Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-11-06
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'6he Cute Mr.. Davis

of consideration. One slip in the pro-
gramme and the whole machinery |
would be thrown out of gear. When
taking his position he had fine mus
tacbe and a pair of whiskers. He Gull
tiyated them and let them grow at |
length. He had prominent ears, and
he made them more prominent by
cembing his hair in a new way. HIS
speech was naturally brisk and con-
tanned slight lisp. He cultivated the
briskness and the lisp. He had pusny
eyebrows that met In the middle. he
called special attention to them as
heritage from a strong race.
In the two years and half that the
cute Mr.. Davis was getting ready for
his grand coup he learned to speak
the German language Of professor.
He gave a wrong name, lied about his
occupation and let it be understood
that he was going to Germany as
agent for an American machinery
house. He managed in one way and
another to become better acquainted
with the country for fifty miles around
than any drover or peddler. Through
second party he bought log house
and d few acres of land in a poor
farming district where settlers were
far between and let it be understood
that a German professor was to oc-
cupy it in time to make experiments
in chemistry of the soils and in geol-
ogy. In his own room he donned cer-
tain garments and posed before his
mirror. His brisk speech in English
became a sort OF drawl in German
| In place OF his perfect gait he cult
waited a slight limp. He learned some
| thing of the rudiments of chemistry
| and geology. lie Enew what chem
| icals 10 buy to stain his face and hands
and give him a swarthy look He
| knew what change would co2ie ABOUT
| when his VI .lisAeri and Liust.tche dis
| appeared.
AIr. Davis would have to ride fifty
| miles to his retreat When his coup
came OF. lie could go by any one OF a
dozen trains, but he shook bis mead
Before the event was ready he had
bought horse and buggy and knew
every foot of the road. He had hired
| room under another name in differ
ent part OF the city, and what he need
ed for the metamorphosis was there
DAYS in advance of the event. The
| programme was gone over again ane
again. There was no flaw i'll 1t. Inc
cute Mr.. Davis would disappear OF
the face of the earth some day, ant
how the smart detectives were to con
meet Professor Schmidt with the lat
cashier was more than he could Civ
them credit for. He tried hard enough
because that was his destruction 0
salvation, but he had to pronounce hi
programme simply perfection.
The great day came at last. In
cashier went to the bank with the lal
gest deposit for years-that Is, coup
set him down at the bank, but te
z minutes later he was out on the wal
and hurrying away. He reached hi
rooms, changed into his disguise an
then shaved himself. Then his eye
brows were thinned out, his hair comt
ed according to programme, and tn
cute MI. Davis drew long breath an
said to himself that he defed all th
detectives on earth to identify hin
The rest was dead easy. A Germa
who spoke broken English drove out
Fl town behind a gentle horse, and I
one gave him any attention or care
whittier he went At the country in1
III where he put up no one had any cuI
osity about him. When he reached b
] house he found that his nearest neig
Dor was two miles distant and Ru
sian Jew at that.
The cute Mr.. Davis had figured tn
his dropping out of sight would crea
: q sensation. He was right. For Il
first twenty-four hours it was thoug
y he might be the victim of foul pla
Then the bonding company began
hustle for other clews. The regul
police were called in, and the rewa
offered brought scores Of private &
tectives into the game. Inside OF thr
days everybody had settled down
the belief that it was case OF ski
q and all work being done was based
that theory Never was there hott
hunt for an embezzler. If Mr.. Day
had committed murder the chase wou
not have been half as vigorous. VII
in a week the whole United States W
on the watch for him, and copies
that photograph with the whiske
were flying about like leaves in ga
At the end of a month the army of
tectives had to turn in their repo
with the words mo clew" attach'
1t was believed that the criminal b
escaped to foreign country.
The cute Mr.. Davis, alias PROBES:
Schmidt, figured on making use of
retreat for a number Of months
then assuming some other guise
= some other part Of the country.
went well with him for a number
q weeks, and then one day rough-ht
n of a boy who was hunting for
calf approached the house to ask
information and heard a man sing
a song in good old fashioned r
lish. He had been told that the oc
pant was German. He went av
and reported his ''fnd,' and it got
Dke the ears of constable, and from the
to the sheriff and the detectives, an
week later the cute Mr.. Davis
dragged out of his burrow, identi1
after awhile and is today serving
state on ten year sentence. He
over two years building up a
gramme without a flaw. and yet
who could not read or write or
the time of day knocked 1t int
cooked hat IN half an hour.
NJ. DUAL