Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-11-13

in many respects hard life, and at all
times is attended with fair amount
OF risk, but you cannot make omelettes
without breaking eggs, and if anyone
chooses to spend his life running to
earth men who are waging war against
society, well, he must not grumble II
he receives some hard knocks in re-
turn.
After these preliminaries will pro-
coed to show how 1 came to be mixed
up in the most curious case 1t has ever
been my good, or evil. fortune to en-
counter. 1t showed me side of hui
man nature had not met before, and
it brought me the greatest happiness
a man can ever hope to Aud.
CHAPTER II.
All business London, and good
many other people besides, must re-
member the famous United States EN-
pire bank fraud. Bonds had been
stolen and negotiated, vast sums OF
money were discovered to be missing,
and the manager and one Of the direct
ors were absent also. So cleverly had
the affair been worked, and so flaring
were the defsleations, that had it not
been for the public-spirited behavior
and generosity Of two of the direct
ors. the position of the bank would
have been most seriously compromised,
il not shattered altogether. How the
culprits had managed to slip through
the fingers Of the law in the first place
no one could say, but the fact remains
that they were able to get out OF Eng
land, without, apparently, leaving
trace of their intentions or their where
abouts behind them. Scotland Yard
took the matter up with its usual
promptness, and at first were con
fdent Of success. They set their clev-
crest detectives to work upon it, and
it was not until more than a month
had elapsed that the men engaged were
compelled most reluctantly to admit
their defeat They had done their
best; it was the system under which
they worked that was to blame. In
the detection Of crime, or IN the trac-
ing Of a criminal, it is best, as in every
other walk of life. to be original.
One morning on arriving at my office
found letter awaiting me from the
remaining directors of the bank. in
which they inquired if l could make it
convenient to call upon them at the
head-off1ce hat day. To tell the truth,
| had been expecting this summons for
nearly week. and was far from be-
ing displeased when it came. The
work ! had expected them to offer me
| was after my own heart, and il they
would only trust the business 70 me
and give me a free hand, ! was pre-
pared on my part to bring the missin g
gentlemen to justice.
Needless to say. / called upon the m
at the hour specified, and after brief
wait was conducted to he board room,
where the directors sat in solemn con-
clave.
The chairman, Sir Walter Brace
bridge, received me on behalf of his
colleagues.
1--WE wrote to you. Mr.. Fairfax" he
said lin order TO find out whe Their you
could help us concerning the diff
|
You Of course are aware of the serious
trouble the bank has experienced, and
of the terrible consequences which
have resulted refron?'
admitted that ! was quite CONVEX
SAINT with it. and waited to hear what
he would have TO say next
GAS a matter OF fact" he continued
| Il h. IA,
er you can Offer us any assistance if
our hour of difficulty? Pray take q
chair. and let us talk the matter over
and see what conclusion we can ar
rive at"
Iseated myself, and we discussed the
affair to such good purpose that, wher
eft the board room, it was on the
understanding that l was to take VI
the case a once, and that my expense.
and a very large sum of money shou.c
ne paid me, provided | could manage
c O bring the affair 10 a successful ter
mina,ion. | spent the remainder OF
that day at the bank, carefully study
;ng the various memoranda. great
deal of what had read and heard hac
been mere hearsay, and this 1t wal
necessary to discard in order that thu
real facts of the case might be taker
up, and he proper conclusions drawn
therefrom. For three days | weighed
the case carefully in my mind, and
he end Of that time was in position
10 give the board a definite answer Il
their inquiries. Thereupon left Eng
and, with the result that exactly i
weeks later the two men, so mucl
wanted, were al Bow street and hat
he proud knowledge of knowing tina
had succeeded where the men wh'
had tried before me had SO distinct,
failed.
As will be remembered, il was a cas-
hat interested every class of societ y
and press and public were alike unite'
in the interest they showed in it.
is not, however, the trial itself a
much as another curious circumstanc
connected with it that has induced M
to refer to it here. The case ha'
passed from the magistrates court t,
he Old Bailey, and was hourly in
creasing in interest. Day after da.
.he court was crowded to overfowinc
and, when the time came for me t
take my place in the witness-box an,
describe the manner in which l ha
led up to and effected the capture o
the offenders, the excitement rose I