The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-14

now remembered that when Mrs.
Fownes had left her key at the desk
one hour ago she had a dress suit case
with her. Mr.. Browning was known in
the hotel as a gentleman who some
times visited the Fownes. Mr.. Fownes
was light, of medium height, with a
white beard, stOop shoulders and a
slight limp. His wife was about the
same height. and build, middIe-aged
very deaf and wore spectacles The
hotel was searched from roof to cellar
Tor the vanished Mr.. Browning, but
with no avail
and dispassionateIy | came to the OBJ
Vious conclusion that Mr.. Fownes"
and his wife could be no other than
the famous Professor" and his con-
sort. Their fortunes evidently at a low
ebb, they had run the risk of negotiat-
ing one of the stolen bonds In all prob
ability many banks who had not taken
the precaution of the A. had before
this loaned money on the forgeries and
later had discreetly charged the trans
action to profit and loss, being afraid to
publish their indiscretion. Ons thing
the government had now at last con-
crete charge against the pair. / began
10 reason inductiVely. The Professor
no doubt played the double role Of
"FOwnes" and Browning" He had
substituted the former name on the
bond; in the role of the latter he had
endeavOred to negotiate it. He had evil
IDENTIFY thought the bank would not
send to the sub-treasury When he
found they had done so he had gone
out and telegraphed MIS- .Fownes. alias
the queen of Sheba," to clear out Of
the hotel in case the sub-treasu was
clever enough to recognize the stolen
bond.
When confronted by me he had sim
ply posed as the innocent Mr. Brown
ing. In a large hotel the employees can
not keep track of the outgoines and
incomings of the guests. Therefore.
while I waited he had boldly gone to
his Suite-that taken in the name of
FOwnes. In his guise of Mr.. Brown
ing, frequent caller, this had been an
easy matter. Then he had changed his
disguise completely and, grip in hand,
had no doubt walked calmly past me
as l sat in the lobby and so out the
front entrance. He could not have ac-
complished his escape in any other
manner
now bent all my energies on calling
up every person who had stepped from
the elevator during my twenty minutes
or waiting The fact that l must look
for dress suit case materially helped
me. l remember that two people had
passed me with such an article. a
young man of barely twenty and a lady
of perhaps twenty-five or thirty. I re-
called their appearance perfectly. l
could not afford to let the slightest
clue, however seemingly preposterous.
slip through my fingers. That young
man and lady had to be tracked down.
1t was no longer desirable keeping the
= I
criminals of the first water and repu-
tation. I would require the help of
everything and everybody, especially
the press. So it was that the afternoon
editions of the papers were alive with
the history of the case. Also the entire
police department and my men were
out Thus, with the entire machinery
of the country in operation, l anxiously
awaited results.
They were not long in coming. Clues
arrived by the carload. Every one was
faithfully followed until proved.a myth.
Finally on the following morning we
struck oil. The young man with the
dress suit case had been located al the
town given in the hotel register. He
proved cOnclusively to be an inoffensive
travelling salesman. That left the wo-
man. Absurd as it seemed, l was
forced to the conclusion that "Mr.
Browning" alias the Professor" had
impersonated a young lady of %.
One morning, some two weeks after
my interview with Mr.. Morey of the
sub-treasury. a middle-aged gentleman
with iron-gray whiskers and a bristling
white mustache was ushered into my
office. he looked to be a sufferer from
kidney trouble, for his complexion was
a peculiar yellow There was a certain
hesitancy and nervousness apparent in
his manner.
My name is Wilson-Humphrey B.
Wilson" he began, land 1 am the pres
ident of the First National bank of
Stamford, Conn" He hummed and
hawed nervously, rubbing his chin. and
finally out came the story l had begun
to suspect. His bank had advanced a
loan on one of the spurious government
bonds ut happened about six months
ago" he explained uneasily, land when
/ discovered the fraud. I-er-well of
course, I had the integrity of the bank
in mind and so said nothing You I'M
derstand?"
Il understand" I said dryly. And
what awakened your conscience at this
late hour?"
Mr. Wilson looked irretrievably in
suited.
'I saw the A. affair in the pa
pers," he replied. with impervious dig
nifty. Being here on business. /
thought IL was my duty as a citizen to
my innocent dealings
with the scoundrels. Also. Captain
Smith by A lucky chance, I think can
put you in the way of arresting the
head men of the gang, this Professor,
as they call him.
WHAT I said in slow amaZement.
Exactly. Captain Smith, he said
quietly. Yesterday gentleman CIV
ing the name of Mr.. Fithian of New
York interviewed me with regard to
my bank advancing him a loan. He
said he was about to start a large
hrawerv IN Stamford As security he