The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-08-26

who had let him In: the East Indian
had garroted Poe; even now the silk
cord was cutting closer into Poe's
neck. He saw it 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. He
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 q
heavy silk rug and somebody strange
was working over him. But Burns was
present.
Suddenly wiry black form skulked
| through the room, a bluecoated 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;
We'll? Did you get"
Eyes, we got him" Burns voice
came clearly, as he kneeled beside the
silk rug. 1--WE got him right. Just in
time, too He and his black minion
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 a 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
$50 they found the plates and"
Better not talki" put in 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, a 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-
TOM containing the counterfeiter's
right forefnger imprint. He handed 1t
| 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.
| TT was easy from the minute I no
| ticed that misspelled 1abour,' and saw
the duplicate OF that f1nger-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,' labor and
the like. They always put in the letter
~ making 1t honour armour
and l-a-b-o-u-r.'
Well, the minute saw that word
| spelled 1-a-b-o-u-r' I 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.
seem to take account of the fact that.
| the fnger-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 his finger; he smeared his light
mark on it without noticing. On ex-
aiming that finger-mark under the
| microscope I was doubly sure the
counterfeiter was the one who had
left his mark, for I found that the
ridges on the finger-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 forefnger 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 l found the two scars,
close together on the finger-print. I
figured out, by the process of elm
nation, about the only thing they
could have been caused by. Then I