The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-03-18

reached after having crossed the Dor |
der was Koningsberg in Germany. and
from there. after skirting the Baltic,
ae passed through Hamburg and Brem-
en- and reached Holland without ad-
venture. Indeed, he did not look for
his enemies in Germany, believing
that Holland. being much nearer Paris,
would be a far better ground for their
operations. He purposed to cross the
North sea from Rotterdam.
Besides his hand bag, Coleman car
ried with him a leather portmanteau,
but his official letter from the Ameri-
can minister at st. Petersburg to the
prime minister of England he carried
on his person. On entering Holland in
order to outwit his enemies he kept his
portmanteau on the floor Of the car
between his heels. A lady entered the
compartment who seemed to be i'll,
leaning her head back on the cushion
and closing her eyes. At the first stop
after her entrance she said, evidently
with effort, to Coleman:
Would monsieur be so good as to
go into the station and bring me
glass of water? I am suffering with
| burning thirst"
Certainly" replied Coleman. and he
went for the water. When he returned
the sick lady and his suit case were
| both gone. Those in the coach told
/ him that the lady, fearing he would be
left and parted from his baggage, had
got out, taking the pOrtmanteau with
her. He did not think it worth while
10 look for her, so, handing the glass of
water to a waiter he had brought with
/ him from the station, not forgetting a
tip, he entered the coach, and the train
sped on. He regretted the loss of his
clothes, but once more he had foiled
his enemies and at the same time had
learned their tactics.
Unfortunately this gave him a pres
ent false security. A passenger, taking
out a cigarette case, asked the only
two other passengers besides Coleman
for permission to smoke. 1t was grant
ed, and Coleman also assented. All
were becoming drowsv when they were
startled by crash of a window pane
Coleman, having suddenly become sus-
picious that the fumes of the cigarette
the man was smoking was drugged.
feeling himself coming under its infu-
ence, had swung his hand bag against
the glass. \ current of air at once re-
stored those affected. but no one seem
ed to understand why Coleman was in
such a hurry for air as to smash a win
dow. A few minutes later the train
stopped at a station. and the smoker
got out.
On approaching Rotterdam Coleman
nerved himself for the crowning attack
of his journey. Undoubtedly some one
person had planted these traps in his
way and had been informed of their
failure. He would therefore instruct
his hirelings to prevent at all hazards
the passage Of the traveller across the
channel. The main danger would be
in going from the railway station to
the boat. On alighting at the former
Coleman, carrying his bag in one hand
and a cane he had brought from st
Petersburg In the other. entered the
street. 1t was growing dark. and he
fancied he might skulk through some
of the narrow streets without being OBJ
served.
He was passing through one of the
narrOwest. dimmest streets of ROtter
dam when he saw man ahead OF
him emerge from a paSsageway and
look about him. Realizing that ne
would probably be taken in front and
rear at the same time. Coleman glanc
ed back and saw another man coming
/ toward him. Hurrying forward, wheI
. bo WOO ohoI tho ,,,or, ~, FRONT tho follow
! stood directly in his way and asked
/ him in French the time Coleman hello
t his bag and his cane in his left hand
Selling the handle of his cane Will
} his right, he pulled it from the Othel
= part, revealing a blade nearly two fee
/ long and held it point down over the
t head of the man who blocked his way
/ The fellow ducked and ran like a dee
= behind him. Coleman took advantag,
: Of his absence to dodge into the pas
4 Bageway from which his adversary haC
0 emerged and ran for an open street
e Seeing an empty cab standing by tn
i curb, he stepped in, told the CoachmaI
to drive him to the boat and wa
:. rolled away.
: He was now near the water and ha,
@ only to pass from land to sea. Whel
o be alighted from the cab he saw
r man standing with a paper in his han,
o. beside the gangway. On reaching tn
+ shore end of the gangway the ma
Y stepped in his way and began to rea
s something to him. Coleman, under
p standing this to be a process of lay
4 to delay him and noticing that tn
q man was standing very near the edg
4 Of the dock, pretending to believe h
r. was in danger of being left. rushed t.
4 ward the gangway and over it, knocI
p Ing the process server into the waite
p A policeman stood ready to follow tn
% reading with an arrest, but the after
~ ton of every one was diverted to tn
:. man suffering in the water. Col