Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-07-16

pack don't believe could pick out
any one of us again to save my life.
What's 1t for, and how do you know
each other again?"
1--WE don't know each other again, ~
was the calm reply. mo man here
except myself. SO far as / am aware
knows the name Of any Of his fellow
councillors. Why should they !? There's
no chance Of my turning inf0rmer iii.
turned Queens evidence thousand
times over. it wouldn't save my neck. !
What there is against me is too bad
and there is too much Of 1t for that
ever to be thought of. Hence we are
known to each other only by number
You are Number Seven and am Num-.
Der One, as ought to be, for / origi-
mated the whole concern. livery man
here has been invited to join us on my
responsibility alone. I do the thing
carefully, you must admit In yours
own case, for instance, I knew What
your suspicious were about the council.
and had satisfied myself that it would
be safe to make oyertures to you, orr
else you would not have received the
invitation in response to which yon
are here tonight And yet you DONE
know who am, nor whether you and Il
have ever met until tonight. Is that
so?' Il
TT is"
The admission was made grudgingly
and reluctantly. But, blended with
something very like fear, there was III
the way in which the words were
spoken, the submission of one who
recognizes his master.
AS for your inquiry, What's IL
for? went on the councillor who had
called himself Number One.'.
should hardly have thought d 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 moose of which others hold the
string? Don't you see it's safer for
each individual councillor Ii his ident-
ity is kept secret? This man whom
you are replacing on the council,-if
he'd known who his fellow-councillora
were, it is very possible that he'd have
given all our names to the police ana
that each of us would have had two
or three detectives on his track who
would have arrested us separately. AS
1t 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 II
is only now and then, and for few
hours, that we run any danger. And
| need hardly tell you that we didn G
come here tonight until had saf-|
isfied myself that no trap was being
laid to take us, and that there waeE
nothing stirring among the police
beyond what / have already spoken
of. Can't you see. too. what advanz
tage this system of our all being dfa-H
guised alike presents? You will have tot
put your beard and wig in your bag
when you go to see Number Seven
because you go to him personatin&
Marten. But you win resume the dis
guise when the business is done SUPP
pose you are seen coming ashore after
accomplishing the job, and descrip-
tion of you gets into the hands OF the
police. They will at once inquire akt
the two railway stations If q man AMI
swering your description has beeai
seen, and they win be told Yes, forI
the six Of us will beIeaving Southendl
las far as possible by different routes
or by different trainS-0nd the police
| will be pelting all over the country
after us, leaving the course almost
clear to you. Don't you see how Is
scatters the scent? The police are ct q
disadvantage in fighting us- When We
bring off any little job, they start.
knowing nothing about It, and whak
! they get to know they have to ind out
which takes time; whereas we stax@
knowing all about it, and with all our
arrangements made beforehand. IN
fact, seven determined men with
brains, all working together as va
do, can snap their fingers at Scotland
yard: and 1t seems to me that there
is big future for this syndicate as s
business concern. What say yous
Councillor Number Seven? Are You
still as strong as ever on joining US 81
Yes
Very we'll Let's get to business
| Well go ashore now, gentlemen and
arrange for the new councillor. Mum
Der Seven here, to make his little calf
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 g, 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 placc
Int the now empty cabin, wondering
how best could go to work to frustrata
the villainy of this precious Syndicate
of Scoundrels.
CTo Be Continued.)