The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-04-19
of Count Rossi's friends over to Gut,

of Count Rossi's friends over to Guth.
rie and Lonergan and had them run
down every clue possible. There was
nothing doing in any direction and
Cheney was beginning to believe it
was going to be failure, and he
hated failure like his satanic majesty
hates holy water. OF course failures
had to come sometime, but in his first
active case after the war he did not
want defeat.
Must be getting in my dotage," he
muttered to himself as he sat in his
Office one afternoon reviewing the
case. So far as was known not one
of the Is thousand-dollar bills had an.
peared in any of the banks, and a
search through pawnbrokers of the big
cities did not bring to light any. of
the diamonds. He had Paris and Am
sterdam notified by cable although he
knew if the diamonds and other
precious stones ever landed there.
the chance of securing their return
was not one in million.
Simpson, the porter, had been in to
Chicago, and. through the carelessness
of Mr.. Weeks. had gone out again
without Cheney's seeing him. He had
gone out on the overland to Frisco.
and on the way east again had been
doubled back to Frisco from Ogden
because one of the porters on the
WestbOund train was notified that his
mother was dying in Chicago. The
superintendent at Ogden had done all
this not knowing how much Simpson
was wanted at headquarters. To make
matters worse Simpson got left at Og-
den by going up town on an errand
for a passenger. The superintendent
had given him fits and recommended
a ten-day lay off when he returned to
Chicago. But he had sent him west
from Ogden that night because they
were short handed from Frisco. All
this Cheney learned by wire. His
talk to Mr.. Weeks was rather more
forceful than elegant, and the Parlor
Car official was mad clear through.
A day later Weeks phoned Cheney
that Simpson would be in that night.
jeff said the colonel, you be at
the Northwestern depot when the
Frisco train comes in tonight. James
Simpson is porter on car number g.
| want to know what he does tonight.
You understand.
'Ah sho' does. kunnel,' replied
jeff.
Using Jeff was not a new thing.
Cheney had used him many times be-
owed, and Jeff's work was of a high
order Weeks was posted and said he
would hold Simpson in Chicago as
long as was necessary.
jeff was waiting when Cheney came
down the next morning. Without any
ado he made his report.
Simpson is yaller coon, kunnel,
an has bad eye. After he Wuz
through wiz his wuk at de train he
lief, and I follered him down to Lige
Ferguson's place un Deahbo'n street,
sub. He stayed there mos the even.
in. | went in an KEEP close as cud to
him. played l wuz full. Simpson an
Ferguson had long talk an wuz mighty
thick. KEEP gittin' closer to UNI bofe,
and once heerd Lige say time wuzn't
ripe yet, ter do somethin' and den day
went away from me, and | heerd no
moh.''
Did Simpson appear flush with
money, jeff" .,.....
mo, sub, not 'strodinary- amount.
No mohn a niggah porter on a long
run lax the overlan' limited would
have. 70 know dat's a putty good
run, kunnel. Tips is gently big
Yes, l know that, jeff Then you
noticed nothing unusual in the man."
Well he an Lige had a good joke
erbout sumpin ovah a sodah watah
bottle. | heard Simpson say wen he
was drinkin' a brandy an soda dat
he know one soda bottle with mon
ten cents. an Lige he laff and say
'dat's right OATS jess de time dey
notes me an move Off
Il want both those coons here, jeff,
only bring them separately and don't
let either know the other is here