The New York herald., 1922-03-05

spot. She was mute, helpless. Better cap
ture by the police than the relentless JUS
tice of the gang.
Hands up! Police! This was what hap
pened next. The queen saw red and she
fired five times and was taken prisoner
along with most Of the gang. But Degory
escaped. He left Paris and he took job
at his old trade as mechanic in Rouen.
War came and Degory left with marching
men.
Eventually Yvette was released. Never
in all her career Of desperate raiding were
they able to nail her with a conviction, and
you can't jail woman for evil influence.
The Judge in the police court was think
ing all this over and he began to under
stand. 1t was the same story as that of
the cobbler and that of the modern bandit
who had come to the police court. They
were all going forward, progressing, be-
cause this is day of progress-whether
it is to something better or worse
Yvette had gone her way because of the
weakness that was actually goodness and
because the criminal side of her was moth
ing more than a keen mind and an un-
curbed love of excitement.
The bandit had gone another way, be-
cause he was born criminal with no such
flaw as a heart. But he had progressed
all the same. He was no desperate. killing
for the fun Of it, but an efficient business
man who knew his trade and had every
device that modern science can invent to
make his ventures effective He takes his
chance not for few francs but for few
thousand or million
Modern Bandit Game
Matter of Fact Business
The modern desperate business is moth
ing like the old. The BLACK Band" that
is working in Paris has no resemblance to
the Apaches of other days. There are less
spectacular crimes and less spectacular
trials than existed in the time of the
Apache courts, when the desperate was
dealt with summarily by the members of
his own clan.
Perhaps that is why the queens are not
the same type-they don't find enough of
the romantic and picturesque in modern
crime. 1t is too much like any other kind
of work. But queens of a sort are as
essential as ever. They are the link with
the man higher up, the unknown manager,
the rich backer, who must never be be-
trayed. He puts up the money, gives every
aid and deals only with the queen, because
he counts on the stubborn, faithful streak
in women. The men of the Apache band
do not know him! He is shrewd enough
to realize that woman has that one weak
ness, her heart, and he finds a plain faced
girl when he can for the queen business,
nothing OF Yvette's type.
The men who belong to the band are as
different from the old type as the queen.
In boulevard cafe you will sometimes
see two perfect gentlemen waiting for two
others Their heads are close together,
bending over little tissue paper packets
that disappear the moment any one ap-
proaches The second two are jewelry
"liquidators" on the outside.
II is big business day. jewelers. estab-
lished in South America. especially In
Argentina, receive regular consignments.
On the Italian frontier established agents
are known to have recently passed $4,000
francs worth across. A capture In Mar
seilles gathered in five business men, An
operation In Brussels closed a so-called
commission house
But the man higher up still rests in the
shadow, because no Apache man knows
him. II Is new triumph of feminism
that the Apache queen is always disclosed
as in charge of the higher management
The men do not "obey" her as they did
Yvette, but they trust her as a business
woman and as a woman as they would
not trust each other.
The membership of her band changes
weekly After success and the division OF
profits each goes his way and the queen
others. She goes among trades
men, adjusters, electricians, modern men
looking for modern, straight business
They would laugh at the idea OF "robber
band" That's for the movies--and the
past-but they listen when the queen
says:
Here is a proposition. My hacker will
stand for it."
Yvette belonged to the past Now she is
married. gone on into the present Just