The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-09-08
AN ELUSIVE MISSION,
BY WlNSLoW HUNT.

1t was who. after the assassina.
ton of the Grand Duke Sergius, was
sent to catch Vera Treperhoff. young
girl whom the police knew to have
concocted the murder. will omit how
| tracked her to the border and take
up the story after she had passed it.
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 its depar-
ture. thinking there might be one
chance in a 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 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 we'll 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 Treperhoff
was in leaving Alessandria. The COM
partment in which she sat had been
amptied except by herself. kept my
| eve on her till the train had reached a
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-
zion of the government. also hand
some reward.
Just before reaching Genoa l 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 l 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 special loco
motive to go over the route to find the
body or any trace of the culprit. in
vestigated every kiometer of the track
lDetween the terminus and Alessandria.
but found nothing to give me the
slightest clew. | was informed that
1.-The rate of travel over the section
where had missed the girl WAS fifty
miles an hour. No one could have
Jumped from the train and retained
sufficient life to crawl away. | offered
reward of 10000 rubles to any one
lin the vicinity who would give me any
information whatever leading to Il
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
have | been so utterly incapable of
forming theory as to any escape
from my clutches. Familiar with every
device that could have been adopted.
| went over them carefully and elm
|inated all of them. That young girl
not over twenty years old could have
left train going at a rate of fifty
miles an hour seemed incredible. 10
assume that she could have passed
from it later in disguise would lie an
insult to my professional skill
feared to return to Russia and tell
the truth lest ! should be accused of
ronniving at Vera Treperhoff's escape
and if lied | would be detected.
chose the alternative of going to Ar;er-
lea to make Il new home. | sailed
from Genoa. and going on deck one
morning. there in a steamer chair in
excellent health was Vera Treperhotf
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:
II recognized you the moment | saw
you and knew your errand. Between
Alessandria and Genoa is a Y in the
railroad connecting it with the road
TO PiacenZa. I 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