The Washington herald., 1920-10-25

| Churia entered upon It's uutles
and privileges with enthusiasm.
Its first act was to send an agent
to CoraliO with imperative orders
to recover. if possible. the sum OF
money ravished from the treasury
by the illfated MirafOres.
Colonel Emilio Falcon, the pri-
vate secretary of LOsada, the new
president, was dispatched from the
capital upon this important mission.
The position of private secretary
to a tropical president is a respon-
sible one. He must be a diplomat,
a spy. d ruler of men, a bOdyguard
to his chief. and smellerout of
plots and nascent revolutions. Often
he is the power behind the throne,
the dictator of policy: and presi-
dent chooses him with a dozen
times the care with which he selects
a matrimonial mate.
Colonel Falcon. a handsome and
urb5ne gentleman of Castillian
courtesy and debonnaire manners,
came to Coralio with the task be-
fore him of striking upon the cold
trail of the lost money. There he
conferred with the military authOri-
! ties, who had received instructions
to cooperate with him in the
/ search.
! Colonel Falcon established his
! headquarters in one of the rooms
| of the Casa Morena. Here for a
week he held informal sittings-
much as If he were a kind of uni
! fed grand jury-and summoned be-
! fore him all those whose testimony
might ilIumine the financial tragedy
! that had accompanied the less mo-
/ mentous one of the late presidents s
death.
Two or three who were thus eX-
amined among whom was the bar
! Der Esteban, declared that they had
/ idertIfied the body of the president
/ before it's burial.
"Of the truth" testified Esteban
before the mighty secretary, 1t was
he. the president. Consider how
could I shave a man and not see
| lis face? He sent for me to shave
him in a small house. He had a
beard very black and thick. Had I
even seen the president before
Why not? saw him once ride
forth in d carriage from tho vapOr
| in SOlitas. When ] shaved him he
gave me a gold piece, and said there
was to be no talk. But l am a
Liberal am devoted to my COun-
try-and spakc OF these things to
Scnor Goodwin
1t is known" said Colonel Fall
con. smoothly. that the late Presi-
dent took with him an American
leather valisc, containing q large
amount Of money. Did you see
that"
DE veras-nu." Estcban answer
ed. The light in the little hOus"
was but 4 small lamp by which
could scarcely sec to shave tho
President. Such a thing there may
have been, but l did not see 1t. No
Also in the room was a young lady
"a senorita of much beauty-that
l could see even in SO small a light
But the money, senior, or the thing
in which it was carried-that l did
not see"
The cOmandante and other Off
GERS gave testimony that they had
been awakened and alarmed by the
noise of a pistOl-shOt in the HOte'
de los Estranjeros. HurryinG
thither to protect the peace anc
dignity OF the republic. they founC
a man lying dead. with pistol
cIutched in his hand. Beside hin
was a young woman, weeping sore.
.Iy. Senior Goodwin was also in the
room when they entered it. But oi
the valise of money they saw moth
ing.
Madame TimOtca Ortiz, the pro,
0prictress of the hotel in which the
game of FOX-iu- the Morning hat
been played out. told of the coming
Of the two guests to her house.
To my house they came" saiC
she-"onC senior, not quite old. anC
ione senOrita Of sufficient handsome
ness They desired not to eat or Il
drink-not even of my aguardiente
which is the best. To their room'
. they asCcnded-NgmcrO Nueve anC
Numcro Diez. Later came Seno
Goodwin, who asccndcd to speak
, with them. Then l heard q grea
noise like that Of a canon. and the!
said that the pobrc PrCsidcntc hac
shot himself Esta bucnO. ] saw
! nothing OF money or of the thing
you call vcliz that you say he car
ried in it
Colonel Falcon soon came to tn,
reasonable conclusion that if any
one iu Coralio could furnish a clu,
to the vanished money, Franl
Goodwin must be the man. But tn
wise secretary pursued a differen
course in seeking information frOT
the American. Goodwin was
powerful friend to the new admin
istration, and one who was not I
be carelessly dealt with in respec
to either his honesty or his courage
Even the private secretary of HI
: EXcellenCy hesitated to have thi
h I rubber prince and mahogany baror
III hailed before him as a common Citi
III zen of AnChuria So he sent Good
II win 4 tiOwery epistle, each word
II petal dripping with honey. request
| ling the favor of an interview W
III Goodwin replied with an invitatlO
| to dinner at his own house.
II Before the hour named the Amer
II lean walked over to the Casa Mo
| rena, and greeted his guest frankl
| and friendly. Then the two strOlle
III in the cool Of the afternoon, Il
III Goodwin's home in the envirOns.
HI The American left Colonel Falco
| in big, cool, shadowed room wit
a floor of inlaid and polished wood
that any millionaire in the State
| would have enYied, excusing him
self for a few minutes. He crosse
patio, shaded with deftly ar
| ranged awnings and plants. an
| entered long room looking upo
II the sea in the opposite wing o. tn
n house. The broad jalousies wer
II opened VIDE. and the ocean brecz
flowed in through the room, an in
III visible current of GOODNESS an