The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-05-23
SIXTEENTH EPISODE

SIXTEENTH EPISODE
THE CRYPTIC RING
Kennedy had been engaged for some
time IN the only work outside OF the
Dodge case which he had consented to
take for weeks.
Our old friend, DR.. Leslie. the coro-
ner. had appealed to him to solve a
very tickIish point in a Tong murder
case which had set all Chinatown
agoS. It was. indeed. very bewilder-
ing case. A Chinanan named Ii
Chang, leader of the Chang Wan Tong.
had been poisoned. but so far no one
had been able to determine what poi
son 1t was or even to prove that there
had been poison, except for the fact
that the man was dead. and kennedy
had taken the thing up in a great
measure because Of the sudden turn
in the Dodge case which had brought
us into such close contact with the
Chinese
I had been watching kennedy with
interest. for the Tong wars always
make picturesque newspaper stories,
when a knock at the door announced
the arrival OF Dr. Leslie, anxious for
some result.
"Have you been able to find out any
thing YETI" he greeted kennedy Gag
erIy as Craig looked up from his NIL
croscope-
kennedy turned and nodded Your
dead man was murdered by means OF
aconite. OF which, you know, the active
principle is the deadly aIkaloid acont-
tine
There are several treatments for
aconite poisoning, rumtnated zen
nedy- "I would say that one OF the
latest and best is digitalin given hypo-
dermica1ly." He took down a bottle
Of dfgitalin from a cabinet. ADDING
only it was too late in this case
Just what the relations were be
tween Long Sin and the Chong wan
Tong have never been able to deter
mine exactly. But one thing was GER
tain: Long Sin on his arrival IN New
York had offended the Tong, and now
that his master, WI Fang, was here
the offence was even greater. for the
criminal society brooked no rival
In the dark recesses Of poorly FUR
nished cellar, serving as the Tong
headquarters, the new leader and sew
eraI of his most trusted followers were
now plotting revenge Long Sin, they
believed. was responsible for the muir
der. and, with truly Oriental guile,
thew had obtained hold over WI
Fangs secretary.
Their plan decided on. the China
men left the headquarters and made
their way separately uptown ihey
reicired one another in the shelter OF
a. rather poor house. before which was
a board fence IN the vicinity OF q
fashionable apartment house a mo-
ment's conference followed, and tnen
the secretary glided away.
WI had taken another apartment
uptown in one Of the large apartment
houses near parkway
There Long Sin was now engaged
in making all possible provisions hor
the SAFETY OF his master Anyone
who had happened to glance up at the
roof Of the TAN apartment building
might have seen Long Sins figure ST.
houetted against the sky on the top OF
the rnsnsard roof near hagpole-
He had just finished fastening to the
fagpole stout rope which stretched
tam across an areaway some twenty
or thirty feet vide to the next build
ing. where 1t was fastened to chin
ney. Again and again he tested It,
and finally with nod OF satisfaction
descended from the roof and Went 70
the apartment Of W.
There. alone. he paused for Few
minutes TO gaze n wonder at the cryp-
tic rig which had been the net result
SO far of his efforts to find the nil
Hons which Bennett, as the Clutchtng
Hand. had hidden He wore It, strange
" enough. over his index finger, and
as he examined 1t he shook his head
in doubt
Neither he nor his master had yet
been able to fathom the significance OF
the ring
Long SIN thought that he was unob-
served. But outside. looking through
the keyhole. was WIS secretary, who
had stolen In on the mission which
had been set for him at the Tong
headquarters-
Long Sin went over to desk and
opened a secret box IN which wa had
placed several packages OF money
CEE THF