Evening star., 1921-03-13
Ter if the State Department knows OF

der ! s.. if the State Department knows OF
Probably motifs just one of those
things that they couldn't understand
unless they'd been in the far east
themselves-but there's the fellow
me the cash and we'll make our way
to the boat"
"Oh! BY the way. signor Rodriguez.
this is my friend, Mr.. Marshall" in
Producing an elegant looking person
with waxed mustache and goatee.
"Signor Rodriguez? Signor Rodri-
guez?" He didn't recognize the name,
but he knew in a moment that he had
seen that face beforc-somewhere. but
where? That was the question that
puzzled his mind, as the party steamed
over the sunset waters back to the
English colony.
INSPECTOR HIGGINS Of the police
was not feeling in a very happy
mood when he made his official report
of the escape of his prisoner to the
governor.
"Yes. your exeellency." he said. in
answer to Sir Evington's questions,
there can be no doubt of confeder-
ates in the matter. and it was all
skillfully planned out between them"
"They must have known that the
police launch was ready at the pier
and furthermore that the American
consul was going to send a messenger
out to the mail boat at the last mo-
ment, and so they smuggled this pa
per into the mans hands,"
"Quite so, sir"
"Well, doesn't that clearly show
that some one in the confidence Of the
consulate was in league with them"
"One would certainly conclude that
from the evidence. sir. and yet Col.
Hopkinson says distinctly that the
order to the launch was forgery and
that he had no thought whatever OF
sending any papers aboard the mail
boat"
"But the order was on the consular
paper and sealed with the official seal,
and I understand he never allows the
seal to go out of his sight"
the paper and written the order. but
the only way they could get at the
seal was to have picked the lock
while the consul was out of the office.
sir"
the outer door Of the safe open."
HAS any other case ever been re-
ported to you of a forged document
bearing the consular seal?" inquired
the governor. as he laid down his
glasses and looked the inspector
straight in the face.
only one, sir, and that came to me
just this noon in a rather curious
way"
"Tell me about it,
We'll. 1t isn't a Chinese case at all,
but European one
"A European one?'
"Yes, your excellency, a Portuguese
one. 1t seems that Mr.. Westerly
Barnes, a gentleman from the states
who is staying at the hotel with his
family, got into some trouble with the
authorities at Macao the other day.
and obtained his release by a passport
Of some kind, which the consul says he
never issued or heard Of"
And pray, where did the gentleman
obtain it,"
.'Why. a Portuguese named RodigueZ
sold it to him at the Island"
"A most irregular proceeding. to
say the least. But how did you hear
of this?"
me, sir. from a private conversation
he had with young Mr.. Marshall OF
Jardine's."
Are there any Portuguese employed
at the American consulate?"
"Only one. sir. Old Hiraldo the
Goose they call him. but he's as
honest an old soul as we have in
Hongkong and has been in the office
for years"
ut certainly is a most puzzling
case" said the governor. as he tipped
back his chair and thought to him.
self for moment. How would you
feel about our consulting Wang Foo
in the matter?'
Delighted, sir; we always work to-
gether in perfect harmony in these
things. you know"
"Well. then. think you had better
whole case before him."
ssJAd,aho,yt snadA. an m " mi nd. Tn d