davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

- UPPOSE yourself, in this article,
to he solving q fascinating pic
ture puzzle. | submit tn you
~ the following iGures-not mere
pictures. though they are in
fact picturesque enough-hut actual,
living parts of a famous whole:
], In little dinghy on thu Thames
q quietly smoking man in blue.
:. 4 Hindustan native on a ratty
little pony
;. A Paris-frocked society bud gam
bling a Monte Carlo.
4. a perspiring editor working over
damp proof sheets.
;. loudly dressed race track
'bookie" drinking in Il thieves re-
sort in London,
6. A scholarly looking man thumb
ing catalog cards.
The game | put to you is TO com
bine these dissimilar figures into the
most compactly-built unit that has
ever gained fame for the precise
vorking-together of all its many and
varied parts What can that whole
be? The answer is Scotland Yard.
From a first hand study Of the way
police Of several nations hunt Grim
inals, ] have been impressed by this
fact above others-that a race
hunts men with the same traits
with which i; plays its games.
The Anglo-Saxons. famous on cricket
and Rugby fields for magnificent
teamwork. show the same talent
when they go man-huntins for Scot
isnd Yard.
But just AS in Rugby. at any given
moment ii is some man that carries
the ball, So in any hunt on the part
Of Scotland Yard it is always some
man or group or division of Scot
land Yard heads the play. But who
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

4 other rubies, ! emeralds, 10 sap
phires, PIT pearls and 2,7S3 diamonds"
What these three men in work
mems clothes carried in their seedY
satchel and burlap-covered parcel
We're the royal crown of Great Britain
and its sceptre, being taken to the
jewelers. for treatment.
In the particular case I want to
describe as illustrating the teamwork
of Scotland Yard with, this time.
Special Branch heading the play. The
names are assumed for reasons thai
will become apparent with the telling.
x
TT so happened that one Of the lesser
but most troublesome of India )
native rulers was having a stormy
struggle with reVolutionists within his
little domain. At the same time he
was getting on the nerves of the
British government; and the British
government was affecting his nerves
Just as badly.
Rai Rey. as we shall call him, was,
from the British governments point
of view, a bad boy, doubly troublesome
because his influence among the other
Indian princes was considerable. On
the other hand, Raj Bey considered
the British government an invading
tyrant, who had robbed him and his
fellow Indian princes of their ancient
powers and was plotting to rob him
OF what little influence he still welded.
When among his subjects, there
fore, there arose a revolutionary
movement directed against his tyr
amy Raj Bey was convinced that
1t was really directed by the British
government.
Now the latter had enough to do
carrying its own burdens. In real
ity the British government was not
in the least interested in the out
come of this revolutionary movement.
Also. it was to the interest of the
British foreign office to convince IaJ
Bey that il had not inspired the
agitation against him nor sympa-
thiZed with it.
Raj Bey had sent his Oldest son
let us call him the prince--to he
educated at one of the big English
universities, lie did this with the
canny motive of having his son, who
would succeed him, learn the ways
of the British. that he might the
better circumvent them some day,
when he himself became ruler.
The Prince was a sensitive, highly
intelligent youth of IS, who took to
Western culture and ideas rapidly.
Among the things he soon grew away
from was his fathers love for spien-
dor and personal show. and in its
place he acquired genuine simplicity
and democracy. He was bookish in
tastes. cultivated, few friends, and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

apparently without doing plumbing or
any other kind of work. He was Just
having a good time spending money,
treating others to drinks, but himself
not drinking much.
" X
A FEW evenings after he was To-
y Gated he was in his favorite
drinking place. bar near Jermyn
street, when loudly dressed young
man struck up an acquaintance with
him over drinks. 1t soon developed
that this young fellow-whom we in
clude in the little gallery of figures
have noted before-was a race track
bookie who had been fairly lucky OF
late and was feeling brotherly to the
world at large and to Samuel West
wick in particular.
He was an amusing cockney,
shrewd apparently, and Samuel
Westwick soon began to suspect
for their friendship ripened fast-that
up his sleeve the bookie had interest
ing possibilities for money making;
possibilities perhaps not strictly re-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06
Hydrosulphite Colors.

THE fastest colors on the market
today are what are known as
Observation-Disclosures that are dyed
with hydrosuIphite in caustic bath.
These colors are as nearly fast as
any can be made and have been
adopted by our Government TO be used
in Army uniforms after being sub
mitted to very severe tests.
The dyeing of these colors on cotton
yarn is very simple, especially when
the Scotch tub system OF dXeing is
employed. The proper way to. dye
these colors is to use the vacuum type
of dye machine, as the dyestuff ex-
perts hold that all air ought tn be out
of the cotton fabric before the dye
stuff is put TO it. and this type of
machine is hest suited for that pur-
pose, because in this system the cot
ton is stationary and the dye liquor
is forced through the cotton by means
of pumps.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

he was struggled to the mountain hut
where the Special Branch men found
and rescued him and restored him
Pierce and his partner. Janet San
ders, really the brains of the gang,
stayed at Monte Carlo to act as the
link between London and the rest OF
the gang in India. Had not Speciai
Branch spoiled their plans the prince
would have remained in captivity
would be discreetly informed that
for q very substantial reward--the
word ransom would not be used
he could have his heir apparent back.
None of the gang was arrested.
That would mean publicity and mel
Their Raj Bey nor Special Branch
wanted it I'm this case. But Pierce
and his confederates found life there
after considerably restricted in Its
privacy. They were followed every
where they went; received countless
visits from the police wherever they
found themselves, and were made tn
feel in many ways that an uncom-
fortably omniscient eye was upon
them.
IL a Rugby foot ball had conscious
ness, 1t might have felt in a game
something akin TO what this gang
felt about Scotland Yard--that q
powerful organization moving with
almost machine-like teamwork was
playing with it, keen eyes bent upon
it, keen minds planning plays with
it. and keen nerves executing every
play. Special Branch carried the
ball i'm this case. But the team was
the whole organization of Scotland
Yard.
CThe Enid
copyright. 1927
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

and ways quietly, by means Of sign
and signal. cipher and code, these cor
respondents keep in touch with each
other and with their chief In London,
and weave nets invisible about those
other actors of assumed roles. the
spinners of revolution and political
intrigue.
And between the two sets of players
at that fascinating game, what subtle,
thrilling moves and counters, plots
and counterplots, what brilliant sacri-
fees and equally brilliant checkmates
there must be ia record.
Or take a mere erraW. really moth
ing more than porter's work. carry
ing, parcel to given place, on which
a group of Special Branch men were
sent. [ have no exciting adventure
to chronicle in connection with il. The
parcel was safely delivered and with
out incident.
Three men, portly, Comfortahle-loo
ing workmen with pipes in their
mouths. quietly walked to an office
in the iewelry section of Bond street
in London. one of them carrying "A
satchel containing what might he his
overalls. Another carried, wrapped in
burlap. what looked like, say, some
long tools.
But heavily dochmented receipt
signed by the man 10 whom these
parcels were quietly delivered gave
the following description of the article
that came out of the workman S
satchel:
1t weighs 40 ounces, The circlet
in front bears the Great sapphire from
the crown of Charles II. The rim is
clustered with sapphires and emeralds,
inclosed in. borders thickly set with
diamonds and pearls. Alternately on
festoons are eight crosses-pattee and
eight f1eur-de lis of silver set with
gems.
In front is large spinel ruby of
irregular form. two inches long,
valued at one hundred and ten thou
sand pounds. 1t was worn by Henry
V at Agincourt. In the center of q
cross pattee at the top is the ring
worn by Edward the Confessor. In
addition to the above gems there are
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

THE total of any of the elements
occurring i'm the entire ocean II
stupendous. Iodine exists in sea water
only to the extent of about two parts
per million, yet the entire ocean con-
tains some 10000, 000, 900 tons of iodine,
valued at present prices at $4,000
O00,0 900. Bromide is also obtained in
limited way from the mother liquor
left after capitalization of salt from
salt water. California produces ap.
proximately 100000 tons of sea salt
each year. A gallon of water contains
approximately quarter of a pound
of salt, and since The average density
of rock salt is 2.24 times that OF water,
the entire ocean, II dried up, would
yisld approximately four and q half
cubic miles Of salt.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

spectacle TO which Europe is now be
coming accustomed when the worna n
is an American. And she was spend
ing considerable money, which IL also
expected Of Americans.
Her success at thu roulette tables
in the Casino was indifferent. But
her stakes We're big. She found her
self sitting one afternoon next to
dashing looking young English couple
who were having poor luck. In fact,
this young woman's jade -colored. / 600
franc chips got swept up by the
croupier's rake several times. along
with the chips lost by the English
couple Finally she flashed them a
smile.
Gee, whiz. We seem to be in the
same leaky boat together
She was n Sociabe creature, il soon
developed, the daughter of Chicago
meat magnate. who got sick of
everybody and was travelling alone To
get change" Her talk betrayed
without too great blatancy that her
chief problem was how TO spend
money interestingly. The English
couple covertly looked her over. spent
several evenings with her, got friendly
quickly, and were soon helping her
with her problem of how TO spend
money interestingly.
The man was about 30 a. typical
F,nglishman of the upper middle class;
from his own account, wealthy ana
without career other than boredom.
For since the thrill of the World
War. which he had had for three
years as artillery officer, life seemed
particularly dull
His name was James Pierce. The
young woman with him, pretty
woman, but with a hard, keen look
of intelligence in her face that looked
oddly out of character, was Janet
Sanders. an heiress of Devonshire, en-
gagged to Pierce.
The young American, sad to state,
was a rebel against her country S
edict as to alcohol, and one evening
EXPRESSED her protest by imbibing too
much OF the stronger beverages. when
the three Of them We're together in
the suite occupied by Janet Sanders.
Early i'm the evening she passed
| into a state of leaden sleep and Miss
| Sanders made her comfortable on a
| couch. Her whispered comment was
| "She sleeps like a lamb. She will be
ready for shearing soon"
The young American apparently
| awoke in the dead of night, stumbled
| noisily around, moaning about her
| headache" demanding ice water and
| generally making it hard for Miss
| Sanders to sleep. She was finally
| induced to go back to the couch and
| s1eep. But Miss Sanders thought she
| heard her once or twice again.
X X
IN the morning the young American
l. was very contrite and declared she
would be good for the rest of the day
and stick to her own room at the no"
tel. But she must have retained much
of her headache, for she took walk
in the fresh air that afternoon. Her
walk took her quite a distance along
the road to Mentone, so much so That
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

when a machine with two serious
looking men offered her lift she ac-
cepted
On the road near Cap Martin the
young American took out an envelope
bearing the address, John Pierce, Ho-
tel de Paris, Monte Carlo" and can
celed Hindustani stamp in the corner.
THAT was all | could find in her
room, Mr.. Bray" she said APOLOGIZE
cally. THE Sanders woman kept
waking up and 1 had to get what l
could"
Mr. Bray was already deep in the
letter found inside and comparing
it with a cipher code he took out OF
his pocket. When he had finished
reading, his frosty blue eyes lit up.
1--WE no complaint to make with
your find. Miss Lanier," he smiled
grimly. None whatsoever! But
regret that We'll have to part com
pany so soon. You don't mind TAX
ing the trolley back to your hotel, do
you?"
She did not seem to mind i'm the
least That evening she was htlari-
Gus in relating her adventure to her
two English friends; how she had been
compelled for the first time in her life
to ride in a trolley car.
A Hindustani native policeman on
a ratty little pony was jogging along
under a broiling sun in the foothills
of a sparsely settled country when he
met party of men on horseback, car
rying peddler's packs. 1t may have
been Asiatic impassivity or the ener-
waiting sun or some other reason: but
without the amenities of talk to be eX-
pected at the meeting of strangers.
the newcomers all of them apparently
Orlentals, logged along In silence with
the policemen.
Their destination took them into less
and less freuuented roads. By night
fall they all rested in thicket OF
trees far from the bit of muletrack
thew had left When at about mid
night they left their thiclet it was on
foot and very quietly. After creeping
along in the wake of the native police
man for half an hour the party came
near what looked like a hut made of
mud.
Here the whole party took out very
modern looking Western weapons,
magazine revolvers of excellent make.
and softly approached the hut. The
native policeman raped at the door.
while the others remained in deep
shadow.
From the inside of the hut sounded
the rattle of a chain fastening and
the door opened cautiously. 4 huge
head and ponderous shoulders
showed dimly in the partly opened
door and some curt words in Hin
dustani were snaried. The policeman
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

a wireless in code from the British
Government in India reached Special
Branch:
Raj Bey and the royal party
waiting at the station in their
capital for the Princes train had
waited in vain.
The Prince had completely and
mysteriously disappeared somewhere
on his journey between his university
and his fathers home. Not a word
had been heard from the young man
since the day he left the university,
when he had cabled. Coming" No
one had seen him. Whereupon Raj
Bey began raging against the revolu-
tionists in his land s the kidnapers
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

spectacle, but all the more remuner'
atiVe.
Sure enough, after their friendship
had ripened quickly, the bookie told
Samuel Westwick that there was
money to be made in connection with
q coming race at EPSON Downs. 1t
appeared that the owner of the ia
vorite in a big race had made poor
guess in leaving his horse in the care
of certain trainer; and said trainer
together with a jockey and one or
two others were willing to sacrifice
victory and one or two other things
in return for adequate compensation.
But the sum involved was too big
for the boo<ie to get together. Did
Samuel Westwick know of any one
who could touch big money" in be-
half of such u possibility? The own
er of the horse which would surely
win should the fayorite be pulled
was out OF the question for the deal.
But those who bet on his horse would
be sure to clean up.
Westwick said he would see. There
was somebody he would write to and
it would take several days for the
answer to come back. He did write.
He dropped the letter in a box and
went away to spend a pleasant eve
ming with his new bookie friend.
Half an hour after he had left the
letter box a mail man collected the
contents. But instead of taking it to
the Post Office he sent it to Scotland
Yard.
There all the letters were opened
and read and one addressed to
james Pierce, Hotel de Paris, Monte
Carlo" was retained; the others were
forwarded to their destinations. This
letter appeared to be written by an
idiot, 1T was such gibberish.
X X
GENERAL days later the post of
~ flee held up a letter addressed
to Samuel West. Scotland Yard got
it without delay and read in it a la
comic mo" There was not even a
signature to it.
Hotel de Paris at Monte Carlo,
where the monosyllabic letter was
written, is the hostelry that stands
a few feet away from the world
famous gambling Casino. Every cons
ceivable kind of person stops there
except one--the penniless kind.
Among the latest arrivals at the
hotel was a young American woman,
almost young enough to qualify a.
flapper. she was travelling alone.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

appearing But the latter possibility
was rejected as groundless.
The council did not rest long In
abstract discussions. Part of Scot
land Yards hidden machinery is that
stranaest of things 10 keep hidden
Il string of newspapers, daily, hi
weekly. weekly and occasional In
most Of these there appeared the
photograph of young Fast Indian
sensitive and aristocratic of face,
bearing no name or description.
For although the newspapers of
'entland Ward are limited strictly To
police circulation and strictly forbid
den to anybody else, there are thou
aa nds Of copies circulated, and Special
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06
Master Man-HunterS

III Sc mostly among the good stu.
dents AT the university, regardless OF
their station in life.
X >: *
nNF day the prince packed q few
~ bags and without fuss and
feathers took the train down to Lon
don. thence to 60 back To his fathers
troubled little realm FOR Il summer
vacation. There was no intimaton of
anything wrong having happened to
the Prince until a month later. Then
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

ever heads the play remembers that
IL is not a running race he is heading,
but team.
In the particular instance / want
to relate, it was the Special Branch
Of Scotland Yard that was at the
head of the hunt. This is the least
known department of that little
known but famous institution. Its
quiet name, Special Branch. in itself
In designed TO avert speculation about
it on the part of the public. 1t is
also the one department that has
about it more of the glamour of good
fiction than even the rest of Scotland
Yard.
For it is the duty of the Special
Branch to guard the British Empire,
the lives of. those whose hands are
on the helm of its government and
10 protect in England the ambassa-
doris and royalty of other countries.
1t is the duty of this branch of
Scotland Yard to render safe both
state and statesmen from a class of
people the ordinary detective does not
understand so well; from men and
women who work in the dark, not to
steal a million dollars, not to revenge
personal hurt. not to overturn a
state, but to pick and mine nations
pire 10 its foundations if they can.
The men-and women as often as
men--whom Special Branch hunts are
vastly different in type from the bur
glar and the murderer on file in the
criminal registry Office. They are
usually fanatics revolutionists, ideal
lists, Missionaries. often spiritual heroes.
Were Scotland Yard in existence i'm
1'1s, it would be George Washington
whom it would hunt. 1t is plain,
therefore, that such work has to have
special service assigned To it.
A THOUGH l had a most interest
ing half hour with the recent
chief Of Special Branch, Sir Basil
Thorn pson. himself a writer. l can re-
port less OF the machinery of his de-
partment than of the rest of Scotland
Yard. For with all the generous cour-
tesy the chiefs of Scotland Yard eX-
tended To me. the door To Special
Branch was opened for only the most
feeting glimpse.
Put Sir Basil Thompson did describe
to me something of the organization
that makes up Special Branch. In
every country in the world there are
men and women leading what appear
10 be humdrum existences as news
vendors, club idlers. hotel porters, bar
keepers, idle rich, Office cleaners, race
track touts. street beggars, ladies of
leisure, bookkeepers or whatnots.
The world regards them little. If it
regarded them more, their usefulness
would be impaired to Scotland Yards
Special Branch. For these are what
Sir Basil Thompson described to me
quietly as his Correspondents. They
are the eyes, the ears and whispering
lips IF Special Branch.
Coelie and Englishnan. Japanese
md Dutchman soldier Of fortune or
. begEar in the street. in New York as
well as in Siam, by day and by night.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06
By Joseph Gollomb..

The Sbortsman1;ke Teamwork of Scotland
Yard S1euths Eventually Located the MISPLACED
Prince of India Somewhere IN the Waste7ands
of As;a-But First They Had to Cat~h Singing
Plumber.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

of his son, and against the British
Government as fellow agents in the
crime.
But his raging was in private. For
with the tortuous psychology of the
Oriental, he felt that he could do more
in secret and by devious ways toward
rescuing his son than by crying aloud
TO the world. Al the same time he
believed he could more effectively re-
yenge himself on his enemies-among
whom he included the British Govern
ment--by keeping the matter quiet as
far as possible.
So he explained that his son did
not arrive when expected because he
had decided on a leisurely hunting
trip incognito and his telegram an
nouncing the change of program had
linavoidably been delayed.
But some of Sir Basil Thompson's
correspondents in Raj Bey's palace
sent word that Raj was making
dangerous capital Of the kidnapping
dangerous to the precarious peace
between the British government and
4 group of Indian rajahs Of whom
Raj Bey was leader.
The order went forth, therefore,
that Special Branch was to find the
Prince, but to search for him as
There We're reasons of state why the
kidnapping should not stir up pub
lie connection reasons, however,
with which this story is not con-
cerned.
THROUGH the ether over two con-
tinents there went out wireless
messages to Sir Basil Thompson's cor
respondents, silent summonses to the
hunt. In London, with Special Branch
leading, the whole machinery and
team of Scotland Yard swung into
the search.
The Princes life at the university
was examined infinitely; all his as
sociates secretly investigated~-with
| no result. Ills last known movement
was when on the afternoon of his
disappearance he boarded train at
the university town. There the
known trail ended.
A council of Scotland Yard chiefs
| was held and the abstract possibili
ties of what might have happened
FWere canyassed. Raj Beys revolu.
tiOnists were at first the most prom.
Using explanation. But Sir Basil
Thompsons correspondents in the
ranks of the revolutionists said no.
And Scotland Yard went by what
they said. Another possibility was
that the Prince might have been
killed by some enc he had met on
the journey for loot or he might be
have had his own reasons fnr dis
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

1T WAS A SQUALlD PLACE,
But IT HELD A ROYAL PRIS-
ONER. RAJ BEI'S HEIR AP-
PARENT. WASTED WITH I'M
PRISONMENT. WAS HUD-
DIED IN A CORNER, CHAIN
ED TO A WALL"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06

OPPOSE yourself. in this article,
to he solving q fascinating pic
ture puzzle. | submit to you
the following fiGures-not mere
nictnreS. fhongh thnN are In