Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-09-17

instant the lights were switched off
In through the broken window Har-
old thrust his body, needless Of the
splintered glass that cut at his hands
and face and rent his clothes.
AS he set foot inside the Mitch darl,
room pocket flashlights rays smote
blindingly athwart his cycballs. At
the same instant. Iarold's cropping
hand came in contact with flmsy
gilt chair. With all his might he
hurled this ineffective missile at the
white lens Of the spotlight. The
though knocked from its holders hand
by the force Of the chairs impact.
Almost AT once stanley's outHung
arm brushed against the shoulder of
man who was stealing UP toward him
through the dense blackness.
Harold sprane in and srappled the
unseen foe. The latter was strong
and active man, and fought with the
FURY OF cornercd beast.
In less than five seconds of blind
struggle he found the hold he sought
one tremendous heavc and he had
swung his invisible enemy clear Of
the floor and high in the air a sec
ond heave and the murderer went
whirling through the room, bringin
up with a rb-crushng impact against
the farther wall
Harold, painting from his exertion,
spun about with arms expanded to
crope for the second assassin. AS he
did so his foot struck the inertly Quiv-
ering body of man who lay spra WI
ing on the floor in front OF him.
With thrill of revulsion Harold
realized he had stumbled over the
corpse of the stranglcd Hanna He
sought to recover his balance with a
deft turn Of his shoulders and n back
ward swing of his outstretched arms
And some one seized him from be-
hind.
\ Sc; Of long. ice-cold fingers wrap
ped themselves about the young mans
muscular neck. seeking and immedi-
atelv finding the windpipe. just as two
powerful thumbs began to press deep
into the top OF his spine. directly he
low the base of the brain.
When the stunning effect Of the blow
passed lie opened his eyes 10 find the
room alirht and fun OF people.
Florence Montrose and "A policeman
were bending over him. Servants and
pa ssers- by. attracted by the noise Of
battle. were thronRing in. Harold
started up. but he swayed weakly from
SIDE TO side, and would have fallen
again but for the policemans support
ing arm. On tho floor in front of him
lay liannns dead body.
He drew the terrified girl from tho
room as ne spoke and led her down
the hail TO the front door. On the
threshold they almost collided with a
man who was coming in. The new
conner and Harold recognized each
other At glance. even in that dim
light.
Hello. Parrish" said Harold. not
over-cordially.
Good evening. Mr. stanley" return
ed the detective. They told me at
the station that there's been another
/ Crimson Stain crime. ls--?"
Yes" answered Harold. That
means the fifteenth in four months"
This one is like all the rest. sup
pose" hazarded Parrish. "Choked to
death and no clew."
No" contradicted Harold. with sud
den citation. there Is clew. this
time y real one I've felt the muir
dcrer's hands around my own throat
And I've seen his eyes And he con-
MIR Beaujolais spoke OF n Crimson
stain I've seen that stain"
What" cried both Parrish and
/ Florence in single breath
LAS climbed into the front win
dow" said Harold. HE switched off
the light. But he turned an electric
flash lamp on me. The glare dazzled
me and LEFT him invisible. threw
chair at the light and knocked IL out
OF his hand As ii fell-before the jar
OF hitting the floor released the battery
catch and put out tho lights rays
fell for fraction Of n second the
upper part OF his face
You recognized him." cried Par
r;sh
no. He was no one had ever
seen. I'm not sure I'd recognize the
face again. But I'd recognize the eyes
anywhere on earth"
The eyes are red" answered stan
Icy "A fiery crimson. As If they had
been stained with blood I believe
that is what Beaujo!ais meant by the
Crimson Stain He saw"
Pot" sneered Parrish. breaking
Into a roar OF noisily derisive laugh
ter. That's the way with YOU ANA
tcmrs-always imagining things and
hunting up fancy clews Crimson
stained eyes, hey? And YOU saw all
that in the time /, took flashlisht
ray to fit across his face? It's the
silliest drivel I ever heard
In roomy uptown building on New
York's East Side lived Tanner
on the night of the Hanna murder
and an hour or so after the crimes
discovery, several of these visitors
drifted. one by one. into the den from
an alley entrance. All hut one were
men. The exception was vanya Tosca.
woman who. for very obvious rea-
son. had long been named "the YAM
pirc.'
One man was evidently in high au-
thority among the little group. to
judge by the almost cringinE defer
cnces bestowed on him by the rest.
He was dark. sinuous. tigerish. with
strange and unforgetable face and
with a gaze as hypnotic as a snakes
He claimed to be French by birth and
called himself pierre La Rue" No
one knew his real name.
"All here" he said. tersely. Here's
the report. Tanner and went to
Hannas as we planned. We got in.
easily enough. Hanna was in the
library alone. He was so old and
feeble that l had decided to let Tan
ner do the job. instead of doing it
myself He'd been plaguing me to let
him try the grin ever since | taught
1t to him. 1t was a false move. For
he bungled. They struggled all over
the room, and they got between tho
light and the window shade. a man
smashed in through the window and
threw Tanner against the wall. Grip
ping his shoulder. | got the grip on
the fellow; and j was finishing him
when ] heard the police whistle. We
showed what cash we could find into
. Lilo w