The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1913-05-13
private nature WIN young man VINO
smelled OF gasolene.


smelled OF gasolene.
AT the same time. IL opened up an
other possible clue for us TO work on.
for In our previous Investigation wo
had not found Gerber i'm any DEALINGS
with anybody who smelled of gasolcue
or who might have occasion to use
that fiuid. AS our task was to inVcs
tgate all angles of Gcrber's carecr.
with view to finding somethine 10
substantiate old Brundnge's Indefinite
suspicious. the young man With he
gasolene odor promptly became AN lie
teresting factor.
Across the street was ono or cur
men. waiting. When the Rasolene an
left the piilding l gave Dawson the
signal TO follow him. My man pi..ed
W. the trail like Il hound. aud we'll sat.
isfed that the mysterious young man
would be followed to his destination.
| turned back to my pretended occu.
patton.
Mind, all this work was being done
without any sane or definite reason
for doing 1t. We didn't know whether
Gerber was guilty of anything. or il
he was guilty. of what il might be.
We We're working for Brundage. who
had n suspicion. and so long as no
paid the bill, and we had nothing
more important to do. we would con-
tinue on the job.
/ suggested to Mr.. Brundage that
he examine the books of the company
for indications of anything wrong.
Il had thought of that long ago."
said he. But Mr.. Gerber has all the
books in his personal charge. He
locks them up every evening To Sc
cure them for an investigation it
would be necessary to make a demand
upon Mr.. Gerber, and this naturally
would arouse his suspicion. No We
will go Oh as We have begun. ] am
satisfied. If anything is wrong it will
be shown, for Mr.. Gerber is not per-
United to remove the books from this
office"
That evening l got Dawson's report
on the young man who had been in
to see Gerber.
Hes the engineer OF fifty root
gasolene launch, the Nadine, that ls
tying In the Hudson opposite Forty
second street." Dawson reported. THE
boats owLer is said TO be a Mr.. Rus
SELL
Said to be?"
Yes; because I hung around ana
wormed out q description of this Rus
sell from a lot OF fellows hanging
aroscnd the docks. and he comes pretty
close to looking like Mr.. Gerber il
these fellows were right"
Still, this meant nothing. 50 far as
any case was concerned. But when
1 made enquiries about the Office to
md out If Gerber went in for motor
boating, and found he had eNpres 20
himself as having an aversion To the
water, the thing began to look as il
there might be some thing in it. II
the boat, The Nadine belonged TO Ger.
Der, he was keeping il secret; ana
II he had secrets they might be cou-
nected with Brundage's suspicious OF
something wrong in the firm.
Strange to say as / continued to
watch Gerber, ! too, began to acquire
a suspicious feeling toward him, Just
as the senior partner had done. There
was no tangible reason why this
should be 80. His actions apparently
were what they should be. But there
was something wrong with the man.
That Is as well as / am able to ex-
plain 1t. He wasn't fright | have
felt this intuition-or "hunch," in de-
tective parlance-several times In my
career; and the experiences have con
WINGED me that the detection of crime
could be made an exact psychological
science, that each and every guilty
person carries about him certain signs
or possibly an aura--which distin.
cuisines him from the normal being.
For guilt of crime OF any sort, after
all, Is an abnormality.
Gerber. in his Office. and in his life
after business hours, apparently went
along as an honest man in his posi-.
ton should But the more / studied
him the moro ! began to agree WIZ
Brundaae that Il was time he was in
Vestigai,d
put Dawson to work on the young
engineer Dawson rented a little mo-
tor boat got permission to tie it ND
beside the fifty-footer in the young
mans charge, and began to overhaul
his engine, as If preparing for a cruise
This gave him an opportunity to Dor
row wre inches and oils from the larg-
er boat, TO buy drinks and cigars to
pay for the favors, and so to strike
up close acquaintance with the man
he was after
Had that young man been strictly
temperate 1t is doubtful If the Brun-
dage Novelty Company case ever would
have become credit TO the Burns
Agency. Dawson piled him steadily
with liquid refreshment in the saloons
along the water front, and the young
man began to talk about his employer
Hes a queer crab" said the en-
gineer. He makes me keep this
boat in running order day and night
makes me stay by II ready TO re.
/ paint II at a minutes notice. Ncv
what In the devil would q man want
- have his boat repalnted SO sud
denly for?"
Il couldn't guess" said Dawson.
Then again" went on the intern
/ perate engineer his name ia Gerber
and he makes me tell everybody that
| The boat is owned by chap named
Russell Now. what would he be doing
that for? L"
He shut up suddenly then realizing
In drunken fashion that he had gone
! too far