The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-10-07
Chapter 43
Bugle Calls

FIRSI l thought the Randy
child meant an automobile
horn" Gerald went on. 81 took
her to a big automobile accessory
shop and she listened to every
horn in the house. She thought il
was great sport, but it wasn't like
any of those. The horn she heard
was pretty, and played tunes.
81 began to see the possibilities.
A school Of music; an isolated
teacher of wind instruments; or
simply a crowded neighborhood
where there was an amateur
tooter. If 1 could find out what
kind of horn it would narrow
things down.
eve went to a music store. She
listened to saxophOneS, flutes,
clarinetS, bass horns. and shook
her head. The baby has a good
ear, fortunately for us. ! was
about to give up in despair when
a boy scout came in with his
scoutmaster to buy a bugle. The
boy played mess call on one ne
was trying out, and it clicked. It
was not only the right horn, il
was the right tune, she told me in
great excitement. NotD could she
have the ice cream cone? I'm
agine a millionaire's child who
doesn't get enough ice cream
cones-pitiful, isn't it?"
I laughed, and after a moment
he went on.
81 made her wait a bit, while
the scoutmaster took the bugle
and played taps. She knew that
one, too. I'd about decided / was
onto something, but to make sure
asked the ScOutmaster If he
knew The Roast Beef of Old Eng
land He'd heard it a few times
on an English boat and said he'd
have a try at it. He did-and the
child said she didn't know that
tunei
THAT clinched it. as far as l
was concerned. He played half a
dozen calls Of the American army
and she recognized them all. We
had ice cream cones. then / took
her home and was at some pains
TO discover that she had never
visited on an army post, nor had
any occasion to hear bugle calls.
Then l asked Ler if. sometimes
when the bugle was blowing, she
had heard a big boom like giant
frecracker. and she said yes.
Isn't II curious how people
who have the use of their eyes
forget the value of the other four
senses? Almost every kidnapped
person is kept blindfolded. and
because they can't see they hear
things their kidnaperS never no
tice. There was the man who
heard the mail plane going over
every night"
He paused apoIogetically. "Sor-
", didn't mean to deliver a lee
ture. I just wanted TO tell you
what led me here. With the CO.
operation OF the bootmakers and
the knowledge and consent of
Corps Area Headquarters. I've
been travelling about from post
to post in this vicinity shopping
into matters which did not con-
Germ ne. hoping 20 happen on
something which did. I've fer
reteG 0lt some interesting mat
terS"-here he paused with a
grim chuckie "but nothing
seemed pertinent until l ran into
the stolen cars of Fort Michigan.
All Ears
AND now l must go back a
n little and tell you another
part of the story. I'm not firing
your"
l assured him hurriedly that he
was not firing me, that I was all
ears. and please to go on.
81 don't want you to get the
idea that I'm handling this case
alone. This was simply my angle
of it. and in a sense I played in
luck. But the rest of the organi-
cation is behind me. and because
they are-it's rather like beating
a rabbit out of the brush. No. not
a rabbit. A tiger. or jackal. The
heaters were all behind il. and il
came my way.
The ransom bills were old and
unmarked. But their serial num-
berS were taken. naturally. And
early in August they began tC
filter in. A tremendous amount
of routine work was done track
ing each one down, usually to
harmless shop. or a prosperous
law-abiding citizen who was a
a loss TO account for his possession
of a ransom note. From all ovel
Chicago they began to come in
and at last we began to get pic
ture of the method.
"a few of the posseSsor:
claimed they had made change
for a stranger in the elevated
station. They differed in their
descriptions of the stranger. One
said it was a little old man. an
other on elderly woman. A thirc
described a fat man. another ;
well-dreSsed young woman. Al
lowing for the possibilities of dis
guise, there must have been a
least a couple, man and woman
"The method was always TIT
came. A prosperous-looking citi'
Sen-uSudlly man-would b.
1ecosted alphabetically IS he lef
ne station-always a busy one