Evening star., 1922-03-30
THE BLACK HAND
BY ARTHUR B. REEV
One Of The Stars Weekend Fiction Series.
Complete in Three Installments.
ENNEDY and l had been din
ing rather late one evening
at Luigi's, a little Italian res

taurant on the lower west
Side. We had known the place we'll
in our student days, and had made a
point of visiting it once a month In
order to keep in practice in the fine
art of gracefully handling long shreds
of spaghetti. Therefore. we did not
think it strange when the proprietor
himself stopped a moment at our
table to greet us. Glancing furtively
. around at the other diners mostly
Italians. he suddenly leaned over and
whispered to Kennedy:
Il have heard of your wonderful
detective work, professor. Could you
give a little advice in the case of
friend of mine?"
Surely, Luigi. What is the case?"
asked Craig, leaning back in the
chair.
Luigi glanced around again appre-
Not SO loud, sir. When you pay
your check go out. walk around
Washington Square. and come in at
the private entrance. I'll be waiting
in the hall. My friend is dining pri-
Nately upstairs.
We fingered a while over our CHI
anti, then quietly paid the check and
departed.
True to his word. Luigi was wait
fng for us in the dark hall. With
motion that indicated silence, ne
led US up the stairs to the second
floor and quickly opened a door INTO
what seemed to be a fair-siZed pri-
Nate dining room. A man was pacing
the floor nervously. AS the door opened
I thought he started as II in rear,
and / am sure his dark face blanched
if only for an instant. Imagine our
surprise at seeing Glennaro, the great
tenor, with whom merely TO nave
speaking acquaintance was TO argus
ones self famous.
'.Oh, it is you, Luigi" he exclaimed
in perfect English, rich and mellow.
"And who are these gentlemen:
Luigi merely replied. Friends: IN
English also, and then dropped on
into a voluble, low-toned explanation
in Italian.
L could see as we waited that the
same idea had flashed over Ken
nedy's mind as over my own: 1t was
now three or four days since the
papers had reported the strange kid
naping of Gennaro's f1ve-year-old
daughter Adelina. his only child, and
the sending of a demand for ten thou-
sand dollars ransome, signed; as usual.
with the mystic Black Hand-a name
to conjure with in blackmail and ex-
tortion.
AS Signor Gennaro advanced to-
ward us, after his short talk with
were over, Kennedy anticipated him
by saying: .I understand, signor. be-
fore you ask me. 1 have read all
about it in the papers. You want
some one to help you catch the GRIM
inaIs who are holding your little
girl
NO. no." exclaimed Gennaro ex-
citedly. Not that. I want to get my
daughter first. After that. catch them
if you can-yes, l should like to have
Rnt read this flrSI
and tell me what you think OF II.
How should l act to get my little
Adelina back without harinins a hair
of her head?" The famous singer
dirty. crumpled letter, scrawled on
cheap paper.
Kennedy translated it quickly. 1t
read:
safe hands. But, by the saints, if
you give this letter to the police. as
you did the other, not only she but
your family. also some one near TO
you. will suffer. We will not fail as
we did Wednesday. II you want your
without telling a soul to Enrico Al
bano's Saturday night at the twelfth
hour. You must provide yoursen
with the $4,000 in bills hidden IN
the back room you Will see man
sitting alone at a table. He Will nave
a red flower on his coat. You are to
say, a fine opera is II Pagliacci.
If he answers. Not without Gennaro.
lay the newspaper down on the
table He will pick it up. leaving his
own, the Bolletino. On the third page
you will find written the place where
your daughter has been left waiting
for you. Go Immediately and get her.
But, by the God. if you have SO much
as the shadow of the police near
Enrico's your daughter will be sent
to you in box that night. Do not
fear to come. We pledge our word
is a last warning. Lest you shall
forget we will show one other sign
Vi Jul p0 La MANo NERA.
The end Of this ominous letter was
gruesomely decorated with skull
and cross-bones, a rough drawing OF
a danger thrust through bleeding
heart, a coffin. and. under all, huge
black hand. There was no doubt about
the type of letter that it was. 1t
was such as have of late years be-
come increasingly common in al our
large cities, battling the best detec-
tives.
police, / presume?" asked Kennedy.
Naturally not"
Are you going Saturday night"
Il am afraid to go and afraid to
stay away, was the the reply. ana @ .ne
was as human as that Of a $5-a-week
father. for at bottom all men. high or
I've will not fail as we did We'd
nesday.'" re-read Craig. What does
SlbAt mean?"
9ennaro fumbled in his pocketbook
again and at last drew forth type
written letter bearing the letter head
Of the Leslie Laboratories, Incorporated:
After 1 received the first threat
explained Gennaro. my wife and
went from our apartments at the no.
tel to her fathers, the banker Cesare,
YOU know. who lives on Fifth avenue:
i gave the letter to the Italian squad
of the police. The next morning my
thing peculiar about the milk. He
barely touched some of it to his
tongue and he has been violently i'll
ever since. I at once sent the milk
to the laboratory of my friend. DR..
Leslie, to have it analysed. This let
ter shows what the household es-
capped"
.the milk submitted to us for exami-
nation on the 10th inst. has been care
fully analyzed, and I beg to hand
YOU herewith the result:
Specific gravity. 1.os6 at Is de-
grees Cent.
Water of.oU per cent
CaSein S-4S per CeHe
ALBUMIN ............... .oo per cen.
Globul1n ...-.......-... I.SS per cen.
LactOSe .....'... o-0o per cen.
Ash ........ .is per cent
Fat or per SeHt
Ricin 1.ls per CENT
"Ricin is a new and little known
poison derived from the shell Of the
os1