Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1913-09-11

the business in the buying Of the best
of everything. stationery included.
Beyond that, there seems to be
Latin mixed in it. Read this'-I
handed him the envelope and watched
his face as he held 1t to the light.
His eyes grew wide in astonish
ment. The house of lmmeo! he said.
Rather familiar, eh?' queried.
Zone of the oldest houses Of It.
ally he answered. And then burst
forth:
"It is the big grand mistake! he
cried. How do we know where the en-
yelope came from? That little kid.
how did she known He shrugged his
massive shoulders. 1t is all the one
big grand mistake he added.
"'That's what I am going to find
out about answered. Mr. Immeo,
or whatever his name Is, may belong
to q very aristocratic family and have
his watermarked stationery and all
that, but just the same he may be do
ing little kidnapping on the side for
pocket money. guess that that Is
about all, Defeo. think can handle
things alone from now on. Oh. by the
way l called as the policeman start
ed away, If you happen to see a blind
woman who is led by little girl in
this neighborhood please walk the
other way. l have an idea she may
want to do her begging when there
are no policemen around
"Defeo looked at me and winked
solemnly. We had worked together
before.
THAT afternoon when l left the de-
tective headquarters for my home my
plans were all made. Too many times
had l seen the efforts of the police to
catch those who demanded ransom
fail because they were working
against heads that were wiser than
theirs. felt sure that should the
kidnapers return Rosita they would
not do 80 until they had sent man
ahead with decoy child to determine
whether the coast was clear. 1t was
this decoy that l planned to furnish.
and the child was to be my own little
girl
That night q plodding, stumbling
woman, led by little child. made her
exit from the apartment ordinarily
inhabited by Alice Clement. and made
her way to the Milton street section
Of Little Italy She whined as she
walked along, calling attention to the
fact that she was blind since birth
and begging Of whomever she passed.
At last the dingy lights of Milton
street showed and she srasped more
tightly the hand Of the little girl who
led her.
"'Be brave. honey!' she whispered,
and whatever happens, remember
that your every move is watched and
guarded. No one is going to hurt
you
That woman was myself, the child
was my daughter. Our quest was TO
find the man who would see IN my
little girl the very child they needed
for my decoy. Dive after dive we en-
tered. and through lowered lights l
searched the faces Of the ones l saw
there. The hours went by, but moth
ing happened. We returned to our
home at midnight, tired and excite
ment worn. but with no more informa-
ton than when we had started. And
the next day brought US a surprise.
Antonio Cassanelli had received no
threatening letters, no requests for
ransom. That night We started forth
again, with no better results. Still the
malls remained quiet still Antonio
heard nothing concerning the child. A
week went by and l was becoming
discouraged, disheartened, and was
plying the Italian section Of the city
with my little girl for the last time.
Antonio had given her up as dead. l
had almost given up the case as hope
less. Suddenly, however, as we start
ed to leave an ill-smelling saloon. l
struggled hard to repress an involun-
tary exclamation. Two men were
sitting at table near by. At the el-
bow of one discerned an envelope the
same In size and texture and color as
the one l had found at the spot where
Rosita Cassannelli had been kidnapped.
l noticed 1t bore writing and the
stamp of having come through the
malls. pressed hard on the hand OF
my little girl and urged her for.
ward. With true instinct she went to-
ward the men, giving her begging
plea as she walked. They turned to
her with sneer and shook their
10 hut ,of nd q
fold OF my dress had swept the let
ter and held 1t with clutching fingers.
AN hour later two Italians sneered
and shook their heads at the hundreds
OF questions which were being shot
at them In my rooms at detective
headquarters. They knew nothing.
they said, and they could tell nothing.
They never had seen the letter which
lay before them, nor did they know
Of such person as Count Immeo.
Midnight came and we gave up hope
of drawing from them any thing that
would tighten the mystery Of why
count apparently wealthy should at
tempt to steal the child of poor
Italian shopkeeper. We sent for Cas-.
sanelli and we questioned him. He
shook his head and stared moodily be-
fore him, but gave US no Information.
turned to the captain at last.
"I guess I 60 to Europe ! said
half hopefully.