Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-09
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identifying them even when

tues, or or fdentffying them even wren
found.
MIR. Prescott is quite Frustrated at IL,
partners act and has offered in every
way TO assist the authorities. III" has
produced several letters mailed 10y Nj.
Renfrew at various points along the coast.
and has given. well as he could. a
general outline OF the schooners itinerary.
THE police In the seaports have been
furnished with detailed description or
Mr.. Renfrew. and have been notified TO
keep a sharp lookout for the Naravido.
Unless the yacht has vanished from the
face OF the waters there is every hope
that within few days the man VIII b.
taken into custody"
Then. after a flattering account OF my
business career, and a no less fiatterinE
list OF my clubs and ancestors, there came
the following news item:
'Squituit, via Provincetown. Mass. June
1.-THE schooner yacht Naravido sailed
from here at IL o'clock this mornins,
bound for New Bedford
And below this again:
New Bedford, Mass. June IL. 1880
pm.-The schooner yacht Naravido Is not
yet reported. \ fierce gale has been rag
ing of here for the last few hours and
there is a fear that she may have found
cred
I passed these last bits Of Information
as OF no Importance and returned To
second perusal of the main article. Tie
only impression I'm my mind was that Of
mystified surprise--I was as much at sea
over the disappearance of the securities
as the officials themselves. l could re
member clearly my visit to the trust com
pany with the bonds in my pocket: 1
could remember transferring them to the
box-could even remember the shape AMI
color OF the envelope which had held
them. Riley had smiled at me as i
passed him on my way to city Island.
and / had returned his greeting. AMI
from that time to this my connection
with the securities had ceased
1t was not until the third reading that
began to realize the appalling strength
OF the case against me- Step 10y step,
without q break. the circumstantial evi
dence Of my criminality was complete.
And yet / knew for fact that Their
were but two keys to the strong box. On
l had In my pocket at that very momen.
the other was In Prescott's keeping. vii
nothing to show that the box had beer
broken open when 1t was robbed his mus
have been the one used But the pape.
made no mention Of his having lost it. o
OF its having been stolen; on the con
trary, 1t had stated that he had gone {,
bankruptcy, and had unlocked the box
In the presence of witnesses. Thus, al
that time at least. the KEY was in his
possession. Had the person who had COM
knowledge? Or had the key never been
taken at all?
The paper reported that there had been
some dispute as to which OF us should
lock up the securities; as 1 remembered
the fact. he had insisted upon my doing
1t, much to my own personal inconven-
fence. The paper further reported that he
had not been near the box since my de-
that we should visit the vault room at
least once every day. Here, on the face
OF his own statement were two false
hoods, which had not been spoken with
out some reason. and that reason, l sus-
pected. had been to incriminate me. His
Unparalleled opportunity for taking the
bonds the easy means OF screening him
SELF which my departure afforded him
these but added to the presumption OF ms
wrongdoing. A judicious silence and my
own absence from New York shifted the
full burden Of the crime to me.
Again thought OF that telegram which
had started me homeward-that telegram
which had not been signed by Prescott
And now / began to understand why he
had not signed it-why. IL he had known
in time, he probably would not have had
II sent.
l rose to my feet and paced the floor
feverishly. To be almost within SIGHT or
the mainland with no means of reaching
it, to be virtually prisoner. when my
whole soul was crying for freedom-the
thought was torture incarnate. At that
moment l would nave gwen year OF my
life for half an hours conversation with
Prescott. But could / prove h 8 guilt?
II returned to New York would 1t not
be only to find the doors of the Tombs
standing open for me? Would be given
half an hour-nay. half minute-to ex-
plain?
What had Old Man Hayward said? That
1t was safer for me here on the island:
In a flash the meaning of his words
broke upon me. He had read the paper.
had learned OF the accusation against me
and had offered his protection! Beiiev-
ing that / had stolen the bonds, he was
willing to dispose of them for NEON
equal shares!
(To be continued tomorrow