Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-02-24
CHAPTER VIII.


to press on the day when Miss Helen
Carmody called on Mr. William Chal-
mers, that gentleman received a
cablegram from Mr.. Robert Van
Horne, the EDITOR of the paper. 1t
read as follows:
ST. Petersburg, Russia. l.lay 4.
William Chalmers: Offer in my name
reward of $500 900, 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 yell
low slip. Let's see; 100000, and the
$3.50, 1000 which Miss Carmody offers.
is S75O,O0O. That's an odd-looking |
number. 1t ought to be million"
He went to the telephone. and for |
an hour was busy. He tallAed 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 supremely happy. He
| sent for the foreman of the compos-
| ing room and designed a new cap
ton, the first line of which read:
1.-THE RECORD OFFERS ONE MIL
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
~ AoI To
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
newly discovered Raphael.
print it in red," he said to the
foreman. "Run it clear across the
page. Below we will string a 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 papers. Chicago was drawn
= on for five reporters. and he induced
: ten from other cities to join his
! newspaper detective force. This gave
him a staff of 40 men.
q John L. Stevens, of Chicago, was
9 the most famous police and detective
i reporter of the country, and, after an
9 interview with MIR. Chalmers, was ap-
4 pointed chief-of- staff under the di-
, rect supervision of the managing
y editor
n 81 have no theory about this mys
terry, jack said Chalmers, after they
= had discussed the case in all its de
tails. 81 have certain vague suspi
;, cions, but they are not founded OF
: facts, and they may be dismissed
, from consideration"
20 SPY the way, has that man L. Syl
vester Vincent been heard OFF,"
- "Who is hep" asked Chalmers.
~ "You had a paragraph about hin
49, yesterday" said Stevens. ''He Il
- missing from the Broadway Contra
- hotel. Has not been seen since Mon
70 day night. He may have something
- to do with it. 1 have sent man t.
T Chicago for his record"
10 Stevens went away and left Chal
If mers to his reflections. The man
va aging editor leaned back in his chat
and gazed for long time at tn
5s ceiling. Then he lit cigar and ble'
IN rings of smoke at the wall above
!. as if to lombard it into a surrende
~ of the secret. He placed his fee
on the desk and allowed his mind t
-. wander at will over the dark field
- of the mystery. There was no thol
90 oughfare. Chalmers leaned back III
-, til the Office chair threatened to fal
"a He then stood up, kicked it savagel,
hv and paced up and down the room.
his ''It's queer; mighty queer" NJ
ehanically he picked up Mr.. Va
a. Horne's cablegram and again read
80. "'Put Hestor to work on tt
~, case,'" he unused. 81 will do rigl
-. well putting Hestor to work on Il
case. / wish / knew where / cou
> - find him."
70 "Hestor came in here on Satu
! day." muttered Chalmers as he hurl'
~ pile of unoffending exchanges in Il
~ direction of the waste basket. 81
said he was compelled to make
hurried trip to Europe, and expectt
'n to sail on Monday or Tuesday in
: :, yacht the Shark Queer chap, tn
- Hestor. OF course it's only a col
:. cidence; but 1 cannot help thinkil
aiu about it."
oo Chalmers paced up and down t
OuI room with his head thrown hack a