davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

ested in his speculation in this case.
Suppose we follow his fancy a little.
Wlll you go ahead, professor"
We'll, continued the alienst, I'VE
don't know, Of course, whether this
woman he warned was his wife or
another's. 1t is fairly certain that
this marriage ring is hers. Now.
what kind of treachery does he warn
her she must not continue? InfideI-
ity is not usually described in lust
that way. Treachery means betraying
TO an enemy You have betrayed me
to my enemy-or are about to- am
reminding you of it" that tattoo
seems TO say
Now a mans enemy is either an
individual or a group of individuals.
II may be the police, I am inclined
to think SO in this case / think so
because Of the trouble the man took
to send those two exhibits to YOU.
chief. 1t is as if the man were say
ing
You'H betray me to the police,
eh? You will point me out to them as
a man they want? Well, let me help
you. | myself will guide your finger
to them"
The chief of police nodded.
Il must say, professor. you also
make it sound plausible-once | grant
you your premises.
Most people, continued the alien
list, think in terms Of familiar images
or figures. Start saying, Cold as
and most people will finish with ice.
Pretty as a picture. Sweet as sugar,
and SO on. Treacherous' almost in
evitably goes with snake in the
grass
also, d mind that, joined to
a sinister courage, would answer a
threat with u savage attack. 1t would
be an attack begun in stealth, but
would go on to extreme cruelty. Slow
torture, q satanic irony could be eX-
pected. Well send your index finger
to the police, my dear" | can imagine
him saying, You wanted them to go
where it pointed, you know. And
several days later it might have been
sent.
What Your friends the police
haven't been able to follow where you
pointed? Wen, We must help them
again. "
The police chief rose.
"All this seems to me pure hypoth-
esis.' he said. But it is better than
work on what you gentlemen have
furnished me. Meanwhile, if you de-
duce anything else, please let me
know at once"
X 4 X -
THE police chief hurried back to
the city and called a council of his
lieutenants. He described for them
| the Hypothetical picture the scientist
had drawn. They received it with
the utmost respect, for Vienna police
have learned to appreciate what sci
ence and university trained minds can
do in the way of solving mysteries
that battle the naked eye.
Then began a process of elimina-
! ton. A single surgeon, physician or
assistant in a dissection room among
tens of thousands Of them was
| sought. The hypothesis that this man
probably had some acquaintance with
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

~ asked in Paris.
"A Are the priceless treasures
4 A of France safe in national
museums?
The historic gems successfully
stolen from the Palace Museum of
Chantilly (where they were supposed
to be encased, locked and under
guard day and night have resurrected
all the former stories and uneasiness.
That the Chantilly Museum gems
land thieves included) have been found
is no great comfort. The historic
settings had been melted down--and
the example remains of what thieves
can do in museums,
AS all know, now, the chief gem
stolen at Chantilly was the unique.
orld-famous pink diamond, called
1.-The Great Conde." from the prince
who owned it 200 years ago. A hotel
chambermaid looked through the
valise of a traveller and found an
apple. Like Eve, she bit it, and hurt
a tooth on what she called piece of
glass. But the hotel keeper had sense
to take 1t to the police station, where
1t was recognized as a diamond
But now take note. 1t was Il his
toric diamond-but outside of its
habitual and recognized surroundings,
Ilcic 81 llCW duIECI, 10 SCCii
of the Mona Lisa" For, take note,
the Chantilly Museum guard who had
watched over the Great Condo" for
40 years said when the stone was
shown to him: "Never on your life
that's not the pink Condo dia-
mond" 1t required the expert fingers
and memory of the museum curator
to demonstrate it to be really the
stolen wonder. His fingers felt the
peculiar slant of one of the pink dia-
monds facets, unusual and character
istic of it's ancient cuttingl
And inestimable extra value at
taches to the gems sure personality.
thus verified. Were the grand stone
to be just taken from u South African
mine, it would be valued at about
81 900 900; but with its historic pedi-
gree, lit is priceless. 1t is indeed for
tunate that by an accidental curiosity
of cutting experts recognize it
perfectly!
Is the Mona Lisa" as recognizable?
The priceless masterpiece portrait.
painted by Leonardo da Vinci, was
similarly stolen from the Louvre
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

y ELDOM if ever. do the police
chiefs Of great city feel
shocked Al q crime But they
~ may feel pity or Indignation. y
policeman must start life with 4
certain t0ughreSS of SensbilitieS. 90!
he acquires IT, otherwise he could NOT
stand the daily contact with crime
and cruelty that is largely his lot.
One morning. however. the chief Of
police in Vienna did set a real shock
when he opened a package that came
through the mail addressed 10 him.
What came III iire package WAS ha ID
enough but ii would not ri s'self h8
shocked a Veteran police official like
himself
For. unhappily for Tie human race,
murder and dC$ecTation OF the human
body are only too common Il phenome-
non in the crime annals of a big city.
The shock itself was due to something
that was strongly implied by the send
Ing of this package.
For, five days earlier. he had re-
ceived through the mails a similar
package. In each case a sheet from
the most popular daily in Vienna was
wrapped about a cigarette box and
tied with bit of common string. The
address had been typed with a new
machine, as was apparent from the
clearneSS and cleannesS Of the type
But in the first package, when opened.
found the index finger of the left hand
of woman.
Thereat the police assumed that a
murder had been committed and that
for some reason the murderer was ex-
hibiting evidence of the crime to the
police. The package was infinitely ex-
amined for clues. But 100000 people
read daily the newspaper which made
the wrapper.
Perhaps as many people threw
away such empty cigarette boxes
6s the one in which the finger
was sent. The string was Just as
common a variety. The typewriting
or the address. as l have said. indi-
Gated that the machine was SO new
that 1t had not yet acquired those bits
OF deterioration that often make type
writing as individual as handwriting.
The address on the package, Chief
OF Police. Vienna" certainly offered no
clue. The poStmark showed that the
little package had been mailed at a
letter box on the busiest corner in
Vienna. The police had nothing.
therefore. wherewith to work.
And now. five days later. came the
second package. the one that shocked
the chief OF police. Wrapper, box,
sts1ng and tipping OF the address We're
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

the technique of how to hide traces
of crime narrowed the hunt consid-
erably.
Never did the police chief devote
so many men TO any one hunt or work
them SO hard. Nevertheless, with the
heavy handicap of time and scanti-
ness of clues. the force assigned to
the case found itself swamped.
Meanwhile publicity was kept at a
minimum. The fear was that the man
sought would he either warned. fright.
ened or, what was most probable, infu.
rated if he imagined that the hunt
was drawing nearer, and would either
flee or complete his grisIy program.
The chief Of police then called a Sc
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

| merely by accident The fact that
you have been able to deduce so little
from the two separate packages indi-
Gates that there has been at work a
student Of the technique of crime, or
! that there has been employed an
agent of such ii type Together with
the Skill shown in amputation, things
point to All experienced hand doing the
work"
There is also a strong indication
! Of love of cruelty and exhibitionism,
added the professor of morbid psychol-
ogy. 1T is very likely that this love
of cruelty is what has drawn the per-
son to whatever training or pursuit
has given him his skill in a1mputat ton
or dissection"
The police chief telephoned the
added hypothesis.
But. speed, gentlemen he muir
INJURED
X = = K
THE examining scientist now
| turned to the ring and the chief
! Of police thought he was going TO
waste time examining what the police
had already declared devoid Of clues.
| All police headquarters. where the ring
| was taken off the finger to be ex-
amined for any inscription or jewelers.
! mark that might be found there, IA
| paper tag had been tied about the
! ring To mark it for Identification.
j.. Now the police chief was surprised
i 20 find The scientist examining
! through q magnifying glass, not the
ring. but the string.
| what makes YOU so interested in
| that string, professor" he asked. Il
myself tied it about the ring. And l
can tell YOU all about it's previous
: history, for it came out Of my own
! desk drawer
Il am sure you can tell me all
about the string up TO the moment
YOU tied il about the ring said the
professor. "But can you tell me why
the string throughout all its length
should retain its original colors of
twisted blue and white. and yet
change TO pale yellow for the quarter
Of an inch that has touched the inside
Of the ring?"
The police head stared at the bit of
discolored string indicated. 1t was
as the scientist indicated. discolored
only at the point of contact with the
inside of the ring.
why, that must have happened
since 10 o'clock this morning. while
1t was in my own pocket" he eX-
claimed What do you make Of it,
THAT there was something or
still is---on the inside of the ring that
has acted chemically on the bit of
string where it touched. Let us see
if we can find what that something
isl
Deicately shipping off the quarter
!. inch of discolored string. he picked
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

cret conference of some so men in
medical circles. TO these he outlined
the situation.
so you see, gentlemen" he con
cluded. lat best we have little enough
to go on, few men and little time. We
must, therefore, draft you. Each one
of you will be considered in this case
a deputy of mine. You are asked to
inquire about quietly, in your schools,
lecture and dissecting rooms, among
your professional friends"
1t was a new situation to his audi
ence. But an appalling thing was TAX
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

practically the same as on the first
package. But the finger this time
that came in the box was the third of
the right hand; again a woman's; I'M
doubtedly the same woman; and this
time there was a plain gold marriage
ring on the finger.
But what shocked the chief Of DO
lice was that after examination it
was clear that the victim must have
been alive four days after the first
fnger had been cut off: and was
alive only the day before the second
une was sent Suppose she was still
olive and more such packages should
fone,
What picture, Somewhere a
mend was carving by bits q living
human being, a woman, With the
desperation of human beings work
ing to save another human being from
horror worse than death, the Vienna
police chiefs bent all their energies
on a hunt for clues
But there was no inscription on
the ring. The wrapper, box and
string yielded as little information
as the first package; the ring was
hopeless!y lacking in difference from
The many thousands of other marriage
rings worn by Viennese.
The combination OF these factors
could have pointed 10 half Ii million
people in Vienna. One can't 80 ex-
aiming half Il million people for Il
single criminal. And never before
was time so terribly vital a factor In
solving such a gruesome charade as
his one.
Every day, every hour every min
ute might spell the difference between
lie and death horror and rescue. But
the police heads felt that with the
little scent they had to help them
ind the trail to the house of the
horror, they were beaten even If they
had plenty OF time.
TIIERETPOE they did what they
usually did when they came up
against q problem beyond their skill
They telephoned to one of several uni
Versity experts In crininology who
helped them out in such emergencies
For. as I wrote in a previous story
Of this series, In Vienna the police
rave neither the marvellous organiza
tion Of Scotland Yard, the individual
dash and initiative Of the Parish
machine of Berlin
The V!ennese have 10 depend or
what university professors and sci
cntists in their laboratories can dc
FOR them And what these have done
for the police Of Vienna has put that
city on a par with London, Paris ant
Berlin in the record for the hunting
down of criminals.
When, therefore. the chief of the
Vienna police felt that he had reached
the limit of his resources in the mys
terT of the w" fingers. he telephonet
fol hcIp 10 q certain assistant pro
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13
By Joseph GolIomb
MURDER BY PIECEMEAL

The Best Detect;ve Talent IN Vienna Gould
Make Nothing of This Gr;s'y Case Until a Lab
oratory Chemist and a Specialist IN Morbid
Psychology Found the Clue IN a PLAIN Gold Wed
ding Ring.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

patients sent to DIR. Schmitz for opera.
tiOn that in q considerable number of
cases the operations, ordinarily one
time affairs, were so unfortunate in
their outcome that subsequent opera.
tions had to be resorted to. These
were done also by DR.. Schmitz and
paid for, of course, with additional
fees.
Now, 1t is extremely hard to prove
that a surgeon deliberately makes an.
other operation necessary. But this
occurred so many times that it began
to be whispered about that DR..
Schmitz was either a poor surgeon
or worse. But in the medical school
days he had brilliant record for sur.
giCal work. and for the first three
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

enough actually to use brand burned
into the flesh. But tattooing it might
not be so far away as a thought.
Thinking of doing it. he would be
strongly impelled to do 1t. Suppose
him acquainted with the use of
anesthetics. What a temptation to
overpower the woman, anesthetize
and tattoo her,
What a constant reminder it would
be to her of his thought! Here, my
lady. is a little reminder of what /
know you to be, treacherous as a
snake.' he might say after he had
done it. "A little reminder So tiny
that most people won't notice it, even
If they look closely at your finger. AS
yet it is only for yourself, my dear
this reminder. But unless you mend
your ways ~
* X X
THE alienist stopped as he saw the
dubious look in the face of the
chief of police.
But the examining scientist came
to his support
You must remember that my col
league has specialized in the work
ings of the morbid mind" he said
to the chief Of police. II am inter-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

left the city, too. He has not been
seen for a week. No one can tell
| us where either Of them Is What
| makes me think there is something
peculiar In all this is that the nurse.
F'raulein Gertha, with whom he has
been seen on increasingly friendly
terms, also Is gone. That's all /
have to report" the young surgeon
concluded.
I'm take charge of it myself" the
chief replied.
N half an hour squad of his picked
men was running about like blood.
hounds on the trail of DIR. Schmitz,
Fraulein Gertha, the nurse, and the
missing DR.. Weiss. In an hour and
| half one Of them picked up the
trail of DR.. Schmitz. He had been
| seen by his patients boarding the
train for Semmering that morning.
Y Semmerlng is a noted Winter re.
| sort in the mountains, an hour from
Vienna. Several big hotels, a COLONY
of cottages and some boarding houses
cluster on a mountain height and
overlook valley, one Of the most
| beautiful in Europe. Here and there
are isolated cottages, or tiny chaIets,
owned and occupied at times by
| painters and writer's in search of Quiet
| for work.
In one of the most isolated of these
light showed, but so dimmed nv
| blinds and shutters that from the big
hotels 1t was scarcely visible. About
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13
BY STERLING HEHIG.

PdTIS, JANUARY IT.
A BURNING question is being
~ asked in Paris.
"A Are the priceless treasures
4 A of France safe in national
museums?
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

ing place somewhere, and every one of
the 90 willingly accepted service.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-29
The Woman of Thirty-five
BY CLYDE CALLISTER.

Nine de Mailly, the first favorite
of King Louis XIV of France. was IS
years old at the time the young King
waiting of the queen, Louis wife, and
was rather deliberately chosen by am
bilious courtiers of the King. She was
neither young nor beautiful. was not
even pretty-and there was nothing
remarkable about her face save two
big, dark eyes, we'll set in her head
and very bright. Her voice was
loud What charms she possessed
were more potent with the King than
1.-The loveliest of necks. the most
shapely arms, or even the high line
age and graces and manifold attrac
tons of hundred other court beau
ties
Historians seem inclined to excuse
Nine. de Mailly for her transgres
sions, pardoning her because. as
d'Angerville puts it, "her heart was
genuinely engaged--it was the man
rather than the monarch that at
tracted her. she really loved Louis
XIV, she asked no favors for herself
or relations, she was never burden
to the state. and she quilted the
court as poor as she entered it. After
the manner Of Nine De la Valliero,
she thought that none was worthy to
take the place of her love. and it was
with tears that she continued until
her death to eXpiate the scandal she
had caused and to atone for her
crime
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-29
BEDTIME STORIES
BY THORNTON
". BURGESS

taking care to make no noise at ALL
h" headed straight for the back door
of Fal mcr Browns house. 1t was un.
latched. Cubby pulled it open. Then
h listened. He stood there on the
doorstep with just his little head in
side and listened and listened. He
went in. The screen door into the
kitchen was not latched This was
pure luck. Cubby pushed it open. He
listened. He looked this way and that.
He worked his little nose for all it
was worth. That kitchen was empty.
For some reason, he didn't know just
why, Cubby was gla1.
Sure that nobody wcs in that
kitchen, Cubby entered. lie stood up
to look all about. Then he made
straight for-where do YOU thilk? He
made straight for the ,n;ry door.
Yes. sir, that little black imp of mis-
chief made straight for the pantry
door and his tongue was Il nging out
of the corner of his mouth he was so
eager to get to those cookies You see,
he hadn't forgotten where those cook
les were kept. This was an opportu-
nifty too good to miss. He would find
those cookies and he would eat and eat
and eat and eat. He never had had
all the cookies at one time that he
wanted. but he meant to have them
now. So he made straight for that
pantry door, and momant later he
was inside the pantry. Cubby gave a
sigh of pure happiness as he made
straight for the cookie jar.
iCopyright 1927
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-29

George Eliot was 35 when she
formed an alliance with George
Henry Lewes. This unconventional
relationship between an eminently
sober-minded English novelist and an
otherwise entirely conventional Eng
lish philosopher and psychologist was
viewed with great disa pproval by
their contemporaries.
1t was when she was 35 that
Louisa NJ. Alcott wro Little Wom-
en"-the book that brought her al
most immediate and lasting fame.
1t was when she was So that
Nine. MOdjeslia, the Polish actress,
first came TO the United States. Her
health had broken down and a long
sea voyage had been advised Her
14-year-old son. who had read of the
Centennial Exhibition to take place
in Philadelphia. begged his parents
to go to America.
Modjeska realized that her own sue
cess depended on some such change.
The critics were beginning to get
tired OF me- she said; had | re.
manned they soon would have called
me an old woman. and ,assee, but
when | return. and return With new
success, they will receive me with
open arms. Every one will find me
younger and more attractive"
In America, Nine. Modjeska, with
her husband and son, remained
living on farm in California. where
for two years she devoted herself to
the study of the English language.
tCnnVriphf
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-29
The Diplomat.

Aunt Isabelle was a testy old lady.
ANYBODY who tried to live through
one whole day with her could say
that without a second thought. You
can't please her. If you agree with
her she laughs at you and if you dis.
agree with her she snaps your head
off. One never knows what to say,
what to do to please her.
"Why should she be pleased? sald
Peter, just home from college and tull
of this worlds wisdom.
Because she is your fathers aunt.
She took care of him when he lost ms
mother and nothing we can do Tor
her is too much" said mother en-
phatically.
Then why is she so disagreeable?
II she was like that to father it's
wonder to me how he let her take
care OF him. l wouldn't, know
Peter, you must be good to Aunt
Isabelle OF course. she was not like
that when she was younger. 1t is
only because she is old and cannot
get about and cannot"
Maybe, maybe" said Peter,
blithely, but I've always been told
that what you do when you are young
will be what you do when you are
old. You tell me that daily mother.
But I'll keep out of her way. That's
the best l can do. She makes me
frantic"
Mother looked very much troubled
That very afternoon she had to go
out and somebody must stay with
Aunt Isabelle. Plainly Peter would
not do. Then up spoke the diplomat
of the family. Lorrie, aged 8.
Its all right, mother You go