The Washburn leader., 1908-05-29

the palace. From this on he was
traced to the very carriage door, which
was closed behind the party by an
other attendant. The vehicle drove
away in the night, the glow of the
mems cigars being the last thing no
ticed by the man who escorted them,
thus showing that all were on very
friendly and intimate terms.
The conveyance itself was traced
for several miles into the country.
through the fact of its having passed
several other rigs. There was moth.
ing in its appearance to distinguish
it from any other, and only the fact
that the streets at that time Of night
were deserted enabled the officers to
gather any idea of its direction. 9th.
ers had been observed; but all were
identified and accounted for, and it
was by process Of elimination only
that the one carrying the kaiser and
his companions was tracked. The re-
turn journey of the vehicle, if such
there had been, was not noticed, and
therefore led to the theory that some.
where within the empire the kaiser
and chancellor were being held pris.
OnerS.
The puzzling feature Of the occur.
renee was that the emperor must have
been acquainted and even on terms OF
friendliness with the man who decoyed
him away. No anarchistic attempt
could be deduced from the situation
because with the careful search that
had been made it was certain that
there could have been no assassina-
tion unless q most remarkable conceal
ment had been made of all evidences
of the crime. Nor was it even tenable
that the party had crossed the border
line, because in a condition of threat
ened war all travellers were being
closely watched.
Over every foot of the empire and
into the most inaccessible portions,
search was being made for the place
where the nations ruler and the chan
cellor might be held; but so far there
had been nothing whatever that
threw even the faintest ray of light
on their whereabouts. The attempts
of the secret service men and mem
bers of his majesty's family to keep
his disappearance a secret failed, and
indeed was unnecessary, for the
people themselves had to be enlisted
in quest involving the whole country.
1t was at this juncture that a Ro-
many horse trader, scenting a reward,
offered his services and a suggestion
to the police which was promptly
acted upon. He described having met
the carriage which was supposed to
have taken away the emperor, and,
following the instincts of the horse
man, he scrutinized the animals more
closely than the conveyance. He said
he was walking round turn in the
road, and was almost run over be-
fore he had time to gain a free way.
One of the horses almost brushed him
in passing, and he noticed not only a
singularity of gait, but a peculiar
white mark on the animals flank.
The secret service men had already
become convinced that the team be-
longed within the city, and so. as
forlorn hope rather than in the be.
lief that any clew would be gained,
they employed the gypsy, giving him
license to adopt whatever means
seemed the most likely to discover and
identify the horse. With Romany Gun.
ming, he Immediately secured a, seat
facing one Of the most fashionable
parkway drives, where he remained
for hour after hour, apparently occu-
pied in smoking q short black pipe,
and presenting no marked difference
in appearance from that of hundred
other loungers.
It was on the second day Of the
traders watch that he jumped to his
feet and excitedly ran after passing
turnout, until he could attract the at
tention of mounted officer, who had
been posted on the driveway for the
purpose of assisting him in case his
quest should develop anything worth
following. The man pointed to the car
riage ahead, and in broken German as
serted his conviction that it was the
one which had been used in the ah-
duction. The officer, after giving him
hasty instructions to report to head
quarters, galloped down the boulevard
in pursuit.
Much excitement was caused by the
gypsy's story, and group of the most
prominent officials awaited the return
of the mounted officer. One hour
passed, and still another, before he
appeared, and suspense by this time
was at high pitch. They began to look
at the horse trader with considerable
suspicion, fearing q canard. and were
almost on the point Of sending others
to search for the missing officer, when
the latter appeared, clanking his spurs
across the tiled floor Of the entryway.
He looked sheepishly about him before
saying anything, and then addressing
the captain. said: This man is
either mistaken or else the affair
promises to be more serious than we
at first believed"