Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-07-29
The
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.Bp JOHN A. MOROSC
Copyright. 1913. by Little. Brown & Co.

Ab lie ueCeCLlNo CdpCdl0 IN clarRc
of the homicide bureau at headauar.
ters, Kearney found even less time
to turn his thoughts away from the
business of man hunting. He had de-
veloped some excellent sleuths and
was beginning to feel pleasure In
watching them advance under his
guidance and training.
Kearney's only recreation was still
his home, and the sound Of his moth
er's voice, with its pleasing bit of
brogue, was his only music. But as
the burden of her years became heav-
Ter the strength Of her mind was sap
ped slowly. gradually. She would for
get things that had happened only an
hour before and remember things
wildly and suddenly that had happen
ed years and years past.
Sometimes her tongue would wag.
She would wander from subject to
subject In seemingly interminable
monologues. Her old cronies tried in
vain to stop the flow of her g~arrulfty,
SO that their own tongues might wag.
but they had to give 1t up and SO they
called less frequently.
But Mike. the apple Of her eve, to
whom she was all the world. never
ceased to pretend to be interested as
he sat with her in the sunny window of
her spotless kitchen.
"Now 1 remember very WELL" she
droned with %quavering voice one
evening, without specific reference to
any one in particular. II remember
very well that she was quite a fine
lady wasn't she, Mike"
"She was that, mother" replied the
son. dragging at his pipe. she was a
grand lady"
mo, not at all grand" she protested,
"for she wasn't Of the r'yalty kind.
She was quiet and nice and dressed so
simple, was the old lady whose o
was stint up"
The subject of her wandering gossip
and Renaissance changed. and she
babbled on. Kearney settled down to
read his afternoon paper as she talked.
Her voice and her constant loving
kindnesses were all that he had in life
besides his job. AS he noticed that her
mind was wandering to an unusual
degree a touch Of fear crept into his
heart. He asked himself what would
he do when she was gone. Could any
other woman take her place? He
hunched himself In his chair, a sign of
his uneasiness.
Kearney had decided on spring for
his vacation time. During pleasant
weather murder. like h~ydrophobia. is
rare. He told himself that after his
vacation he would never leave his
mother again. He had arranged for
one of her cronies to care for her until
his return.
Kearney had made up his mind to
take a trip south. He had a clew, after
ten years of patient waiting. that was
worth looking up. The change might
do him good, and at the same time he
would have something to occupy his
mind.
Some M had placed a headstone on
the grave of the mother of James
Montgomery. Some one was paying
the keeper of the cemetery neal Nyack
to weed the little plot and keep It
bright with flowers.
Careful inquiry had shown him that.
save for her convict son. Mrs. Mont
gomery had left no relatives. The
cemetery keeper had been cautiously
questioned. He said that through the
mails had come first 500 in cash with
a typewriter note to the effect that
a friend of the Montgomery family
desired the grave marked. Afterward
came other sums to pay for keeping
up the plot.
The postmark on these anonymous
communications was "Greenville, S.
c."
Kearney desired to go to Greenville
and get In touch with the postal au-
thorities there.
Another letter would be mailed from
that town to Nyack. He would take
a glimpse of the man who mailed 1t.
He would clear up the Montgomery
case and he would hold the record Of
never having been beaten out by a
criminal.
A few days later Michael Kearney
registered at the Mansion House,
Greenville's best hotel, as James
Flynn.
In his Don he unpacked his grip.
Among other things he removed was a
long and wide envelope. 1t contained
a letter from his inspector authorizing
him to request any aid he might need
in the name Of the police of the city
of New York.
The big envelope also contained a
ce. ed copy of the police records of
Jam Montgomery. convicted of the
murder of Walter Trueblood. night
Waterman of the West End National
bank. These records included photo
graphs In full face and profile and the
Bertillon measurements and finger
prints. There was also a warrant
drawn by a New York magistrate.
charging James Montgomery with
being a fugitive from justice and an
escaped convict.
The man hunter knew from the soft
sound of the voices he heard about
him that his own voice would be in
striking contrast. 1t would be futile
for him to try the pose of a southern
er. So he let it be known that he was
"a New Yorker who wanted to live in
the south and invest a limited amount