The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-10-04


leagues had sped their arrow and
missed the mark.
He did not begin where the St.
Louis officers had left off. He saw
at once that the real identity of the
robber had not been established by
the anonymous letter describing one
John Gavitt. He suspected that the
name was mere mask, and the
proof of this was shortly clinched
by evidence easily procured that the
real John Gavitt had died in the lit
tie Iowa river town which was his
home, short fortnight after the
date of the robbery
Hence it followed that Gavitt had
been unprecedented in the Belle
jules crew by the escaping culprit,
and with President Galbraith's de-
scription of the man for starting
point, Griffin first searched the
"Rogues' Gallery" for face which
might stand for the original. This
search, though it was made as care
fully as if he fully expected to find
the mans portrait in the criminal
records. was as barren of results as
he expected it would be.
"It is just about as ! put it up"
lie said, at the end of the photo
graph inspection. THE fellow isn't
professional at all; he is some
hare-brained crank, and this is his
first break"
This point established, there were
two courses open; to try to trace
the man in New Orleans, and so to
determine his identity; or to take
up the lost clew in st. Louis. Since
it asked for less time, Griffin did the
latter first, and succeeded in besting
the St. Louis officers by one move.
For them the fugitive had disap-
peared, handcuffed, in the runaway
carriage; for Griffin he reappearcd a
little later at Mr.. Abram Some
schein's emporium, but was lost
again when he left with his pur-
chases.
Griffin went back to New Orleans,
baffled but not discouraged AS be-
fore, the case turned upon the pivot
of identity. When he should have
the world it would be an easy mat
ter to track him down.
Accordingly he went to the bank
and asked again for the anonymous
letter.
you have tried every means to
place the writer of this, Mr.. Gal.
bruith?" he queried.
= .>f
might be any one of the hundred
transient customers we served that
day.
ut is a woman" hazarded Griffin
at a venture.
"Doubtless."
"Was there a woman in the bank
when you went with the fellow tc
cash the chcck?"
"Thcre was. She was at the
tellcrs window"
"Did you notice her particularly?'
: "Not we'll enough to be able tt
describe her. ] had other things tt
think of just them
Sure enough. What was she do
ing??"
Getting draft cashed, pre-
!. sumcd."
"Where would that draft be now?'
"In the possession of the ISSUING
l bank, and probably cancelled Ion!
g since. 1t couldn't be traced %
a identified. We've been over all that.
"Of course; but was hoping W.
: might stumble upon something tina
! | I J. 1,
'phone?" .....
"Ccrtninly."
o Griffin shut himself into tn
'phone-box and called up the wharf
(; masters Office on the lnvee.
J. "Hello! Is this Robertson? Say
Dick, where is the Belle Julie now
t. Up-river, you say? All right: al
e coming down to get you t" wir
Capt Mayfeld for me-"
IS The "wirc" sent a little later fro,
e the wharf-maStcr's office asked fc
n list of the Belle jules lady pa
e sengers on that voyage which beg;'
% on the day Of the robbery. GriiIi
was not above swearing a little whe
the answer came. 1t was Il string
lie twcnty-odd names. and to ha,
IF speech with these twenty wome
meant weeks of continuous trav
for the detective.
That being the next move in Il
~ game, however, he set about makir
We it mcthodically, beginning wi
ce those most accessible, and workil
ey through the list from name
I name; and at the end of weeks
had interviewed every woman on Il
list save two. These two lived
d. q small inland city in Minnesota, n
when he turned his face northwa
IS to try the final cast of the die
gy was weary enough to be disheal
ot ened. if disheartenment had be
on admissible.
on 1t was evening when he reach
}" Wahaska, and since it was too Ia
m to do anything he promised hims
that he would smoke but sinI
lid cigar and go to bed. But when t
t." cigar was alight he left the hotel
I'VE smoke it in the open. There W
est an unusual stir in the streets, ant
to question asked of chance passer.
Ike evoked the reason. The new Girl
lad son opera house was to be ope1
our that night by company impor
EN- from Chicago for the occasion, {
lge everybody was going to the theat
ITO Be Continued
A Medieval Survival.