Evening star., 1923-02-11

You viii remember what ! said
concerning the deception practiCcd on
| the persons who took those papers
| from the body of Claiming. 1t was
TO Baltimore that person was sum-
moned to receive instructions con-
/ cerning the commission of the crime
| in the Weymouthshire. The instruc-
tions were given by Reifsnyder him
| self"
Did Horsford appear in any way
/ at that time?"
! Not so far as ! have been able to
| learn. But tonight he was twice in
/ communication, over a War Depart
| ment telephone. with man who call
+, ed him up from Baltimore. This man
| virtually commanded him to be at 4
certain place at 3 o'clock this morn
! ing. The location of this place was
not mentioned in the course of the
| converse ton, but it was plain it was
! known to Horsford. Protesting
| against going there, he explained he
\ would be unable to return to Wash
! to infer he was required to go TO
| the city from which the man at the
| other end of the wire was talking"
! But what first led YOU to suspect
| that Horsford was confederate of
Reifsnyder's Towndrow asked.
His manner gave me my first cue.
+! When I was called into the Charming
case in the afternoon he appeared to
| be greatly agitated. Now. the fact
! is Horsford always has been a singu-
IarIy cold -blooded man. 1t cannot be
!, denied that the loss of papers so
| vitaIly important to the government,
! with the mystery incident TO the de-
struction of the Dragonfiy and the
murder of Charming, would be suffi-
cient to shake the nerve of almost
| any man, no matter how well ball
| anced he might be in ordinary cir
tcumstances. But it seemed to me
THAT, in his display of agitation, Hors-
! ford rather overacted his part.
1T didn't impress me so. Captain
! Towndrow said.
! Then there was another series of
incidents that struck me as signifi-
F.. cant" Rennison went on. "channinS
| yesterday morning. Half an hour
later the Dragonfy. off Haynerville
Long Island. was destroyed. This
was reported promptly to Horsford
who knew that with the Dragonf1y
was lost the only completed product
time Channing's train, still on the
other side of Trenton, had not COW
cred one-fifth of the distance between
New York and Washington. Chan.
knew. the only existing description OF
his device. Realizing that the de-
struction Of the Dragonf1y was no'
the result of an accident, Horsfore
4 surely must have suspected that the
inventor was threatened by the same
ton of the vessel. He had ample
time and resources to warn and pro
tect Claiming during the remainder
Of his journey to the Capital. VIII!
did he not do so!
i Towndrow was silent.
"Why was the young inventor. un
SUSPICIOUS Of danger and not know
ing what had happened to th
Dragonf1y, allowed to drift into ant
through spy-infested Washlngtoi
without any government protection
whatever" Rennison went on. "Hors
ford knew yesterday afternoon ther
twas not in the United States hu
Imam life more precious TO the gov
ernment than Channings. and h
must have suspected that there wa
mo life in such serious jeopardy
WHY, then, was he afforded no pro
tection?"
| "Til admit. captain. your case i
getting pretty strong. the caution
secret service man said, half grudg
ingly.
Ito afford Charming protection excite
in me, at first. an interest that wa
scarcely more than casual continue
Rennison "But. as ReifsnyderS con
nection with the affair became NOR
and more apparent. / naturally won
dered whether any other official
the Navy was involved. This line
speculation made me cautious. 50
after I obtained the sheets whic
were taken from Channings body.
took the precaution to prepare sub
stitutes for then-not copies, Q
course. These sheets I held for a.
emergency. 1t was well l did So"
"Those were the papers, then
"When / returned to the War De
nartment I was quick to observe tina
fhourh my recovery of the sheet
had not been reported. Horsford ha
lost much of his former agitation. Wher
however, the death of Reifsnyder wa
reported by Coughlin, 1t was plai
he was hard hit. His agitation wa
not feigned. He believed the sheet
actually were lost. My suspicious o
the man took definite form. Dis
trusting him. gave to him the sub
"Tt was risky business, captain,
said the secret service man, with
Suhious shake of his head.
$50 Hawkshurst said"
"Hawkshurst knows what you hav
done?" -.
Rennison stopped abruptly. To tn
l,eft and little behind them,
whistle sounded shrilly..