Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-07-05
I rue
Detective /: ] Stories.
BEL OW De line

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copyright BY The yvheslsrss yndtcate.s1nte
#I,-1oNTRARY to- the general opinion,
It was not. Inspector Byrnes who
instituted the famous Imaginary
barrier known as the dead. line
q, point beyond which. crooks could
not penetrate except under peril OF
immediate arrest, even though no
charges were pending against them
at the moment. The device was orig
mated By William Melville, superin-
tendent f:of Scotland Yard during the
reign OF Queen Victoria. 5..
But 1t was. in. connection with the
prevention Of a crime, rather than: in
the solving of one, that Melville had
his most distinguishe success, for III
he had not been able to capture, Vrohtt,
the famous anarchist, 1t Is quite pos.
sible that the car OF Russia and pos.
sibly some Of the members sof the
reigning family in England would have
been. blown into eternity. +: ]; .....
The AFFAIR in question occurred some
months after Melville had taken charge
Of Scotland Yard. The visit. Of the
car had been widely heralded through
the press and every governmental on.
erative lin Great Britain had been
pressed into service to secure the safe,
ty: of the. visiting ruler. The: entire
island was eombed for men who were
known to be hiding, and, ass: final
resort, Melville issued an order that
any suspicious character. found within
FIVE square miles Of the, line OF march
froq Buckingham palace to the Man
sions house wouldNbe arrested on sight
Three days before the arrival Of
the car, Melvil1e's reports indicated
that the city had been thorough,
cleaned up. I s=..5
But on the very day of the process
sion, only two hours before the royal
families were scheduled to- leave thu
palace, Melville was informed that hi!
men had failed to apprehend the most
dangerous nihilist on the continent
a young Russian by the name Of Vrohf
who had escaped from a prison in st
Petersburg and S.had entered sEnglan(
In such roundabout manner that hi.
arrival had not been recorded. Ac
cording to the word which reached
Melville, Yroff had secured employment
in a wine merchants. establishment
along the line which the procession
would follow, and had sworn to throw
q bomb under the cars carriage q.
it passed. - :: :. -. i= Il; .:=s :zss
!: Melville realized that there wasn'l
a moment to be lost. Also It was 6
Job which he must handle alone.
. As it happened, Melville knew thu
establishment where Vroff worked, and
he also knew that q certain vintage
of champagne was kept In the cellar
whence 1t was produced only at a spe
ctal request. 1t was for this reason
therefore. that he made his: sway TO: the
wine shop and stated that he woult
like to purchase half dozen bottles
of the champagne. @ 3:..-. :; !. -.
As he expected, the proprietor In
formed him: that. the vintage was III
the bin, but offered to have 1t brought
up Immediately. :;=
Don't bother to do that, replied
the Scotland Yard man, IN 60 dowr
with one Of your cellarmen and picl
out the bottles for myself. Possibly
I'll see something else that I want al
the same time. Send that man alon(
with: me to point out the way" and
he indicated one Of the employee!