Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-11-22
Caught In His
Own Trap
BY RICHARD MARLEY

was passing through the gate at a
railroad station in large city to get
aboard train when / saw man
some distance ahead OF mc carrying
number Of packages strapped To-
gether. One of the packages fell TO
the platform unnoticed by the man
carrying them. He was two or three
car lengths ahead of me when he dis
appeared from my sight. and I ran 10
the package he had dropped hoping
TO be in time to take it to him.
There was no one between me and
! it, but there was a man close behind.
When took up the package the man
looked disappointed and irritated that
he had not secured IL himself, but he
did not attempt to get il away from
me. / did not know which of two
cars its owner had entered. / looked
into one for someone carrying pack
ages strapped together, but it was
necessary 10 pass through il TO find
him. ! was not successful and went
into the other car. Here too ! missed
! my man. The man who had seen me
pick up the package approached me
and asked If had found the owner
and I admitted that ! had not. He
suggested opening it TO see if its con-
! tents would give clue. did so and
there in a pasteboard box was a pearl
necklace which / knew to be of enor-
nous value.
Il thought So" said my companion.
Thought what?" l asked.
Its what I have been after for q
! week. That necklace was stolen ten
days ago from a very wealthy woman
and the detective agency with which
/ am connected was employed to re-
cover it, Give it TO me with your
name and address and I'll see that
you are rewarded for the find"
Not unless you show your author
ity as a detective" l said.
He opened his coat and showed
some sort of a metallic badge.
Very well, I'll go with you TO your
Office"
This did not seem to please him,
but he assented. We left the train
together. i in possession of the neck
lace. Outside the station he called a
taxi, and we both got in, he giving
the driver an address. We were driv-
en- to a house in a street which had
once been used for dwellings, but now
was filed with shops of a low grade.
Alighting at a house, the ground floor
of which was used for shop. my
companion led me up to the second
story. We entered a room and he
. locked the door behind us.
Ii did not require much time for
! me to see that ! had been trapped.
snow" he said to me. i've got you
where you can't get away, Pete Kear-
. ney. / know the gang to which you
. belong. That package was dropped
purposely to fall into your hands. Had
] attempted to take it from you at
the station there would have been O
struggle and your pals would have got
the plumber and run away with it.
Surrender it and all will be WE'LL
/ / did not know the mans exact game
but | must play game as well as ne.
You're not going TO get the swag,"
/ said, "you might as well give uIi this
game If you will open the door and
let me out I'll not peach on you; if
you don't I'll land you in states
prison"
He drew a revolver from his hip
/ pocket and cooked it. ! believed that
he was blufiing.
We did lot of talking at the end
Of which / turned my glance to the
only window in the room changing my
expression Mt the same time TO sur
prise and exultation. He locked in
the direction ] looked. | seized the
wrist of the hand that held the pistol
and with my other hand gave him a
blow that dropped his weapon on the
floor. Then / gave him a shove that
sent him against the wall. and picked
UP the pistol.
The rest was easily done. | marched
him to a police station, and left him
| there with charge Of assault. Hay-
ing learned the name OF the owner Of
the necklace ! delivered 1t TO her The
same evening. She wrote check for
ten thousand dollars and handed il 10
me, but declined to take my reward
for what I had done The necklace
was worth fifty thousand dollars.