Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-05

sition that it was abandoned. The de-
! tective remained in the library until
nearly midnight. He seemed to have run
up against dead wall But he had been
leave one of the servants tapped on the
door.
What is it?'' cried Sir William i'm
patiently.
"A telegram for Lord Mortimer" was
the response.
| Lord Mortimer was the impecunious
earl. The host was Instantly all atten-
ton. He took the telegram and excused
himself to the detective.
| Pardon me a moment until give this
to Mortimer"
| He left the room and was gone ten or
fifteen minutes. He returned with a per-
| picked look.
| What is it?' asked the detective.
"Mortimer's not in his room. and can't
locate him anywhere
The reply had escaped him almost I'M
consciously. The next moment he bit his
lip in vexation. He was sorry he had
spoken.
"Of course" he said almost rudely.
there's no significance in his absence
from his room. He's about somewhere"
| ''Of course" assented Sweeney, tact
fully.
| The detective remained at the house all
night. When he departed for Scotland
Yard in the morning he carried with him
an ordinary drinking glass-a dirty glass
that looked as if 1t might have contained
stale ale the night before. He had picked
it~up in one of the rooms of the house
and the care he bestowed upon it almost
bordered on the ludicrous. He seemed
particularly anxious not to permit the
glass to rub against anything.
| An hour later a chance visitor at Scot
land Yard might have witnessed curious
experiment being made with an ordinary
drinking glass. The experiment was a
success. The operative discovered on the
glass the imprints of four fingers and a
thumb. The marks were perfectly dis
tinct and the finger and thumb prints had
been reproduced perfectly on sensitized
paper.
That was the beginning. 1t was next
learned that only one train had left the
railroad station near Sir William Harris
country place between the hours of and
10 o'clock on the previous night. The
theft had been committed between those
hours.
| A visit to the office OF the railroad COM
pany resulted in finding the conductor
who had charge of that particular train.
| He remembered that one passenger had
| boarded the train at the station.
Did ne go on to London?' he was
asked.
NO" was the response, "he alighted at
the first station this side of London"
| The trail was becoming intere sting. 1t
WIS followed until it led to the station
this side of London. The only cabman
at that station was awakened from his
slumbers to answer the questions of the
detective. He was typical might
hawk" Yes, he had answered. he had
one customer that night. Could he let
the representative from Scotland Yard
look at his cab? Most assuredly he, felt
conlplimented at such attention. The
ramshackle old vehicle was found in the
stable. A careful examination was made.
| The result was remarkable.
There were five distinct spots on the
dirty cab door and they were the Inn
prints of four fingers and a thick thumb.
Most startling of all, the prints on the
cab door and those on the unwashed glass
were identical.
The conclusion was obvious. The man
who drank the glass of ale at Sir Will
liam Harris that night was the same man
who had travelled on the O'Clock train
tina. night and had taken the cab at the
station just outside of London.
"Cabby,'' said the detective, you know
where you took your customer last
night"
| "Surer
Take me there at once"
The cabman harnessed up his vehicle
and drove off with the detective as his
] passenger. In about ten minutes he halt
| ed before a me an-looking frame house in
the suburbs. Sweeney alighted and
raped at the door vigorously. After a
long wait, a smooth-shaven man in his
shirt sleeves responded. The dete ctive
was keyed up to his responsibility. He
did not give the man time to speak, but
said sharply:
Good morning, Mr.. Martin"