The Daily Alaska empire., 1929-09-23
Chapter 37 P. E. LINCOLN

A million francs leIt lour years in a hotel unclaimed
 The man knew he was telling a sensational story and expected us to be surprised. Our astonishment must have far exceeded his expec tations.
 So excited were we that he smiled indulgently. Yes-he was quite willing to. give us the name CT the hotel, but he warned us the manI- ger intended to hang on to the fortune till the rightful owner pre- sented the rightful receipt. The money itself had, of course, long since been lodged in the bank.
 In the morning we visited the Hotel des Cynges and saw the man ager. He was a difficult and se- cretive gentleman, but we per s,1aded him to allow us to look oyer his register for July, 1923, telling him nothing of our pur- pose.
 We found in this list of guests on the 23rd of July only two English names. They were E. Richard and l.. Philip of London.
 The two men in the Dover affair Laxton certainly had an uncanny instinct. We sent him a tele- gram announcing our return by the boat which left at ten.
 
 It was pleasant to be back at Woodcot without a skeleton in the cupboard or a hypothetical couslr upstairs. It was splendid to ot welcomed by my mother, who askef no superfluous questions; Professol Layton had already relieved hel mind.
 But LaXton's own mind was In sad uproar. He had rushed oacK to a Blackwater to find Marhne flown. According to MT. Fothef- bury. he had suddenly thrown uf his job and gone to London The rnndon address he left was ho- tel The hotel knew him not.
 Laxton had nothing save praise for our work at Ostend. We were curious to know how he had hit or Cstend at all He then tracee fer us the chain of circumstance which began with his old lags yarr and continued with his visit t' Pfincetown prison at the time O the man Richards escape.
 Richard had only one correspon dent. a man named Lincoln, an ac countant, in London. They nat trailed Lincoln up to a signir cant point and then lost him.
 Lincoln had been employed by well-known firm of accountants Il the city. Three years ago he too a holiday for fortnight and di mt return for 12 months. Whel the year had gone he turned u again. with no explanation Of hi remarkable conduct, ana asked ID a reference.
 The firm liked Lincoln. But-n explanation, no reference. Nothln doing. ..
 You need hardly go on, MT. Lax ton" said I. "Of course the ma Lincoln was the second prisoner I the Dover affair, who gave th name of Philip and Philip was tn Englishman who stood behind th gamblers elbow in the Kursaal, an that Englishman was Pell.'
 Laxton smiled approvingly. confessed that I had reached m speculative limit.
 "The rest is a matter Of prosal police inquiry The correspondence between Richard and Lincoln wa apparently harmless-but it mus have concealed pretty subtle un derstanding. The extraordinar ingenuity and pluck of Lincolnl- listen to this
 And then Laxton told us at lengh about Pell. He had earned tn usual remission of sentence an was out of prison in May, 1920 Having had a shot at his old firr without success. he went to an other where he was engaged i'm mediately. That firm was Smith ins Ltd.
 sarx5s-
 eWhewl" cried Somerfield. "Th firm whose messenger he was sup posed to have helped to kill"
 But why? And why did Smithlr fall for it, Somerfield wanted t know?
 Laxton could not tell us-yet.
 you remember the defense the Dover case-that Richard an Philip were attacked by gang ( whom the dead man was one? NO how would it strike you II tnf happened to be true?
 ..The first thing is that Smitnin Ltd. rather lose caste, don't they certainly. If the defense Philip and Richard was true' M