The Washington herald., 1915-01-31
BY -
7. w. Hanshew


actIy. Note that 1t was his aim to throw
young Count Egon-
Here is a part of what I have ascer-
tanned. Last night. according to your
head chauffeur, Count, Moselle, alias
Tarleschen, took out Egon's small car.
explaining by his usual finger method
Of talk that he was going to meet Egon.
who was then out. The next bit Of in
formation comes through a coincidence.
I myself happened to be in Hampstead
this morning and found Egon by the
roadside, badly injured. apparently rob
bed and with all obvious marks Of identi-
fication removed. AS it seemed an or
dinary case, I simply reported it to the
Hampstead police and sent the young
man to the Cottage Hospital.
"At Scotland Yard I find a report to
down by an automobile-not far from
here, efther-and that another young
man quickly drew up in a smarH run
about, handed the officer on point duty
the card of Count Egon. and said that
the victim was his secretary, Fritz Tar
leschen. He insisted that he should be
allowed to carry the injured youth on
to Charing Cross Hospital This the Of
ficer allowed. Meanwhile, the machine
which had struck the real Count Egou
had vanished-indeed, it never stopped,
and the officer only obtained one good
glimpse of it. OF course, a search for
this machine was begun Immediately.
Next morning I find a young man,
stripped of marks of Identification, far
away in Hampstead. We may assume
that the spy MoselIe, alias Tarleschen,
masquerading as Count Egon. carried the
real Egon there in the borrowed car, and
on the way, in some lonely spot, searched
him for the coveted papers.
81 doubted that Egon really was the
victim of the explosion from the first.
For one thing, I was attracted, by the
double vaccination on the left arm OF
our records that that was one of the
known marks Of Identification of the spy
MoseIle
I'VE do not need to assume that the
running down of Egon was an accident.
for the car which struck him has been
traced to a garage operated by a French
man who has as regular patrons a gang
Of Paris apaches in the employ Of Count
waldemar. of Mauravania. The plans Of
Scotland Yard in regard to this garage
and its patrons are another story"
But the explosion" broke in Count
Estamar; who killed this Tarleschen, and
why?'
That is a political crime, for which
there probably never will be reparation.
though Mr.. Narkom is tracing its per-
petrators," answered Cleek." By this
time they have all fed from English
soil. Tarleschen was the victim Of an
other band of spies, for the agents OF
the monarchy adjoining Mauravania,
which We need not name. but whose des-
perate efforts to make capital out OF the
present revolution in Mauravania are
known to US all, have also had their
eyes on these secret treaties. Certainly
they knew from their agents on the con-
tinent that these treaties were to be
sent within the next few days. Their
aim was to destroy the messenger and in
the confusion obtain the papers. The
method used was the new discovery
that scientific marveI-the ultraviolet
rays. So when I found that lead-cased
van had stopped outside the house on the
other side Of the square I knew where
the exploding force had come from. Yet
on such little things do big events hang
that had not Tarleschen stopped to steal
the counts hat. even then he would have
escaped"
What had the hat got to do with it?
Everything, for it was lined with the
new gun-cotton, which is composed
largely of nitryl, and can be handled as
roughly as you please until the disin-
tegrating power of the chemical rays OF
light are applied found a piece of
the hat and examined the hatbox, which
was obviously one of foreign make, and
not, therefore. belonging to Leath's OF
Oxford street. 1t hardly needed my in
quiry there to tell me that they had sent
neither boy nor hatbox. When Tarleschen
laid his plans with Margot, agent for the
Mauravanians. the other spies followed
on with their death-dealing van. or
course, they scented the plot to steal the
papers and were the more willing to use
their diabolicaI device upon the spy than
upon an accredited government agent"
But the treaties" moaned Count Es-
lamar. My boy is saved, and his honor.
and for that am more thankful than
1 ever can say; but what of nv honor
II the treaties, after all. were stoIen2'
Cleek stopped, and fumbling in his
pocket, brought out an officially sealed
envelope, upon which Count Estamar
opened it with trembling fingers.
''Where-where was it?'' he exclaimed
as he ran the precious papers through
his fingers. as IL to assure himself Of
their actual presence.
Cleek's eyes twinkled
''In Count Egon's red flannel chest pro-
tector. which Tarleschen never thought
of touching. 1 expect he must have had
some fears himself. and sewed them next
to his own brave young heart several days
ago. or Tarleschen would havs got them
from the safe with the keys he stole
from Egon. Evidently the spy TarIe-
schen was on his way to report his fail
ure to md the papers when he was
killed. And now, count, you see how you