The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-23

hotel where he is to stop, telling him
10 return at once. You want to have q
chance to convict him without giving
self"
Breslin leaned forward. my dear
young woman he said gently. If
you want to see your lover come out of
this with clean hands, wire him at once
TO disappear mean what I say"
For moment the girl studied the
detectives face; something she saw
there convinced here and she wrote out
the telegram. Remember he said,
this
With a bow he withdrew from the
room, but instead of sending her mes
sage he went to the telegraph Office
ana sent & cipher dispatch to the
branch Office there. It simply notified
the manager to send to the hotel
named in the dispatch and apprehend
the man whose description he sent.
Then he went back to the bank and
was clOseted with the cashier for more
than an hour.
It soon developed that Taylor had
been telegTaphed to a st. Louis. and a
dispatch was sent to the chief of police
asking him to arrest him. The message
came back that he had called at the
hotel but that not finding his father
there had gone Way without leaving
an address. Another man had accom-
panied him.
Apparently the escape discouraged the
detective, for while BTeslin made daily
visits to the bank he DISPLAYED no en-
thusiasm, resting content with teIe-
graphing the st. Louis branch daily
asking if clues had been received as to
the whereabouts of the missing man.
CIarkson displayed a far greater anx-
iety in the search, communicating with
the ST. Louis banks in an endeavor to
discover whether any of the missing
bills, the numbers Of some NJ which had
been recorded, had been offered at these
institutions.
Bessie Byrne was a daily visitor to
the bank and she and the detective had
long chats, but each time she came
away more. depressed and with a less
hopeful expression.
Then, one afternoon Bresiin came to
the bank with the Waterman. He went
directly to the cashiers Office and asked
him to come into the presidents room.
Once inside the door he slipped the
handouts on Clarkson's hands. Robert
Byrne sprang from his desk.
What does this mean?" he asked.
els this some pleasantry2"
1T MEANS" said Breslin quietly,
chat I have the honor to present the
men who robbed the bank of S19S 000.'
You are mistaken was the aston
ished reply The robbery was but $780,,
OOc''
Il think said Breslin quietly, chat
you will find that the larger sum has
been taken. The $4,000 was the last.
but your books have been falsifed for
the remainder"
But Clarkson-' began the aston
HAS acted very cleverly." continued
Breslin. He made one trihing error,
however"
what was that?'
''FIe was too fond of flowers"
Byrne made a gesture of impa tience.
THAT is trivial" he said. DO you
purpose making a case out of a love
for fiOwers2"
mo" was the easy rejoinder. "But
it was his fondness for rare plants that
gave the first clue, the morning I came
down to investigate"
"a clue" gasped Clarkson. Bres-
| lin drew from pocketbook a withered
flower.
THAT" he said grimly, gave me
my first real clue. You gave me an
earlier one when you called my atten-
ton to the scratch on the safe door
made by Taylor when he turned the
finger. The scratch was made by
penknife. The point of a diamond
would have made an even cut, this was
irregular in its depth as though vary
ing pressures had been brought to
bear. Then, too, there were the prints
of the point of a knife.
'fBut it was this flower that gave me
the real clue. I found it by the side Of
the safe
ST was wearing one that morning"
explained Clarkson. "I wear one every
day. 1t is a very curious development
of the chrysanthemum- Perciva1 has
a cutting. He is an enthusiast in a
small way
seYou had the fresh one on when I
found this" went on Breslin- you
also wore the one of the C-ly before
when you left the bank about 5. That
discovered from three of the clerks.
He brought them to you because you
were both enthusiasts.
'"You dropped the flower when you
went back to the bank after seeing
young Taylor off on the train. You
caused to be sent the telegram which
called him out of town, and you told
me he had gone to Chicago when really
he had gone to St. Louis. You also
gave a poor description of him so that
there might be no danger of his being
located and you had arranged that he
should be drawn into a fight in st.
Louis and placed under arrest there,
that you might have time to clear
OUT
81 have the report of our San Fran
cisco Office that you made the last
Davment on the ranch you we're buy
ing ten DAYS after the robbery, and
Perceval has confessed that you had
promised him a place as head gard
ener. That was his bride for letting
YOU in and out of the bank. He also
cover the earlier payments, ana you
have in your pocket now letter Of
resignation as cashier, stating that
you had been ordered west for your
health"
"If Taylor was here he could Tell
vou that he told me that he was 60
ing to Chicago" said CIarkson weak
w.. 1.-THE rest is as false as that
''Taylor is here" smiled Breslin.
ssF4e has been here for the past week.
We caught him just as he was leaving
the hotel. thanks to an address Z ob-
tanned from Miss Byrne. You Viii
have ample leisure, Clarkson. to study
that science of deduction you spoke
of at our first meeting. You viii find
that YOU laid it on Taylor too strongly.
You will also find that a wilted flower
is sometimes a stronger clue than A
carefully planned chain of false evil