The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-06-17

fore I tell you thing - ~
The messenger expected this, and
hands out one Of the four packages
into which he divided the $500.
s. Nov, to whom were those letters
written and what do they say?" he
shrieks above the thunder Of the train
overhead. !:
''rrhey are to -- and - and
-" the &nonymauy gentleman yells,
mentioning the names of four we'll
known national characters who are re.
ferred to In Washington as statesmen
What draught of salt water. would
be to a traveller in the desert this in
formation is to the go-betWeen: His
thirst for facts has become q fire.
What is said in the letters?" did
he say that?" II want the originals
not photographs. I'll photograph
them myself and return them to you
If you have to have them back" you
haven't got them with you now?
You'll meet me here tomorrow night
and brir& themT'
I'm not the man who wrote to
your boss. I'm the friend of that
man. He did not want to let him.
self be known in this matter until
he was sure you meant business. So
he sent me to represent him. He'll
know as soon as I see him. that you
are all right He'll meet you at this
spot tomorrow night at the same hour
you met me. He'll have toothpick
in his hatband and you must have
two in yours. And he'll bring the let
tiers with him."
The man With one toothpick met
the man with two and delivered the
goods next morning. He took the
usual precautions to get his money
flrst-$300 in the smallest bills-but
he turned over the original letters
rather the carbon copies Of them-and
they were all that they had been rep
resented to be. They not only corrob-
Grated everything that had been said
about the corporation, but they con-
tanned names and references that to
the go-between suggested almost in
| finite ramifcations Of the matter in
hand. Where a few had been sus-
pected dozen were now found guilty.
His brain drank In like sponge ev.
cry word, every suggestion; every fine
| shade of meaning. What an index Of
| crime!
Like hawk on a chicken this poll
tical harry swooped down on the
clerk.
I'VE must have these letters-every
one of them. Get the originals, or the
carbon copies, as the case may be,
If you think you can do it without be-
ing caught If you can get them to
me, even for an hour, l can photo
graph them and return them to you.
If you can't get them out for an hour
copy them in shorthand. Any way
you can-but get them-get them.
Mind you, every letter, every tele'
gram. And meet me day after to.
morrow about this time. There's one
hundred dollars in it for you.''
Every letter of the second batch has
dragged in new names and new sug-
gestions. Where there was before q
demand for so letters there is now a
call for 500 more. He must have every
letter to or from score of different
men. If possible, he must have the
head officials private letter book, In
which are ink copies Of his most Sc
cret correspondence. More than that,
he must have the key to the tele-
graphic code used by the head official.
His kilograms are mass Of jargon,
of which the A B c code book makes
nothing. Look at this telegram, for
| instance. addressed to a prominent
SENATOR
Behavior mundane kennel modify
tabulated."
This is not the actual telegram, but
it illustrates the point that vexed the
! politician The A B c code book says
this telegram should be translated as
follows
Beware has been murdered If you
will keep silent money is rather more
abundant I will not take it,
Meaningless! The key, the key,
the key! Get it at any cost. Have 1t
here tomorrow night If you don't
have anything else.
What makes you SO late?" says
the political emissary the next morn.
ing. Have you got the key to the
private code? You have? Good!
What is it? Send the second word
above the code word that you really
want to use.' Now for it. Here's the
book. Write out what tell you as
/ look up the meaning Of the Words
"'Bill-must- Money
-no-object. If-you-can-tAke-
more-telegraph.'
We've got it! We've got it! Now
go back and go through the third vice
presidents private file. Get every let
ter or telegraph he has written to or
received from (about 30 prominent
men, whom he names) within the last
five years. There's a hundred more
in this for you If you get them"
But why go on? That's the way
its's DONE That poor, starving clerk
who started out to sell four letters
has stolen and sold thousand. For
flirting with the penitentiary he has
received perhaps $500. He could have
had $1,000 as easily as anything else
if he had known enough to ask for it
! That's why he is clerk