Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-24
WILLIAM ]. FLYNN

lLLlHl j. l. IL lNlN
ctired Chief Of the United States Seer
come from and knew that IN meeting
the agitation Of the |. w. W. theN were
In reality working against another Ger
man plot in America. Raid after raid
was made cna local headquarters OF the
|. w. w and many prisoners were mace
and haled into court on charges Of a.
most every felony on the docket from
murder dowr. Yet the organization con-
tinucd to fpIrlsh. Outbreaks occurred
all over America. some serious, others
quelled almost before they were started
Grant and Dixie devoted their time
to investigation and very seldom were
engaged ON a particular case when the
time for raidrg came. They discovered
ward which they were working. then
turned the clearly defined trail over to
other less skilled workers 10 pursue,
while they gave attention 10 other hesus
which indicated plot was brewing
Masses OF documents teaching sabotage;
destruction of all sorts. the making ana
firing of bombs, sediticn and many otner
thiuEs detrimental 10 the industrial
health and strength of nation were
the natural accompaniment OF every
raid. Sabotage was the most dangerous
~ all and It was to this branch OF the
| W. w. activity to which Grant ana
Dixie devoted most Of their time.
Machinery in various plants suddenly
broke down, despite the reliability Of its
manufacturers Grant and Dixie dis
covered that emery powder had been
mixed with lubrcsting oil. and as u
result locks were placed on lunTicating
cups. and trusted men attended 10 the
duties ,f oiling, using only oil that had
ben strained and inspected and Kept
under lock and key. There wer"
epidemics Of typhoid in colonies of work
ers, and after their first investigation
Grant and Dixie made a report which
put every health officer in the country on
guard against diverted sewage.
Then came the fires in the whestnelds
of the country. Grant and Dixie we're
already on their way to Minnesota when
announcement was made that their fields
burst into flames under their own eyes,
without another person being in sight.
But Grant and Dixie DID not accept this
explanation. They knew that almost
anything was possible where there was
money TO be obtained and they knew
that Germany was supplying funds
reCklessly.
Convinced that the fires were OF in
cendiary origin. despite the testimony OF
the farmers Grant and Dixie went di-
rectly to one of the
devastated fields.
Grant There was nothing
Discovers Cause to be seen except
of Fires acre after acre of
charred soil where
a few days earlier
had stood bushels and bushels of wheat
ready for harvest. The farmer pointed
out to them the spot where the fire had
started Grant hegan an examination
OF the ground, while Dixie looked over
the surrounding country, \ railroad
ran about a quarter of a mile distant.
1T couldn't have been y. spark from
an engine" she asked the farmer.
Not chance" he responded. "EverN
engine has sieve in its stack and
anyway. there hadn't been train pas
within two hours OF the time this fir
started"
"Will meet you at the hotel tonight.
Dixie called to Grant, and started across
the field toward the tracks.
Lend me your handkerchief, vii
you?" ~
1t was a call from Grart. and it caused
the farmer to turn from watching th
pleasing, trim figure Of Dixie Masor
making her way across the field H
saw that Grant had already filed hi
own handkerchief with soil dug out o
the field. Grant took the spacious piec,
of cloth which the farmer handed hin
wonderingly, and. walking nearly hun
dred feet from where he had taken hi
original sample of the soil he knei
down and, with his pocket knife, dug VI
another generous clod and put that IL
the farmers handkerchief Then. pick
the IA armer:
Can YOU drive me right into town
! have some work to do"
Sure" answered the farmer. impress
ed by Grants manner; and then his Gu
riosty prompted the question, "Hav
! you found gold or ol""
Maybe something more valuab bic tina
either to the wheat farmer answere
Grant. II think | have found the caus
of the fires in the wheat fields, but wi
know for a certainty by tonight"
The farmer asked no more questions
, but hurried away. soon to reappear o
. the road near the field at the wheel Of
, speedy little roadster. On the wa
t1tn Rull l,i,
Z had been shorn Of their yield by fr
were passed and Grant stopped at eac
Z one of them. He walked over thel
| blackened lengths carefully until eN
IDENTIFY the thing for which lie searche
4 was discovered. Then a. before he too
n a sample of the soil and a second samp
s many yards distant from the first pos
V ton. By the time the little roadstt
J. drove up In front of the one hotel in Il
d nearest city the pockets of both Inc
il were filled with Minnesota soil.
s They had already made stop at
y drug store where Grant taxed the stoc
= of the proprietor with the demands !
8 made. He succeeded in getting ever.
r thing that he wanted-acds, salts al
= other things of which the farmer Ina
o never heard. Once in Grants room
d the hotel, the president of the Grin
v nology Club spread out large piece
l. white paper on the floor. On 1t
= marked several circles in parallel row
" Empty your right hand pockets
d this side, and put the soil from your lie
h hand pockets on this side" he ordert
le briefly, and then, in response to u
a mute request on the face OF the fsrme
= he added, Yes, stay If you want 20
rs and began emptying his own pocket
m With the soil samples from rario
ID fields arranged in nest piles on I
,e white paper. Grant set to work on ma
z ters which were, for the most part my
rs terious TO the farmer, Bunsen burn
ID was connected with the chandelier
IN the room, Small portions of the $
O. from each pile were placed in separs
test tubes. Then each was heated. M
, ed with small portions Of the mat
:" from the various bottlss and packal
" which had been gotten a the drug sto
Each test tube was treated in identica
-, the same way, and as he finished W.
~ each one, Grant entered figures in
AZ a. notebook He was working on the Il
IS IS tube when a knock came on the do
n and in response to Grants Come,
20 door opened and Dixie Mason enter
~ The little Secret Service operative
r, mained silent while Grant finished
na test tube He jotted some figures in
7 notebook, then snapped IL shut, and tul
al ed toward her smiling
" You have discovered something
n Dixie asked.
sv II think So" answered Grant. Il
~ first let us hear what you have disc
or cred. to see If 1t fits in with my find.
'ly TT isn't an awful lot" answel
er Dixie In the first place every
ry has started in the portion of the Fl
M nearest to the road or a railroad, q
ad almost invariably there has been wa
he near the place where the fire start
he The only strangers which have been