Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1915-09-24

We got him with the goods; be was
just jumping through the window, but
we had a man below. He's confessed
it all-bully for youi 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 q 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-
toni containing the counterfeiter's
right forehnger 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.
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. "Tf
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
'u;' making 1t honour armour
and 1-a-b-o-u-r.'
1 Well, the minute | saw that word
spelled 1-a-bo-u-r' 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 1t 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 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 1t while 1t was still wet, or
while he had a little of the fresh ink
on his finger; he smeared his light
mark on 1t without noticing. On ex-
aiming that finger-mark under the
microscope / was doubly sure the
counterfeiter was the one who had
left his mark, for found that the
ridges on the finger-print, which we're
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, inn
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 fngerprint. /
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 a snake-charmer, left
by cobra's fangs, Immediately felt
these must have originated the same
way. Having the facts that the man
was English, had been bitten by a
cobra. and that the snake was tame
one with his poison sacks removed, or
the man would have died before the
bite became scars, began putting
two and two together The counter
4 feiter must have associated with East
Indian fakirs to have been bitten by
a show cobra, as they are the only
ones who tame them. recalled, too,
the fact that fine paper is manufac-
tured in India, and that some of the
bonds uttered by the British Govern
ment there have silk threads in the
paper, similar to our currency. | con-
oeiRed the notion that a clever Eng
lishman might have worked In the en-
clearinghouse for the government
there, and come to America with this
wonderful new counterfeit, and q few
East Indian fakirs. his friends and
servants, to help him get rid OF the
stun without suspicion falling on
him
That's just what he confessed" put
In Burns.
= $50 ! called up Mitchell, and asked
aboMt the Coney Island bank. remem.
: bering that he had said It was a big
loser. Finding that most Of the notes
had been circulated In Coney island
and upper Brooklyn, l became fairly
| certain OF my theory. | felt sure he
! couldn't have any American assOct
i. ates. OF one of them would have
caught the error In spelling labor
Wen, you know the rest. We found
. only two prominent English managers
this afternoon. | couldn't find the
; one on Surf Avenue when ! called. but
, luckily the other fellow happened to
! be the right one. ] suppose most OF
the East Indians were In the trick
some helping to make the money and
! the others disposing of It, II was Q
good distributing point. | suppose the
J money is pretty well spread over the
country by travellers now. He must
! have brought a stock of paper with
him from India
Yes" answered Burns. I'VE found
It, Horton confessed everything, but
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