The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-07-29

and lath, one, however, had a new
significance. The hole showed only one
side of the chimney, and l determined
t. investigate what lay in the space
on the other side of the mantel.
worked feverishly. Liddy had gone
to the village TO market, it being her
firm belle. thar the store people sent
snort measure unless she watched the
scales, and that, since the failure of
the Traders Bank, we must watch
the corners, n L knew that what
wanted to do must be done before she
came back. l had no tools, but after
rumaging around l found a pair of
garden scissors n a Ratchet, and thu
armed, | set to work. The plaster came
out easily; the lathing was more OBJ
stinate. 1t gaze under the blows, only
TO spring back into place again, and
the necessity for caution made it
doubly hard.
| had a blister on my palm when at
last the Ratchet went through and fell
with what sounded like the report of
a gun to my overstrained nerves. [
sat on a trunk, waiting to near Liddy
fly up the stairs, with the household
behind her, like the tail of a comet.
But nothing happened, and with a
growing feeling of u%ncanniness 1 set
to work charging the opening.
The result was absolutely nil. When
| could hold a lighted candle in the
opening, | saw precisely what 1 had
seen on the other side of the himnev
"a space between the true wall ana
the false one, possibly seven feet long
and about three feet wide. 1t was in
nc sense nf the uarJ N cao,nt
and 1t was evident it had not been dis
turped since the house was built. 1t
was a supreme disappointment.
1t nae been Mr., Jamieson's idea that
the hidden room, If there was one.
would be found somewhere near the
circular staircase. Intact, 1 knew that
ne a once Investigated the entire
eneth OF the clothes chute, hanging
10 a rope, with this in view. 1 was
reluctantly about to concede that he
nad been right, when my eyes fell on
the mantle and fireplace. The latter
had evidently never been used; it was
Closed with a metal fire front, and only
"hen me front refused to move, and
investigation showed that it was not
intended to be moved, did my spirits
revive.
Hoii'cu HtO the next room. Yes.
sure enough, there was a similar mantel
and fireplace there, similarly closed
In both rooms the chimney fue ex-
tended well out from the wall. I
measured with the tape-line, my hands
trembling so that I could scarcely hold
II. They extended two feet and a half
INTO each room. which. with the three
Ieet OF space between the two par
tilons, made eight feet to be accounted
fer, Eight feet in one direction and
almost seven in the o~ther-what a
chimney 1t was!
But l had only located the hidden
room. j was not in it, and no amount
OF pressing on the carving of the
wooden mantels, no search of the floors
TOT loose boards. none of the custom
airy methods awaited at all. That there
was a means Of entrance, and proh-
spiy a simple one. / could be certain
But what? What would I find il 1 did
get IN? Was the detective right, and
were the bonds and money from the
ade aBnk here? Or was our
whole theory wrong? Would not Paul
Armstrong ave taken his booty with
MIN? If be had not, and If DR.. Walker
was In the secret, he would have
known how to inter the chimney room.
had dug the other hole in
the false partitionz