The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1911-10-12
The Box of Borneos
AN ADVENTURE OF PETER CREWE-"TEiE MAN
WITH THE CAMERA EYES"
BY H A ROLD c RTER

their sea legs. l sat on the captain's
right; upon his left was pleasant,
= fiorid, gray-haired man, rather slow of
speech, who was introduced to me as
Mr.. Peter Crewe.
"Do you find that this Atlantic
breeze agrees with you better than
the air of Plainfield, N. j., Mr.. Lang
toni" asked Mr.. Crewe politely.
1T certainly does" answered "But
moy l ask you how on earth you know
that l am resident Of Plainfield, N.
j.? To the best of my belief I have
told nobody; in fact, as q lawyer, l
am naturally secretive about such
matters"
81 only know" replied Crewe, "be-
cause on two occasions l have seen
you hurrying to the boat from the
New Jersey terminal at nine o'clock
in the morning. You carried q news
paper and suitcase, and your shoes
were red with Plainfield clay. Is not
that reason enough"
Quite" 1 replied. But how in the
name Of conscience do you remember
me?"
why, saw you," returned Crewe.
Everybody within a twelve mile
radius of New York has seen every
body else--or at least, ninety per cent.
OF all other citizens, at some time.
Need l remind you that on August IL,
1870, you took small party to roof
garden on Forty-second street? Or
that, the previous February, you rem
dered first aid to a child who had
Sixth avenue?"
Later in the day, discovering Mr..
Crewe alone in the smoking room,
showed him the photograph of young
man in cowboy attire and asked him
If he could give me his history. He
took the photograph and studied it in
tently; then closed his eyes in mental
concentration.
81 have only seen this young fellow
twice." he said. Seven years ago he
strolled up Broadway from the Bat
terry in a suit of English clothes, carry
ing a Gladstone bag Three years
afterward, while visiting New York
from the west, he was arrested at the
corner of Twenty-third street and
Fifth avenue on charge of intoxica-
ton"
l leaped from my seat. For the
love of heaven, explain your secret to
me-" l exclaimed. you may be the
man I am most in need Of"
Crewe smiled in a self-depreciatory
d., CT, N1Np h.
planned. you are, no doubt, aware
of the discovery of psychologists that
every mental image remains perma-
nently impressed upon the brain?"
yes"
Unfortunately, when the average
man sees thing he straightway for
gets it. Similarly with what he hears
When you and hear passing sound
the scrape of a wave against the
ship, the fall of a twig in the park
the impression is so faint that it is at
once lost and never recurs to us
throughout life. But when ] receive
an image through the eyes | never
forget it. l have always had this fac
ulty. In my earlier days it caused me
much inconvenience. Now, having &C
quired a modest competence and re-
tired from business, derive consider
able amusement from this power.
travel, l study, l try to turn my ad-
vantage to the good of humanity. AL
ready may say that know practical
ly every inhabitant of New York city
by sight and can recall every occa-
sion on which l have ever seen him.
/ could tell you strange stories in this
regard. I know half London and two
thirds of Paris. Not a day passes
but I meet dozen old acquaintances,
all of whom are blandly unconscious
of having ever encountered me be-
fore"
"But why should you not help me?"
/ exclaimed. "You are just the man
I need to help me in unraveling a
painful mystery"
ct shall be delighted to be of serv-
ice to you," said Crewe. Let us be
perfectly frank-that is all l ask"
"T will be entirely frank" 1 an
swered. IT am travelling to England
to investigate an affair which threat
ems the life of man whom I believe
to be innocent. Here is the story:
upon a small estate in Surrey
there lived two brothers. retired An
glo-Indian officials. Both were widow
ers. Sir George Bamwell, the eldest,
a baronet, had daughter. His broth
er. William Bamwell, to whom the
baronetcy would in due course de-
scend, had a son, ne'er-do-well, who,
after q rather profligate career, went
off to America, where he became sue
cessively a sheep-herder, prospector,
and cowboy. The boy was cast off by
his father, a martinez of the old Eng
lish school, and 1t was understood
that the bulk of his money would go
to Selim, an Indian servant, whom
William Bamwell had brought home
with him, and who had served the
brothers faithfully for twenty years.
"The boy, ! take It, is the originaI'
of the photograph you showed me-"
said Crewe.