Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-02

!
criminal investigation department at
Scotland Yard.
"cOMETHING desperate. without a
~ doubt" I said. 1.-THE girl has
warned mo of personal danger. be-
cause they suspect that I know their
secret But I don't"
"Then 1t is for US to investigate
the clever game these people are evil
IDENTIFY playing. and at once" he said.
whatever it is. recollect that
mademoiselle has made the disclosure
to me. Therefore. neither she nor
tho young fellow. Eugene. must be
arrested; that is, they are still alive.
make that q condition" I added
very seriously.
Certainly. But we can't arrest
anybody until we know that We can
bring an absolute charge against
Them" he said. Nevertheless, we
will go at once and make CALL"
Five detective sergeants with an In
spector, were at once summoned into
the room and were told the object Of
our midnight adventure.
It was then nearly half past ono in
being quiet In the great block Of
flats lights still showed in several
windows.
The door leading to the stone stairs
was unlocked, with a glimmering gas
Jet, there being no hail porter. eau
tiously all eight Of US crept slowly
upstairs, each recollecting that the
first room on the left was said to be
filled with explosives. That room, we
had arranged. should be first secured.
AS we approached the door at the
nat In question noiselessly we could
hear mems voices within.
Pearson suddenly gave a loud
double knock at the door, in in1ita-
ton Of night telegraph messenger.
Instantly all was quiet. when pres
woman with towsled gray hair. AS
she opened it we all made a rush
within.
Next moment there reigned a per-
feet pandemonium OF shouts and
cries. OF shrieks and fierce impreca-
lions in Spanish. For while the room
on the left had been seized by two of
our party, the others had gained the
apartment beyond, in which stood
Stana's brother. his elderly friend and
three other men of swarthy complex
ion-Spaniards. all of them.
The moment the tall, evil-faced
men who had met Stana at Charing
Cross realized that We were there he
made a dash toward the room of
danger Ere he could reach the door.
however. he was secured. but. draw
| ing a revolver. he fired. For a full
five minutes there was a rough and
tumble" Without doubt something
desperate had been afoot in the place.
Therefore. all were arrested.
On searching the fat We found a
room the door of which was strongly
barred. which, on being opened, re-
vealed Stana in a state Of collapse
upon an old sofa. and near her stood
the good-lookins young fellow who
was her lover. Both were so weak
that they could make no statement.
! They had no doubt been incarcerated
| there for some time. and it seemed to
US as though they were drugged.
+ s. X
THOSE arrested were hurried at
= once to the nearest police station,
while Stana and her lover were taken
under Inspector Parsons personal
care.
What I learned later was amazing,
for next day. when I sat with Pear
son at Scotland Yard, he exclaimed:
BY Jove! Mr.. lie Queux, you've come
tardly plot! That girl Stana relented
because her lover, Eugene, had been
chosen by lot to blow up a certain
railway bridge in the Peak district
tonight at ten-fftyw
"Why?" 1 inquired eagerly.
We'll, the men under arrest are
delegates from the anarchist group of
Barcelona, the most dangerous Of all,
and have followed their king here.
He is coming from Manchester to
London tonight, and the bridge has
been prepared for demolition as the
special train passed over it. 1 have
just been on the telephone with the
railway police. The nitroglycerin
We found in rubber hot-water bottles
in Malvern road is part of the stuff
they brought over with them. 1t
seems that the charges were to be
fired electrically. but that the person
doing it would no doubt lose his life,
as the train would be hurled into the
ravine."
Later that day I saw Stana, who
had then sufficiently recovered to tell
US the truth.
"They somehow knew that 1 had
called upon you that night; therefore
suspected u.s." she told me. Eugene
had been chosen to blow up the
bridge. but knew that the man who
passed as my brother intended that
he should lose his life. Therefore, I
would not allow him to make the at
tempt. Because OF that they drugged
our food and then shut us both in
that room, awaiting the success of
their coup, which was, nevertheless,
to be attempted. II it failed, then
we were to die. and your life prob
ably would not have been spared, for
they knew you were in touch with
the police
You did quite right in exposing
the plot and saving your kings life,
mademoiselle," I said.
"Ah, m'sieur. I confess that I came
to London as an anarchist prepared
to do my share in the assassination
of any crowned head. Both Eugene
and I. however. have relented. I love
Euoopa apd corld n.< 49,. -.