The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-03-08

MASON udnQeQ CQeney his CHIEFS
letter and together they studied it's
contents carefully.
mo mistaking the chiefs intent; is
there, Chuck?" said Cheney.
That's true," replied Mason. 1.-THE
old man appears to have it all worked
out like a chess problem. It doesn't
look like a very pleasant job, though
That train leaving Shenandoah at
eight p. m. reaches St. Joe at one in
the morning. There the two men are
to be Joined by a third party, and we
are to pinch the whole crowd. Our
work is cut out all right
Well did Chief Whitley know the
callber OF the man he had so wisely
chosen. Mason did not know the mean
ing of the word fear; he had been
in many a hard-fought scrap with
moonshiners, smugglers and counter
letters, and carried scars of more
than one bullet wound. If his chief
had ordered him to arrest a dozen
men he would have made the attempt.
Truly did he possess the Balaklava
spirit:
Theirs not to reason why:
Theirs but to do and de-
What case do you reckon this is,
Mason?"
Hanged if know, Cheney. There's
whole slew of them on now. You
can bet the old man knows what he's
talking about. He's the best long
distance detective I know"
Two days later they took train
and reached Shenandoah after dark.
At eight p. m. they boarded the st.
Joe train, and at the first station
south two men, one carrying a sole
leather valise," got aboard. Mason
and Cheney saw them enter the car
Immediately in rear of the one in
which they were sitting. The sole
leather valise appeared to be rather
heavy, and was carefully guarded.
The train cond uctor, Jack Bellamy,
knew Mason quite we'll, in fact, had
served with him during the war, and
greeted him pleasantly.
Hello, Mason, what's on to-night?'
Go through your train," replied
Mason; then come back here and
I'll tell you. Watch out for two men
in the next car" Briefly he described
the men.
When, Bellamy returned he sat
down opposite Mason and Cheney,
and quietly Mason told him the lay.
Nov, Jack" continued Mason, II
don't want those birds to get on to
either me or Cheney. They may know
us, and they may not; but we won't
give them a chance Keep your eye
on them, and when we get to st.
Joe we may need little of your
help Bellamy had a laundering for
a good scrimmage.
"All right, Mason" he replied. II
don't know what it's all about, but
I'm with you whatever it u.s. I'll put
my head man in that car with or
ders not to leave it. He's all right.
You fellows can ride here, and we'll
all be on hand when we reach St.
joe"
At five minutes to one Mason and
Cheney took a position in the rear of
the first car, so they could see every
passenger of the first car alight The
brakeman had purposely locked the
rear door, so they would, perforce,
have to leave by the front. Bellamy,
the conductor, was near the rear end
OF the second coach, Intending to fol-
low the suspected men as they left
the car. This literally put them be-
tween two fires. Mason and Cheney
intended to Jump off right after the
suspects and nab them as soon as
they were met by the third party.
1t was a damp dismal night, and
there was steady rain falling. The
train slowly pulled into the old Bur.
lington depot. It was before the days
of electricity, and the dim. yellow,
t1ickering gaslight only accentuated
the darkness. Truly, an ideal night
for devilment of any kind.
AS soon as the train stopped the
suspects alighted and started quickly
down the platform. Unfortunately.
Mason and Cheney were caught in a
crowd. AS soon as possible they ex.
tricated themselves, and scarcely ten
second elapsed before they jumped
to the platform, followed by Bellamy.
They looked up and down everywhere,
but their birds had flown; disappeared
as if swallowed up by the earth. It
was a predicamoant and a nasty one.
They had been ordered to do a certain
thing, and right on the eve of it's &C.
complishment they were baked.
well, I'm damned!" calculated
Cheney. \
"You will be all right, and 80 will
l." said Mason, when the chief hears
of this. I've read of mysterious dis
appearances before this, but those
fellows did the fade away act in
high-class manner.~~ Bellamy was too
nonplussed to speak.
After careful search of the depot
and the adjoining grounds, Mason
and Cheney checked their valises and
went up town. Bellamy was at the
end of his run and went along. Walsh
Agnew was chief of police at the time.
and they quickly routed him out
Mason told him the story