The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-08

friend and l arose and left the hotel. Bidding my friend good night, l hur- ried to the office and summoned 1 Lieutenant Hodson for a conference. As result, we determined to place a man in the hotel, preferably as a waiter, so that he could ascertain f possible, where the supplies were | coming from. The role of waiter was the easiest, for all the hotels were short of walters, so many be-
 ing turned soldiers.
 Fearing that some one connected with the hotel might recognize our man if we detailed one who had been active in the city, l called in Ser geant Whitehouse from one of the l outlying stations and placed him on | the case. Equipped with the proper | French credentials and a story that ! he had been a waiter Cn a trans Atlantic liner, he vas soon put to work.
 Following through the cigar lead, l Whitehouse soon developed the fact that it was the head porter who sup piled the cigars. A head porter in | France, by the way, Is a functionary as gorgeous as a drum major, and | very different from the muscular worker Americans call porter. This porter could keep a | box each of excellent brands on hand at the hotel, and when a box was emptied he would bring in another. But, although we had this man un- der surveillance for a long time, we were unable to learn more than that he brought these wares from his home.
 We must learn where this porter was securing his supplies. Ere quently, when our men detectives were forced to admit defeat, one of our women detectives would pick up the trail and successfully dig out the truth. One of the lessons learned by one who studies the life of some of the greatest detectives is:
 If it's a man you want to get, send a pretty girl after him. She will, by flattery, draw more out of him than all the torture in the horror chambers of olden times.
 So Celeste was called in and sent after the head porter. Representing herself as a Parisian who, afraid of the air raids, had fled to Bordeaux for saftey, Celeste obtained quarters at the hotel. A pretty girl, a con ceited man who is like holders clay In her hands, and the opportunity the rest was easy. Soon Celeste was dDlt lO ItDOl | that lllt' ClG ditlltS anu cigars were coming from a woman of the name of Madame Marceau. who lived in house near our head quarters.
 Withdrawing Whitehouse from the hotel, we set him to watch the Mar ceau woman. He watched her house and trailed along whenever she went out. Frequently Whitehouse would follow her when she carried a bundle to the home of the porter. Celeste shed light for us on those bundles, for she ascertained that they con tained cigars and tobacco.
 This was the way the porter got his supplies; but the next question was: How did Madame Marceau get hers? We never saw any packages being taken into her house that could, by any stretch of the imagina- tion. contain cigars or tobacco. Frankly, we were stumped. Surely, if Madame Marceau was carrying box after box of cigars and cigarettes out of her house. she must have some way of getting them in--but how?
 On a serious case the French police assisted us to the fullest degree; nevertheless, they could not be other wise than in sympathy with their own kin when it came to a question of food and smokes; so our problem was tG search Madame Marceaus house without the French police knowing what we were up to. Celeste solved this problem for us.
 T can tell my friend the porter" she proposed that my funds are getting low, and get him to recom- mend me to Madame Marceau. I will then ask Madame Marcheau to take me into her home as bOarder" And SC it was arranged.
 Now that We were at last in the house. our next step was to get Madame Marceau out of it. so that We could take our time and give 1t