The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-08-23

J ct
"Well," sand the banker, IF you can
make anything out of that gibberish,
your imagination is more active than
mine"
1T is not a question of imagination"
said Sturgis; 'let US proceed systemat-
ically. Here is telegram blank de-
tached from & pad | found on Arbo-
CASTS desk. Compare its size with the
outline of the marks on the blotter,
and you will STE, in the first place, that
the message would just fit snugly on
this sheet. Next, you will probably
admit that the first line of marks on the
bfotter probably contain a date; the
second Il name; the third, an address;
the last. signature, and the interme-
diate lines. message"
Il am quite willing 10 concede so
much; for no business man would be
likely to write telegram differently"
VERY we'll Now, then. let me hold
this blank SO that the reflection of its
vertical rulings may appear just above
the image of he message. These lines,
remember. separate the words of the
Iaessage. Extend them mentally, and
note how they divide the letters of the
blotter VIII you hold these sheets
while ! transclbe the result?'
In few minutes more the reporter
had drawn several lines on his copy of
the reflection in the mirror.
Il don't see that you are any better
off now than you were before" re
marked Dunlap. examining the result.
wait a minute. These vertical lines,
we say, divide the words of the message.
There are five words to the line; only
two on the last line before the sig
nature; that is to say, IL words in
the message. Now, consider the first
word. Evidently the g begins this
word since il is capital; and the -four
ish on the tail of the 'e' tells us plain
~ enough where the word ends. Note
the space between the g and the e.
certain how constant in any giyeD
handwriting is the space occupied by
the different letters? Try il some time.
Count the characters which you have
written in a number Of different lines.
reckoning spaces and punctuation
marks each as one character. and OBJ
serve how closely the results Will
Tally. Basi1g my conclusions on this
fact, may safely affirm that the
first word Of the message is Game,
Gave Give or some other word of
four letters beginning with &C. and
ending with e. shall proceed to fill
up the balance of the message as
read il between the letters"
Sturgis wrote slowly and carefully
for few minutes.
There; behold the result"
The message had now assumed this
form
r,,.. ,,,..,,. Dec. 81, 1896.
=, B'way, City.
Game up Meet me to-day
corner South and Wall streets
j. w. Arbogast.
Compare this with the reflection of
the original and tell me if you do not
now detect various isolated marks and
incomplete letters, all of which tally
with the text have inserted here"
Dunlap made the comparison.
Il am obliged to admit that your con-
illusions now appear plausible" he re-
luctantly admitted
Sturgis shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, call them plausible and let us
proceed. Chatham kept the appoint
ment yesterday; but for some reason
Arbogast was delayed in leaving the
bank. Perhaps the necessary prepare
tions for his fight took longer than he
expected"
you think he intended to abscond?"
'Why should he have changed the
combination OF his safe. as he did. if rot
to give himself as much time as possible
10 reach place of comparative safety
before the books could be examined?"
asked Sturgis. Chatham. becoming
impatient. forgot the dictates of pru-
dcnce and started for the bank to as
certain the cause of his accomplice's
delay. lie met Arhogast at the Wall
street door. The two men recntered,
Arbogast setting down his satchel in
the yestibule and leaving the outer
door ajar, rs Quinlan found 1t Il few
minutes later. when he stole the satch-
el. ] have every reason to believe that
it was NJ Chatham's request that the