Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-02-11
Lily Str'angest Case
BY GUY BOOT1BY.
Ar:hor CT DR.. NiKoLA,'' BEAUTIFUL WHITE DEVIL"
..PhARos, THE EGYPTIAN" Etc.
BY GUY BooTHBY.
copyrighted, 1901, BY ward. Lock & Col

tHe SOOQ fortune TO De able TO Dr1ng
to book men who had carried on their
trade for years, and who had been
entirely unsupported. Eventually my
reputation in this particular line of
business became noised abroad, until
it came to the ears of the commits
sioner himself Then news reached
us that dastardly murder had been
committed in the suburbs of Bris-
bane, and that the police were unable
to obtain any clew as to the identi-
ty of the person accountable for it..
Two or three men were arrested on
suspicion, but were Immediately dis
charged on being in a position to give
a satisfactory account of their ac-
tions on the night of the murder. 1t
struck me that should like to take
up the case, and with the confidence
of youth I applied to the commits
sioner for permission to be allowed
to try my hand at unraveling the
mystery What they thought of my
1mpudence l cannot say, but the fact
remains that my request, after being
backed up by my inspector, was
granted. The case was particular
~ complicated one, and at one time
II was beginning to think that I
should prove no more successful than
the others had been. In the end,
however, I-came upon the murderer,
who, seeing himself very neatly
trapped, placed revolver to his right
temple and, before 1 could prevent
him, pulled the trigger.
At the conclusion OF this case I re-
signed my position in the police of the
northern colony, and joined the detec-
tive staff in Melbourne, seeing in their
service good deal Of queer life and
ferreting out not small number of
extraordinary cases. The experience
gained there was Invaluable, and led
me, after one particularly interesting
piece of business in which l had the
good fortune to be most successful. to
entertain the notion of quitting gov
eminent employ altogether, and set
ting up for myself. I Ibid so, and soon
had more work upon my hand than 1
could very well accomplish. But 1
was too ambitious to be content with
small things, and eventually came to
the conclusion that there was not
enough scope in the colonies for me.
After Is years absence, therefore. /
returned to England, spending year
in the further east en- route in order
to enlarge my experience, and to quail
lily myself for any work that might
come to me from that quarter.
On certain bitterly cold day in
January reached Liverpool from the
United States, and took the train for
my old home. My father and mother
had long since died, and now all that
remained to me of them was the stone
slab that covered their resting place in
the quiet little churchyard at the foot
of the hill.
We'll, here I am" 1 said to myself,
"33 years old and alone in the world.
Nobody knows me in England, but it
won't be my fault if they don't hear Of
George Fairfax before very long. I'll
be off to London and try my fortune
there"
Next day l made my way to the
great metropolis, and installed myself
at a small private hotel, while
looked about me preparatory to CON-
mencing business. To talk of gaining
footing in London is all very well in
its way, but it is by no means SO easy
task to accomplish as it might APP
pear. Doubtless it can be done fairly
quickly If one is prepared to spend
LARGO cnn,c ~
and is not afraid to blow ones own
trumpet on every possible occa-
sion, but that is not my line,
and besides, even had l SO wished,
I had not the money to do it.
For a multitude of reasons / did not
feel inclined to embark my hard
earned savings on such risky enter
prise. preferred to make my way by
my own diligence, and with that end
in view i rented an Office in a con.
venient quarter, furnished it, put a
small advertisement in few of the
papers, and then awaited the coming
of my clients.
AS / have long and curious story
to tell, and this book is only intended
to be the narration of certain episode
In my life, detailed description of:
my first three years in London would
not only be superauous, but in every
way waste of time. Let it suffice that
my first case was that of the now
notorious Pilchard street diamond
robbery, my success in which brought
me business from vel Unknown firm in
Hatton Gardens. AS the public will
doubtless remember, they had been
robbed OF some valuable gems between
London and Amsterdam in singular.
-ly audacious manner. My second was
the case of the celebrated Russian
swindler, who called herself Countess
Demikof. This case alone took me
nearly six months to unrayel, but T
Odd not grudge the time, seeing that I
was well paid for my labers, and that
managed to succeed where the police
had failed. From that time forward
think I may say without Boosting that
] have been as successful as amp man
Of my age has right to expect to be,
What is better still, am now in the
happy position of being able to accept
or decline business as choose. It is
In many respects hard life, and at all
times is attended with q 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 n
he receives some hard KNOCKS ip re:
turn,
Af+a. thasa nralir,,inn rios ..i1l