Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-08-02

shat also
Then. with his ewes cleaning with
rage ana his hands working iu murder
GUS frenzy. be erouCh,d nearer and
nearer. toward Elaine.
she sbrank back. screaming again
and again n terror
He was the CUtchiug Hand
In spite of closed doors we could
now plainly hear ElMnes shueks
Craig the secretary and myself made
a rush for the door 70 BENEFITS pri
waite office Finding "a locked We be-
gan TO batter IT,
By this time. however, Bennett had
hurled himself upon Elaine and was
slowly choking her
Kennedy found that IL was impos-
sible 60 batter down the door To- time
by any ordinary means Quickly he
seized the typewriter and hurled &c
through the panels Then NE thrust
his hand through the opening and
turned the catch
AS We flung ourselves into the room
Bennett rushed into a closet To- cor-
uer slammug the door behind him II
was composed of sheet iron. and effec
mally prevented anyone from break
ing through Kennedy and / tried vain.
~. however 90 pry ii open
While we we're thus endeayorlug TO
force an entrance Bennett, m z sort
of closet. had put ON the coat. hat
and mask which ne invariably wore
In the character OF the Clutching
Hand Then he cautiously opened a
secret door IN the back of the closet
and slowly made an exit.
Meanwhile the secretary had been
doing his best to revive Elaine who
was on the floor. hysterlcal and half
unconscious from the terrible shock
she had experienced
Intent on discovering Rennett's
whereabouts, Kennedy and ! examined
the wall Of the office, thinking there
might be some button or secret spring
which would open the closet door
While we were doing SO the door
Of a large safe in the secretarys Of
fee gradually opened and the Clutch
ing Hand emerged from It, stepping
carefully toward the door leading tc
the outer office, intent on escaping in
that direction
AT that moment ! caught sight Of
him, and. leaping into the secretary
office, l drew my revolver and ordered
him to throw up his hands lie obeyed
Holding up both hands, he SLOWLY
drew near the door to his private of
fee.
Suddenly he dropped one hand an'
pressed a hidden spring in the wall
Instantly a heavy iron door shot on
and closed over the wooden door En
trance to the private office was abso
lutely cut off
With an angry snarl the Clutohinl
Hand leaped at me
As he did so ] fred twice.
lie staggered back.
The shots were heard by Kennel
and Elaine as well as the secretar!
and at the same instant they Disco
cred the iron door which barred th
entrance to the secretarys office.
Rushing into the outer office the
found the clerks eXeitedly attemptin
to open the door of the secretary
Office which was locked Kennel
drew a revolver and shot through tn
lock, bursting open the door,
They rushed into the room.
Clutching Hand was apparently sea
ed in a chair at a desk, his face bun
led in hts arms while was appaI
emily disappearing through the door
Kennedy and the clerks pounce
upon the figure in the chair and tor
off HIS mark. To their astonishmen
they discovered It was myself
My shots had missed, and Clutchin
/ Hand had leaped on me with mac
dened fury.
Dressed in my coat and hat whic
he had deity removed after overpov
ering me, Clutching Hand had by thi
time climbed through the window @
the outer office and was making hi
way down the fire escape to the street
He reached the foot OF the iron steps
leaped off and ran quickly away
Shouting a few directions to the SEE
Rotary the clerks and Elaine, Kennel
climbed through the window and dar
ed down the fire escape in swift pun
suit
The Cutchlng Hand. however mar
aged to elude capture again,
While these exciting events wer
occurring in Benefits office som
queer doings were in progress in tn
heart Of Chinatown.
Deep underground, in one Of TN
catacombs known only to the inner
most members of the Chinese secre
societies, was Tong Wah, popularl
known as the hider," engaged il
some mysterious work
Before him were eight 0dd.shape
Chinese Walls, and from these he wa
carefully measuring certain proper
tions, as II concoctlng some powerful
potion.
He stepped back and looked aroun,
suspiclously as he suddenly hear
footsteps above. The next momen
Long Sin, who had entered through
trap door, climbed down a long lad
der and walked into the room
Approaching Tong Wah, he asked
when will the death drink b.