The Washington times., 1918-05-14
Part one-(continued)

paid pretty heavily for All his mig
deeds. He il parhlyzed and help5
less: can only be moved about in a
chair. Yet he always sticks to that
white flower OF his: his nurse pins
u onto his coat / don't know how
he lives. but they say that the doe
tor in whose house he was taken III,
Spencer Wilberham. makes him an
allowance. l expect there's a story
underlying all that added the de-
tective thoughtfully, IF one cared
to investigate IT,"
'Moncrief was a seoundrel," said
Guy. >"but I'm interested to know
what has become OF him. However,
let's get back TO my affair I've
always wanted the opportunity OF
asking you a few questions. The
murder OF Goldsmith made things
safe for Esther, though Il involved
me In my subsequent troubles--'
ed
"You are always candid. swan"
said Guy. Il dare say my troubles
are gradually making a man OF me.
But the process IL slow"
Never mind. ~ it's sure" re-
turned swan. with another whih
OF blue smoke Now tell me. what
more do you want TO know"
Il want 10 know such lot Of
things" replied Guy. that 1t Is
very difficult to keep them In
sequence. Lillian has put ideas in
to my head All these murder cases
which the police failed to trace
the man down at AddeTley. Tweed
1edee. Gold5mith-ail those which
are marked with those strange
finger prints on the throat-and
then the girl Smith-Lillian has
told me her suspicion, but it u
only suspicion
PIetro the Welt.
you went on investigating On
your own account. but you never
revealed any discovery you might
have made. Did you fall. or is it
because you preferred to keep the
matter to yourself?"
NO." said the detective. II didn't
fall. But just when I was pre-
pared to make the arrest OF the
actual murderer-for all those
murders were done by the same
hand-we lost sight OF the man,
and he has never been found since"
who was he?" -gasped Guy.
The Italian who was mentioned
in court today. Pfetro Renni~
"Pietro Rennit Then it was in
deed as Lillian guessed" cried Guy.
What a viIlain-That a seoundreli
II il a good thing that"
THAT Pietro has disappeared"
interrupted the detective. with d
sly glance at his companion. I'VE
won't ask too many questions "a
to Pietro's disappearance. NJ.
Hooking. 1t Is wise to conclude
with the magistrate today that he
took Mrs. Willoughby's money AMI
returned to Salerno. leaving his
relatives IN New York to look after
themselves. He was. as you say. a
villain. and the country Is well rii
OF him; and, after all. what does IL
matter that public curiosity will
never'be satisfied as to the true Su-
thor OF those mysterious murders?'
awhy DID He KInF- Asked Guy.
How did you md this out. and
what were the fellows motives?''
asked Guy. surely he didn't kill
for the sake OF killing, yet one
would almost think so from the ex-
travagance of his crime It's a
good thing he only killed villains
Ike himself-with the exception OF
the poor girl. Smith"
believe me. HockingT-the detec-
tive spoke far more seriously than
was his wont-''there is something
so terrible about this BorradaIe curse
that even I have recOiled from the
attempt to fathom il. Mrs. Will
loughby even is nor in possession
OF the whole secret-for there Is
something beyond what she knows.
, something that is known 10 mem
bers OF the family-one or two Of
them only"
you have made some things
clear to me-" said Guy, after a
pause, land others you have made
more obscure. l am still curious to
know how you fixed the guilt OF
those murders upon Pietro Benni."
That I can do" said the deteG-
tive. u obtained the first clue
from an examination Of Goldsmith's
papers. The money-lender had car
r!ed on correspondence
with Renni on the subject
OF the Durder Of Miss Vas
sell After the failure at
Helm the job had been handed on to
Pietro. Who was one OF Goldsmith's
most dDle agents. II lOuk Us a lpu6
time to decipher that correspondence,
but We succeeded at last.
Why the Maid Was Murdered
had been. as you know. investigat-
ing at Adderley, and the name OF
Pietro Renni was familiar to me. He
had been employed down there by Mrs.
WillOuEhby and she had dismissed
MIN Mrs WiIoughby. II appears.
brought this man to New York from
Italy. thinking him the sort OF person
who was likely to be useful to her, but
he soon got out OF hand, and she found
that he was involved with New YORK
rogues-such as Goldsmith-and It
was necessary for her to get rid OF aim
as best she could.
well. you see that II was on Gold
smiths Instructions that Pietro at
tempted to murder Miss Vassell. He
had presumably tracked your cousin
to New YoEk and hung about her hotel
waiting for his opportunity. BY a mis-
chance the maid. Smith. wearing her
mistress clothes, and sufficiently like.
her In face and figure TO deceive Pietro,
passed that way and up TO the pdrk.
Renni saw his opportunity and fc!-
lowed. He strBck the blow. and a Won
derfully cleveE blow Il was. The un-
happy girl upon her deathbed seems
to have realized and been most snN-
ious to warn her mistress. She seems.
too. 10 have been under the impres-
sion that her assailaHt was not IN
known TO Miss NaSseI. but I account
To- f.vr -