Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-03-01

detective RECORDS OF my lflSnQ, feleF
Cyewe, AM struck chiefly by the sinl-
plicity of the crimes which he discov-
cred or frustrated. I mentioned this
to him once, and he responded:
simplicity. Langton, If l may use
metaphor, is the keystone OF the
arch of successful crime. We have
the upward curve-the plot; the down
ward curve-its accomplishment. I'm
less the whole be bound with that
simplicity of design which ensures
success, the plot must fail"
Most illustrative Of this, l think.
was Crewes detection OF the dlabol-
ical plan of the French doctor which
resulted in the death Of four men and
the destruction Of two German gov
eminent balloons.
The German government, there was
no doubt. had at last perfected
dirigible balloon whose value as
war weapon was incalculable. Wheth-
er the French government was prlFy
or not to the murderous acts OF DR..
Fenelon cannot be known for certain.
He may have been self-inspired pa
triot. There is no doubt, however,
that bis intention was to intimidate
the German government into aban-
doning this type of balloon which had
been constructed at the cost or so
much labor and enterprise.
You all remember the fate Of the
Kaiserin H. and her successor, the
Kaiserin III. How each ended in
similar manner. Each, after remain.
ing in the air for forty-eight hours or
so, aid after lowering Immediately
over the French defensive works upon
the boundary collapsed while at an
altitude of perhaps eight hundred feet.
dashing it's two occupants to the
ground, and instantaneously killing
them. The balloon. in either case,
remained only as thing of shreds
and patches of silk, and tangle of
wickerwork.
Crewe and !, who were both inter
ested in aeronautics, had been pres
ent AZ the start of each balloon from
Hamburg. There we made the &C.
quaintance of DR.. Fenelon, Despite
his French name and accent, he had
ingratiated himself into the confidence
of the German war staff as an IN
habitant of ace-Lorraine--as one OF
those French-born citizens who had
elected TO throw in their fortunes with
the German nation after that province
was wrested from Napoleon. He had
been child when the war ended; lie
was now a man Of between forty ana
fifty years, & doctor in the new aero
nautical division of the German army,
and an avowed hater Of France. His
task it was to attend the starting Of
the balioonists, to test their hearts and
lungs before they ventured into the
upper air; he had free access to the
balloon, which was held captive within
the military reservation. Crewe and |
had permits to enter, for these We're
accorded freely to all with satistac-
tory references. The secret lay in the
manufacture and none could ascertain
1t from an external inspection of the
great globe.
It was while the third balloon was
preparing to start, after the destruc.
ton Of the two others, that Crewe re-
solved 70 ascertain, if possible. the
cause of tho disasters.
"Ycu are courageous he said to
Lieutenant Won Kelter, "to risk your
life afte: your predecessors have per-
ished"
TITS part CT my job" Won Keller
answered. with a fatalistic shrug Of
his shoulders ''If die-well-"
"You 90 not believe in the rumors
of foul play?" asked.
Impossible" Won Keller answered.
However, this time shall make the
ascent unaccompanied, so that treach-
cry will be impossible"
"rhc balloon might be tempered
with before you start"
Hardly. None but our officers can
approach the tent in which it is
mcored. Then, before ascending,
shall test the pull-cord and all the ap-
paratus."
And yet" said Crewe, your COM
patriots were found dead in the shreds
OF their balloons, and they, too, had
confidence. Now let me ask you a
question. To what do you ascribe the
fact that their bodies were found
drenched With water?"
';Eain--or da|," said the lieutenant.
There had been no rain, and dew
could never have soaked their bodies
to the skin and drenched their hair"
'Tt is inir1aterial," Won Keller an
sweled. Il shall not die, for l have
tested the balloon thoroughly and
have complete confidence In it."
This conversation took place upon
Tho morning CT that on which the as
cent was TO be made. Almost imme-
diately afterward the tent was strip
ped from the balloon and the huge in
dated sphere could be seen swaying
ehore the ropes which fastened it to
earth. Sphere-shared, instead of
oigarshaIed, The steering apparatus
was hidden within; it looked like a
bsll,cl G! al Old fashioned type, such
as kss been III use during the past
hundred years. i rose by the aid of
hydrogen gas: yet. ID some mysteri-
ouc ~av ;he builder had made it
completely RESPONSIVE L. lis drivers
hanG
,Ir ,.'o:: row lime forward to
make :lc ;,vsio&! examination. The
process proved lengthy. Crewe, who
by some process known to himself