The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1915-06-11
SIXTEENTH EPISODE
The CRYPTIC RING.


Kennedy had been engaged for some
time in the only work outside of the
Dodge case which he had consented to
take for weeks.
Our old friend, DR.. Leslie, the coro,
ner, had appealed to him TO solve a
very ticklsh point in a Tong murder
case which had set all Chinatown
agog. 1t was, indeed, a very bewilder-
ing case. A Chinaman named Ii
Chang, leader of the Chang Wah Tong,
had been poisoned, but so far no one
had been able to determine what poi
son it was or even to prove that there
had been a poison, except for the fact
that the man was dead, and Kennedy
had taken the thing up in a great
measure because of the sudden turn
in the Dodge case which had brought
us into such close contact with the
Chinese.
had been watching Kennedy with
interest, for the Tong wars always
make picturesque newspaper stories,
when knock at the door announced
the arrival of DR., Leslie, anxious for
some result
Have you been able to find out any
thing yet?" he greeted Kennedy eag-
erly as Craig looked up from his mi
croscope.
Kennedy turned and nodded. "Your
dead man was murdered by means of
aconite, of which, you know, the active
principle is the deadly alkaloid aconi-
tine"
There are several treatments for
aconite poisoning" ruminated Ken
nedy. 81 would say that one of the
latest and best is digitalin given hypo-
dermically." He took down a bottle
of digitalin from a cabinet, adding
"only it was too late in this case"
Just what 'the relations were be
tween Long Sin and the Chong Wah
Tong have never been able to deter
mine exactly. But one thing was GER
tain: Long Sin on his arrival in New |
York had offended the Tong, and now |
that his master, WI Fang, was here |
the offence was even greater, for the
criminal society brooked no rival.
In the dark recesses of a poorly fur
nished cellar, serving as the Tong
headquarters, the new leader and sew
eral of his most trusted followers were
now plotting revenge. Long Sin, they
believed. was responsible for the mur-
der, and with truly Oriental guile,
they had obtained a hold over WI
Fang's secretary.
Their plan decided on, the China
men left the headquarters and made
their way separately uptown. They
rejoined one another in the shelter of
Il rather poor house, before which was
a board fence, in the vicinity of
fashionable apartment house. A mo-
ments conference followed, and then
the secretary glided away
-
Wu had taken another apartment
uptown in one of the large apartment
houses near a parkway.
There Long Sin was now engaged {
in making all possible provisions for !
the safety of his master Anyone
who had happened to glance up at the
roof of the tall apartment building
might have seen Long Sins figure sill
houetted against the sky on the top OF +
The mansard roof near fagpole. a
He had just finished fastening to the +
fagpole stout rope which stretched n
.aut across an areaway some twenty c
)r thirty feet wide to the next build II
ng, where it was fastened to a Chin n
ley. Again and again he tested it,
md finally with nod Of satisfaction b
descended from the roof and went to d
he apartment of WI.
There, alone, he paused for few IL
minutes to gaze in wonder at the cryp- b,
ic ring which had been the net result a
o far of his efforts to find the mil
ions which Bennett, as the Clutching Ct
Hand had hidden. He wore it, strange bC
: enough, over his index finger and b
S he examined it he shook his head hi
a doubt.
Neither he nor his master had yet oy
cen able to fathom the significance of El
be ring,
Long Sin thought that he was unob- X,
erved. But outside, looking through to-
he keyhole, was Wu's secretary, who tn
ad stolen in on the mission which kn
ad been set for him at the Tong an
bl;
Long Sin went over to- a desk and sir
oened a secret box in which Wu had trc
aced several packages Of money
~-~Ne~~S~>~~NN~~-N