Morris tribune., 1913-01-17

10 putSuS 9uoAAy III CuaG AAhuuSIs
''Then I'll go it alone?' he asked, toss
ing away his cigar and tensing bis
muscles as if for business.
you'll have to- I'VE put the mat
ter in your hands, and it's up to you
to recover the watches for these people
or at least collar the thief"
provided he didn't make a getaway
in the night after he hooked en- re-
marked the detective dryly.
mot with us going the gait we was
that night" protested the conductor
"All right-here goes. III have to
drop down to the ground and get on
from the outside to make it more real
istic, you know. Just so down and un-
lock the gate to that coach, will you,
old manY'
The conductor numbered through the
train, stopped here and there in his
course by the anxious inquiry of i'm
patient passengers, but he was able
now to promise them a start in ten
minutes and there was a renewed
cheerfulness on board
AS the conductor quietly unlocked the
gate to the last car he heard the faint
clank of metal and his ear was instant
~ alert
whats that?' he muttered into the
darkness.
Nothing but the clank Of your gate,
old man" reassured the detectives
voice from the step.
GsT MT
marked the conductor as he went back
through the train and left the rear
coach In the hands of the detective.
1t had been planned that the detec-
tive should array himself like bandit
and hold up the passengers of the last
coach, thus forcing them to give up
what jewels they had, hoping thus to
discover the thief if he was among
the eight passengers in the last coach.
Ten minutes afterward, just as the
engine shrieked a warning blast that
they were once more in running order
and the air was filed with the sound
of rushing steam, the door of the rear
! coach suddenly opened and the eight
passengers faced genuine holdup
Hands up!" ordered the masked man
| in the doorway as he held big re-
volver in either hand There was in
stant obedience on the part of the eight
! passengers.
The masked man drove the four
moody passengers down to the other
end Of the car, where the card players
sat like statues, their hands high
above their heads Quickly, deftiy,
the man stripped them Of their jewels,
ordered them to open their bags and
deliver their money and valuables.
Like fash his weapons were here,
there and everywhere. Once ne
caught the little brown man edging
away toward the door, and only the
cold of the steel barrel brought the
! writhing passenger to a realization
that he must give up more than be
had lost before.
The highwayman left the brown
man for the last. One by one he had
stripped the others of everything that
was of value, but still the missing
watches had not come to light Three
= revolvers sagged the pockets of the
bandit, for the bankers had been arm
4 ed. Now they huddled, frightened
nervous looking group, against the
rear door. bile the brown mans turn
came At k2<,ts
"Hah3a ~" ordered the masked man
1 The. &~ Cp," protested the brown
nan
"EE-H" =. commanded the other.
t., h,4v-.t man stretched himsell
On tip+an d the masked man held 6
revolver u his ear while with the 9th
er hand lie deftly went over the cloth
ing of the irate passenger When ht
concluded he had collected in his pock
cts eight gold watches.
Immediately wrath broke upon, thu
brown mans head. The seven travel
ing companions told him in Language
more or less carefully chosen wha
they thought of him. The bankers
told what would become Of him Whe1
he reached the next station, and th,
bankers wives said they had knOwl
from the beginning that he was des
perate character.
Meantime the masked man was max
ing a slow backward retreat for tn,
door. He still held the TIVE revolver
leveled at the heads Of the twice in
jured passengers and was quite dea
to their appeals for the return Of thei
property.
The brown man was explaining vol
ubly that he was a detective and tina
instead of the masked man removing
the stolen watches from his pocket
! they had come from the pockets o
the masked man, who had skillfull.
used ledgermain to plant the guilt OF
the innocent passenger. None Of tn
other passengers believed him, and s.
they fell to talking and protesting un
I'll the slam of the door brought then
to realization that the masked mai
was going, and so was their property
With belated valor, the banker
Bprang to the platform to witness tn
form of the bandit vanish in the shad
ows Of the plain. They even heard hi