The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-28
CHAPTER VI
Freaks of Photography.

Bruce, meanwhile, was pursuing MS
investigations in his own manner. He
had brought about a long conversation
with Conductor Libby, but ELECTED in
substance nothing further than the
latter had made known in his letter to
the bank president. The grain which
adhered most closely to the detectives
mind after the conversation was the
impression that Hamilton had appear
ed, or assumed. not to know the con-
ductor.
"Of course. it was all put on" said
Mr.. Libby. He knew me as well as 1
knew myself. He acted strangely. l
noticed it at the tine-as if uneasy and
troubled. Now 1 know the reason. A
man running away with a woman and
the funds of a bank had good cause"
SO he had" though Bruce, but he
was fool to show it,
By strenuous endeavors Bruce succeed
ed in discovering the fact that the
woman with the emerald-tinted hair
got off the train at Mechanic Falls,
although Libby professed to recollect
that she bought ticket through to
Portland.
The deceive further learned that she
went north that night, when Conductor
Stone was in charge of the train, to
Island Pond. She staid all night at
the Stewart House, and in the morn
but as he shrewdly surmised, she was
quite as likely to have stopped short
of her supposed destination. Thus far
he was enabled to track her, but no
farther. In fact, he knew nothing about
her after she left Island Pond.
But on thing was sure. She was alone.
II Hamilton followed her it was in
another train. He was not in the one
which carried her.And as completely as
he seemed to have disappeared at
Island Pond, so had he appeared but
to vanish at the Portland station.
Thus affairs progressed or rather
stood, for nearly a month. Bruce was
in dispair when all at once he got on
the track OF man said to closely re-
semble Hamilton in Chicago. He i'm
mediately went there, but found his
man have vanished. and certain indi-
cations pointed to his destination as
Canada. Bruce tracked him to Montreal,
when all track was Swallowed up for the
! nonce. One fact remined plainly on the
| surface. however. and IL irritated
! Bruce TO have to be compelled to re-
alize his own stupidity, as he called it,
at not recognizing earlier Hamilton's
| plan, when it was perfectly plain now,
| that from the first he intended to join
| Mrs. Anderson by the roundabout
western route. At all events the plan
had successfully matured.
Hamilton. with at least nine thous-
and dollars that did not belong to him.
was in Canada long ere this, and un-
| less he could be lured across the line,-
a doubtful feat.-he was safe then as
| far as extradition was concerned.
Bruce was at his wits ends The
/ fifteen hundred dollars held out by the
bank president, together with profess
sional pride, made him unwilling to
relinquish the undertaking, and he
/ m nh h
could about Hamilton's past life, the
portion of 1t which was compressed
into the two weeks in each May which,
| since his marriage, at least he in
varlably spent away from Grovedale.
AS his Investigations proceeded
Bruce grew more and more excited,
and it is not too much to say that he
was completely mystified as well. For
ii was in the most questionable streets
and among the most dishonest haunts
that he found the surest traces
| of his presence. He had his
photograph, he had the assistance
of other detectives, and as the search
went on, it was proved that Vane
Hamilton. or his double, was the fire.
quenter of places which the honest
people of Grovedale would have shud-
dered to contemplate, even in magma
tion.
He seemed so much at home there
that ii seemed almost impossible he
could have been away from GrovedaIe
but two weeks yearly. Yet, taking the
year previous as the best in which to
track his course, Bruce found it car
ried him straight from Grovedale to
the shadiest of these haunts. There
was no doubt about it whatever
After this, Bruce began to branch out
in his inquiries, for he fancied he had
CHANGED upon clues which were to lead
him into new scenes far from the pres
ent.
He went West again, for he was in
hopes to discover that Hamilton had
retracted his course to the States. If
involved in dishonest schemes in West
ern towns now, as Bruce felt convinced
that he had been in the past, he was
likely he thought, to return any day,
for prudence is not commonly the char
acteristic of a rogue.
First Bruce went to Valparaiso. a
new but exceedingly enterprising town
in Kansas, where he fancied tidings
were to be found of Hamiltons opera
tions.
trio of INSCRIPTIONS men had in sew
eral instances set up a bank in new
and growing towns and operated sue
cessfully until they had victimized the
moneyed men, when they had closed up
suddenly and decamped. AS the scenes
| OF LnelI OpeTdllOn were thousands or
miles apart, and their names were as
sumed, they escaped detection, strange
as it may appear, until they came to
Valparaiso. This was early in the
year 1887.
But two men came at first. Their
names were given as Scoville and
Brown. A private bank was opened
and operations begun. but for some rea-
son the business men of the little city
were shy OF them. Suddenly a new
member Joined Scoville and Brown as
Joint owner of the bank. This was in
May, as Bruce easily discovered. He
gave his name as Ashley, and was a
genial. handsome man who won his
way to public favor at once, as the
others had not succeeded in doing. His
wife was with him, a woman with en-
erald-tinted hair.
This was the item that riveted
Bruce's attention I'm the account of the
affair which had been given him to
read. and Il was this which drew him
10 Valparaiso 10 investigate the affair
this, and the statement that Ashley
Joined the others In May.
Bruce. az l have said. went to VAL
paraiso and 70 the residence OF one OF
the principal business men, who had
been deeply victimized by the bogus
bank For under cover Of Ashieys
pleasant fellowship and his wifes
grace and beauty the good people soon