The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1913-05-13
Copyright BY tho International Press Bureau.)


Mr.. Brundage?" / asked.
Il wan; YOU" said he. ito satisfy
me that the Brundage Novelty Com
pany is not being robbed"
Then he went on to explain. It
seems that he had no definite reason
FOR being suspicious. He said It was
only HIS intuition that told him all
was not right In the company. He
said that sense of wrong-doing on
the part OF someone In the Office had
Impressed him several weeks before:
that the impression had grown until
he had begun to investigate, and
though ne could find no signs. he now
vas fully convinced that the company
and therefore himself-was being
robbed.
'Intc1tion entirely. M Cornell" he
said But all my life l have listened
TO my intuition. even In my business
dealings. and l find that 1t guards me
Setter than anything else l know"
Whom do you suspect?" l said
bluntiy.
Mr.. Cornell. / am In partnership
with young man named Gerber"
And he's the man, is her"
He bowed. II am afraid SO, though
l dislike to say It, Mr.. Gerber is q
young man, and hitherto have
thought him the soul of honor-one
whom 1t was a privilege and pleasure
to associate with"
And how do you think he's get
ting away with the loot?"
He thought II over for a few sec
onds and said slowly 81 do rot
know. That is what l what you to
find out. He is our treasurer and
so has charge Of all the finances of
the firm"
Well" said I. ARE there any de-
tails you can give me? Any point.
ers?"
None" he said. But | have this
suggestion to make; that you 60 to
work in our Office as a clerk where
/ you will have opportunities for close
observation"
To watch you partner, Gerber"
To watch Mr. Gerber. | place the
case in your hands; watch Mr.. Ger.
! ber."
Back to the Office 1 went to report
10 the chief
| queer bird from the way he phoned I"
said the chief. But business is bus
ness; he's retained us for the lob
and your job is to watch Gerber
However, don't be SO slow us to mere
ly follow his suggestion about going
to work I'm the Office. Beat the old
man to it; look up Gerber-after
hours. You'll get more there, prob.
ably, than you would in the office"
Under these instructions | went
over to Hoboken at once with an.
| other man to get a spot" on Gerber
VINO was unknown to me- Getting
spot" on man in detective par.
lance signifies this process one de.
tective enters an office or place of
business and asks for the man that
is wanted. Meeting him, he makes
some excuse and gets away. At the
door OF the place he waits for the man
to come out. Across the street Is an
other detective. When the man who
Is TO be Swallowed comes out the first
! detective signals to the man across
the street in some unobtrusive way
md drops out. In this case Clutter,
the man who went with me. entered
the Offices OF the Brundage Novelty
Company and asked for Mr.. Gerber.
Having met him Clutter merely ap-
r2ied for position-and was turned
down. When Gerber came out at 5
| N the afternoon Clutter, standing near
'he office entrance, took a paper from
his pocket and began to read 1.-THE
signal we had agreed upon Then Cluf
hnn 60 Ill
whom Gerber had never seen, took
/ up the trail In this way all chance
for suspicion on the part OF the sub.
| ject is eliminated.
For the next three days we "tooA
him up In the morning and put him to
bed at night" That is, from the mo
ment when he left his house In the
morning to when he retired for the
night, Gerber never was out of sight
| OF a detective
BY day, In the Office, had him un
der my eye, having gone to work
there as clerk. Outside OF the offia1
another man from the agency watcS
ed him, no matter where he went
Gerber didn't have chance to make
move that wasn't reported on,
But nothing developed In this time,
and went to the chief and reported
my belief that old BFundage was half
cracked and that his suspicion was
nothing more or less than hallucina-
ton, a brainstorm. to put in bluntIy.
We'll. don't let that worry you"
said the good natured chief "Brun-
dage is paying the bill He's good for
II. and there's nothing more import
ant on hand for you just at present.
And. say. Cornell, don't you fool your
self too much about that old fellow
having q brainstorm. He's a pretty
wise old bird Amy man who can In
vent the scores of little things that
he's put on the market, and run a sue
oessful business at the same time, is
no fool, let me tell you The thing
may develop into a freak case, but
believe me. old Brundsge has some
real reason for mourning our bill"
The NTH day OF the case a roughly
dressed young man came In to see
Gerber Gerber took him into his prl.
vate ONCE and closed the door, 20 Il
was impossible for me to see or hear
what went on between them. But the
fact that such secrecy had been OBJ
served put me on my guard, and when
the young fellow came out managed
/ 20 have something 10 do that brought