The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-15
Three Knaves and a Trump.

SHdISe ana was distinctly out OF favor
with the department l had a peculiar
superstition about the adroit criminal
whose rule had outwitted me. He was
tan, alert and graceful, with a face that
reminded me strongly of the pictures
mad seen of Edgar A. Poe. He has ar
insinuating manner and the most must
cal voice / ever heard. His profession
was safe-breaking. I had once appre-
hended the man, and, curiously enough, 1t
was the result CT my first assignment to
| detective work. He had, as a result,
served a term of seven years in the peni-
tentiary
1t CHANGED that during his residence
there 1 met him several times and on
each occasion he had regarded me with a
look that was none the less sinister be-
cause it was half peculiar. The mans
look was a menace. l knew he was
thinking that he would be revenged and
1 was sure that only the most conclusive
OF revenges would satisfy him. In other
words, this man was det$sermined to have
my life. I always faced him with look
as dark as that which he gave me, for
the intention in my soul was no less re-
lentless than his own. We were doomed,
as I felt in my apprehensive soul. to
| stand opposed in some hideous tragedy.
When, three years after his release, he
| again incurred the displeasure of the law
| L
and discovered him at length in the In
dian Territory. How he outwitted me on
| on rway back to Chicago is a story I
have no inclination to tell.
| 1t was, therefore, with mixed feelings
| that I learned from the chief of our
agency of the nature of my commission.
He told me that information had been
brought him Of an attempt to be made
/ that night upon the safe Of the McPher-
-AS INV he nj fdA
! been overheard by an eccentric reporter
| for one of the daily papers, whose bust
| ness had taken him into some sorry re-
| sort. From the description which the
! young man gave of the three conspiTa-
| tors the chief had no difficulty in estab-
! fishing their identity. The foremost of
! them was my foe, Payson Weatherby-
! for, though he had many aliases, this l
| believe to have been his true name. The
| second one was a mulatto, Washington
| Brown, a man of much intelligence and
reckless courage, who took his destiny
by the throat and made an outlaw Of
himself rather than court favor OF a
world which would, at best, have shown
him only contempt. The third rascale
was an old-time culprit, George Burke,
a thick-necked, low-browed fellow who
was born to crime.
How many men do you want?" asked
the chief of me.
1.-Two"
but would it not be wise to outnumber
your adversaries? They are desperate
men"
I thought of Payson Weatherby's silent
challenge and formed resolve to meet
him without odds.
We expected to be beforehand with our
men, and with Grayson, the reporter who
had given US the information were at the
spot quarter of an hour before the time
Weatherby had appointed But to our
chagrin we found the rear window of the
place without square of glass. My
evil luck still held. The safe-blowers
were within. With me were James Bige-
low, young fellow, fresh to a detectives
life, and Nelson Green, grizzled veter-
an, cautious as a cat, and a man noted
for his lightning-swift motions. They
and the reporter followed me through the
window. A few steps more revealed TO
me the fact that the door Of the outer
vault had already been forced.
I motioned the reported to stand back
and my men and 1 entered the vault.
which was an iron room 16x16 feet in size
and occupied by a heavy table and two
chairs. Opposite the door was the safe
proper and before this three men knelt
all desperately occupied.
1 had noticed while I stood IN the dark
alley without that there was a rising
storm, and now a sudden excessive gust /
of wind blew shut the iron door of the
vault with report as loud as that Of an
explosion. One of the men-it was Wealth /
erby-cried out in terror and leaped away
from certain little iron boX-like con- /
trivances which lay beside him on the
floor He thought the conclusion would /
explode the dynamite. Then he saw US,
standing together, our revolvers aimed, |
and, recognizing me, gave little cluck |
with his tongue and smiled cynically as /
he threw W his hands In token Of The /
fact that he recognized the situation. His /
confederates glanced up, saw US, and /
covered where's they were, but one Of /
them managed to eXtinguish the lantern 1
b. whose light they had been working, 1
and they were possessed of the vantage /
of shadow. l heard the CLICK of heir
revolvers, and realizing that the light l /
carried made US fair targets, put it cut
Half a second later a bullet Gathered
against the wall behind me. l dropped
to the floor and the men with me followed
my example Then I heard a Gathering
at the door and knew that Grayson, the
was trying to get into US. But
though the lock must have been forced,
yet il did not yield to his manipulations,
and presently all was silent.
Then the unexpected happened. Through
a tiny barred window, high in the wall, /
a flash of whit lightning cleaned, and we
saw that our foes, like ourselves, were
crouching on the floor. Green fired and
a groan followed the report of his revol-
YER For some reason which I shall
never explain Weatherby and I did not
shoot. His smiling, insolent face men
aced me and I looked back with what de-
6ance I could.
We all waited for the next fash of
lightning, not drawing an audible breath.
Never did silence seem so complete to me
as in that little room where six desper
ate men waited in darkness to DO each
other to the death. If / could. have heard
a sigh I should have fired ] have known
and the surgeons probe. but the
pain Of that silence discounted them.
I crawled along the edge u the wall
hat I might be in an unexpected place
by the next lightning CLEAN. keeping my /
revolver just IN advance Of my nose.
When the enveloping fash came It re-
-ealed the eyes Of Payson WeatAeroy not /
six inches from mine We both invOl- :
lntarily .reCoiIed: we both fred A bit OF
ce seemed TO Craze my head, and then
'elt a warm fluid dampening my cheek.
3igelow cried out suddenly, and I was
guilty OF an audible groan OF anxiety for
lin.
Again we waited-I cannot tell thu
ength or time IT was more 20 De NE as
,red than hashbeesh dream. Then cut
+ the silence came vibrant hysterical
hriek. It was not a cry OF pain. Il was
he protest OF the nerves against ths
lidaous situation. Payscn Weatherbv
lad not looked ike Edgar A Poe f5r {
lothing. His de.icately wrought organ
cation revolted against the strain put {
iDou it Gle scbbed and laughed. He was
mailman E
This horror affected Us all similarly. We 2
we're wary, but We suspended hcsdities 3
~ --.l-...aL Z