Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-06
THE MAN WITH THE CLUB FOOT
BY VALENTINE WILLIAMS

Of Henry Sen,lin United states citizen,
travelling to Europe Details In the body
of the document set forth that Henry sem
ib was born at Brooklyn on 3lst March,
1886 that his hair was black, nose aqu'-
line. chin Hrm and that Of special marks
h had none. The description was goou
enough to ahow me that 1t was undoubt-
c'ly the body of Henry Scnlin thar lay at
my feet
The passport had been issued ut Wash
iugtou three months earlier The only wise
1t bore was that of the American embassy
IN London, dated two DAYS previously. WIN
it was u British permit issued TO Horny
Semlr, manufactures. grant nE hn auth"r-
ity to leave the United Kingdom for the pur-
poae ot travelling TO Rotterdam further bill
for luncheon served on board the pu'ch
! ruyul mail steamer kOnig,h Regcntes on
yusteIday'a date.
In the long AID angushing weeks that fol-
lowed that anxious night in th' Hotel
Of In, I Tuiut ic. I have often wonder
cd &. malicious pronptiugs, to what
mSar ...c | owed the idea that sud
deu'y mated in my brain as sat
lingering hc dead mans ictter-case IN that
'uuaUd room. The imDulsc slrang into my
brain Ike lash aud like flash | acted
| ou II. though / can hardly believe ] meant
! - puifue 1t 10 it's logical conrlu Ton until
| .to-d once more outside the door Of my room.
! The examination Of the dead mans papers
| had shown me that he was an American busI-
/ u sS man, who had just como fion LONDON,
! having hut recently proceeded to England
| from the United states
| What puzzled me was why an Am rican
! manufacturers aecmingiy OF some suosnnce
| lrd Grrpnfly dressed. should 20 e. German
/ hotel on 'he recommendation " German
from his name. ana the style Of his Visiting
! card man ut good family.
! Scmlin might, Of course have been, like
! myself traveller hcniEntcd in Rotterdam
/ owing his recommendation 10 the hotel to
/ German aalu. N lncr IN The city StiIi
J Americans are caut ous folk and ! found II
! rather Improbable that this American bust
r ness man should adventure himself into TINS
/ evil-lcok 2 house with large sum of money
, on his perspu---he bad several hundred pounds
/ of money In Du.ch currency notes in thck
w"d ia his portfolio
knew that the 81 tlsh authorities d,s.
l couraEoG. rs far as they could. nouuals
. ,ravrlirg t, uul fro hotv England and
/ GyrmHny ?. war 'imc. Possibly S"rin want
, ed to do business in Germany OF hiS euro
: pcau "trip rs well Hs in England knowing
the attitude Of the British authoritIes ne
! may ell have made hls arrangements IN
| Holland for getting into Germany lest the
British police should got wind of his pur-
| pose and stop him crossing to Rotterdam.
Tallinr up my candle again. J stole out OF
/ tho room As | stood in the corridor ana
turned 10 lock the bedroom door behind me,
! the mirror at the end Of the passage caught
the reflection of my candle.
looked and myself in the glass i
! white, staring face.
The mex moment I found myself In No S3.
, / could ",r no sign of the key of the room
Somlin must have dronp"d II In his fall. So
it bchoo,cd me- to make haste FOR fear of any
| urtOward interruption. | had not vet heafo
| eleven str Ike on the clock
The strangers hat and ovorCoat lay on q
! chair The hat was from SCntt's; there was
nothing except a pair Of leather gloves n
the ovCrCoat pockets.
bag In size something between n small
liitbag and a large handbag. stood open on
the table. It contained n few toilet neces'
saries, Bair Of pa iHmus clean shirt
pair Of slippers = nothing Of importance
and not scrap Of paper of any kind
went through everything again, looked
in the sponge bag. opened the safety razor
case, shook cut the shirt and finally took
! everything out Of the bag and stacked the
! things on the table
At the bottom of the bag made n strange
discovery The interior of the bag wa'
| fitted with that thin yellow canvas-like ma
tcrtal with which nearly all cheap bags
like this one was are lined. ~ the bottom
| Of the bag an ohlonE piece Of the lining ha'
apparently been torn clean out The leathc
of the rag showed through the slit Ye
| the lining round the edges Of the gap showed
no fraylrg. no trace Of rough usage O
the contrary. the edges We're pasted ncatl
, down on the leather
| 7 lifted the bag and examined it As
| did so I saw living on the table bcs de
an oblong of yellow canvas. | picked 1t u
and found the under side stained with past
and the brown Of the leather.
II was the missing piece Of lining and
was stiff with something that cracl;lcd in
| side u
! slit the piece Of canvas up one side wit
my pcnknife. II contained three long frng
mentS of paper thick expensive h'ghl
glazed paper. Top bottom and left-han
side of each was trim and glossy: the fourtl
side showed a broken edge as though 1t ha,
been roughly cut with knife rhc thrc
slips of paper were the halves of three quart
sheets Of writing, torn in two lengthways
| from top to bottom
At the top of each slip was part Of som
kind of crest in gold what. it was not pos
sible to determine. foI the crest had beer
in the center Of tn sheet and the cut hac
| had gone right through IT,
The letter was written in English, hut th