Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-08-18

alcng dark, narrow passage OF con-
siderable length. AS far as ! could
make out we were entering one of the
Berkeley square houses by private
entrance. I whispered as much to
Stomp, who nodded in reply, at the
same time holding up warning finger
not to speak.
Our guide, who was leading, stopped
suddenly, and Stomp and stumbled
up against him in the darkness. Just
ahead 1 could see tiny spot of light,
evidently hole in the panelling,
through which the interior OF the bril-
liantly lit room beyond was visible.
Stomp applied his eye to this, and
for second or SO the point of light
was blotted from view; then he drew
back his head with jerk, and with q
sudden Kissing, indrawn breath.
each! der villains!' he said, in n
hoarse whisper; and, slipping his hand
into his pocket, he handed me some
shells. "Der play-agting business is
over Der rows shall be real rows"
And he snapped the breech of his
revolver to with vicious snap.
The panel slid noiselessly into its
casing in the wall, and Stomp and I
stepped into the room. L shall never
forget the view that met my eye. 1t
seemed as though 1 were dreaming,
ard had suddenly been waited back to
medieval days; it was incredible that
such scene should be enacted here
in the end of the nineteenth century,
in smart house in the very heart of
great city. Firmly lashed to an
ordinary kitchen table chair sat man
whom Immediately recognized as De
Brenne from Stomp's description. His
head was bent forwards, and round
his temples was piece of thip cord
twisted SO tightly that it had cut into
the flesh. A man behind him was in
creasing the pressure from time to
time by turning short piece of stick
which was inserted in the cord, whilst
two others were making preparations
for even more ghastly and inhuman
torture.
De Brenne's face was putty color,
and great beads of Precipitation were
streaming down it. On small table
in front of the group was what looked
like legal document, pens and ink,
and Jug of cold water, which had
evidently been used to revive De
Brenne should he lose consciousness
under the terrible ordeal.
The room was perfectly quiet, save
for low moan now and again from
the victim as an extra twist or so made
the pain unendurable. The three
fiends were so occupied with their
brutal task that they did not notice
our entrance.
"Will you sign?" asked the mani
pulator of the string in a low, pleasant
voice.
A stihed moan was the only answer,
which rose to sharp wall as the stick
was turned another half revolution.
Stomp raised his arm, paused for a
second stea lily as rock, pressed the
trigger, and the mans arm dropped
limp from the elbow downward. He
gave a yelp of pain and surprise which
was echoed by his two companions,
and clapped his other hand to the
wound. The string relaxed and De
Brennes head dropped forward on his
chest-he had tainted.
Glands up!" shouted Stomp. One
of the two uninjured men slipped his
hand behind his coat-tails.
Crack! went the revolver again, and
a small pocket-pistol dropped to the
floor, whilst the fellows hand was
splashed with crimson drops.
1t was wonderful shooting. I be-
Heve Stomp cauld have picked out the
buttons on the mans waistcoat had he
chosen.
"Now," said Stomp to me, twill
you haf der goodness to take down the
der curtain-ropes and to tie up der
hands of our friends herewith"
This did whilst Stomp still kept
them covered with that ominous black
smudged barrel. After which he
crossed the room and, throwing open
tho windows walked the stiffness of the
night by requesting the presence of
''a policeman" in stentorian tones.
Marvellous to relate, one came in less
than five minutes, followed by three
more whom he summoned.
Meanwhile had been doing my ut
most to revive De Brenne, with suffi-
cient success to enable him to make a
short statement to the inspector, which
resulted in our three friends being
marched off in safe keeping.
The story was briefly as follows:
De Brenne had gone to the continent,
but his pursuers had tracked him, and
with fiendish ingenuity had hunted
him back to England to his own
house, so that he would be handy for
signing the required documents. The
house was empty, save for caretaker,
whom they had speedy got rid of, and
De Brenne's own deaf-and-dumb serv-
ant. whom they retained after ensur-
ing themselves against the possibility
OF his communicating with the out.
side world by writing.
They had then calmly kept De
Brenne close prisoner in his own
house, and started to torture him
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