Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-09-13

10otO W. ~ bVUsys ~ 0o1s 49,
audible 70 NJ. The speaker coattn
ued:
Some years ago. your o Percivsl
Buckingham. chief engraver for the
government. was taken III and r.
moved to Q sanitarium while you
were absent in Europe. Too close ap
plication to delicate expert work had
blighted his mind. He escaped from
the ssnitarium. and three men ! will
not name, but once known 40 the
most finished showers Of the queer 10
the world. got hold Of him. They sav
their opportunity and improved It
They were shrewd. capable men and
made no blunders. What they did you
| will now learn for the first time.
Those men secured the upper aooE
OF . lonely. secluded house. They
fitted 1t up as nearly a. possible like
one Of the work rooms In the treasury
department. They took your deluded
son there. and made him believe that
he was producing new 1905 series
500 plates for the government. For
nearly . year that was his home.
His mind did not refuse to act me-
chemically along the line eye and skill
had directed for 90 many years. In
brief. he made two plates. 70 perfect
that they we're almost duplicates OF
the original government plates.
Twelve impressions were made. and
two Of these were tested by being
placed in circulation. Today they are
somewhere In existence. their valid.
ity never doubted. Within that week
1t must have been, while u~nguarded
and alone. your son had q fash OF his
old mentality. At all events, when
his three captors returned they found
him gone, and with him the two treas.
ury plates and the ten printed 500
bills.
Now for your end Of the story, as
l understand It: Your son appeared
at this home, suddenly. Unexpectedly.
He must have brought the plates and
the notes. You believed him a coun-
terfeiter. for before he could explain
to you, his insane mood returned.
You at once removed him to a private
asylum. Later you sent him with a
relative, Alan Dean. to Paris. He re-
gained his reason. Today he occupies
a studio in the French capital, patron
lied by devotees Of high art. Happily
married, all that year of mental dark
ness forgotten, restored to his right
mind, he Is a wonderful producer OF
art etchings, a man of fame, and mar
velousV prosperous. You have been
content to keep him out of the IL
try. You lever sought to enlighten
him as to that lost year in his life"
Il know all this--why 60 w it,
came in mufled tones of suffering
from the millionaire.
so that the matter may be clearly
understood between u.s." was the
prompt response. Within a week
after your sons escape from the coun-
terfeiters, n of their number came
to see you. He caused you to believe
that your son had deliberately left the
government service to 60 into a
scheme to secure millions by using
his professional skill az a counter.
You told him a lie. You led
him to believe that your son had de-
stroyed the ten treasury notes and the
two plates. The man. however, threat
ened to find the son you had hidden
away, to denounce him to the police
as a dangerous counterfeiter. To 81.
lence this man. you paid $4,000. and
that ended the matter for, the time
Il know not how" continued the
but my client, when today
he saw the announcement in the
newspapers that certain counterfeit
800 treasury notes of a certain series
In circulation, at once was
to an irresistible conclusion.
Those notes came from this house
they could come from nowhere else.
nephew, only recently arrived
Paris, where your son Is living,
S missing from your home since yes.
A man answering his descrip-
ion passed the notes. Putting this
and that together, my client reasons
hat you have also the plates. He
must have them"
Again a groan from the lips Of the
tortured man.
We heard a tottering step cross the
Floor. Marvel was at my side as the
lraperies were agitated. He reached
me in a swift glide and drew me be-
side him to a curtalned alcove in the
library as Arnold Buckingham entered
and turned on a light.
The old mans lips were trembling
he was whispering hoarsely to
himself. His eyes we're those OF a
man on the verge Of losing his senses.
He produced a key, opened a strong.
box safe, and from some inner recess
1rew out two oblong pieces of metal.
a fash Marvel was at his side.
"On your life, not a word" he alb.
ured the shrinking. weIl.nigh stricken
Millionaire. 9" will deal with the
sretches who seek to blackmail you"
] pressed to the side of Buckingham
md supported him, or he would have
allen. saw Marvel hold the plates
oward the light. He drew q magni.
ying glass from his pocket and
ooked them over.
What was the significance OF the
luick, momentary smile that crossed
lis lips, ! knew not then. Before
'ould even conjecture a cause, he had
'arted the d%raperies, and I heard the
awyer's metallic voice exclaim:
"Resilius Marvel"
you know me-" was the stern re.
IA. -A 49,. |