The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-11-25
AN ELUSIVE MISSION.
BY WINsLoW HUNT.

concocted the murder. I will omit how
| tracked her to the border and take
UP the story after she had passed 1t.
She made directly for Austria and
thence for Venice This indicated that
she would go to America rather than
England and that she would probably
sail from one of the two principal Ital-
ian ports-Genoa and Naples. Genoa
being the shorter distance. took the
train for that city, hoping to head her
off before she left the port.
The reason for my being chosen for
this work was that had seen the girl
quite often during her trial on charge
of having been implicated in another
political crime Having boarded the
train at Venice soon after It's depar-
ture, thinking there might be one
chance in dozen that Vera Treperhoff
would be aboard, walked through
the side aisle. looking into every com.
partment. In the middle compartment
of the third car noticed youth/with
the light hair and eyes of the north,
and in a twinkling spotted my quarry
Not wishing to make myself known
passed on.
concluded not to make any attempt
at arrest till the girl left the train.
This would necessitate my watching
the departures at every station and
the risk that she might elude me. But
| knew the stops and kept my eye on
her as soon as we slowed up until we
were again well on the way. My In
tention was to have her arrested at
Genoa or wherever she alighted, since
| could better fulfill the legal condi-
tons at definite point Besides,
did not believe she knew her danger.
The last time saw Vera Treperhon
| was in leaving Alessandria. The com.
partment in which she sat had been
| emptied except by herself. | kept my
| eye on her till the train had reached q
pace of some forty miles an hour.
! There would be no further stop till
we arrived at Genoa, and | felt conf.
dent that should take the girl back
| to Moscow and gain the commenda-
| ton of the government, also hand
some reward.
Just before reaching Genoa | took
my hand baggage to the compartment
where Vera Treperhoff sat, with the
| intention of remaining there till the
| train pulled up at the station. She
was not in the compartment. She was
| not In the car went through the
| train from front to rear, opening every
| closet, but nothing could | find OF the
| girl | wanted | scrutinized every pas
| senger, man and woman. boy and girl,
but Vera was not among them. Short
~ before we slowed up for Genoa ]
made up my mind that she had, after
all, recognized me and preferred death
| by jumping from the train to the hor.
rors of Siberia.
At Genoa | engaged a special loco
motive to go over the route to md the
body or any trace Of the culprit. In
vestigated every kilometer of the track
between the terminus and Alessandria,
but found nothing to give me the
slightest clew. was Informed that
| the rate of travel over the section
where | had missed the girl was fifty
miles an hour. No one could have
| iumped from the train and retained
| sufficient life to crawl away. offered
A reward of 10000 rubles TO any one
ia the vicinity who would give me any
information whatever leading to
clew. The offer brought many re-
ports of a girl limping through the
country, but they all proved to have
been made up.
Never In all my official experience
nave been SO utterly incapable OF
| forming a theory as to any escape
from my clutches. Familiar with every
| device that could have been adopted,
| went over them carefully and elm.
| mated all of.them That young girl
| not. over twenty years old could have
| left a train going at a rate of fifty
miles an hour seemed incredible. To
assume that she could have passed
| from 1t later In disguise would be an
| insult to nv professional skill.
feared to return to Russia and tell
| the truth lest should be accused OF
conniving at Vera Treperhoff's escape,
| and IL | lied | would be detected.
| chose the alternative of going to Arier-
| lea to make a new home. | sailed
from Genoa. and. going on deck one
morning. there In steamer chair in
| excellent health was Vera Treperhof.
Approaching her, | Informed her that
she had nothing TO fear from me and
asked her how she had left the train
/ This was her reply:
/ ''I recognized you the moment ! saw
you and knew your errand. Between
/ Alessandria and Genoa is in the
railroad connecting 1t with the road
| to Piacenza. | knew from my time
table that there was no further stop
/ till Genoa and you would arrest me
| there. While on this Y a train going
In the same direction and nearly at the
same speed occupied the next track.
/ In q twinkling | was out through the
| window on the footboard and stepped
| to the footboard of the other train.
/ Passing over 1t till came to vacant