The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1910-12-02

almost paralyzed with fear as. Jones
slipped from his chair to the floor
Was he dead or alive? He uttered
a low and suppressed moan as his lank
and liyid body was laid upon the bed
and stripped of all it's valuables. The
stepson, thoroughly in earnest, wanted
to take Jones oVercoat, but Reed said
it would be dangerous, as it might
lead to detection.
| now leave the horrors of this occa--
sion to the imagination Of the reader.
The two survivors suddenly left the
hotel and crossed over to Jersey City
and took lodging at Taylor's hotel,
where they registered under assumed
names, as they had done previously at
the Merchants. 1t was late in the
evening when they went to bed.
They had left the Merchants hotel
late In the afternoon. Jones, the sup
posed drugged countryman, was Lot
quite as dead as the judges stepson
thought him to be, He, too, was a
skilled pretender.
Soon after his entertainers had Ia
ken their departure he, possum-like,
came to life, got up and took a drink
from the brandy bottle that was left
upon the table, and made his way at
once to the government secret service
office, where he told the story of his
adventure and received further in
structions. This so-called Jones was q
detective of marked ability He could
assume almost any character and de-
ceiye the best educated criminal, yet
withal an honest, faithful servant to
the government.
At an early hour on the following
morning at TayIor's hotel Reed pre-
tended to be taken suddenly sick with
a cramp in his stomach. He left his
roommate and went below. A short
time afterwards he rushed back into
the bedroom and informed the Judges
stepson with trembling voice that
they must get out of the place in
hurry or they would be arrested. Reed
said that while downstairs he had torn
slip from a newspaper. He handed
1t to the judges stepson, who, on
glancing at it hastily, at once sprang
out of bed.
1t was a sensational article and bore
the appearance of having been clipped
from newspaper. AS matter of
fact, however, 1t had been printed at
the New York Tribune job office. It
was nice piece of deception and read
as follows:
A Brutal Murder and Robbery.
Another of those outrageous and
dastardly murders which have so
recently startled the community
occurred in this city yesterday af-
ternoon, the particulars of which
are as follows: 1t appears that
shortly after dark last evening a
well dressed man, apparently
thirty-f1ve years of age, was found
by the police lying near the foot
OF CORTLAND street in an insensi-
Bile condition. He was taken to the
police station, where restoratives
were administered, and when he
had revived sufficiently he stated
that his name was p R. Jones and
that he was from Fort Wayne,
Ind.
Mr.. Jones was removed to the city
hospital last evening, where he be-
came delirious and died about nine
o'clock. The police are on the
track of the murderers, who are
supposed to be from Baltimore or
Washington, as the clerk at the
hotel states that they came in just
after the arrival of the Washing
ton train. The clerk is positive he
can identify them.
A frightful ghost had risen and was
tanding in its most horrible form be-
ore the now half-crazed stepson. The
ope of the hangman was looming up
before his eyes. He did not even
axe time to wash his face, so great
vas his anxiety to leave New York be-
lind him. Even the very air he
,reathed seemed tainted with the foul
dor of his crime. 1t was thought to
,e dangerous to travel by rail at first.
md they started away on foot, a1.I
inally concluded to make their way
o New Orleans.
Reed was, of eoui Sc, the ruling
pirit and was carrying out the plan
hey had agreed upon. They doubled
Jack and forth with the object of put,
ing imaginary pursuers off the track
Reed was seeking delay for the pur
,ose of gaining time When the pair
rrived at New Orleans about the first
hing that met their eyes was a hand
ill posted in the depot describing the
ugitives and offering a reward toT
heir arrest and conviction. Staring
t the bill with beads of Precipitation
tarting upon his brow the judges
tepson nearly collapsed. He was
areworn, dowuhearted and ready to
peed away as swift as steam could
AIRY him. In the course of time the
ugitives arrived at Brownsville. Tex
rom this point received a note from .
Iced saying that they intended to
ross the Rio Grande and work their
ray to the City of Mexico.
To the minds of the detectives who
layed their part in this case the
hole affair appeared farce.
After a time Reed returned from
Iexico He had given his companion =
he slip and was quite positive in his
pinion that the judges stepson would
ever dare show his face in the Uni
ed States. He declared the man was
bout the greatest coward he had ever