The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-19

basement windows, I think you said.
Down by yonder door, Ell? Come with
me. Jimmie. Well see what the base
ment offers."f
Closely followed by the central office
man, Boyd strobe across the office and
through a rear door leading to the base
ment.
II.
It is not at all to Coleman's discredit
that he was completely mystifed by the
extraordinary burglary. He knew that
Dolan was honest, and Green presum-
ably so, vet IL appeared as If both men
must have been blind the previous
night. or they could not have failed to
see the men at work upon the rffied
safe-a job covering several hours, re-
curing at least three powerful men.
and all within thirty feet of strong
arc light.
Though mystified, indeed, by the bur-
glary, the central office man was not
blind to one fact unobserved by others.
He saw that Felix Boyd, whose every
curious change he had learned to read
Alright, was laboring under an unusual
stress of subdued excitement. IL De-
came more obvious. too, when they
reached the basement, where none
could observe them, and BOYD threw OH
his self-restraint.
He swung round at the foot of the
stairs, glanced sharply at Coleman's
face, then cried quickly, under his
breath:
.'Baffled by it. Ell? No wonder, Jim
mie So was 1 at first. But now Il
He checked himself, glancing swiftly
about, and Coleman excitedly whis-
pered:
you've discovered something?"
Don't ask me-not now, not yet,
| J;roro;aI I've discoyered-yes, one fact,
SURELY"
Tell me-"
Were up against him once more
for the last time, God willing. He's at
work again"
mot Scanlon! Not the Big Finger!'
gasped Coleman, with every nerve cleo
trified.
Nv muttered. '"rhe crime itself betrays
| him. No less crafty a knave could
have designed it, no less capable
scoundrel could have executed it, It's
Scanlon's work. Jimmie, I'll wager my
life on that. The question is. can we
| land him?''
That he was bent upon the latter,
bent upon it with all the energy he
possessed, appeared in Boyds strained
nervous tension. Without awaiting a
reply, he hurriedly left the stairs and
began his Investigations in the base
mcnt.
Coleman now saw plainly the true
| cause of his companions unusual ex-
citement. 1t was many months since
| Magnus Scanlon, the notorious Big Fin
ger, with a death sentence hanging over
him, had escaped from custody. From
that dav. however, Boyd had not ceased
watching for him, never doubling that
| sooner or later he would resume his fe-
lonious, work; and 1t was busnatural
that the possibility of again locating
and arresting this archcriminal, against
whose rare knavish accomplishments
his own skill long had been opposed
should have stirred Boyd deeply.
The cellar was but dimly lighted
and was half filed with empty
hacking cases and accumulated rub
bish. Boyd's immediate interest, how
ever, was claimed by one of the win
dows, which had been entirely remov-
ed. as we'll as the iron grating outside
"Pried out with a jimmy" he mutter-
ed, Here are the indentures it made
in the casing. Though they removed
all their tools, probably to be used else
where, the rascals did not delay tC
cover their tracks.
st may have been near morning,
said Coleman. Its not light, yol
know, until nearly six"
"Ha! there were three of them, Jim
ME-" he cried. Mote the shoeprint'
; left in the clay outside. One narrow
two broad, but of different lengths
They were so well defined that a plast
er cast of them might be taken. Tn
p clay had not frozen when they wer
made, but now it's as hard as a brick
1t grew cold soon after midnight, Jim
= mie, and they must have entered jus
before"
While speaking Boyd climbed through
: the window into a small rear yard
where the central office man Quickl
, Joined him. Leaning against the brio
wall stood the iron grating which tn
3 burglars had ripped from the casing
To this Boyd paid no attention, bu
at once darted to the gate of q hig
wooden fence dividing the yard from
n narrow alley.
= Eyes" he CALCULATED. Just as
o thought. This alley leads into yonde
. narrow court, and that into Made
Lane. The dogs did not even secur
+ this gate after them"
|. Here are some footprints in the allie,
!. Felix"
. Stop a bitr' cried Boyd. BY HEAVIER
o here's a new one! There were foui
Jimmie, instead of three. Hold on
a wait! There is something strange here
I Wait till i examine them!
# The energy and movements of Fell
Boyd at such times might be likened I
: those of hound seeking a lost seen
q For several minutes he darted to an
fro in the narrow alley, crouching 6
II times, dropping even to his hands an
, knees, and all the while studying, as
Q his life depended upon the result,
9 succession of footprints covering TO
or more of frozen ground.
= Several minutes passed before Cols
II man ventured to growl:
o Why the dickens are there so man
n prints on both sides of the gate? Il
- blessed If ] can fathom that"
V Still crouching upon the ground, Boy
d looked up at him with feverishly bri
d liant eyes.
W "Stir your wits, Jimmier' he erie
softly. These footprints were mad
IS by the fourth man while mis- confedel
: ates were doing the job. He was G
e the watch out here, to give warnir
II in case of danger. Here is where /
d walked to and fro. passing from OF
side of the gate to the other, constant
IS watching yonder court. and all II
.i-s,z a.