The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-07-26

me inspector had slipped the hand
cuff on the still inanimate fanatic. and
Clarke had so far succeeded in arous-
Ing Miss Watrous that she breathed
normally, when our attention was at
uacted by peculiar noise. AT first
thought 1t was rats working in the
walls OF the ancient structure. Clarke's
sha- 2 eyes, however. detected two small
holes in the wainscoting about three
feet from the floor.
He began feverishly to work at the
joints of the wainscoting with the point
of the scimitar which he had picked
from the floor. Finally he succeeded in
prying up a board sufficiently to admit
the fingers of myself and the inspector.
with quick pull the boards came off
one after another.
There. crouched in a niche con-
cealed in the wall, bound so that the
slightest movement was impossible,
gagged, and with his head held by a
rude clamp so that his eyes must look
through the two holes, was Richard
King,
Terrible must have been the wrong,
I thought. to merit such a revenge, to
see his sweetheart cruelty murdered be-
fore his eyes, and then to be left to die
n lingering. torturing death with the
picture in his BRAN.
You were just in time. gentlemen.
when his bonds were removed. Then,
with cry, he dropped on his knees at
the side of the still inanimate Miss
Watrous. seized her hand, and covered
II with his kisses. Then, overweight
by the terrible ordeal, he fell into a
passionate food of weeping. My SYM
pathy for him returned. He had both
courage while the danger lasted and
feeling when II was past.
No time lost in getting Miss
Watrous to a hospital for, though
Clarke pronounced her in no danger.
he feared a reaction when she re-
gained consciousness. The fanatic, now
apathetic. was bundled into a patrol
wagon with the inspector and Zingaro
as guards. Clarke, King and myself
were seated in another. and between
our knees the girl was made as COM
Portable as possible on a stretcher.
When the wagon started, reused by the
jolting, she opened her eyes and gaZed
around at us in establishment through
the half light afforded by two police
lanterns. King bent down and, kissing
her. whispered:
why did you come. darling? You
risked your life for mine and it would
have been useless but for these men.
Why did you do it?''
IT got your message. Dick. dear, and
] went"
But 1 sent you no word to come"
Here Clarke interposed and declared
that in the absence of a regular physi-
clan, he advised that Miss Watrous
should be absolutely quiet. She closed
her eyes and the swaying of the vehicle
soon threw her into a natural sleep.
Now, Mr.. King" said Clarke. II
think we can talk without disturbing
Miss Watrous, and I suggest that you
h. cd Np y he ~ Ia Hxr fa1I
ing us who this faantic is and how you
happened to fall into his power
The narrative which follows was
broken by the arrival at the hospital
and continued later at the station,
where we all went to arrange the COM
mitment Of the fanatic, but I give ii
uninterruptedly.
There is no doubt, Mr.. Clarke be-
gan King. that your timely arrival
saved me from torturing death and
Miss Watrous from perhaps worse.
do not understand who you are or how
It all happened, but my part of the
story is soon told This old man, Vlad-
imir StephanOVitch, Is my hereditary
enemy. l can scarcely blame him, when
/ think that through my father his five
sons and his daughter are in Siberia.
II they have not already died: that his
wife died on the road and that he him
StlI spent llllctIl yteilS III lllt pIlSOIl
camps of Saghalin island; that through
my father his companions were scat
tered and deported, and one of the most
dangerous plots against the car was
thus frustrated.
"Stephanovitch is OF noble birth. the
most noble In Russia, being related to
no less a parsonage than the Little
Father himself. Early in life. so have
heard my father tell. he became in
10 haA al ~
black magic. which still flourishes to
a large extent IN southern Russia. AS
the ruling principles of the black art
are greed for power and wealth, lust
for revenge, 1t was but a step to nihil-
ism. Stephanovitch gathered together
a formidable band. Like the magicians
of old, they called themselves The
Brothers of the Left Hand PATH and
they were bound by the most terrible
oaths TO encompass by any means. nat
ural or supernatural. the end of exist
ing authority
"Nihilism has used the dagger and
the bomb, but Stephanovitch added to
these the poisons of the Borgias and the
capacity for leadership which nihilism
has lacked.
my father had millions invested In
the mines of southern Russia. He was
also deeply interested as a student In
anything which savored of the occult
Hearing rumors of a peculiar sect in his
neighborhood, he investigated quietly
and in the end. partly through the in.
formation of traitors to the band, and
partly through assuming risks, he pen.
etrated an their secrets. Then he die
what was his clear duty and gave then
up TO the government. That is tn,
story"
But how did you fall into his pow.
er?' queried Clarke.
After my fathers death we re
moved to this country. About hv,
years ago I learned from Russia tina
Stephanovitch had escaped and haC
come to this country. Soon after. be
gan to receive threatening letters from
him. At first I feared him, but after h
had called on me several times anC
as his attitude seemed to be that mere
" Of q crincing beggar. 7 set him dow