The Washington times., 1910-03-31

accordance with the commission
ers's orders. the fr--- police aeros
ran up 90 Tribes Hill in the night
arriving at their destination about
in the morning. so that their coming
vas ;nnoticed in the sleeping villages
near. They took care to give the city
of Amsterdam, some six miles away, a
wide berth. The hidinS places for the
aeros had been selected by the commits
sioner and his aids with great care.
and no time wa now lost in concealing
the aiers among the tops OF the trees
in the neighboring woods on both sides
OF the Mohawk.
once in POSITION they We're anchored
with guys. which could be severed IN
an instant. and were disguised with
leaves and fresh cut branches 10 con-
ceal them from prying eyes ABOVE
while. as 10 observers below, II was
known that few persons ever entered
the woods az that season, and any
chance Wanderer there would have 10
be very keen-sighted IL he detected
the least sign OF the aeros hidden IN
the leafy tree tops
Yet they were so placed as not to be
hampered in getting away at full speed,
and their high power drivers could be
turned on almost inStantaneOuSly. 81
the crew OF nine men which each aero
carried seven were there Tor ngnUn6
purposes only, and they carried auto
matte arms OF the liEhtest pattern The
other two We're engineer and steers
/ u.En By judicious selection Of posi-
lions an aero was stationed a each
! point Of the compass, their average
! distance from the blum where the meet
ing WAS 10 take place hardly exceed
[ inc a uuarter Of a mile The commits
( siOner's principal dependence was on
surprise. He calculated that Payton
seeing no aero near, would BADLY de-
: SCend to the bluff and fan straight IN
10 the trap. because the police, getting
/ into motion simultaneously at signal
would be upon him from an sides be-
fore he was aware Of their presence
The signal was 10 be a white hand
kerchief waved by the commissioned
himself from a point which he had Sc
/ Iected not far from the blum. and which
could be seen from each OF the aerDs.
one thing which the commissioner had
not thought OF arTanClnE-and It was a
Capital error, as the sequel viii SHOW
/ was to so place the aerOs that their
! crews would nave one another always
Z in view As IL turned out, when they
J were once in position they could not see
/ each other at all
/ commanders of tEe fiiers had hardly
| completed their arrangements ana set
I tied down for long wait. when pale
/ streak illuminated the heavens in the
07F3oys. keep ot.t-.. now" said the cap
tain in charge Of IKE aero which WA
stationed on the south side or the Mo-
/ hawk rarthest west Daylight is be
J ginning. and there must he no nOiss.
/ II was Capt. Patrick Phelan, one oi
/ the bravest officers on the New AorF
I force
! While he was speaking. tUO farmers
who had gone at an unusually earlA
hour into the fields, three-quarters OF Z
/ mile up the river from Tribes hi, saS
an aero. dressed IN green. skimmiug Z
! few yards above their heads. Aero
were rarely seen so far from the larg
/ cities in those daVs. and the farmerl
! caZed al this one in the utmost amaze
! mcnt. Before they could speak, II haC
/ passed them. SCARED over a rise O.
! ground ahead. and dipped into the hol
! low on the other side
/ An instant later. they saw II again
idimly far away, and apparently rising
/ Il swoODed over a little piece OF wood
{ and seemed TO dart down among III
trees. where II was once more lost q
sight
Something now happened among thos
trees, half a mile away. which III
farmers would have given cow apieC
I 10 witness
! Captain Phelan's men had obeyed hi