The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-02-28

sively she reached over and opened the
cab door near the curb. He did not
attempt to restrain her. for she had
placed the other hand in his and was
murmurinG thanks that he knew were
sincere. Instantly he had figured II
out 1t was better to have her a friend
within the organization than a fugitive
without. He returned the pressure
with a clear. frank look. She seemed
to appreciate. Probably it was the
first time she had ever had a man look
at her that way. Then. without a
word. she disappeared in the thronc
entering the station to take a train
that would involve her again in the
meshes of the web from which she
could not escape.
1t was not until the next day. when
Garrick reached his office. that he saw
Riley again. The bomb expert was
wasting for Him in high state of ex-
citcmen-. Another bomb has been
sent to Mr.. CooSS." he blurted out.
Have you opensd it yeti" asked
Garrick.
NO. ! thought perhaps you would
like to see it,
Indeed should" agreed Garrick
where is it?''
AT my Workshop" answered Riley
leading the way.
Briefly. as they sped uptown Garrick
detailed what had already happened
Riley listening with intense amaze
ment.
At last. under the brow of a beetling
tenement row. to a vacant lot sur
rounded by high fence. Riley led
him. There. in the middle of the lot.
was a little brick house. with just one
door and a small. barred. Eround-Glass
window. 1t was not an unusual look
ing door. barred with iron and held
by an innocent paddock. But there
was something mysterious about it
nevertheless.
Riley entered. In the dim recesses
of the secret magazine maintained by
the fire department was a collection of
weird-lookinS messengers of death.
Riley pointed out on a work bench tn.
package in question. Garrick bent
over it and read the address to Town
send Cooke. The same typewriting,'
he exclaimed.
Carefully Riley set to work to open
and dissect the bomb. As he separated
and analysed ii. it was evident that ii
was of an unusual and clever con-
structiOn. The whole arrangement was
incased in wooden box. The cover OF
the box, inside. was marked with skull
and ossbones and a huge black hand.
In the teeth of the skull were innum-
cradle match heads SO arranged that
when the box was opened they would
ignite the bomb. As Riley separated
the last of the constituents and laid
each by itself in an innocuous pile.
they shuddered at the diabolical cum
ming of the secret assassin.
Late in the afternoon came a brief
but urgent message from Cooke. Giu-
seppe. his contractor. had disappeared
and there was no trace of him to be
found. Can you come out to Rock
crest immediately" the message
closed.
So great had been the terrorism at
Rockcrest that already there was a
small army OF private detectives
guarding the various estates. 1t was
the work OF only a few hours. there
fore, to mass secretly a raiding force
that could sweep down on Bardo's at
any preconcerted moment. Garrick
waited. however. until well along in
the evening so that their movements
might have as much cover as possible.
Then in three swift. high-powered
cars the posse shot out and with en-
gines muffied down pulled up beside
the road not far from the appointed
place.
Bardos was one of those squalid
taverns that have fallen to a
viciously low estate. 1t was a frame
building. on the first floor of which
was a saloon. Above We're two or
three sleeping rooms on the second floor
and a small attic. Strange to say.
not a light showed in the place as the
raiders took their positions about il.
At a signal they closed in on it. Still
not sound. The doors and windows
were barred. Now that they had made
an overt attack, no time was TO be
wasted Law or no law, Garrick and
Riley bore down the front door off it's
hinges. Still not sound save the
echoes. Not a light. Bardo's was de-
serted, Could it have been that Fran
cesca. after all. had started him off on
4 blind trail? Garrick. pocket flash in
hand. hastily rushed through the
house. Where was Francesca? She
was not upstairs.
There, however. is the typewriter"
he exclaimed. as he bent the rays OF
mis- light on an old and worn machine
and ran a sheet of paper through il.
keenly at the position and
breaks in the characters it wrote. Still.
here was no one in the hotel. and no
evidence Of life. The raiders looked at
Zach other blankly.
The cellar" cried Garrick.
Cropping. stumbling. they made their
way down the crazy. rickety stairs,
fearful OF what the dank air of the
cavern might hide. Garrick found a
switch and turned on an electric light.
4 gruesome sight greeted them. Hang
ng from a couple of hooks in n beam
was a body strung up by its thumbs.
mutilated.
Giuseppe" cried Cooke. horror
The raiders fell back in awe
1t the terrible discovery.
Garrick seized a spade and was turn
ng over some whitish earth in a cor
her.
"A mass Of quicklime." he muttered.
pending down.
In ii, without doubt. were human re-
mains - unidentifiable. but not to be
ooked on without a shudder. Side by
side, with the enormous wealth and
he culture that existed at Rockcrest
vas a condition OF barbarism that RI
;aled the Middle Ages. Here ii was
hat all the crimes of this band of
Black Handlers were plotted II not ac-
ually carried out-blackmail. extor-
ion. arson, kidnapping, tortue and
wen murder. Here at last was the
of the gang that oper-
tied all over the Countrywide house of
thousand murders,
But Gaetano. the Fox. was gone.
There was no trace of Francesca.
Had he carried her of with him I'M
Ter the compulsion OF fear to some
,ther hiding place? Or-no one ex-
PRESSED the thought in words. but II
vas present in every mind-was the
rowning act the murder of the beau
iful girl and the absolute destruction
Il the evidence in the quicklime of the
ellar?
"yVbaf aro Wa IN do" aSEad rooIo