Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-12-16

"There they are," murmured to the
detective in the lead, at the same time
indicating the three fugitives from
justice.
Two of them were sitting on low
er bunk, with playing cards in their
hands. The other man-the freshly
I shaven Blackbeard-was squatting on
an upturned suitcase, his back toward
us.
"This is our trick! You're under
arrestw cried the detective in the lead.
He jumped for the Italian, caught
him by the collar, and pulled him
over backward.
There was sound like a baseball
crashing into catcher's mitt, as an
other detective sent knife Gathering
to the deck, and broke the arm of the
Greek who drew it.
Automatic handouts clicked, out
landish curses reviled us, the few
steerage passengers already aboard
and in their hunks sat up and stared
in amazement-and the chase was
over.
"Frisk 'em" directed the third
deputy tersely.
Experienced hands were soon at
work on the persons of the prisoners,
and rummaging through the miscel-
laneous baggage of the trio, but no
jewel or artificial foot was brought
to light until a close examination of
an innocent-appearing tobacco pouch
revealed hard object securely wrap
ped in oiled paper and buried in the
coarse flakes of tobacco.
"Never even opened it," grunted
the third deputy as he examined the
object before pocketing it. Well
have peep at it when we get down.
town." he added.
And we did. While the snarling
prisoners were being led to the re-
gions below, the police official dis
missed his detectives and unrolled the
paper from the object of our quest.
A closely rolled sheet of paper yel-
low with age and covered with bold
writing in unfamiliar German script
was placed carefully in an envelope,
then we turned our attention to the
sparkling jewel so long imprisoned
in the wooden foot of the faithful
Dalmatian.
Dangling from the end of fine,
web-like chain, the third deputy held
the jewel aloft.
Under the rays of the desk light
the bluish-white stone sparkled and
scintillated like living thing. 1t was
about the size of small walnut-and
was indeed an object of value and
great beauty.
"It's diamond" pronounced the
police official admiringly as he gazed
upon the stone and twined around his
finger the fine gold chain that had
long years ago been taken from the
neck of the woman for whom man
renounced his rights to a throne.
"And it's beaut," he added with en-
phasis as he turned toward his safe.
"Of course" he went on to say,
"we1l need these things for the trial.
When that's over I'll get you a court
order on the property clerk, and then
you can carry out the dead mans
wish. You've done bit of fairly
clever work, and if there's anything
coming to you, you've earned it. l
wish you good luck"
With these words ringing into my
ears l left police headquarters, but
hardly had walked block before the
third deputy's big limousine picked me
up and carried me in triumph to the
corner of First Avenue and East
Twenty-Sixth Street.
And upon his return from the
theatre l told the assistant superin-
tendent story that made him chuckle
joyfully to himself-a story that held
his interest to such an extent that he
permitted his cigar to go out.
Hospital official in fact, he was yet
a newspaper man at heart, and my
picture on the front page of every
morning paper in town delighted him
as much as it embarrassed me.
"Here's letter for you, Mr.. Mac
Donald" said Miss Prendergast some
three months later. "It came in the
last mail, and messenger brought
it up here at once. He said it looked
important"
1 had just returned from "skirm-
ishing" for hot-water bottles in ada
cent wards.
l looked into Miss Julia's twinkling
brown eyes, and then cast my eyes
ever the official-sized, foreign-stamp-
ed envelope she held out to me.