The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-11-03

has come once too often to the well.
This time we checkmate him." II was
a mixed metaphor, / admit, but Sir
Charles tropes are not always entirely
superior TO criticism.
So we pretended to believe our man
and accepted his assurances. Next
came the question of price. This was
warmly debated, for forms sake only.
Sir j. H. Tomlinson had paid 200
for his genuine Maria. The doctor de-
manded 10000 for his spurious one.
There was really no reason why VIC
should higgle and dispute, for Charles
meant merely to give his check for the
sum and then to arrest the fellow; but
still, we thought it best for the avoid
ance of suspicion 70 make a show of
resistance, and we at last beat him
down to 5000 guineas. For this amount
he was to give us a written warranty
that the work he sold us was a genuine
Rembrandt, that it represented Maria.
Vanrenen of Harlem, and that he had
bought 1t direct, without doubt or
question, from that good Iady's de-
scendants at Gouda, in Holland.
1t was capitally done. We arranged
the thing to perfection. We had a
constable I'm waiting in our rooms at
the Metropole, and we settled that DR.,
Polperro was to call at the hotel at a
certain fixed hour to sign the warranty
and receive his money. A regular agree
ment on sound stamped paper was
drawn out between us. At the ap-
pointed time the party Of the first
part" came, having already given us
over possession of the portrait. Charles
drew a check for the amount agreed
upon, and signed It, Then he handed
it to the doctor. Polperro just clutched
at it. Meanwhile took my post by the
door, while two men in plain clothes.
detectives from the police station,
stood as men servants and watched the
windows. We feared lest the impostor.
once he had got the check, should
dodge us somehow, as he had already
done at Nice and in Paris. The mo-
ment he had pocketed his money with
a smile of triumph, 1 advanced to him
rapidly. Before he knew what was
happening / had slipped them on his
wrists and secured them dexterously.
while the constable stepped forward. .
I'VE have got you this tmep' l cried,
1--WE know who you are. DR.. Polperro.
You are Colonel Clay, alias Senior An
tonic Herrera, alias the Rev. Richard
Peploe Brabazan.'
1 never saw any man so astOnished
in my Iifel He was utterly fabber-
gasted. Charles thought he must have
expected to get clear away al once.
had taken the fellow so much by sur
prise as to simply unman him. He
gazed about him as il he hardly real
lied what was happening.
Are these two raving maniacs?" he
asked at last, cor what do they mean
by this nonsensica1 gibberish about An
tonic Herrera?'
The constable laid his hand on tha
prisoners shoulder.
ioT,f hl
We've got warrants out against you.
1 arrest you. Edward POlperrO, alias
the Rev. Richard Peploe BrabaZOn, on
charge of obtaining money under
false pretenses from Sir Charles Van
drift, X c. NJ. G., NJ. P, on his sworn
information, now here subscribed to-
For Charles had had the thing drawn
out in readiness beforehand.
Our prisoner drew himself up. Look
here, officer" he said, in an offended
tone, there's some mistake here in this
matter. I have never given an alias at
any time in my life. How do you know
this is Sir Charles Vandrift? 1t may
be a case of bullying PRESERVATION. Ny
belief is, though, they're pair Of es-
capped lunatics."
''We'H see about that tomorrow" the
constable said, collaring him. AT pres
ent you've got to go off with me quiet
ly to the station, where these gentle
men will enter up the charge against
you"
They carried him off, protesting.
Charles and signed the charge sheet.
and the officer locked him up to await
his examination next day before the
magistrate.
We were half afraid even now the
fellow would manage somehow to get
out on bail and give us the slip in spite
of everything; and. indeed, he protest.
ed in the most violent manner against
the treatment to which we were sub
jecting ga gentleman in his position"
But Charles took care to tell the police
it was all right; that he was a dan
gerous and peculiarly slippery GRIM
inaI, and that On no account must they
let him go on any pretext whatever till
he had been properly examined before
the magistrates.
We learned in the hotel that night,
curiously enough, that there really was
a DR.. Polperro, a distinguished art
critic, whose name we didn't doubt, our
imposter had been assuming.
Next morning when we reached the
court an iYspec or met us with q very
said: I'm afraid you've committed d
very serious blunder. You've made q
precious mess of it. You've got your
selves into a scrape, and, what's worse,
you've got us into one also. You were
a deal too smart with your sworn in
formation. We've made inquiries about
this gentleman, and we find the ac-
count he gives of himself is perfectly
correct His name is Polperro; he's a
well known are critic and collector of
pictures employed abroad by the ma
tional gallery. He was formerly an Of
fetal in the South KensingtOn mu-
scum and he's a c. b. and LII. D. very
highly respected. You've made a sad
mistake, that's where it is. and you'll
probably have TO answer a charge of
false imprisonment, in which I'm afraid
you have also involved our own de
partment.
Charles gasped with horror You
haven't let him out" he cried, ION
those absurd representations? You
haven't let him slip through your
hands as you did that murderer fell
low?"
Let him slip through our hands?"
the inspector cried. II only wish he
would. There's no chance of that, I'M
fortunately. He's i'm the court there.
this moment. breathing out fire and
slaughter against you both; and we're
here to protect you if he should happen
to fall upon you. He's been locked up
all night on your mistaken affidavits,
and. naturally enough, he's mad with
anger.