Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-25

was SQuafe-prODaDiy a quarter OF an lnCn
square. Upon the rear end there was a
curious ciock-work arrangement with a
piston fitting into the tube and figured
scale which seemed to show that the ma
chine could be set to be sprung at certain
hour at the will of the operator. Every
part of the apparatus was of forged steel,
finished with the creates: care and minute
| Less. There We're no signs of smoke or
drove Stacey TO the CO.. illusion that it was
Eothing more nor less Nan a powerful air
gun. He also concluded that it was of
foreign workmanship such nicely and care
il the handling of steel not being within
the province of the average American
VIC rkman.
He carefully wrapped the deadly machine
in his handkerchief deposited it in his coat
pocket, replaced the white board over the
opening in the wall, forced the lock upon
the closet door back into position, let him.
self out of the apartment and quietly left
the club house.
The manner in which Roger Laroue and
Hughes MARION had been killed was now
clear enough to him. But there remained
the still more difficult problem as to the hu-
man intelligence that had acted behind this
powerful little bundle of steel which now
reposed so quietly in his coat pocket.
Who had loaded the air gun, set 1t to dis
charge its fatal square bullet at certain
time. and trained it's muzzle through the
eye OF Beatrice with such precision as to
strike down the man who happened to be
sitting with his back to the oaken mantel?
Why had Laroue and MARION been picked
out as its victims?
What was the motive back of 1t all?
The day after these discoveries Stacey
was walking down Broadway above Union
when, in the vicinity of 18th street, he
suddenly drew his companion into the door
way of a cigar store.
DO you see that man going up the street
on the other side? Wears soft hat and
has half-slinking walk"
The other nodded affirmatively.
DO me favor and find out where he
goes. 1 cannot do it because he knows
me-"
Without word the other detective started
to follow the retreating figure, which was
| mono other than that of Alfonso, the club
waiter. Stacey continued his walk down
town.
Several hours later he received a report
from his companion. Alfonso had pro-
ceeded up to Madison Square. turned up
5th avenue, and had finally disappeared in
one Of the brown stone mansions of the
latter thoroughtare, entering by the rear
way. after making short detour through
several small streets. The mansion in
question was found to be the one occupied
by the Countess Claire Brodsky.
This was a startling bit of information to
Stacey. To the ordinary man. perhaps. it
would be nothing out of the ordinary for
club servant to be seen visiting a 5th ave-
nue. residence by the rear way. He was
probably calling upon the domestics.
But to Stacey it had an entirely different
he admitted to be some of the widest
guessing of his entire official career, but
which guessing was, nevertheless, based
upon what little Of fact he had been able
to establish regarding the double crime at
1.-The Myrtle"
The result of his guessing was that he
Immediately dispa tched an officer in c:ti-
zen's clothes to the club house with a war
rant for the arrest of Alfolse upon sight
The officer shortly returned with the in
formation that Alfonso had resigned his
employ at THE Myrtle the day before,
and that his residence and present where
abouts were unE Gown.
Then Stacey took the warrant into his
own hands, and, after swearing out an
other one to go with it. was hastily driven
in a cab to the Countess Brodskys RESI-
dence. There he was met with the ;nfor
nation that the countess had that morn
ing quietly left the country on the Etruria,
intending to return to Russia, and that her
household effects were at that moment
being packed to be sent after her. An in
spection of the mansion by the detective
confirmed the statement that the bird had
flown.
But what Of Alfonso? He had certainly
not left upon the Etruria, because 1t was less
than five hours since ne had been seen 60
ing into the 9Th avenue house. But dil:-
gent search of the city by the metropolitan
police and a close watch kept upon de-
parting steamers for weeks after failed to
locate him. and he very likely Slipped away
in some sort of disguise and joined the
countess upon the other side of the Attain
tic.
And so Stacey was bafIied after all, and
the two warrants which he had sworn out
became so much waste paper.
But that his guesses in the matter were
not SO Wild as might infer from the
facts at his disposition is proven by the
following statement from the head OF the
Partisan police. which was transmitted to
Inspector Byrnes by cable two days after
the Eight of the countess:
"Larote and MARION were members of a
notorious revolutionary society of Mont
martre known as Les Couteaux Rouges
Both were fugitives from Russia, where
they were implicated in the nihil.stic out
break in Moscow on the night of Decem-
Der 1 1879. which resulted in the murder
of Count Nicolai Brodsky."