The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1922-03-10
True
Detective Stories
MATTER OF MINUTES

n
of the Rock Island Express had
been effected in less than quar-
ter of an hour. The express car had
been hitched on Immediately behind
the engine, and one of the firemen
recalled having seen Kellogg, the mes
senger, checking up his accounts about
fifteen minutes before the train pulled
into Morris, Ill. The next time he
glanced up a shade had been pulled
across the window Of the express car,
and the first he knew of the robbery
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, 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 Morris.
II was scared stiff" admitted the
baggageman, "and didn't dare bulge.
The express authorities at Morris
promptly sidetracked the express car,
and wired the details of the case to
William A. Pinkerton, 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 $4,000 was
missing. Kellogg, the messenger, was
dead, but before dying, he had evil
IDENTIFY 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 a mile out he dis
covered a red mask, lying close to the
track, and he also noted most sig
nificant fact-although there was more
than foot of snow upon the ground,
there were no footprints within a
quarter-mile 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 assailant!
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 blessed In new
outfit which was distinctly above his
sphere in life. From the points of
his glossy 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
fact that he had very little to tell.
II was he who had discovered the
robbery. but he had seen nothing of
the man in the red mask though
Jameson's excited recital of the hold
up had caused him Immediately to
investigate the express car.
'"That was just as we were pulling
into Norris" concluded the brakeman,
"and gave yell the minute I saw
what they had done to Kellogg"
''That's what 1 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 a moments hesitation the
and Pinkertof had difficulty in conceal
ing a start of satisfaction. The backs
of the mans hands were scanned and
scored with network of scratches!
"Been playing with the cat?" in
quired Pinkerton casually.
"No, no." Pitney replied. II 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
muffled buzz of bell in the anteroom
informed the men stationed there that
Pitney was to be followed night and
day.
$50 far as was concerned" Pinker-
ton said later, "the case ended right
there The backs of Pitney's hands,
coupled with the absence of footprints
in the vicinity Of the red mask
which proved that the job had been
handled by someone on the train
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