The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1897-10-29
3hisccIInt:cu&s


days when was in the Know Of
nearly all that concerned the inner
| workings Ui The department? 7 hat :,
rather Al tall order, Graham" said nav
TREND, eX Detective Inspector Nichols,
with 1t good humored smile. How
ever, as to Il good story, the gentle
men present must judge; but | can
spin II yarn which will, think, inter
est you ali while cigars are being con-
sumed.n
Just what we want" | returned.
| 80 fire away, Nichols; we're all at
tention."
Have you ever heard of that af-
| fair commonly called The Seven
Mysteries which so occupied pubic
attention some years ago? 1t COLI
cerned the extraordinary disappear
ancestor Il time, at least--uf several
men, one after the other, in the East
End. What | shall tell You about
more pan ticularly. though, will be the
very narrow shave | had OF max ng
| the eighth InESter!.
Tile men, who Gisapi cared, most
| ~ belonged 10 the we'll to-dn class
| Three were respectable tradesmen.
two were sailors who had Just cen
| paid eff, and the OTTER two we've of
WAS clear that robbery WAS tic motive
at the bottom of every case.
But the sfTaHgsst part Of each fra sh
affair Was the fact that alter about
| tive Or :GTee weeks every man turned
| up safe and sound; each, too, with the
same Improbable story. Each man,
| it seemed. had been Kept in durance
| vile, half-StATved, i'll some damp,
noisome cellar; and inaiiy awakened
| one night to the Joyful tact that he
| IA" oeeh convey ed, Wiile IN a STAT"
| OF siuI'"r, - il iohe'y pace lear u g
river ami there LETT TO his own RI
| sources once i@0r". In mother i'm
portaEt thing. Ioa,ail "ere @Greed, al
| ihat was mat fHe last clear rec ollect:t
Fhey had OF anything, PRIOR to finding
themselves PRISONERS, was being III
| ruDilc mouse, ana tEeFe gong OH 10
sleep.
-FOUR OF tie victims we're mol at All
certain Us 10 me precise pHo!c house
puI the f'HlaiHS tnTtc men were
capable, or asserted that tley were,oi
taking the ponce stra!Snt 10 II, ana
they were speedily given the Oppor-
tunlVy. CuEiousiy enough IN these
three instances tue same pubic house
was the one pointed oHl.
ne house' WHICH was Known as
Inc dragon, was situated cicse 10
the uocks. vi course we confronted
the landlord WIN al seven Oh tAe men
III turh' anu lie reaoliy aulhitteu nav
ing seen TWO OF thein oel'rr' out ihese,
SO he Geclarei, ma peeh AT MS mouse
III company Oh o'he' men, anu hau
beel ied away apparently IN It st@'e
WI which l.iuIleu lIIell,.e lheii sue:
ne sIaleiiiehC appear Gu ie%sipie' ouI
the Two men strongly uenieu the IN
putat,oh' 50 tiIei7 the ihat'ef pio'niseu
10 emo
III was al tL'S Jalc' uie tha' i Was
called upon tue scene by my ehie!S,
and lntrnStea Wi'h me dijhcuit mater
or unraNehliS me Ihtea"S ol tnlS it
maFAapie ppzzlt. bGpious as le!' oi
the result put an OF my enc E'ts IN
10 the case my WIS oethE not illile
sharpeneu by me TACT that success
meant promotion. also a lair share Oh
the reward, ana the carrying on OF
these prizes, too, meant yet IL third;
for the first two would enable me to
offer q comfortable home 10 certain
sweet little woman VINO was waiting
| patiently TO share 1t with me-
First, raked togei her every par
ticle of evidence | could gath Be
You'd doubt, the men had all been
drugged, then robbed, and finally, 10
| add 10 the mystery, anu thus heip to
| prevent suspicion from settling IN the
| proper quarter, they must have been
kept close prisoners.
"Meanw while, poudered over several
plans for clearing up the mystery.
| The only pleasant reflection about the
whole outrageous business was the
| fact that nc actual violence had been
used. But would it be avoided toward
| any one who should be found endeav-
oring to penetrate the mystery on the
| spot ?-provided, of course that spot
could be discovered. Well, that had
| to be CHANGED, and after settling all
details TO my satisfaction, | set out
| for The Oregon three evening after |
| had been commissioned 10 unearth
| the authors of tie robberies.
picture to yourselves, then, seeing
me disguised as the first mate of a
! merchantmen, vending my way
| through the back streets toward the
suspected public house. In case of
accident | had Gtputed two of my
colleagues to follow me at a distance
with definite instructions how to act,
! provided came Lot forth at closing
time. Entering tie somewhat dingy
| bar parlUr, | called for whisky, taking