Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-11-21

W IA SSS VII ehC ddy With 3hi.sS 41ClS4A
Carmody called on Mr.. William Chal-
mers, that gentleman received
cablegram from Mr.. Robert Van
Horne, the editor of the paper. 1t
read as follows:
st. Petersburg. Russia, May 4.
William Chalmers: Offer in my name
reward of 100000, and no questions asked,
for return of millionaires. Put Hestor
to work on case. Spare no expense.
ROBERT VAN HORNE.
"That settles it, said Mr.. Chal-
mers, as he read and reread the vel
low slip. lets see; 100000, and the
s25o.Ooo which Miss Carmody offers,
is $75O,0oO. That's an odd-looking
number. 1t ought to be million"
He went to the telephone. and for
an hour was busy. lie talked with
representatives of the families Of
Rockwell, Kent, Haven, Pence and
Morton, and each agreed to pledge
$4,000 to the Records reward fund.
Chalmers was suprcmely happy. He
sent for the foreman of the compos-
ing room and designed a new cap
ton. the first line of which read:
THE RECORD OFFERS ONE Mill
LION DOLLARS REWARD!!" He
then called Miss Carmody by tele-
phone, and Informed her what had
been done. That young lady was de-
lighted, but assured Mr.. Chalmers that
she would take it upon herself to see
that the missing men paid every dol
lar of the reward. This was mere
detail to Chalmers, and when he had
finished his talk with Miss Carmody,
the foreman returned with the new
headline. Chalmers pinned it to the
wall and stood off and admired it
with the rapt expression of an art
devotee lost in contemplation of a
newly Raphael.
print it in red" he said to the
foreman. "Run it clear across the
page. Below we will string solid
row of six half-tone portraits of the
missing millionaires."
Chalmers was busy man during
the two days following the interview
with Miss Carmody. He detailed ten
of his men to exclusive work on the
mystery and at considerable expense
secured Is others from rival New
York paners; Chicago was drawn
on for five reporters, and he induced
ten from other cities to join his
newspaper detective force. This gave
him Il staff of 10 men.
John L. Stevens, of Chicago, was
the most famous police and detective
reporter of the country, and, after an
interview with Mr.. Chalmers, was ap.
pointed chief-of-staff under the d.
i, sct supervision of the managing
editor.
81 have no theory about this mys-
terry, Jack said Chalmers, after they
had discussed the case in all it's de-
tails. II have certain vague suspi-
cions, but they are not founded on
facts, and they may be dismissed
from consideration"
''l;y the way, has that man L. Syl-
vester Vincent been heard OPP
"Who is hep" asked Chalmers.
''lou had paragraph about him
yesterday said Stevens. "He is
missing from the broadway Central
hotel. Has not been seen since Mon.
day night. He may have something
to do with it. l have sent q man to
Chicago for his record"
Stevens went away and left Chal-
mers to his reflections. The man
aging editor leaned back in his chair
and gazed for a long time at the
ceiling. Then he lit a cigar and blew
rings of smoke at the wall above,
as if to lombard it into surrender
of the secret. He placed his feet
on the desk and allowed his mind to
wander at will over the dark fields
Of the mystery. There was no thor.
bnghfare. Chalmers leaned back I'M
i'll the Office chair threatened to fall.
He then stood up, kicked it savagely,
and paced up and down the room.
ITS queer; mighty queer" Me-
chanically he picked up Mr.. Van
Horne's cablegram and again read it.
"'Put Hestor to work on tha
case" he unused. 81 will do right
well putting Hestor to work on the
| case. 1 wish 1 knew where / could
find him. -
| HssioF game IN here on Satur;
day" muttered Chalmers as he hurled
| 4 pile of unotfending exchanges in the
direction of the waste basket. "He
said he was compelled to make a
hurried trip to Europe. and expected
to sail on Monday or Tuesday in his
yacht the Shark Queer chap, tina,
Hestor. OF course it's only coin.
cidence; but cannot help thinking
| about it,"
Chalmers paced up and down the
room with his head thrown back and
his eyes half closed in thought. He
attempted to recall every word ant
action of 1Iestor's during the day:
immediately preceding his departure
Its too deep for me-" he said. as
he returned ia his desk and me
ehanically picked up the Van Horne
cablegram. "What does Hestor want
in the Mediterranean? How in thun