Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-07
CHAPTER II
The Sleeping House Mystery.

The Sleeping House Mystery
TIME clearing of John Storm was a
4 nine days wonder, In court Has
sam Ali testified that Burns had been
seeking some facts regarding the past
and that he, Hassam Ali, had sue
ceeded in aiding him to certain
extent But the name of Bienreith
had never been mentioned during
those seances. He could not imagine
why Burns had committed the crime.
There was no evidence to be found
that the two men had ever exchanged
word He was rather confounded
at the turn of events. The broken
phrase. But arother-" was as
much a mystery to him as to the
court. 1t was inexplicable, Hassam
Ali received good deal of con-
temptuous grilling from the District
Attorney, but the witness answered
every question calmly and in detail
He admitted that he was disciple
OF the Hindu cult; admitted that he
had the gift of second sight at times
There were many who could testify
to this. Hassam Ali finally left the
witness chair with honors in his
favor
n a subsequent Investigation by the
police revealed nothing to his dis
credit so lar as the law was concerned.
His past, from the circus days to the
present day, was an open book. In
deed, Hassam Ali was himself the in
stigator of this research. He wanted
1t definitely understood that while his
cult was not looked upon fayorably
by the police, he was not the object
of any justifiable suspicion. His grave
air, his unfailing patience under the
gibes of the interrogation, his frank
ness, all won him at least the respect
OF his detractors.
The man Burns was buried at the
expense of the city, and what was
known as the Bienreith case went into
the public archives as one more un-
solyable mystery,
1t was remarked, however among |
his associates that John Storm lost
deal of his impetuosity and that in
his subsequent cases he was no longer
brilliant and erratie, but calm and
steady always extremely we'll fortified
with his facts.
New York city has without doubt |
the most conglomerate population OF
any city in the world. The only alien
race which does not find habitat in
New York is the Aztec, and that is
merely because the Aztec is extinct
And each race has quietly formed a
city of its own within the greater
city There, are Little Italy, the
{ Ghetto, Chinatown, and heaven knows
how many others, all familiar to
sishtseers But there is a lot going on
in New York among these aliens that
even the police never hear about ex-
eept by purest accident. Who can
say he knows the heart of Chinatown
unless he actively belongs to it1
On. certain night, two weeks after
the Bienreith case, recorded in the
preceding chapter, Zudora heard the
eieek chime the hour Of 9, She went
upstairs to her room and threw up
the shade for final glance at the
heayens-and paused in amazement,
Coming toward the house was the
strangest procession She had ever
seen Turbans, flowing robes and
white pantaIettes. here in this worka-
day city OF New York. She rubbed
her eyes as if striving to awake She
looked again They were trooping
silently up the steps. She next heard
the thunder Of the knocker. which no
body used in these days Of electric
buttons She then became alive to
the fact that this was reality She
reached the head Of the stairs just
as her uncle's Hindu servant AIMED
opened the door He bowed deeply
and eeremoniously He was dressed
a good deal like his strange visitors
kudoFa came down the stairs ande
eiasd IS 10 whether She was fright
sned q merely upset. The man who
was evidently the leader Of this
strange caravan advanced toward
kadsf VI
ash s. said "a broken English
'ia zee hiu sho IS called Hassem Alf
tle efHf of h4HI