Evening star., 1927-03-20
gar Who Stole From Criminal Archives Is Finally Caught

OduS11l
safe crackers call can opener" and
looks like a giant model of one. With
this as a starter. he went on rapidly
and skillfully to pry open the safe
door.
But he too would have given an on.
locker the feeling that he was work
ing after pattern not his own. That
was all the more clear because of a
peculiar little incident in his work.
The door had given way apparently
before he quite expected it, Never
theless. he went on to chiseI another
scar or two in the Intel OF the safe
even after the door had yielded, as
though there were a definite touch
he wanted to impress on his work
In the safe were bundles of dollars
and English pounds sterling. as well
as other foreign currency. There was
also German money there. but the
man left this severely alone. espe-
cially as he saw on a bit OF paper in
the same drawer a carbon copy Of
a list of the serial numbers of the
German money bills. The foreign
currency was stuffed into the two
valises.
manipulated the front door of the
office so that il appeared as though
the lock had been forced open from
the inside. But that done he and
his confederate climbed down again
through the hole in the floor they
nau cut, and came out of the base
ment into the rear courtyard Here
they climbed tall fence, one hold.
ing the satchels while the other
climbed. and issued on the street.
a taxicab had been slowly going
around the block. But at tho
sound of a long-drawn.out meow, as
by late prowling tomcat. the taxi
put on speed and came up to the door.
way just as the two men stepped
out of house and into the cab.
One of the men kept looking out
OF the small oval glass in the back
or the taxi to see IL they were being
followed The other kept a sharp
lookout ahead. But they seemed
eral blocks from the scene of their
exploit
They got out at the gate 10 the
garden where Henkel had entered
several nights before and one of the
men let himself and his comrade in
with a key.
One of the men disposed of the
satchels and their contents i'm cum.
boards and hidden cubicles In the
floor and walls. The other sat down
to telephone and called up 'Pfeffers'
Hotel A sleepy night clerk answered
L must speak to Herr Pfeffer."
the man at the telephone said to
him. Il just came into Berlin and
n s.f I,fa
want to hear at once"
The clerk plugged the c41l to
Pfener's room. Pfeffer answered I'm
remarkably short time, as if he had
been expecting the call.
We'll, she's Safe"' the man at the
telephone said. "How's your friendo''
Played cards most of the night
with meas agreed. Only we two.
Perfectly all right. I'm coming over
Don't come before nine. Want
some sleep. And when YOU do come
Just use the key. Don't wake me.
Goodby"
'Pfeffer" replaced the receiver and
went back quietly to sleep. The
men at the other end of the wire did
the same
1t would have spoiled their sIeen
however. could they have seen sev.
eral men hidden in a room i'm the
next cottage. One of them had nm
covered the insulation of a telephone
WIRE and with a portable apparatus
was listening in on the telephone
conversation "Pfeffer" had lust had
When the receiver had been hung
up he looked up at his comrades and
reported word for word what had
been said.
Then we can be absolutely sure
we are right" portly man, evi.
uentiy In command OF the group,
ther need for delay Come."
The squad of men responded as
and promptly as to a
mlhtary order. Taking out revolv.
'ers' they showed them up the sleeves
Oh thelr ulsters and. leaving the house.
tramped across to the next house.
Here the leader took out his re-
voiver and pounding on the front
door OF the house. called out:
open i'm the name of the law
AT nrst there was silence in the
house. Then mans voice called ont.
What in Gods name do you
The leader of the party called up:
Cseiess 10 play this masquerade
any more. We've been on yoilr trail
every moment of the time since
Anna Kurtz stole the card of Han
nus Wehncke from the KriminsI
Archiv' We've followed your Hen.
kel here. We overheard your plan
TO initiate Wehncke's technique i'm
roDbing the money changer on Fried.
We saw Hehkel lure
Wehncke to play cards with him SO
that he could not supply an alibi.
we've tapped your telephone
wire and We were within a few feet
oi You when YOU cut through the
loor and robbed the safe this night
NOW we1l blow your brains out If Won
atIempt to fight. Open up"
mere was fierce whispered debate
inside the door. A head peered eau.
tiously through the front window
!" nat met that persons sight was
squad or dozen men at the from,
loot all with something obviously nm
helr sleeves. At the curb in front of
nc sarueh stood a closed motor police
,,' ,aoi wagon. The man darted to the
'sck "a WINDOW. There another squad
u uistered men stood waiting.
r'e minutes later a voice, hoarse
lown: 's'iieu
We surrender
HAIR an hour later a band of what
an ohIy be described as ''forsers of
'ureiars trade marks" was in the
ems maze vacant by three hitherto
unhappy suspects, now relea sed al.
most with apologies.
THE END.
(COnvri1k,