Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-04

Murdock street mystery" deep worry line
! IN his hard face, was formally charged
| with violation of the Federal neutrality
laws and held for the action of the Crane
Jury by United States Commissioner
! The Information or complaint was sworr
| 10 by Agent w and was based upon the
passport taken from the prisoner the might
| before.
The passport itself had been issued
months previously by the American state
Department in good faith to Hyman Stein
a Broadway merchant who made a bus.
mess trip to Europe. Investigation showed
that 1t had been stolen from the real stein
| when homecoming on a Holland liner
Ihe photograph Of the merchant on the
document had been skillfully replaced by
another, that of the prisoner, who fitted
the general description on the passport
as TO color of eyes and hair age and
height. How the stamp of the embossing
press Of the Government was put on the
surface of the new photograph became
simple matter when explained
very cleverly DONE too" remarked the
Government agent They first soaked
the original passport with a damp cloth.
and with adhesive paste fastened the new
photograph of the same size over IL. Then
turning the passport upside down. and
placing 1t on soft background such as
a SILK handkerchief. II was not difficult to
trace the outline of the letters of the
embossing press with a dull-pointed knife
or the blunt edge of n small coin. This
new photograph, that of the prisoner
LOOKS exactly as If it had been embossed
by Uncle Sam"
'liave you anything to say In your de-
tense asked the commissioner.
NO. was the almost savage answer.
Ihe man was plainly following instruc-
fense.
He declined the services of several law
yers who had appeared for defendants in
other neutrality violation cases. They
could not get word out of him He
seemed to be waiting for some one that
would make himself known to him by
some sign.
After the commissioner had issued the
warrant, 6S was taken back to the Tombs
where he had alternate paroyvsms of rage
and despair. Through tiny hole in the
roof of his cell Agent w watched him
Tor several hours every day Luckily
the facts of the arrest in Philadelphia and
this arraignment in New York did not
get into the saffron newspapers
In support of our honest belief that
every written tale should be as a conf
dence that is spun along by word of mouth
in n select company of friends here we
momentarily break the thread and frank
ly apologize TO our readers for having
wandered Off to New York in this rather
duh chapter; clearly a case of rank deser-
tion of the hero and our other central
characters. We might have awaited the
return of Andrews, the lawyer and retold
the events as he later related them to
Monte Crispen
But we must not grudge the giving of
a single chapter to New York, a really
wonderful city after ALL even If its peo-
pie sometimes become frightful bores
when talking about themselves What if
there Is grave doubt of any New York
teller giving Philadelphia more than a
paragraph in his written tale Granted
Still, we can well afford to be generous
knowing that while New York has wall
street and the speculator, PHILADELPHIA
possesses the workshop and the mechanic
and stands firmly rooted in our country's
past, outrivaling any suggestion of COM
petition for historical place.
With profound thanks for this short
est on the wayside the teller shall noY |
limb back into Monte's blue limousia, ,
beside Andrews, the lawyer, and Win