Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-27
1fable Police System Seeks Solution of the Perfect Grim

for the detectives hollow sound In
the neighborhood of O. chest OF draw
ers standing on bit or carpet. This
was moved aside and trapdoor dis
covered.
Who's down there?" demanded the
head Of the police squad OF the land
lord.
The man refused to speak. The
trapdoor was raised by one Of the
mechanical men, while the others
stood with revolvers cooked. No
sound came from the dark cave. A
ladder must have been the means OF
descending to It, for there were no
stairs, nor was there any ladder
visible.
Meanwhile the young grooer's clerk
was brought to the scene.
"who is down there?" he was asked
He was beside himself with fear
HE will kill me If / tell. Or any Of
his friends will do it, IL he doesntl
I'll go to Jail first"
He refused to say another word.
The police finally decided there was
nothing left but a frontal attack. A
ladder was brought. The officer in
charge of the attack shouted an order
for his men to descend. lie himself
led them.
From below there came no sound.
lacking party, a veteran Of the Great
War, yelled to his men:
Back! Upstairs
His men scrambled for the ladder
| even before he had shouted. They
were yelling, gasping. retching. Out
of the we'll of darkness they tumbled
| one by one. contorted and choking.
Those waiting outside were astounded.
Gas! Chlorine!" the leader of the
party gasped.
Then those who had been through
the war fled outdoors. For the ia
miiiar, dreaded fumes of chlorine
came out of the pit.
IN the street was enacted scene like
tiny cornor Of battlefield In
the early part Of the Great war ssv-
eral men were writhing with deadly
nausea. Others were trying to adj
minister first aid.
Meanwhile from a patrol box tele-
phone went calls. They brought am
balances and motor police patrol.
From 1t poured another two squads
of mechanical men. But these had
gas masks with them. And from the
patrol wagon they brought pickaxes
and hatchets.
Downing masks, one squad began
ing place. The other squad. also pro-
tected with masks. stood ready to
shoot.
When half the floor was torn up.
powerful electric torches were lowered
to the cellar. When this brought no
volley of revolver fire. at a motioned
signal from the leader of the attack
ing party, six men wearing gas masks
leaped down into the cellar, ready for
| the fight of their lives.
But all that met their sight was a
huddled figure on the floor, writhing
in agony, with a gas mask over his
head. The man was seized and rushed
through the opening in the floor.
In the fresh air the mask was taken
off the mans head. II was Johann
Gutkind, the man the police were
hunting in connection with the Kern
stoff murder. He had prepared the
gas defense, and a defect in the mask
he depended upon betrayed him to
death. For he died shortly after.
Before his death he confessed that
he had used the grocer's clerk as a
partly innocent accomplice in an at
tempt TO rob DIR. Kernstoff. The wag-
onette held a long rope concealed I'M
der the soiled linen the policeman saw
in his careless inspection. Gutkinds
method of entry was exactly what
the police had deduced it was-by
means of rope and a pair OF steel
spurs.
He opened Dr. Kernstoff's window
and stepped across the sill without
touching it, so as not to disturb the
dust he knew theoretically was there.
He was gloved. so he left no finger
| prints.
He had barely entered the living
| room. however, when DIR. Kernstoff
leaped upon him. In the struggle
Gutkind crashed in the mans skull
| With his blackjack. But he was SO
frightened at having killed a man
his first and only murder-that he
decided to take no loot with him that
might furnish the police with the re-
hottest clue. But In the crime muse
UNI in the great police headquarters
on Alexanderplatz saw the rope and
spurs he had used-mute trophies OF
the battle between an original crimi.
| nal and German-built impersonal,
| misunderstanding machine.
THE END.