in
whisper.
CHAPTER XXI.
Mrs. Kits companion sprang to hi
feet and drew a murderous-lookini
knife.
He seemed about to rush into the de
tectiVe's presence, but the womal
grasped his arm and held him back.
The two whispered together earnestl,
for a moment, and then Mrs. kits re
turned to the apartment in which Pax
ton remained, and presently the ma
also sauntered IN, while the detectiv