Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-27


have the added advantage Of knowing
the district"
The start wa s
made without loss
of time. The young
DlNle on Another driver trailed Col
Trail onel MouIton easily
by inquiries of other
, planters, m o t of
Wnom at ne knew. Following directions
colonel and the Mexican registered at
the only hotel in small town in 'he
mldst or cotton-growing sect ion which
mad always been free from weevils.
Moulton and the Mexican were out
when Dixie and her escort arrived, BY
showing her Secret Service badge Dixie
obtained permission to search their
room. While the landlord. clerk and the
superintendent watched her she opened
the only trunk in the room and found
It contained just what she expected
II was about half filled with bolls of
guatemala cotton, each boil filled with
the weevils so deadly to anv other
variety of cotton bloom. Dixie made
quick examination and then turned
10 caution the witnesses of the discovery
TO secrecy until the two plotters re-
turned to the hotel
But she had delayed too long in Civ
ing the warming. As soon as the clerk
had realized the enormity of the offense
which the presence of the Guatemala
bolls portended he had left the room and
started spreading the alarm Cotton
was the life blood of that district and
an attack on cotton meant an attack
on the commonwealth. Southerners
nave but one way of dealing with a
common menace. and already a mob,
on foot, horseback and in automobiles
had started over the same road taken
by Moulton and his confederate in the
morning. Dixie and her escort joined
the crowd and were in the vanguard
when Moulton was sighted seated on the
"a n n inr bntt
talking with the owner
Moulton took but one look at the mob
and seemed to divine its purport. He
ran from the veranda and lcaped into
a high-powered automobile which stood
IN the roadway and started 1t instantly.
Severa! shots We're fired at him. but all
went went astray and in a moment he was
going down the road at a pace which
easily outdistanced the cars which
started in pursuit.
Go back to town and send out a tele-
graph alarm for his arrest" said Dixie
to the superintendent as she leaped from
the car and started trailing after a sec
ton of the mob which had sighted the
Mexican in one of the cotton fields
moving brought Dixie to the scene Of
the Mexican's capture only after a rope
had been placed around the spys neck
and the other end thrown over the limb
most unconscious from fright when
Dixie broke through the ring which en-
cirCled him. Taking a place near the
trembling wretch, Dixie addressed the
mob with an air of authority:
This man has information which will
ana the Secret Service in fastening the
heinous crime against cotton and Amer
lea upon Germany. Will you give his
life in return for this information"
IF he tells all he knows" was the
answer from one, and the rest Joined in
an affirmative acclaim. The trembling
spy. with hope renewed cried feebly:
,tin hrlI -
still around his
The Mexican neck he made his
Spy COnfesses confession. He said
he had been called
to the German con-
sulate at Zacetacas, and there had been
introduced to two captains who had been
so @e:S IN was possb If hen ssu e
that 1t was he had been hired to go to
Guatemala, and procure the infected
bolls and then had come into the United
States accompanied by one of the cap
tains who had assumed the title of
Colonel Moulton. Since then he had
been engaged in scattering the boil
him unquestioned entrance to fields by
talking of the scheme of an isolated dis
trict.
And of other plans they had against
II heard talk of destroying cotton
which had already been picked but not
shipped, by acid, and of setting fire to
all warehouses in which cotton was
stored which had already been shipped,
but Of those plans l knew none of the
The mention of firing warehouses
caused Dixie Mason to again move
rapidly. Communicating another auto-
mobile, she whrled back to town, there
to send messages of warning to Harrison
Grant
The messages sent by Dixie were car
ried rapidly to the Criminology Club.
but Grant was not there to receive them.
He was a guest at a reception given by
broker and his wife to Count Won
Bernstorff at their country home
Grant was at the reception watching
the progress of events, out of touch with
the Crminology Club for he had thought
caution necessary, and Dixie's warnings
lay unopened on his desk.
Count Won Bernstorff was very atten-
tive to Mrs. Blank. The couple were
seated under some palms near a staircase
when telegram
was delivered to
Bernstorr Secures the German Ambas-
Message From sador As a token
Won Lertx OF the esteem In
which he held her
the German, after
begging her permission. read the mes
sage. and then handed 1t to her. with
the remarks:
Thus does Imperial Germany prevent
her enemies from securing cotton"
Blank accosted his wlfe ana Won Bern
stor6 almost iumedia>91y. ana 4 was
~ Y iIIt N r (