Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-02
The Gray Phantom's Romance
Astonishing Adventures Of an Unusual Hero.
Copyright Street & Smith Corp.

| tom did it, the next l don't know what
to think"
"All the facts seem to point to the
| Phantom's guilt"
That's just the trouble" Culligore
scowled little There's such a
| thing as having too many facts. II
the evidence wasn't SO perfect I'd be
more sure of my ground. AS it is, i
wouldn't bet more than a pair of Bow
cry spats on the Phantom's guilt. I'm
not sure he killed either Gage or the
housekeeper."
The Phantom eyed him intently. try
ing to read his mind.
Il see" he murmured. You don't
want to believe the Phantom has fallen
so low as to"
You're talking rot.' snorted the
lieutenant. as if touched on a sensitive
spot. What | want to believe makes
no difference. If l could lay my hands
IN the Phantom this minute, I'd put
he links on him so quick 1t would take
his breath away. Even il he didn't
kill Gage and Mrs. Trippe. there are
one or two other things we can send
him up for
Il suppose So said the Phantom
thoughtfully. Much as you would
hate to pinch him. you can't let senti.
ment interfere with duty"
Sentiment be damned" grumbled
the lieutenant. reddening a trif1e as he
saw the knowing grin on the Phan-
TOMS face. II never was long on that
kind of stuff. By the way, what's your
opinion of the case, Granger"
Il haven't any" The Phantom Won
dered what was going on In the back
of Culligore's mind. He knew the
dull features were a mask and that the
lieutenant, practicing a trick cultivated
by members of his profession, was
studying his face every moment with.
out appearing to do so. You seem
to be holding something back" he
added
Think sop Culligore uttered a fat.
toneless chuckle. Aren't you holding
something back yourself? What's the
use trying to hog it all for your
paper?"
Didn't tip you off on the doings
in the Gage house this morning."
You did," said Culligore dryly, land
I'm still wondering how you knew
about them Did you Just walk in on
a bunch and discover a dead woman,
and cop chained to an opium-eating
runt. or did some one put you wise
beforehand"
The Phantom felt he was on danger
GUS ground. ''It was only a bunch.
we newspaper men have them, you
know, and once in a while they pan
out. But what do you make of 1t.
Culligore? How do you explain the
cop being handcuffed to Dan the
Dope?'
II don't explain it. / suppose Pinto
will tell us how it happened when he
comes to-
Think there's any connection be-
tween the handcuffed pair and the
murder of the housekeeper?"
How could there be? The medical
examiner said the housekeeper must
have been dead from 20 to 80 hours
when the body was found. Besides,
where do you find any connection be-
tween a murder on the one hand and
cop chained to a dope fiend on the
other. To my way of thinking, the
two cases are separate. The one of
Pinto and Dan the Dope is all a
riddle, and the only clear thing about
it is that the Phantom had hand in
it,"
THE Phantom"
yep. The Phantom was in on it.
Surprised, Ell? Well. there are some
things we don't tell the newspapers,
and this was one of them. Just how
the Phantom figured in the thing /
can't tell, but he was in the Gage
house last night or early In the morn
ing. Beats the dickens how that fell
low can walk past our noses without
getting caught"
The Phantom stared. He did not
think he had left any traces OF his
connection with the affair at the Gage
house. and Culligore's statement
startled him for moment
How do you know he asked, get
ting a grip on himself.
'Fingerprints," said the lieutenant
This is on the q. t. / examined the
handouts, and there were three sets
of prints on them, showing that three
different persons had handled them.
There were only two or three marks
of each set, but enough to identify
them. One set was Dan the Dope's,
the other must have been Pinto's, and
the third was the Gray Phantom's."
The Phantom bit his lip. Gliding
himself for having been caught off his
guard. He might have known that the
smooth and shiny surface Of the hand
cuffs would register fingerprints. but
he had been bodily and mentally ex-