Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-03-19
CHAPTER XIII.

searches into the past history of Mr..
Alphonse Thauret. Obtaining the date
of his first registry at the Hoffman
House, he found that to be about a
month before the train robbery occurred.
Finding the expressman who had
brought his baggage to the hotel, it
transpired that it had been taken from
an English steamship, yet the name
Thauret did not appear upon the list Of
passengers. As it was certain, however,
that the man must have arrived by the
ship it was evident that Thauret was
an alias Mr.. Barnes copied the ships
list for future reference a search for
the name Rose Mitchell was fruitless,
though extended to the passenger lists
of all arriving steamers for two months
prior to the murder.
Believing that Mr. Thauret must have
some communication with foreign
friends and hoping to obtain some clew
by the postmarks of any such letters,
Mr.. Barnes arranged an espionage Of
the mans mail. But though the hotel
clerk reported to him daily for several
weeks there was not one foreign letter.
AS to money, Mr.. Thauret appeared to
be well supplied, paying his board bills
promptly with checks upon neighbor-
ing national bank, in which it was as
certained that he had deposited to his
credit several thousand dollars.
| Thus after long investigation Mr..
Barnes was chagrined to admit that he
had discovered nothing save that Mr..
Thauret had come across the ocean un
der an assumed name, and even this
meager knowledge was mere matter
| of inference.
Though baffied in this direction Mr..
Barnes had been more successful in an
other effort which he essayed. This was
line of investigation which he inaugu-
rated hoping to discover the where
| abouts of the child Rose Mitchell, who
was so skilfully kept in hiding He had
| first instructed Lucette as to the part
she was to play, and that young wom
an, anxious once more to stand well
| with her employer, had exerted herself
to her utmost, entirely succeeding in her
mission. This was to obtain some of the
writing of the child. "Go to the house
again, Mr.. Barnes had suggested, "and
get into conversation with that same
servant who met you at the door ON
your first visit. Then in some manner
obtain a specimen of the child S writing
An old copybook would be just the
thing" Lucette carried out these in
structions to the letter, and by bribing
the servant girl at the school obtained
exactly what the detective had suggest
Il Il.
Mitchell had practiced writing.
Armed with this, and selecting a
specimen which seemed best suited to
his purpose, Mr.. Barnes next bribed
the mailboy at the Fifth Avenue hotel
to examine all letters addressed to Mr.
Mitchell until he should find one in the
same hand. 1t was not until early in
March that this patient work resulted in
success. Then one day the boy reported
to Mr.. Barnes that the expected letter
had at length arrived. The postmark in
dicated that it had been mailed at East
Orange, N. ].
$50 that is where the little bird is
hidden" said Mr. Barnes to himself
when this information reached him.
Summoning Lucette, he sent her to East
Orange with these instructions:
Now, my girl, I'll give you another
chance to redeem yourself. You are to
go to East Orange and find that child.
The most promising plan is through the
postoffice L will give you note to the
postmaster that will aid you. Should a
letter be sent to the child either by
Mitchell himself or by Miss Remsen, you
will learn of it through the postmaster.
The rest of course will be simple
"But suppose" said Lucette, that
the child's letters are directed under
cover to the parties with whom she is
living? What them"
why, stupid, that is what 1 send
you down there for. As the postmaster
is an acquaintance of mine could get
the address, should it reach him, with
out having you there. But that is only
q faint hope. We know that the child is
in East Orange. East Orange has just
so many houses. You must examine ev-
cry one, if necessary. Now 60, and if
you don't find the child have no fur
ther need of you. l give you this COM
mission partly as a chance to redeem
your other mistake and partly because
you have seen the child once and could
recognize her. :"
"I'll find her," said Lucette, and she
departed.
A week later Mr.. Barnes was in New
Orleans, where he devoted himself to
discovering, if possible, the early his
tories of Mr.. Mitchell and the murdered
woman. Weeks passed, and he made no
progress.
One morning in the latter part of
April he was feeling somewhat de-
spondent over his i'll success, when, as
he glanced hstlessly through The Plea
yune the following paragraph caught
his eye:
''Mr. Barnes, the celebrated New
York detective, is in the city and stop
ping at the st. Charles hotel. 1t is be-
Heved that he is in search of a desperate
criminal, and probably the news loving
world will soon be treated to one of the
famous detectives clever calculations Of
some mysterious crime. -
This both annoyed and puzzled Mr..
Barnes. He had not told any one his
true name and could not guess how the
reporters had found his identity. While
he was thinking of it a card was brought
to him which bore the name, Richard
Soften"
He directed that the gentleman should
be shown to his room, and soon after a
man of about 80, with dark complexion,
black hair and keen hazel eyes, entered,
bowling politely and saying:
''This is Mr.. Barnes, I believe" "
''Be seated, Mr.. Sefton," said Mr..
Barnes coldly, "and then tell me why
you believe me to be Mr.. Barnes, when
l registered as James Morton. -
81 do not believe you to be Mr..
Barnes, said the other, coolly seating
himself. was inaccurate i'll using that
expression. l know that you are Mr..
Barnes. -
"Ohl You do! And how, pray, do
you know that l am Mr.. Barnes?"
Because it is my business to know |
people. I am detective like yourself.
l have come to help you. ="
"You have come to help me! You are
very kind, am sure. But since you are |
so very clever, perhaps you would not
mind telling me how you know that ] |
need help and in what direction,
with pleasure. You need help be-
cause, pardon my saying it, you are
working on a case in which time is !
precious to you, and you have already |