The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-01-14

Boule cabinet which makes this un.
known willing to do murder for it?
Does he think those letters are still
in 1t 2"
"He knows they are not in 1t now
you told linn. Before that, he knew
nothing about the letters. If he had
known of them, he would have had
shipped"
What is it. them" 1 demanded.
And, above all, Godfrey, why should
this fellow hide himself in Vantine's
house n kill two men? Did they
surprise him while he was working
over the cabinet?"
L see no reason to believe that he
"a ever inside the Vantine house."
said Godfrey quietly; that is, until you
LOOK him there yourself his afternoon"
But, look here, Godfrey,"I protested,
mats nonsense. He must have been
IN the house, or he couldn't have killed
Vantine and Drouet."
Who said he killed them?"
If he didn't kill them, who Ii 2"
Godfrey took two or three contern-
plative puffs, while / sat there staring
at him.
Well" Godfrey answered, at last,
now I'm going to a little. We
" SOuA ldSClIldllTR IT1enQ.
armand, as we may as well call him
Ior the present. He is an extraordi.
nary man"
NO doubt Of it," I agreed.
1 can only repeat What I have said
pefore-in my opinion, he is the great
est crlmlnal of modern times"
If he is a criminal at all, he Is un-
doubtedly a great one" 1 conceded.
But 1t is hard for me to believe that
ne is a criminal. He's the most Gull
tired man l ever met"
OF course he is. That's why he's so
dangerous. An ignorant criminal is
never dangerous-it's the ignorant
Hrlmlnals who fill the prisons. But
look out for the educated, ACCOMPLISHED
ones. 1t takes brains to be a great
criminal, Lester, and brains Of a high
order"
But why should a man with brains
be a criminal?" I queried. IF he can
earn an honest living, why should he
be dishonest?"
I'm the first place. most criminals are
criminals from choice. not from neces-
slty; n with a cultured man the in
centlve is usually the excitement of it.
Have you ever thought what an ex-
citing game it is, Lester, to defy So
clety, to break the law, to know that
one, and yet to come out triumphant?
And then. | suppose, every great GRIM
inal is a little insane"
No doubt of it," I agreed.
Just as every absolutely honest man
Is a little insane" went on Godfrey
quickly. Just as every great reformer
ana is a little insane. The
sane men are the average ones, who
are fairly onest and yet tell white lies
on occasion, who Succumb to tempta-
ton now and then; Who temporize and
compromise and try to lead a com
portable and quiet life. I repeat, Lester,
that this fellow is a great criminal,
and that he fnds life Infinitely more
engrossing than either you or I. 1 hope
l shall meet him some time-not in a
little skirmish like this, but in an out
and-out battle. OF course I'd be routed.
horse, foot and dragoons-but it GER
tainly would be Interestingly" and he
looked at me, his eyes glowing.
1t certainly would" 1 agreed. 60
ahead with your man
Here it is. This M. Armand Is a
great criminal, and has, of course, va
rlous followers. upon whom he must
rely FOR the performance of certain de-
tails, since he can be in but one place
at a time. Abject and absolute ODE
dlence is necessary to his success, and
he ompels obedience in the only way
IN which 1t can be compelled among
criminals-by fear. For disobedience.
there is but one punishment-death.
tAiAo tiS Lidllllel VI the uedLl IS SO GER
tain II so mysterious as to be al
most supernatural. For deserters and
traitors are found to have died, newt
ably and invariably, from the effects of
an insignificant wound on the right
hand, just above the knuckles."
l was listening intently now, as you
may well believe, for l began to see
whittier the omance was tending.
1T Is by this secret" Godfrey con-
t1nued, that Armand preserves his
absolute supremacy. But occasionally
the temptation Is too great, and one
OF his men deserts. Armand sends this
cabinet to America. He knows tina in
this case the temptation is very great
indeed; he fears ~treachery, and he ar
ranges in the cabinet q mechanism
which will infict death upon the trail
tor in precisely the same way in which
ne himself inhicts it-by means of a
poisoned stab in the right hand. Inn
agtne the effect upon his gang. He is
nowhere near when the act Of treach-
cry is performed, and yet the traitor
dies instantly and surely! Why, it
was a tremendous ideal And it was
carried out with absolute genius"
But l questioned, what act OF
treachery was 1t that Armand feared p"
THE opening of the secret drawer"
Then you still believe in the pois-
oned mechanism
Il certainly do. The tragedy Of this
afternoon proves the truth of the
theory"
II don't see it." T said. heplessly.