The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-11
"Waylaid by Wireless"
By Edwin Banner. Published

By Edwin Balmer Published by Small, May
nard & Co.. Boston Price $3.50.
AS one gathers from the title wire
less telegraphy plays very impor-
tant part in this entertaining mystery
story, the one weak point of the mar
velous discovery figuring prominently
in the solution of the mystery
Richard Preston, a young American
engineer, goes to England for three
months vacation. In the boat going
over he meets Ethel yarris and her
mother. whom he finds delightful trav-
cling companions. They are going to
do" a tour of the cathedral towns,
against which particular form of sight
seeing Preston entertainS grave preju-
dices. However. he is SO strongly at
tracted by Ethel Varris that soon after
parting from her he fnds himself COW
ering the cathedral tour in frantic pur-
suit of his new friends Immediately
upon reaching town he makes round
of the hotels, carefully examining their
registers, until, in his efforts to find the
Varrises, his conduct becomes almost
suspicious. Unfortunately at this ulne
a number OF mysterious robberies are
reported, almost ali the victims being
travelling Americans.
A dull and gloomy Englishman who
is the chance travelling companion of
Preston, notices that every one of the
burglaries has occurred at the time
Preston has been in the neighborhood
While he calls Preston's attention to
this and processes to think it only
coincidence, Preston can see that the
Englishman is really a bit suspicious
of him and watching him closely, in
consequence of which probably he acts
more suspiciously that ever. At last he
meets Miss Varris and her mother and
the interrupted romance is resumed
Mrs. Varris tells him about her money
and also of a plan which she intends
ito carry out that night. No one else
knows of it and that night she is very
cleverly robbed.
The newspapers in the meantime have
been limiting that they know the real
culprit; that he has been writing in,
solent letters to them signed ''Mr.
Mailing" and that the police are only
waiting till they have a little more
proof before making the arrest They
assert that the thief is an American. like
his victims, and Preston is almost
named, so accurate seem the deduc-
tons. When the Varris robbery oc-
CURED Preston would surely have suf-
Tered arrest had Ethel not provided
an alibi and claimed him as a friend
and travelling companion.
preston accompanies Ethel and her
mother, but only out of the county. for
ne does not feel justified in accounting
their protection while he is under this
remarkable suspicion. He leaves the
cathedral circuit and finally reaches
Plymouth. Here he learns that the
robber has evidently chosen the same
route, and even jokingly warned the
police that he will cap the climax of
his crifl1ac ha+ ~ II
MS threat by robbing rich bachelor.
who has been spending a convivial
evening, and carrying the bachelor on
board the steamer Bahia, lying in the
harbor. The vessel sails at once for
Brazil, but Is communicated with by
wireless and full description of the
robber being given, khich tallies ex
actly with the description OF Preston.
Here again Ethel Yarris invents an
aiibi which saves him.
me closing scene of the story takes
place on an American bound steamer.
on board of which are Miss Varris and
her mother. Preston, and also Dunno
ston, the Englishman, who is going to
visit the States. The two men, who
only at the last minute succeeded in
getting passage on the boat, are in the
same stateroom.
A wireless message reaches the ship
telling that Manling, the robber. is on
board, and almost at once a number of
daring robberies are perpetrated. Pres
ton and Dunneston are robbed. and the
next night Miss Varris is chloroformed
and bag Of jewels from around her
neck is cut away. 1t would seem that
Preston, being himsef robbed, would be
relieved from suspicion, but not so.
The passengers consider it only a blind
and the meshes are drawn around him
tighter and tighter. It seems a hope
less tangle, and Ethel only believes in
him. The climax, which comes as they
reach America, is very cleverly han
died, all the mysteries of the wireless
and everything else being cleared up at
once. 1t is very interesting book