Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1915-08-27
who had let him in; the East Indian

neck. He saw 1t all in the dizzy sec
ond that he reeled before all grew
black. Then he felt himself falling,
falling through the trap-door in the
wall that had slid back silently be-
hind him when Horton had signaled
for assistance, and enabled the cat
like servant with his ready cord to
take him unaware.
With the first ray OF light that came
with returning consciousness Chris
TOPPER Poe dimly saw Burns's face
anxiously peering into his own. Ho
couldn't remember what had happened,
he couldn't place himself. All that be-
came evident to him in the following
| five minutes, as he lay with eyelids
trembling open, trying to remember,
was the fact that he was lying on a
heavy silk rug and somebody strange
was working over him. But Burns was
present.
Suddenly wiry black form skulked
through the room. blue-coated officer
clutching the thin black neck. Then
Poe suddenly remembered, and looked
around to make certain that he was
still In the strange apartment belong.
ing to Horton.
He moistened his throat with great
effort, and managed to articulate:
Well? Did you get"
yes, we got him" Burns voice
came clearly, as he kneeled beside the
silk rug. I'VE got him right. Just in
time, too He and his black pinibn
were trying to destroy the counter
| feiting plates when we managed to
break through that heavy front door.
We got him with the goods; he was
| just jumping through the window, but
we had man below. He's confessed
it all-bully for you! Horton used to
be an engraver on bonds for the Brit,
ish Government; he was located in
Calcutta"
so they found the plates and"
Better not talk" put in a voice
strange to Poe, and he suddenly real
lied the stranger was physician.
A strained silence ensued. In ten
minutes time Christopher Poe had be.
come quite himself, though he still
passed his hand over his bruised neck
mechanically, curious half-smile IL
Illuminating his otherwise drawn face.
He finally reached into his vest-pock-
ct, and brought out the bit of prepared
paper (evidently overlooked by Hor.
toni containing the counterfeiters
right forefinger imprint. He handed it
to Burns, and watched him musingly.
In answer to his friends anxious
questioning and enthusiastic praise
over the capture, Poe finally managed
to sketch the whole thing to him, just
what had happened when he was alone
with Horton.
How the devil did you spot the
fellow?' burst out Burns.
1T was easy from the minute no
ticed that misspelled 'labour,' and saw
the duplicate Of that finger-print you
hold in your hand" he explained IF
you'll stop to think, you'll remember
that Englishmen stick to the old form
of spelling honor armor,' Tabor and
the like. They always put in the letter
~ making it honour, armour
and 1-a-b-o-u-r.'
We'll, the minute I saw that word
spelled Ia-b-o-u-r' l knew an English
man had done the work, and evidently
had been an engraver on English
stamps or securities of some sort in
which the word labor also appeared,
and that the spelling of it had become
second-nature to him.
Then / came across the finger-print
on the bill; you and Mitchell didn't
| 20 col 80 e. 4
the finger-print showed in light green
ink, identical with the ink used on
the back of the note. That proved
that the counterfeiter himself had
touched it while it was still wet, or
while he had little of the fresh ink
on mis- finger; he smeared his light
mark on it without noticing. On ex-
aiming that flnger-mark under the
microscope l was doubly sure the
counterfeiter was the one who had
left his mark, for l found that the
ridges on the tinger-print, which were
loops approximating tented arches, as
they classify them in the print identi-
heavy calluses. AS these were on
fication system. showed calluses,
the forehnger of the right hand, i'm
mediately knew that the man was an
engraver, for only the continuous use
of the graver could have left such a
mark"
| Poe paused for breath, and Burns
suggested:
But that didn't give you the identi-
ty of the man."
mo. Then found the two scars,
close together on the finger-print. l
figured out, by the process of elm
ination, about the only thing they
could have been caused by. Then |
suddenly recalled seeing twin scars
on the finger of snake-charmer, left
by cobra's fangs. | Immediately felt
these must have originated the same