Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1903-12-10

invitation in response to which you
are here tonight. And yet you don't
know who am, nor whether you and
have ever met until tonight. Is that
SOP"
at is."
The admission was made grudgingly
and reluctantly. Brt, blended with
something very like fear, there was in
the way in which the words were
spoken, the submission of one who
recognizes his master.
."As for your inquiry, What's II
for?" went on the councillor who bad
called himself Number One. 81
should hardly have thought man of
your acumen would have needed to put
the question. The facts about con-
Germ Of this sort can't be kept too
close. Why should you put your head
into a moose of which others hold the
string? Don't you see it's safer for
each individual councillor IL his ident-
ity is kept a secret? This man whom
you are replacing on the council-if
he'd known who his fellow-councillors
were, it is very possible that he'd have
given all our names to the police and
that each of us would have had two
or three detectives on his track who
would have arrested us separately. AS
it is, all he can tell them is that the
whole of us meet here tomorrow
night; but who we are and where
we hang out, he can't say: so that it
is only now and then, and for few
hours, that we run any danger. And
| need hardly tell you that we didn't
come here tonight until | had sat
isfied myself that no trap was being
laid to take us, and thai there was
nothing stirring among the police
beyond what | have already spoken
of. Can't you see, too, what advan-
tage this system of our all being dis
guised alike presents? You will have to
put your beard and wig in your bag
when you go to see Number Seven,
because you so to him personating
Marten. But you will resume the dis
guise when the business is done. Sup
rose you are seen coming ashore after
accomplishing the job, and a descrip-
tion of you gets into the hands of the
police. They will at once inquire at
the two railway stations if a man an
swering your description has been
seen, and they will be told Yes for
the six of us will be leaving Southend
as far as possible by different routes
or by different trains-and the police
will be pelting all over the country
after us, leaving the course almost
clear to you. Don't you see how 1t
scatters the scent? And even if they
lay hands on one of us-which they
won't, for our plans are all prepared
beforehand-we have so arranged
things that it would be easy enough
for the one in question to clear him
self. That was how we managed the
duchess of Doncaster's business. The
man was SCENT was one of us here;
l needn't say which-and but for our
trailing red herring across the track
he might have been nabbed. But we
switched the boobies off on another
scent, and pretty fools dance they
were led, while the real man got away
with the swag. The police are at a
disadvantage in fighting us. When we
bring off any little job, they start,
knowing nothing about it, and what
they get to know they have to find out,
which takes time; whereas we start
knowing all about it, and with all our
arrangements made beforehand. In
fact, seven determined men with
brains, all working together as we
do, can snap their fingers at Scotland
yard; and it seems to me that there
is a big future for this syndicate as a
business concern. What say you,
Councillor Number Seven? Are you
still as strong as ever on joining us?"
yes"
every well. Let's get to business.
Well go ashore now, gentlemen, and
arrange for the new councillor, Num-
Der Seven here, to make his little call
upon Councillor Number Seven that
was"
He rose from his chair as he spoke,
and led the way to the deck, the re-
cruit following closely behind him with
the bag. In a very few minutes the
dip of their paddles had died away,
and, cramped and chilled by my long
vigil, | crept out from my hiding place
into the now empty cabin, wondering
how best could go to work to frustrate
the villainy of this precious Syndicate
of ScCundrels.