The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1911-08-11

~ by someone rapping on
lIGs# my door. swung out OF
E@ \ EN- bed and caught up my re-
4 90 n voiver before flung wide
WH the door and saw ia the
NzzMss - hall Anton wefencli, one
Of tho oldest and clever
sNst operatives In the service.
Mr. Rand IL III Maryland, I know.
bat the chief wants TO ace you" he
announced briefly.
I dressed. sent telegram 10 Rand.
and accompanied warcncM 10 Chief
Strings room III the Hotel Bavaria
The matter Is just this," explained
that ofioial. motioning us TO chairs.
The navy department IL making
some experiments in steel which prom
ias 70 be- the greatest thing ever
brought 20 light for use Ia building
big guns. For weeks IL has appeared
A. ~ the American navy was about
10 gain gun supremacy over the world,
The work IL proceeding In the navy.
yard here. where close guard can be
kept Now. Duncan. our puzzle IL
this; Though the twelve men who are
engaged IN the work are shut up as II
they were In prison and communicate
wish the outside world only through
the commanding officer. neverthelesP
a bulky letter that had burst its en-
selopa and lost its address fell by
mere chance into the hands OF the
postofiies department and proved TO DO
m anonymous communication 10 Der.
keien FrereE, the big Belgian ship.
bnlIdlng Arm, containing complete
report Of everything the experiment.
ting party had done up 70 last Sunday,
four days ago.
"uf course Berkeien Freres are
merely the receivers for one or more
foreign governments. We have failed
80 far 20 determine which one II IL
that Ia trying to steal such important
Information, nor have We the slightest
indication OF whore the avenue OF com.
munication lies.
Lieutenant Richard Dunton Is in
command OF the experimenting party,
with Lieutenant John Ormaby aa sec.
end The chemists are EidrldRe, Spell,
gel. John Y Hart and Alfred Clnamet.
Il, the latter Italian,horn. The others
are enlisted machiniAta.
THE party does all It's work In a
low brick building fifty yards from the
sun shop and with nothing near II ex-
eapt the blank wall Of the yard. II Is
Ia plain view from the Offices, as Ii
also the section OF new barracks in
which the party eats and sleeps,
Whom finished with their work In this
temporary foundry and laboratory
the men retire TO the barracks. All
Rrs volunteers and are under watch
day and night
Now, despite all this. one Of our
mon Ia Paris. cahled three days ago
that the ooterie OF international spies
there knew that the agent OF some
government had cabled home the news
Of his success In getting the results
OF the new experiments up TO date,
There IL clcan leak In the navy yard,
u We do not stop that leak, there is
going 70 be trouble"
ON my suggestion we went immedl'
Ately to the navy yard, II was nearly
four o'clock and everything was dark
and deserted yet waking Lieutenant
Dunton We made quiet inspection OF
both the living quarters and the lab,
oratory. | first satisfied myself that
when tho laboratory was locked at
aight no one could obtain entry ex'
espt By such burglari0us methods az
TO leave abundant trace, and that
when the sleeping quarters were
locked the men were as II In prison
Dunton had possession OF all keys,
went carefully over both buildings
20 be sure there were no telegraph,
telephone or electric wire connections
There was but one possible solution,
Some member OF the party has a
means OF sending notes or signals Ia
th0 outside world ia daylight hours,
said Us much to Lieutenant Dunton,
and he replied:
THAT II the result OF any process
OF elimination based ON these facts,
but eight men stationed in and about
this yard day and night. aud ormsby
and myself inside the laboratory have
watched every man for one suspicious
move and every outside person for any
indicative act, aud tell you positively
there arc no written or slgnaled mes
saEes going or coming out Of this
plaee. Everything passes through me, /"
A sudden suspicion flashed over me,
whirisd on him and looked at him
searcbiugIy. lie understood instantly
and said with deep feeling: Yes. ]
know Il Ii up 10 me. That am the
ono avenue pf outlet would be any
mans logical conclusion. That Is why
I am 80 deeply concerned I, alone OF
all Of you. know there Is another and
taost dangerous one. for l have told
aathinE"
liked the note Of honesty in his
F0ies and Was p0ndsting over the mat
ter IS We walked back toward the bar
lacks Suddenly Dunton stopped and
clicked up u long pole, round, well
poJished and fully hfteen feet In
length.
sWhat II that?" asked Stirling.