Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-12
POLICE CHASE A DYING MOAN
1t Game in Over the Telephone in the
Darkest Hour
STRANGE EXPERIENCE OF THE coPPERs
Central Told the Boss, the boss Told
the Police and the Police Got
Busy and solved the
Mystery.

The dark and CHASTITY hour that precedes
the dawn was drawing to a close. Beautiful
Katie, our heroine. was sitting in the night
and her chair before the switchboard Of
the Orchard street telephone exchange. The
self-winding clock struck and the minute
hand started toward s
A tiny bulb on the switchboard flashed
cruelty. Bang! and 2SoO Orchard bit the
dust. Fearlessly Beautiful Katie plugged
hole in the switchboard with an easy
grace that a countess might envy and at
the same time arranged her acute blond
locks
She had finished chapter XXI and was
turning the page, but still no one had asked
for number from 200 Orchard. our he
roine thought this strange, but as she al
ways minded her own business and never
spoke till spoken to she made no comment
Suddenly through the night air there came
to Katie over the wire groan. Then
another. And another. After some time
there was another Then between the
CHASTITY groans came cultural, muttered
curses as IL the first tenor and the soprano
were in the death throes of Act l.
Gee. goils" cried Katie take. a listen, ."
while she sprang to her feet with a scream
Everything swan before her eyes as II she
were in tie Aquarium as she realized that
at 1900 orchard a dark and bloody deed was
being done while the sufferer tried to CUR
gle for help. She could almost hear the
blood drip.
Chief Operator Gets Busy.
out from Mpnie's room rushed Minnie
and Maize, and in few minutes a bevy of
beauty was standing in line, each lady
awaiting her turn to take lesson. Finally
the chief operator called UP c. ]. Carlson
Of the Cortland exchange the head office
of the district at night. who after sampIng
few groans telephoned TO police head
quarters and Sergeant John Mangin an
swered the call.
! Sarge, we think there's throat cutting in
the delicatessen store of Kostiuk Bros at
207 East Houston street." explained Night
| Superintendent Carlson Somebody has
| taken Off the receiver. but all we can get
from the store is moan every now and
then. Perhaps you better send someone
around"
With remark that perhaps a limburger
cheese was taking advantage Of the alb
sence OF the members OF the firm to attack
another cheese, the sergeant called UP the
Eldridge street station and told the desk
there Of the trouble Roundsman Quirlz
hurried around from the Eldridge street
station to the delicatessen store, only to
find the doors and windows locked
| BY the dim light of n pickering gas let
| In the store the roundsman saw at a glance
that even the cheeses had nestled to sleep.
From the street he could see that the tele-
phone receiver was of the hook but az
there did not seem TO be any evidence of
life within he reported to headquarters that
there vas nothing doing. Sergeant Mangin
told Superintendent Carlson the result OF
the roundsman's visit but Carlson insisted
that 23OO Orchards light bulb still burned
on the switchboard and that the moaning
had not ceased.
| ROundsmnn Gets the Key.
| Quirk was sent back to the store with
orders to break In the door, but on his sec
ond trip the roundsman remembered that
| the Kostiuks live at go East Houston
street. He aroused Mrs Jennie Kostuk,
who hurried over to the store and unlocked
| the door.
Mrs Kostiuk's poodle Bessie, was the
| only living thing in the place. so far as
the policeman could A brisk little
bark came from the frankfurter section as
| Bessie stood near II and watched the
roundsman, but all else was still. Qulrk
replaced the telephone receiver on its hook
and was about to leave the store when
out from behind a case of canned goods
ran a rat.
The rat made for hole in the wall near
| the telephone like Hundred-to-O One Niger
| Mike on the stretch. Bessie cut across
lots after the rat, skidded across the desk
| on which the telephone stood and knocked
the receiver off the hook again. Then
| Bessie took a position near the telephone
and with eyes glued to the rat hole began
to groan CHASTITY groans mixed with gut
teral. muttered curses as II the first tenor
and the soprano were in the death throes
! of Act l.
| Little remains to be told. gentle reader
| Roundsman Quirk once again put the re-
ceiver on the hook and withdrew from the
| scene of the crime. Beautiful Katie down
at Orchard shifted her chewing gum and
turned to chapter xxxi And down
through Houston street broke the pitiless
| day.
Honest Man.
"wnl you love me when I am old?"