The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-12-05
IN A LONDON FOG

kad already been patented IN the Unit
ed States. when he dropped into an eat
ing house In street or the Strand ONT
Cay and there met foreigner who IN
terested him.
He was Russian and also an In
yentor He called himself an inventor
OF mechanical toys, and as the two be
came better acquainted he gave The
colonel his address and asked him e
call and see some of his work. Three
days later the colonel called. He found
bis man on the third floor Of mean
house in squalid street. The man had
rugged up a workbench and supplied
himself with tools, and what he was
really trying to do was to produce a
clock that should spring an internal
pachine at the hour and minute I'm
tehded
The colonel was big, unsuspicions
westerner, having no thought Of plots
or conspirncies and perfectly willing to
give fellow inventor any help posi-.
bic. He called three different times In
as many days, working for couple Of
hours each time, and then the fnven-
ton was complete. The Russian, who
could speak English fairly well, had
completely bamboozled him as to the
object Of the cIockwork.
| One night. three weeks after the Rus
sian had dropped out Of sight the colo
mel decided to attend the theafer. He
sat through the performance and came
out. as others did, to find a fog 80
thick that one could hardly see his
hand when stretched out the length
Of the arm. He had not far to go,
however@-tbree blocks down the street
and then turn to the left and 60 one
block to the corner house He could
have done that with his eyes shut
There were pedestrians ahead and In
rear Of him as he made his way down
TO the corner, but standing there mo-
ment he realized that no one had turned
into the side street. ~
Suddenly, and without the slightest
warning, be was seized BY two men.
As one put a knee in the small Of bis
back and bent him over the other clap
ped pad over his mouth to prevent
him from uttering any sounds. In q
moment more they had him In some
kind OF carriage and moving slowly
away, man sitting ON either side OF
him. The driver OF the vehicle must
have been well acquainted with Lon
don. He guided the horse through the
black darkness for three-Quarters Of an
hour before lie stopped.
Meanwhile not word had been
spoken by those IN the carriage. It
seemed to be the plan OF the abductors
not 10 speak. and, as for.the colonel, the
pad prevented. He could get his breath
through his nose, but bis mouth was
tightly covered. Ills hands had not
been bound, but strong fingers held
them In a grip Of iron all the way.
When the vehicle stopped it was by q
quayslde. The colonel knew that, be-
cause he could hear and smell the wa
Ter. He also realized that his captors
walked him up gang plank and aboard
q steamer. Once aboard, there were
men with lanterns and there were cleo
trio lights. but so dense was the fog
and SO quiet everything around that
nothing seemed real until he was final
" landed In sumptuous cabin. There
the men let 10 of him and stood back,
and the colonel looked around him to
End two men seated at a table. He
knew them at once for Russians, and
he saw that he had been made prisoner
Ivan Moskow, advance" said one
OF the men at the table after the silence
had lasted for minute.
do you mean me- querIed the colo
mel as he walked forward.
His speech betrayed bis nationality
In second, and both men uttered
curse.
what are you doing berew was
asked.
Il was brought here BY force. and
should like to know the meaning Of
it,
The man tapped a bell. and young
man who might have been bis secre
tary entered The talk was In Russian,
and an explanation seemed to be de-
manded. 1t was made, but It did not
satisfy, There was loud and violent
talk for ten minutes, and then the
young man retired and the colonel was
asked
do you know a Russian anarchist
named Petroff Misky9'
Il have met him, was the reply.
did you aid him TO make an internal
machine?v
sNever aided him to complete a
mechanical toy
And you are who and what?"
The colonel gave his name. address
and business. He had certain papers
with him. These were taken and care
fully read, and after awhile the Rus.
sian said;
1T may be that there is mistake.
We shall know in day or two
And am to be held prisoner while
you take your time to flnd out that
have told the truth 2"
you may call 1t lucky for you that
you are. If there wasn't doubt about
the matter this steamer would be at
sea at sunrise
The colonel began to protest, but he
was hustled into a cabin. told to make
himself comfortable. and for forty