Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-06-28
CHAPTER 1.

the east, and one at the west end OF
the siding. For the rest all was black
ness. Half way between the switch
lights, Struggled close against the
single tracked main line, the station,
little more than a shanty and too In
significant to boast night operator,
doomed up shadowy and indistinct-
Away to the westward, like Jagged
points sticking UP into the night and
standing out in relief against the sky
line, the Rockies reared their peaks.
And the spell OF brooding mountains
seemed to lie over all the desolate,
butte broken surrounding country
for all was utter silence.
And then there came a sound. low
at first, like a strange muttering
from somewhere to the westward. 1t
died away, grew louder, was hushed
again-and broke into sustained
roar. Came then the quick, short
gasps OF the exhaust-it was a freight
and heavy one. And suddenly. from
up the track, clroling an intervening
butte, an electric headlight cut
streaming thru tho black. It touched
the little station in queerly inquis-
tive way In the sweep OF its arc,
fingered an instant over the platform.
then swung to the right of way. and
held there, the metals glistening like
polished silver ribbons under the
flood of light.
Straining, painting at its load, red
deninE the sky as the fire-box door
was flung open, the big en-wheeler
stormed by, coughing the sparks
heavenward from its stack. The roar
IN the still night grew deafening, as
boxcar. flat and gondola, lurching,
swaying, clanking. grooming, an end
less string, tugging at one another,
grinding their nanges. screaming. as
they took up the axle play, staggered
with din internal past the lonely
and unlighted station.
s..The- roar sank into n gradually d.
minishing murmur. The tail lights
winked like mischievous little red
eyes in the distance-and vanished.
All was stiffness and brooding ST.
lence again.
And then q mans form, Hike a black
shadow In the darkness, rose from
the trackside, and crept to the plat
form, and along the platform to the
station door.
The man bent forward, and the
round, white ray OF pocket flash
Aight played upon the lock. He ex-
amined tho lock for an instant ap-
praisinglY, then drew q bunch of skel-
eton keys from his pocket and, Sc
lecting one Of the number without
hesitation. unlocked the door, stepped
inside, and closed tho door behind
him.
The nashlight swept IN a circle
around the interior OF the little sta
ton. There were but two rooms-the
small waiting room which he had en-
tered, and in which he now stood;
and. partitioned off from this, the
door open, o still smaller; inner room,
the agents office. He moved at once
into the latter, and his flashlight,
swiftly now. searched around the
walls and held upon the clock. It was
SIX minutes to ten.
Pretty close work." muttered the
man. "Six minutes to wait"
The ray travelled now over the op-
orators table, and from the table to
the switchboard. He reached out,
cut In" the office circuit, listened for
an instant ~ the sounder began to
chatter-then the ray swept over the
table again. Under q Newspaper, that
the day man had apparantely flung
down at haphazard on leaving the
office, he found q pad Of telegraph
blanks, from which, evidently wary
, OF the consequences Of using a pad
with, Its. resultant tell tale impress
sions ON the under sheets, he tore off
q sheet and laid 1t down ready to
hand before him
This done, he nodded complacently,
sat down In the operators chair, tilt
ED the chair back, put his feet up on
the table. and coolly picked up the
newspaper. It was the evening edi-
ton Of tho Sellxirk City Journal, that
had presumably been tossed off at the
station by q charitable train crew of
some late afternoon train out from
the city. He held the paper in one
hand, tho flashnsht In the other,
scanned the page. which happened to
be an inner one oursorily, turned it
over and suddenly leaned forward a
little in his seat. He was staring at
the headline at the top right-hand
corner Of the front. page,
NOTORIOUS CRIMINAL RE-
LEASED FROM SING SING
Police Are Warned That Man May
Be In This Vicinity.
Harry Maui, Alias The Hawk, Known
To Be In the West.
The telegraph sounder Chartered
volubly for an instant. as tho to