Griggs courier., 1897-10-01

Bisocca's temperament, l considered
their presence unnecessary.
After some little delay found my
self scraping my feet on the doormat,
waited for a moment until an answer to
my knock was given, and then passed in.
Bisocca was seated at a writing-table
left side toward me, and as my gaze
travelled from his face downward, saw
something that made me blink my eyes
and set my fingers tingling for a grip
of him. On a sheet of paper rested his
left hand-a brown, muscular hand,
with stub fingers and gap between
them! He threw down his pen, sprung
up somewhat hastily and came forward,
peering up at me from under his shag-
gy eyebrows in questioning manner
and wrinkling his forehead inquiringly.
came to the point at once and told
him to consider himself under arrest.
He sprang back, wheeling on his heel
half way round and staring at the op-
posite wall as though doubling his
senses. took step toward him. As
did so he suddenly snatched some
thing up from the table beside him.
Thinking it weapon of some sort,
rushed and grappled with him. Then
his grip met mine, and we stood there
locked together; he with his sallow
face, now flushed, close against mine
and his hot breath beating upon my
face.
"You have trapped me-" he painted,
glaring up at me and breathing heavily.
''You have trapped me, but-I-do-
not-mean-to be taken. You saw me
just now-pick-up-something.M My
-friend-I advise you-let me go. 1t
was a. .bottle-of-nitro- -nitro-g!ycerin
"a leetle bottle, and-unless you re-
lease mel -tumble-you-
and myself to the ground, and
we'll die-together!"
I shouted for help and redoubled my
efforts to overpower him. Then, amid
all the jerking, swaying and severe
struggling, something like wave Of
inspiration swept through me. Slowly,
inch by inch, hugging him tighter and
tighter still, I pushed to that side Of
the room pierced by the window. An
other lurch, a spring backward, crash,
and the broken glass fell in pieces over
my shoulders. Then I screamed, yelled
as had never done before. A scurry-
ing rush of footsteps, cries, crashing
of wood, and help had come.
Oh, yes, we got him to the station
right enough; and an examination Of
the house revealed the fact that it con-
tanned enough explosives to-well, to
make fair-sized' hole in London, any.
how. And we found, too, sufficient evi.
dence to warrant our charging the gen.
tleman with the murder of Strauss. But
he cheated the gallows at the last. He
was found one morning dead in his cell,
He left, however, a confession, of which
the following is the substance:
Strauss was member of an an.
archistic gang on the continent; Bis.
oeca was their agent in England, and
manufactured explosives for them. Be
fore Strauss left Germany for this
country he had, it appeared, violated
certain laws of the society, and in order
to insure the safety Of the organiza.
tion his death became necessary.
Bisocca was deputed to accomplish
his removal. He received news concern.
ing Strauss intended journey, and,
looking up the time table, found that
the train conveying his victim stopped
at Ecclesborough, so he purchased q
ticket from that place to Switcham.
The train arrived. Bisocca stepped
down the platform, recognized Strauss
seated in his car, reading. He entered
and the train moved on.
Bisocca waited until the train was
well clear Of the station, and then,
without a moments hesitation, sprang
upon Strauss, gripped his throat and
plunged knife into his heart. Strauss
fell forward without groan. Bisocca
hastily searched him and removed
everything relating to his identity from
his pockets. Then, finding both his
hands covered with blood, he looked
about him for something wherewith
to remove the traces of his crime. The
paper lay on the seat beside him; he
took it up. As he did SO the train
slackened speed for moment, and
in an agony of terror he sat there with
both hands pressed down upon the pa
per, as though endeavoring to hide their
CHASTITY stain.
In that brief interval of time, printed
in blood, the imprint of his hand re.
mained indelibly on the pages. When
the train drew ahead again Bisocca re.
covered himself, cleansed his hands
with the paper as best he could, rolled
it up and threw it under the seat. Al
switcham he got out and passed
through the barrier undetected, un.
noticed.
And that's the story. Hardly think
that man could be brought to justice
by the aid of green cover, would you1
But it was so.-Tit-Bits.