The Dickinson press., 1915-05-08
ONE WONDERFUL NIGHT

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were completely changed and made
Earl of Valletort insisted that his
daughter, Lady Hermione, marry q
Hungarian Count. This Count, it
seems, saw a clear path to the throne
Of his country, but money was nee
essary. The Earl of Valletort him
self had nc money. When Lady Her.
mione's mother passed away she left
the daughter a fortune. The Count
would do wonders for the Earl, if the
latter would arrange to have his
daughter and her money marry him.
The Earl did try, and Lady Hermione
escaped to America. She considered
the marriage vile and would avoid it
at any cost. She took with her a
plotting Frenchman who was known
to her father. When she arrived in
America she planned to marry this
little Frenchman, named de Courtois.
He agreed to protect her with his
name; nothing more. Then, when
she was rid Of the Count de Courtois
would disappear and the law would
allow a separation.
De Courtois, unknown to the girl,
was hired by her father. While De
Courtois was offering all kinds of
excuses to the girl and delaying the
ceremony, he met an American news
paper man, Henry R. Hunter, and told
him the story. Hunter saw a great
feature in it. De Coutrtois promised
to let him have the story for publica-
ton, but kept him waiting from day
to day.
The Count was in touch with some
questionable characters. He instruct
ed them to watch de Courtois. And
they did. Hunter insisted that de
Courtois allow the wedding to take
complained of having lost the license.
The Counts men from the East Side,
Rossi and Martiny, learned of this
through one of their spies, Antoine.
They also knew that Hunter was to
get another.
Then John Delaney Curtis, with his
friend Howard Devar, arrived in New
York. Curtis had been in China for
some years and was returning for a
vacation. Curtis registered at the
Central Hotel. Rossi and Martiny
arrived at the Central Hotel. Rossi
went to the room Of DeCourtois, over
powered and bound him. Then, with
his partner, he waited for Hunter to
return with the duplicate license.
John D. Curtis was standing in front
of the hotel when a taxi was driven
up to the entrance. Hunter stepped
to the sidewalk. Rossi and Martiny
forced him back into the taxi. Rossi
and Martiny jumped into the taxi and
off. Curtis had a good look at
them. Hunter died. Curtis was the
only witness.
Later that night, while on Broad
way, Curtis found that he was wear
ing the dead mans overcoat. In the
pocket he found the marriage license,
made out to Lady Hermione and Jean
de Courtois. This alarmed him. He
went to the address of Lady Herm-
lone, told her that de Courtois, the
man whom she was waiting to marry,
was dead. Curtis actually thought
the dead man was de Courtois. The
girl told him that she was nothing to
de Courtois and he was nothing to her
She told how they were to be married
merely to protect her from the Count.
Curtis learned the whole story. Then
he offered himself in place of de
C%ourtois. The Lady Hermione ac-
copied.
The ship on which the Count and
Earl had sailed was delayed. Lady
Hermione, Curtis and Marcelle, the
maid, arrived at the minister's house
and were married. The Count and
Earl arrived at the minister's home
just as Curtis, Lady Hermione and
the maid were coming out. When
they interfered, Curtis put the Count
down with a singing punch in the
eye and frightened the Earl out of
his wits. They discovered that Lady
Hermione did not marry the frail
F~renchman, but instead some Ameri-
can blacksmith.
Curtis and his bride took up new
quarters at the Plaza Hotel and Cur
tbs went back to the Central Hotel for
his clothes. When he arrived there
he found a crowd. The Count and the
Earl were there denouncing him and
demanding his arrest. Steingall,
Chief Of Detectives, was compelled to
link Curtis with the murder of de
Courtois. Curtis told that he married
the girl. When Steingall asked the
Earl and Count how they knew that
a murder had been committed, they
almost dropped to the floor. They
thought now that the East Side
%scoundrels had murdered de Courtois
to stop the wedding.
It was discovered that the murder
ed man was Henry E. Hunter of a
New York newspaper. De Courtois
was found bound in his room. Stein
gall found cablegrams from the Earl
and Count. Then Curtis and Devar
discovered the car in which the MUIR
derers escaped. Curtis recognized
the driver. A chase followed. The
driver, Antoine, drove his car over the
bank and into the Hudson River.
Antoine was captured. Steingall's as
sistant followed the Count and dis
| covered where he would meet the two
murderers.
The Count tries to have Curtis ar
rested on the new charge of abduction
but when Steingall made it plain that
the Count and Earl would have to
leave the country or he would arrest