The Little River news., 1922-07-05
, ,a True
 Detective Stories ]. MATTER OF MINUTES

been effected in less than a quar- ter of an hour. The express car had been hitched on immediately behind the engine, and one of the f1remen recalled having seen Kellogg, the mes. senger, checking up his accounts about fifteen minutes before the train pulled into Morris, III. The next time he l glanced up a shade had been pulled across the window of the express car, was after the train stopped at Morris, and Pitney, the brakeman, shouted out that Kellogg had been killed and that thousands of dollars was missing from the safe.
 Jameson, who was in charge of the baggage car, directly behind the ex- press car, provided what appeared to be the only clue to the crime, by stat ing that shortly after the train left Joliet, q man In a red mask had en- tered his car, held him up at the point of revolver, and had then passed through to the car beyond, leav- ing Jameson in charge of another masked man who had disappeared as the train slowed down at Norris
 T was scared stiff" admitted the baggageman, "and didn't dare budge
 The express authorities at Morris promptly sidetracked the express car, and wired the details of the case to William A. Pir rkerton, who arrived only few hours later. Meanwhile, however, the contents of the safe had been checked up, and it was dis covered that more than $2O,OOO was missing. Kellogg, the messenger, was dead, but before dying, he had evi- dently given good account of himself.
 Before he did anything else, Pinker- ton walked back over the track on which the train had come into Morris. Less than half q mile out he dis covered a red mask, lying close to the track, and he also noted a most sig nificant fact-although there was more than foot of snow upon the ground, there were no footprints within a quarter-mlle of the mask!
 Returning to Morris, the detective commenced his examination of the ex- press car, but failed to find anything of value.
 Close inspection of the body of the dead messenger, however brought to light another point which PinkertOn felt certain ought to prove valuable. Under Kellogg's finger nails was a considerable quantity of what at first appeared. to be wet paper or pulp of some kind, but which the detective recognized as the outer layers of human skin. torn off during the struggle when the messengers fingers were fighting to secure a hold upon his assaiant!
 Upon returning to Chicago Pinker- ton at once requested the officials of the road to have all the men employed on the train come to his office, one by one, to be interviewed. Jameson, he directed, was to be the last man sent. When Pitney, the brakeman, en- | tered. Pinkerton did not overlook the | fact that he was dressed in new outfit which was distinctly above his ] sphere in life. From the points of his nossy shoes to the top of his new derby, the brakeman had evidently treated himself to a brand-new ward robe in honor of his interview with the famous detective, in spite of the I fact that he had very little to tell It was he who had discovered the | L,,t ho a< the man in the red mask, though JamesOn's excited recital of the hold up had caused him immediately to investigate the express car.
 i "Tlat was just as we were pulling into Morris" concluded the brakeman "and I gave yell the minute I saw what they had done to Kellogg"
 That's what I wanted to talk to you about" said Pinkerton. "Sit down, won't you? And take off your coat it's warm in here Your gloves, tOo he added, noting that Pit ney kept his hands covered.
 After moments hesitation the brakeman peeled off his new gloves, , and Pinkerton had difficulty in conceal ing start of satisfaction. The backs of the mars hands were scanned and scored with a network of scratches!
 Been playing with the cat?" in- Quired Pinkerton casually.
 "No, no," Pitney replied. T got those | handling busted trunk few nights ago." and then he launched into a { description of his experiences on the night of the robbery. When he had finished, Pinkerton thanked him and bowed him out of the office, but the muffied buzz of bell in the anteroom informed the men stationed there that Pitney was to be followed night and day.
 So far as I was concerned" Pinker- , ton said later, "the case ended right there. The backs of Pitney's hands, coupled with the absence of foot prints in the vicinity of the red mask which proved that the job had been handled by someone on the train gave the whole thing dead away. There had been no hold-up in the bag | pa pa Thnrafnrn To, l..