Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-02-01
Caught in His
Own Trap
By RICHARD MARLEY
lcopyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Unlon.l


Copyright. 1917, Western Newspaper Union.)
l was passing through the gate at a.
railroad station in a large city to get
aboard a train when l saw a man
some distance ahead of me carrying
a number of packages strapped to-
gether. One of the packages fell to
the platform unnoticed by the man
carrying them. He was two or three
car lengths ahead of me when he dis
appeared from my sight, and 1 ran to
the package he had dropped hoping
to be in time to take 1t to him.
There was no one between me and
it, but there was a man close behind.
When I took up the package the man
looked disappointed and irritated that
he had not secured 1t himself, but he
did not attempt to get it AWAY from
me. I did not know which of two
cars its owner had entered. / looked
into n for someone carrying pack
ages strapped together, but it was
necessary to pass through it to find
him. | vas not successful and went
into the other car. Here too / missed
my man. The man who had seen me
pick up the package approached me
and asked if / had found the owner
and I admitted that / had not. He
suggested opening it to see if its con-
tents would give a clue. I did so and
there in a p%asteboard box was a pearl
necklace which l knew to be Of enor-
nous value.
II thought So" said my companion.
Thought what?" I asked.
"It's what 1 have beer after for q
week.. That necklace was stolen ten
days ago from a very wealthy woman
and the detective agency with which
l am connected was employed to re-
name and address and I'll see that
you are rewarded for the find"
"Not unless vol show your author
ity as a detective" l said.
He opened his coat and showed
some sort of a metallic badge.
Very well, I'll go with you to your
Office
This did not seem to please him,
but he assented. We left the train
together. 1 in possession If the neck
lace. Outside the station he called a
taxi, and we both got in, he giving
the driver al address. We were driv-
en- to a house in a street which had
once been used for dwellings, but now
was filed with shops of a low grade.
Alighting at a house, the ground floor
of which was used for a shop, my
companion led me up to the second
story. We entered a room and he
locked the door behind US.
1t did not require much time for
me to see that 1 had been trapped.
"Now," he said to me, "Tve got you
where you can't get away, Pete Kear-
ney. I know the gang to which you
belong. That package was dropped
purposely to fall into your hands. Had
1 attempted to take it from you at
the station there would have been a
struggle and yorr pals would have got
the plumber and run away with it.
Surrender it and all will be well.'
l did not know the mans exact game
but must play a game as well as he.
"You're not going to get the swag,"
I said, you might as well give up this
game. If you win open the door and
let me out I'll not peach on you; if
you don't I'll land you in states
prison."
He drew a revolver from his hip
pocket and cooked it. I believed that
he was bluffing.
We did a lot of talking at the end
of which 1 turned my glance to the
only window in the room changing my
expression at the same time to sur
prise and e%xultation. He looked in
the direction 1 looked. / seized the
wrist of the hand that held the pistol
and with my other hand gave him a
blow that dropped his weapon on the
floor. Then l gave him a shove that
sent him against the wall, and picked
up the pistol.
The rest was easily done. | marched
him to a police station, and left him
there with a charge of assault. Hav-
ing learned the name of the owner of
the necklace 1 delivered it to her the
same evening. She wrote a check for
ten thousand dollars and handed it TO
me, but I declined to take my reward
for what l had done. The necklace
was worth fifty thousand dollars.