The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-05-11
BY William Flynn Former Chief U. S. Secret Service

stevedoring plant on the Jersey side
OF the harbor.
Pm from Chief FIynn's office" he
was saying. II received an order
To-"
II know all about It," the watch
man answered. The foreman left
instructions for me. We're Grating
automobile ambulances for shipment
to France. I want to show you
something that we found today"
He led the way into the stevedor-
ing shop, there to point out the axle
Of q great chassis-and to swear
quietly as he looked at 1t.
Tho Weakened Axle.
German spies done It'll" ne an
nounced. Nobody else would have
been so dirty and low. These are
ambulances, y know-ambulanceS
for use on the battlefields. And you
know whatd happen If that ever got
on a shell-torn field"
He pointed to the axle of the car.
There, where the putty had been re-
moved by the workmen who had dis
covered IT, was a great, Jagged hole
in the steel Of the axle, a hole burnt
by an acetylene. torch, converting
the axle into q weak, shallow shell,
doomed to break with the first holt
ing strain! Grant frowned as he
looked at it.
$50 that's the game, eh?" he said.
THAT'S why so many ambulances
have been breaking down in France!
That's why
He turned sharply, the Waterman
with him. Far at one side Of the OPP
posite dock they had seen the shadow
Of a man as It skunk along, hiding be-
hind the boxes and bales as ne made
his way from. light to darkness.
Grant sped forward, the watchman
beside him. A moment more and the
shadow leaped forth, to seek escape
in the maze Of shipping on the docks.
But impossible. Headed off by
closed doors. he veered, lodged,
Swerved in his course and leaped
past the guard Of an interned liner,
seeking to spring from 1t to the next
in his effort to escape.
An effort that failed Blocked
again, he veered once more, crashed
hts way through the door of the
ships wireless room, then whtrled, a
chair lifted high over his head. But
the blow did not descend. The tactics
Of the football field had come into
play for Grant-and with d quick
motion he had blocked the blow Of
the spy, disarned him and forced
him against the wall. Fifteen min
utes later, he was listening to the
confession, forced in jerky sentences
from the spy'g lips:
"a guy gave me 800 to set fire to
the docks" he was saying. That's
all know. He was some fellow who
worked around the waterfront here.
I'd gotten a lot o. money often him
and wanted more. belonged to his
magnetic and exile gang
His what?" Harrison Grant bent
forward.
Tho Magnetic Gang.
Ills magnetic gang. We'd steal the
often automobiles that was
goin' to France. He'd give US five
dollars for every one we stole-then
let us have 'em to SELL"
Another little system Of harning
ambulances, eh?'' said Grant slow
1y- What about the axles?"
I'VE burned EN- with an acetylene
torch-so they'd break down when
they hit the battlef1elds-."
$50 they'd break down. when they
were filed with wounded" The
words came from Grants lips in
scathing denunciation. And you
CONFESS to it-you mongrel!" His
hands clenched-it was ali he could
do to keep them from the throat Of
the craven. being before him. Nov
you tell your story and tell it quick"
Ten minutes later Harrison Grant
turned to the guard Of the interned
ship, meanwhile cycling the detectors,
the batteries and sending apparatus
Of the wireless in the room.
This wireless in working order?"
he asked sharply.
eyes"
Harrison Grant stepped toward It
quickly. A moment more and he was
sending forth the code-call Of the
Criminology club. For the spy, while
not able to tell the names Of the
of those who engineered
the heinous business of disabling
an balances, at least had given in
formation that was more than valu-