Evening star., 1912-11-17


manager to my room showed him that the
only thing the thieves had left me besides
my paJamas was my watch, which from force OF habit
| had placed under my pillow, and demanded, as
high consular officer, that my property be returned to
me Immediately. In the course of an hour the local
chief of police had paid official visit and before
except my ring which had been melted up; but as
they brought me the gold button from the cruclble
into which the ring had been thrown could not com
plain
Inspector McClusky of New York." observed Hicks
would have sized that up as an inside job -
"And he would have been right. That's what 1t was;
Two of the hotel had cleaned out the room and
carried the stuff down through the office to some place
outside where they through at their leisure. They
were convicted and received profuse official apologies
that my honorable property had been disturbed.
THE arrival of one of the with sheaf of Shang
hal newspapers gave us something else to think
about; but if of expected to discover an eXen-
sive display of news from home he was doomed to dis
appointment. Something like three inches OF space
was devoted paragraphs from the United States,
and Hicks indignant about 1t. Three tornadoeS,
an earthuuake powder mill explosion, and two rail
road wrecks with large loss OF life There's fine news
resume for the five thousand miles west OF BucyTls
If the of stuff is circulated IN the native press
out here Congress needn't worry about an Asiac m
vasion Even sant-eyed heather might reasonably
shy at an aggregation OF earthquake' e, hoon, ana
collision. Hello. Here's old friend of mine engaged
in separating confdng public from its Mexican dol
lars"
He handed me his paper, indicating the announcement
"Mystero, Prince of the Occult looked at him IN
qurngly.
"heres one of the cleverest fellows the footstool
His real is Billy Bassett, and he was born about
five miles from Bucyrus He away from home
thirty years ago. picked by Heller who was then
astounding New York with his second sight and white
magic, afterward with the elder HERMANN later
with Alexander Hermann and then started out tor
himself with line of magic that stunned the oldtlners
If catch him in Shanghai, you meet one OF the most
interesting characters in the world and some things
YOU will not believe after you have seen them
Hicks talked much about his professional friend
that he had the of wrought up to boiling cr1os
itv bv the time we had anchored off Wusung and were
ready to transfer the swift little river steamer that
to take up to the paris Of the Orient Later
when had secured quarters tor the night at the
Astor Hicks went out to investigate.
sold out for tonight" he lamented on his return;
"but I've located Mystero, and he's to JOIN us after
the show He's on his way back to the States, after
having out by the way OF Europe and Australia
This is his second night here and he's just standing
them up in the aisles He says his mind reading and
thought transference stunts have simply parayzed this
Shanghai crowd.
A MAN seated at an adjoining table swung round
\ until he faced Hicks. "Pardon me, are YOU speak
ing Of that chap the St James Hall? He spoke with
a Slight English accent was well set of middle
age finely tailored suit OF soft pongee and looked
like a gentleman. But his smoothly shaved bronZed
face distgured by vid scar extending from the
outer corner of the right eye straight down his cheek,
giving him curiously sinister expression There was
bold challenge in his eyes that suggested authority
He might have been an officer tlrlough
Hicks looked him rather carefully for a second
or two before answering Then he smiled. Il was
speaking of Mvsterio-'the Prince of the Occult he
calls himself Why"
Nothing, except that | saw him last night and,
while he is clever enough with his fooing on stage
where he has every advantage. his mind reading Is
frightfu fake Either he gang OF confelcraes,
his subjects deceive themselves. heard OF his cN-