The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-02-28
Copyright. lsl5l
kkT HE HAND that has killed the
others will get you yet. 1t is
only question of time. Your
tCopyrGht, l9l5.J

death warrant is signed by
LA MANO NERA.'
La Mano Nera-the Black Hand
exclaimed Garrick. reading the crudely
typewriter sheet of paper which a
short. stocky freshman laid before him.
Yes. Mr.. Garrick. the Black Hand.
repeated the visitor breathlessly. 81
received it today. | have heard of you
and | thought that perhaps you would
take up the case. / can pay you. sir
not out of city funds. but from a spe-
ciaI fund that has been given me by
Mr.. Townsend Cooke. of Rockcrest. TO
Catch-"
And you are" interrupted Garrick,
looking up Inqurincly at the man.
Dennis Riley. of the Bureau of
Combustibles.'
But about Townsend Cooke.
prompted Garrick. How does a mil
lionaire broker figure in it,
"Why. it's like this" began Riley.
There has been an epidemic of bombs
up there in the rich colony at Rock
crest on the Hudson. First. it was
question is now. will it be one of the
miIliOnaires next
Cooke hasn't been threatened. him
self. has he" asked Garrick quickly.
Riley leaned over eXcitedly. "A
bomb was sent to him last night" he
exclaimed. Fortunately it didn't ex-
pIode But here is the address on the
package as it was mailed at the gen.
eral postofice here in New York"
Riley produced a typewriter label
from his capacious wallet and Garrick
fairly bounced on it. studying it care
fully.
Il have taken the bomb" Riley went
on "ss well as others-what was left
of the exploded ones and another that
was sent to one of the men and did not
explode. have analysed and cata-
Iogucd them"
Garrick had meanwhile pulled out OF
his desk a transparent glass plate,
ruled in regular little oblongs.
That's right. Riley" he agreed.
People. especially public officers. re-
ceive lots of threatening letters and too
often they throw them away. I'm glad
you brought this to me"
He was examining both letter and
label under the ruled glas carefully.
or course" apologized Riley. Il
don't know who these bomb senders
are and 1 suppose the letter isn't of
much account as n clew.'
ON the contrary" interrupted Gar
rick. still porting over it, the type
writer is perhaps less efficient means
OF concealing identity than is dis
suised handwriting. 1t doesn't afford
the effective protection the criminal
supposcs. Quite the opposite. 1t may
he the direct means of tracing letter
To its source, OF determining first the
kind of machine on which the letter
was written, then of what particular
individual machine was used. For in
stance, l can count the number of
threads to the inch in the ribbon that
was employed and find out by my tint
omcter the exact color of it. Not only
that. but this alignment test plate en-
abcs me TO study accurately the spac-
ing and alignment of the typewriter
characters. Perhaps. too. you are not
acquainted with the fact that type
written characters are in line both
ways, horizontally and vertically.
Then. there are nine possible posi-
tons for each character which may be
assumed with reference to one of these
little standard squares of the test
plate. Not only that. but the faces of
worn. battered. as we'll as out OF align
ment. or slightly shifted in their posi- |
ton on the type bar. The type faces |
not fat, but little concave to
conform to the roller. There are |
thousands of possible diverSences. |
sears and deformities in the type of !
each machine. |
This writing, for example. is from |
p particularly old and battered ma
chine. The label and the letter came |
from the same source. The fact is. ]
c"uIi identify the sender-only. of
course he added. with a smile. first.
We must locate the machine"
81 wish you could go out to Rock
crest with me-" ventured Riley. I'm
sure you'd not regret meeting Mr..
Cooke"
Il shall be glad to do so later but
first, have these Black Handlers no
connections in the city,"
Yes" replied Riley slowly. the
bomb to Mr.. Cooke was mailed here,
as l told you. 1 can't say how many
OF the hundreds OF killings in the city
arc the work OF this gang. But. just
now. it is RockCrest that is terrorized."
Garrick already knew something OF
Townsend Cooke-a big man. big of
stature and big in action. l.
The Cooke place covers hundreds of
acres" went on Riley. AT present
perhaps fifty mon are employed in
grading il over at one end. 1t was the
blackmailinE OF these men that started
the trouble. Rs nearly as can find out.
j have been observing the men at
work about the place. Among them Is
one. Giuseppe. the contractor. whose
refusal to pay blackmail. in which he
was supported by Mr.. Cooke. has pre-
cipitated the trouble on the Cooke es-
tate"
Il should like to see Giuseppe" unused