Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1913-04-17

'LeaSlWhyS not IN MAIDEN square.
Well have you found the place?
Oh. that is all right" for the man had
glanced at me with a brief suspicion.
This is Mr.. Phillips, who has been
of much service to me in our little
affair; let me introduce you to Ser
jeant Jackson. Mr.. Phillips"
1 shook hands with the serjeant.
who said that he would take a glass
of beer.
And the placer" asked Peace, when
we had seated ourselves on a corner
bench out Of earshot of the man be-
hind the bar-a bottle-nosed ruff1an.
who watched us furtively as he rinsed
the dirty glasses.
That's the address. SIR" said the
serjeant. handing his superior crum-
pied sheet of paper
"A club. is it?" he said. glancing up
In his quick, bird-like way And what
sort OF a club?"
Foreign. sir. They call themselves
social democrats, but our special
branch men tell me that full half
or the crowd are anarchists. and such
rats as that. l think 1t must be so.
for Nicolin and his Russians have had
the place under close observation for
weeks. And you know what that
means. sir"
Eyes. l know what that means"
"Amaroff was not a member. but
used to drop in there from time to
time. He was very thick with the
man who runs the place. Greatman.
as he calls himself They tell me that
Greatman sat as a model for some
statue he was doing, back in July. 1t
must have been a funny sort of statue.
Tor Greatman's a weedy little Pole.
and drinks like fish"
For some time the inspector sat In
silence, drawing circles on the floor
with the point of the light cane he
carried. The bartender dropped a
glass. swore. and then. with a stare
at US, retreated into a little cage he
had at the back of his domain. Doubt
less the presence of detectives was no
incentive to trade in the bars Of Mai
den Square
This Greatman-what more do you
know of him."
I'VE have had nothing against him
before; but all the same. it's his pri-
vate room that has the sanded floor"
The inspectors prophecy of the pre-
v1ous night came back to me with a
sudden remembrance: "Amaroff was
murdered in a room with a sanded
floor, probably at no great distance
from Leman street. seeing that they
carried him there In coster's par
row." | began to understand the NOR
bid significance of the private room
in this little foreign club
We were drawing nearer TO our
game; the scent was growing strong
err. Addington Peace leant a little for
ward, with a twist in his jaw that
raised a ripple of muscles under the
skin
Continue. II you please" he said.
THE room is at the rear of the club
and there is back staircase to yard
behind. where costers store their bar
rows when not in use 1t fits in with
what you told us to inquire for don't
1t, sir?"
Yes"
The inspectors stick recommended
it's interlacing circles on the floor;
and we sat and watched, as If thereby
he were disentangling his sordid story
So still we're we all that the bartender
poked his luminous nose from his cage
in the hope that we had gone He
withdrew 1t with remarks on the po-
lice force which were distinctly audi
BILE, and opposed to the complimentary
Suddenly the inspector turned to me
with a motion Of half-apology. as IL
at the neglect OF guest.
There nre times. Mr.. Phillips" he
said, when evidence runs in absurd
contradictions Observe the present
case, in which you are so good as to
interest yourself. We have it from the
Russian police that Amaroff Is their
man, and that in their opinion-they
being we'll qualified to judge-he was
murdered by Nihilists. We now learn
that he was apparently on intimate
terms with Nihilists, and we have
good reason to believe that he was
strangled IT, one Of their clubs. What
do you gather from that?"
They discovered mis- treachery, and
took an excusable revenge" said l.
"A sound conclusion. And now let
us suppose that Amaroff was not a po-
lice spy at ali; being. In fact. dan
gerous Nihilist What them"
why set yourself such puzzle?"
mot for amusement" he said, with
his quiet smile. And now l propose
a little experiment. You must intro
duce us to this club. Jackson; the