Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-02-13


| you see am all muddled up and excited :
l came here to ask you to say outright
that you have had nothing TO do with
| this thing
THAT is impossible.
What, you refuse: You viii not
claim that you are innocent? Then you
practically admit that you are guilty? p
Il do not. / neither deny nor admit
anything. Do you remember our wager? ?
l told you then that this crisis would
| arise-that you would hear of some
crime and como to ask me about it. l
| warned you that | would refuse to en-
Tighten you. 1 simply keep my word. -
This was followed by a silence Mr..
Randolph seemed much disturbed. Jam
ming his hands into his pockets he went
and looked ont Of the window. Mr..
Mitchell looked at him for some minutes
with "A smile Of amusement lowering
about his lips. Suddenly he said:
Randolph, does your conscience trou-
BILE your
Most decidedly - answered his com
panion sharply, turning toward him.
why not go and unburden your soul
to the police?"
II think it is my duty to do so. But
1 feel like a coward at the idea. 1t
seems like betraying a friend. -
"Ah, you still count me your friend !
Then, my dear friend-for / assure you
1 value your good will will show you
how to act so as to satisfy your con-
science and yet not injure me-. "
L, -
Nothing easier Go to Mr.. Barnes
and make a clean breast of all that you
know. "
But that is betraying you to the po-
lice. "
"No; Mr.. Barnes is not the police.
He is only private detective. If you
remember, he is the very one about
whom we were talking when the wager
was made. You were boasting of his
skill. 1t should satisfy you then to have
him ON my track, and it will satisfy me
if you agree to talk with no other. Is it
bargain?i
eyes, since you are willing. / must
tell some one in authority. 1t is impos-
sible for me to withhold what may be
the means of detecting a criminal. "
Mr.. Randolph, upon leaving the ho-
tel, went in search of Mr.. Barnes.
Meanwhile that gentleman was holding
u conversation with Wilson.
"You say" said the detective, "that
Mr.. Mitchell gave you the slip again
yesterday afternoon?"
Eyes; he doubled so often on his
tracks ON the elevated road that at last
he eluded me, getting on a train which
failed to board. You see, it was impos
sible to tell, till the moment Of starting,
whether he would take a train or not.
He would mix with the crowd and seem
anxious to get on, and then at the last
moment step back. l had to initiate
him at the other end Of the coach, and
finally he got ON just rs the guard at
my end slammed the gates.
"This was at Forty-second street|'
"Yes he took the down train.
"Did he notice you in any way?"
81 suppose so, but no one would have
guessed it. He appeared entirely igno-
rant of the fact that he was followed so
far as watching me was concerned. "
"You are not to blame. Go back to
his hotel and do the best you can. Leave
the rest to me. / will discover where it
is he goes on these mysterious trips.
Left to himself Mr. Barnes thoughts
took this form
Wilson il no match for Mr.. Mitchell
That is evident. / wonder whether there
is any real object III this game Of hide
and seek, or whether il is simply an in
timation to me that he cannot be shad-
owed If the latter-well, we shall see
Now let me think about those jewels
found in New Haven. They tally exact
ly with the description. Their discovery
complicates the case once more had
almost concluded that those in the safety
vaults were the ones stolen and that as
they really belong to Mr.. Mitchell, as
proved by his receipts, he stole them to
win his wager. In this way he ran no
risk since, if the crime were brought
home to him, he could not be imprison-
ed, though he would lose the bet. Now
here is another set, evidently the right
ones. Mr.. Mitchell was plainly surprised
at sight Of the list which found. / am
sure he did not know of its existence.
Therefore he may equally well have
knCUn nothing about this duplicate set
Of jewels. In that case the occurrence of
the train robbery ON the very night Of
the wager may be simply coincidence.
He says that the dead woman was a
blackmailer and that he gave her the
address of his Paris jeweler May he
not have bought his set from that very
man and may not this woman have
stolen the duplicate set recently and
brought them to this country? Plainly
the Paris jeweler must be looked up. L
have his name, which / copied from the
bill Of sale. If this line Of argument is
true, some one has followed this woman
from France in order to rob her, after
allowing her to accomplish the risky
business Of smuggling. Is that person
our friend Thauret? Along this line Of
argument we arrive at the conclusion
that Mr.. Mitchell has not yet committed
his crime. be binted that / should re-
member this if / should exculpate him
from those already committed. But do
1? Why did he show me that ruby and
say that he meant TO present it to his
sweetheart? viii he give it to her and
then rob her Of it? If so, win she bo in
the plot and make hue and cry, so that
tho papers may make noise? That was
a part Of the agreement in mallirg his
bet But, after all, what about that but
ton? No explanation explains which
does not throw n light upon that. "
Here Mr. Barnes was interrupted by
the announcement that Mr.. Randolph
wished to speak with him. II must be
remembered that Mr. Randolph was not
aware Of the fact that the conversation
III the sleeping car had been overheard.
Brought face to face with Mr.. Barnes,
he felt confused and hcsitated.
"Mr Randolph, bolievc, said the
detective, glanCing at tho card which
had been sent in. "Be seated. You have
come to see me about this Mitchell caseY
Tho rising infection with which tho
last word was spoken seemed almost
unnecessary to Mr.. Randolph For il
tho man could ask such a question ne
might as well have made it a positive
statement This assumption of lnOwl-
edge made him more than over confident
of the skill Of detectives, and especially
Of the ono before him.
"You know that?" said he. Would
you mind telling me howl
1--WE detectives are supposed TO know
everything, are we nott" This was said
with an afTablo smile, but tho answer
plainly indicated that Mr.. Barnes pre-
ferred not TO be interroRated Mr. Ran
dolph therefore concluded TO hurry