The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-07

Author O'Connor. The main actors
are together all the time. And the linz |
it's of their meanderings are confined
to a small territory on the West side, a
part of Chicago's bad lands familiar
to all readers Of newspapers. The story
opens with a prologue.
Hero of the Novel.
Phil's fame as a detective Is UNI
bounded by territorial lines. He Is
feared by all lawbreakers. Once upon
the trail OF a criminal, the criminal
might as well fold his arms and say:
"On with the handouts For what's
the use Of trying to dodge this eagle
eyed MANI"
Like all detectives, Phil had an Of
flee where there were desks and papers
that held secrets. In this office he was
seated one morning when pale-faced
man, beard and hair thickly sprinkled
with gray, entered and took a chair
without any sort of invitation from the
terror of evildoers. Phil at first thought
him crank or someone bent on doing
him mischief. But the stranger Was
not long in dissipating these ideas. He
got down to business like the banker
he was. The mans name was Clyde
Jennings.
Once upon time he was
forced to prosecute one of his
clerks for having embezzled
thief was sent to Joliet, where he very
! properly belonged. Not long there
after he, Jennings, advertised for
nurse. woman appeared bearing let
tiers pronouncing her scrupulously
clean, patiently attentive, lover Of
children and Christian. No Lake
Shore drive matron could turn down
innt
ture was cracked UP to be. Mr.. Jen-
nings hired her on the spot. Her du-
ties were to care for his twin daugh-s
tiers. A few days elapsed, when 10!
the woman and children disappeared.
The shock had killed his wife and had
come near driving the husband and
father to the madhouse Could Phil do
anythingg If so, fame and fortune
would be his reward. Mr.. Jennings
was rich beyond computation. And all
the wealth was Pills if he would re-
store his lost children.
Well, now, that was a funny ques-s
ton to ask of this great detective.
Could he do anything? Humph! That
was his business doing things. When.
others failed they went to Phil and
Phil was there with the goods. 1t was
an intricate affair, this abduction case.
But all he wanted was little time.
Did Mr.. Jennings have theory? He
had. 1t was that the thief whom he
had sent to the penitentiary had caus-
ed his wife to apply for the job as
nurse at the Jennings mansion and
when the opportunity came to abduct
the children-objects that caught and
held and glorified all the tears of this
bankers grief. This clerk would be
avenged. The abduction of his chill
dren would kill him. Then the prisoner
would lie in his gloomy cell at nights
I@x - low rt,
was very plain to Mr.. Jennings, and
Mr.. Jennings theory was the correct
one, thought Phil.
Phil Sees Murder.
One night Phil was walking along
West Harrison street. The snow was |
falling in binding sheets. Already the
white mantle was piled heavily on
housetops and lay banked up against
the sidewalk. At the corner of May
street he saw two men attack another.
In an instant the single man was down. |
AS he fell on the snow an agonizing |
groan escaped from his lips. Mean
time the two assailants were scurrying !
away. But the groan reached their |
ears and one of them, with a curse,
turned and again plunged his cruel
knife into the quivering flesh of the !
fallen foe. Then he darted away into
the darkness. Phil ran to the wounded
mans side and knelt over him. But |
in an instant he-was dead. Then out of |
the shadows sprang two policemen,
who, catching sight of the famous de-
tective, uttered a cry of horror. Phil
a murderer? It took him less than a |
minute to tell Of what he had seen.
Quickly did the officers apologize for
having suspicioned him even for a
moment Then the body was removed
to an undertaking establishment and
the nffinarS ho oh 70 he
saloon, where the stove was burning
and the liquors on the counter were
red. But not Phil. He had a duty to
perform.
On the soft snow leading from the scene
of the tragedy was the imprint of a pc
culiarly shaped boot heel. An iron shoe
had been nailed on the heel in the image
OF human heart. Phil knew that this
heart-shaped heel was one of the sym
bols of the "Silver Stars one Of the
boldest gang of thieves that had ever
infested Chicago. He knew many of
them; he. knew that nothing was too dar-
ing for its members to attempt. He fol-
lowed the tracks through the network of
railroad yards, past wild fields, through
dense masses of tangled weeds, by gloomy
looking houses and evil looking men, until
finally he located bad man in house
which set in the middle of a block. He
tried the doors and windows, but all of
these had been securely fastened. But
little things such as barred doors never
awe the trained detective. Phil had a
bunch of keys, some of which would open
anything, from a Jackpot to the heavy
vaults of bank.
Heard Strange Voices.
Quickly he was on the inside. He heard
| voices. Softly he got to the door.
| crevice permitted him to see what was
going on in the room. He peeped and for
a moment his blood ran chill The "Silver
Stars were in session. The members
| wore masks. In the center of the room
was a woman of Incompatible beauty She
was the queen of the order and as she
No. was speaking as Phil listened He
! was reciting the details of how he and
No had just slain one of their members
because he had been a traitor When he
had finished all joined in the chorus,
Death to all traitors Phil was discov-