Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-03

lives and the gardener said he knew
of the family. In week the tive
were inseparable friends. The detec
tive told the gar dener. then. a story d
how he had roommate who had gout
away from New York TO get anothel
job. how he had a room with two beds
all paid for. and invited the gardener
TO room with him. They became
roommates.
But still. though they were room.
mates, the detective couldn't get any,
thing out of the man about the crime
or why he had left the scene OF it
And he didn't dare breach 1t openly.
So he started new and elaborate cam
paign. He showed big roll OF money.
He let ii he vaguely understood that
the law might be interested in how he
got that money. He began to talk
about Alaska. He was going there
soon.
Then one night the detective took
the gardener TO a motion picture that
he himself had seen before. There
was a scene in that picture in which a
child was murdered. Right in the mid
die of that scene the gardener said he
felt sick. and got up and left the show.
The detective knew then he was on
the right track, IL ever he had doubted
before
OF udNS anu nikHNS lHS EdEUSuST
was moodier than ever. Still he don't
come through with any condolences.
Then the detective staged show that
stays in my mind as a masterpiece.
"He hired an automobile and took
the German for long drive out White
Plains way. They drank at road
houses. He flashed his big roll Of
money repeatedly. Then, as they
drove down a dark road, a group OF
men stepped out and ordered them to
halt. The detective stopped the car.
AS the men advanced the detective
pulled out revolver and fired it at
the heart OF a man not Eve feet away.
The man screamed and fell. The de-
tective started the car at top speed
and returned to New York, leaving
the other members of the gang
grouped around their fallen comrade.
The detective and the gardener went
straight to their room.
"Ive got to start for Alaska now
the detective said. starting to pack
hurriedly. That gang will get mo
for killing that man. And you bot
I'm not going to call on the poljcA
I'm going to beat H.
"THE German looked at him. 40
seemed to be making up his
mind. At last he spoke. Take me
to Alaska with you he begged. You
got the price
"'Not a chance, said the detective.
I put my life in your hands when I
killed that man in front of you. I'm
going to disappear and leave you be-
hind where even you can't md me-
1.-THE gardener gulped and started
to speak. If you'll take me with you,
I'll put my life in your hands just as
much as you put yours in NINE he
said.
"'You can't do that said the de-
tective. But if you could, I'd take
YOU
"'But can protested the German.
Then and there he blurted out the
whole awful story of how he had muir
dered that little girl by the cross.
roads, telling horrible unprintable de-
tails, even.
And in that room detectaphones
had been placed for weeks waiting for
that moment In the next room, every
minute the two Of them were there,
three men were waiting with head
pieces on, ready to take notes in short
hand.
you see. that automobile trip muir
der was just a Stall--a plant. The
detective had fired a blank cartridge
at one of a group of men paid literally
to stage exactly that sort of a scene
at an appointed place at an appointed
hour The mystery Of that murder
| was solved right then and there In
that lodging house bedroom. And
though the names4have gone from my
memory. I'll always remember that a.
the greatest piece OF detective work
Of which ever heard"
(Couyright. 1927