Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-04-09
CHAPTER XVII.

a
The 1st Of January arrived, and Mr..
Mitchell had heard nothing from Mr..
Barnes. Inquiry at his office was met
by the simple statement that "the chief
is out of town" When he would be
back or where a communication would
reach him could not be learned. \ few
days before, however, a formal engraved
invitation to the dinner party had been
mailed to his home address. Mr..
Mitchell was annoyed at not having any
notification Of whether or not the detect
i've would be present. However, he was
compelled to 90 ahead and depend upon
the slight chance that at the last mo-
ment he would appear upon the scene.
He hoped that this would occur, as 9TH
erwise his scheme for the evening would
be incomplete
The dinner was to be served at 10
O'Clock that night at Delmonico's,
where a private room had been engaged.
1t lacked ten minutes of the hour for
sitting down, and all the guests had ar
rived except Mr.. Barnes. These were
Mr.. Van Rawlston, Mr.. Randolph, Mr..
Fisher, Mr.. Neuilly, who had decided
TO spend the winter in New York; Mr..
Thauret, and several other gentlemen.
1t lacked barely half a minute of 10
when Mr.. Barnes was announced and
entered in handsome evening dress. Mr.
Mitchel's face wore a look of triumph
as he saw him, and he hurried forward
to receive him. Every one present un-
derstood why the detective was invited,
for it was by this time well known that
a wager was to be decided at II o'clock
After the exchange Of greetings Mr.
Mitchell gave the walters the order to
open the doors of the dining room, and
in the moments interval managed to
get a word with the detective.
"Tell me quickly, have you succeed
ed?"
Eyes, thoroughly"
"Good Write the mans name on q
card, and 1 will give you one upon
which l have written the name of my
man.
Mr.. Barnes did so. Then they ex-
changed cards, glanced at them and
grasped each other s hands significantly.
The cards bore the same name. With
the others they went into the dining
room. Mr.. Thauret found himself seat
ed next to Mr.. Barnes, while ON the
other side of the detective sat Mr.. Fish
er.
1t need scarcely be said that the din
ner was enjoyable and enjoyed, though
it must be admitted that all awaited
anxiously the hour of 12. 1t will be as
well perhaps, therefore, to come imme-
diately to the denouement, for which
all were assembled. The last course had
been served, and coffee and nuts were
on the table, when the clock chimed the
hour for which all were anxious.
Promptly at the first stroke Mr.. Mitchell
arose. There was silence till IL was
tolled, and then he began:
Gentlemen, you have all kindly ac-
cepted my invitation TO see me win a
rash wager made 3 months ago. 1t is
odd perhaps that l should have won
for announce that | have won-when
we remember that the time was 13
months, which number, as we all
know, superstitious persons are inclined
to connect with misfortune. To show,
however, that l do not harbor such
childish ideas, l purposely made the
time Of that length, and tonight at the
decisive moment we are 13." Here he
paused moment, and one might have
noticed that several persons quickly
counted those present to test the fact.
Continuing, he said: ''The superstition
in connection with 13 at dinner is a
we'll defined one, and the supposition is
that one of the number will die within
the year. l offer as toast, therefore,
Long life to all present-who deserve
it. " The last clause, after slight hesi
tation, made decided effect. However,
the toast was drunk in silence
GAS some present may not entirely
understand what my wager was | must
explain that 13 months ago tonight l
was in a Pullman sleeper with my
friend, Mr.. Randolph. Mr.. Barnes here
had just accomplished a neat capture of
the criminal Pettingill, who has since
been convicted. The papers were prais-
ing him, and Mr.. Randolph did so to
me in glowing terms. ! ventured the
assertion that detectives run down their
prey largely because the criminal class
lack intelligence sufficient to compete
with their more skilled adversaries.
offered to wager that l could commit a
crime within month and not be de-
tected within a year thereafter. The
amount was to be 81 900 and was ac-
cepted by Mr.. Randolph. I stipulated
for conviction, though had l been ar
rested within the stated period and con-
victed afterward 1 should have cOnsid-
cred that had lost the wager That is
why | awaited the arrival of Mr.. Barnes
so anxiously. / had not seen him for
some time, and it was possible that at
the last moment he might be prepared
to arrest me upon evidence that would
later convict me. However, gentlemen,
I have escaped both arrest and convic-
ton, yet / committed the crime as
wagered.
"You must prove that" said Mr..
Randolph, land, according to our agree
ment, it must have been crime which
was much talked about. -
"Quite right, my friend, but L shall
be able to demonstrate all that. By a
curious coincidence robbery was COM
mitted ON the very night and upon the
same train upon which we made our
wager, while another robbery was COM
mitted almost at the moment when the
stipulated month expired. Thus two
crimes transpired within the time al
lowed me, and with both of these my
name has been connected in the mind of
the detective, Mr.. Barnes. Now, that
you all may better understand the cir
cumstances l must go to what | might
call the beginning. Years ago certain
circumstances i'll my earlier life gave
me an intimate acquaintance with the
methods used by detectives, and then
acquired the idea which led me into
this undertaking-tha where the Grim
inal has succeeded in escaping actual
watching during the commission of his
crime, so that there is no witness to the
act, the detective is almost powerless
until he learns the object for which the
crime was undertaken. Am l not right,
Mr.. BarnesF'
"To know the object of crime, of
course, is "A great assistance, but much
would depend upon the attendant cir
cumstances.
'True. The object then is important.
From this point reached the conclu-
sion that if man approached another,
totally unknown to him, at night III q
lonely neighborhood, struck him on the
head, killing him, and then, unseen,
reached his own home, it would rest en-
1v- or "a