SMITH, 228 William St.. N.Y.

By Subscription $2.50 fer vear.

rice, Five Cents.

 

 

 
 
i
i

 

 

   
   
       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

issued Weekly. By Subscription $2.50 per year. Entered as Second Class Matter at the N. Y. Post Office, by STREET & SMITH, nee William St, N.Y,

Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1902, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, ee

No. 304.

NEW YORK, October 25, 1902.

Price Five Cents.

 

The Conspiracy of the Red League.

 

By the author of “NICHOLAS CARTER.”

 

CHAPTER I

FOUR CRIMES, : f he

On the morning of June 28, 19—, the city of Balti-

more was convulsed by a series of startling crimes that
had occurred within its borders during the preceding
night.
No less than four murders had been committed in
_ four different parts of the city, and in each case the

manner in which the crime had been done was such

26 to convince even a casual observer that the murderer

was the same.

“One of the residences on the upper part of Madison

“avenue had been. stealthily entered, and its mistress,
_a young woman less than thirty years of age, beautiful,

/ eccentric, and the possessor of great wealth, had been

murdered. _ /
Herd na me was Bertha Trevors, and for three years

i

 

she had resided alone, with the exception of the ser-
vants who were employed by her in the house.

Her life had been devoted to study, and, notwith-
standing her great beauty and the multitude of her
accomplishments, she had shunned society and com-

-panionship, and made-herself almost a hermit in the

magnificent house which was her home. .
Her habits were as regular as the ticking of a clock.
She rose at a certain hour, sat down at the break-

fast table at a precise moment, and the conduet of her

entire life was arranged like the schedule of a railway
time-table, and adhered to just as rigidly.
Consequently, upon the morning in question, when
seven o'clock arrived, and the door between the din-
ing-room and the hallway in the house did not open

as usual to admit her, the servants looked at each other

‘in astonishment.

What could have happeried.t

 
  

en
 

 

2 | NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

Maggie Scott was bine across the threshold in a

Had the mistress overslept? .
Really there was no other way to explain the un-
heard-of event of her being late at breakfast.

The matter was to them so serious that they held a
consultation regarding it, at the end of which time,
four or five minutes, the maid, whose duty it was to
wait upon Miss Trevors at all hours of the day or
night, was appointed by others as a committee of one
to investigate. aeeiane

Bertha Trevors occupied a room on the second floor,
at the front of the house, and the maid, whose name
was Maggie Scott, went to the door of this roomy and
‘Tapped lightly upon it.

There was no answer, and she waited several min-
utes before repeating the summons.

At the end of that time, with somew ne age force,
she rapped again. _ : ;
Still there was so reply. :

Then, timidly and with a feeling’ of inexplicable
‘alarm, lest something had happened to’her mistress,
and that she, the maid, might be exceeding her pre-
rogative too far for forgiveness, she turned the knob
of the door, and hesitatingly pushed it open.

As soon as it was stifficiently ajar she stepped across
‘the threshold in the act of entering the room.

But she paused, even as her body was midway ‘with-
in the doorway, her eyes almost starting from their

‘sockéts; and for several seconds she stood like a statue, —

utterly incapable of movement, and with intense Borer
‘depicted upon every line of her features.

Then there rang through the house such a shriek
‘of horror and despair as was never heard before by
those listening below. ce

Following it, came a heavy fall, and then all avas still.

The three remaining servants, who had ‘been listen-
‘ing at the foot of _the stairs, looked dt each other in
undisguised alarm.

For a moment none of them dared to stir.

Then one, who was somewhat more courageous than
“the others, started up the stairs, and her companions,
gaining courage, followed after her.

‘They reached the door whicli Maggie Scott | Aaa. 60
timidly opened, and then they, too, eried out.

she. never recovered: from during the remainder of —

‘that she was never'able to coherently deseribe the inci- ue
dents of the discovery. ~ | ‘ a

‘upon the floor, and bearing every evidence that she had
met her death at the hands of the same, ‘person, who
had choked: her until she ceased to OGL, gee y 38 | 4b

dead faint. Beyond her, almost in the center of the
room, stretched upon her back, her face distorted with
evidences of agony, and with an expression of untold »
horror still clinging to her features, was cs Tre-
vors. aN B
That she was dead, and had been for ceveral Nos.
was at once apparent.

The first impulse of the servants was to run, but
their calmer judgment told them that they could. not
leave their companion where she was, and. with. trem- :
bling hands they seized her and dragged her away, »
shutting the door, and then carried her down the stairs, |
where, while two of them set about resuscitating her,
the others ran to inform the nearest policeman of what

they had seen.

Another crime, similar in many points to that
which has already been partially described, occurred
on Chesapeake Heights, om West Saratoga street.

In that case the victim was also a woman, young,
beautiful, accomplished, fond of society, the belle in
the circle which grouped itself around her, rich, and.
occupant of a large and handsomely-furnished house,

where a maiden aunt, her nearest relative, resided with

 

her as companion and chaperon. 2
Stella Durland was found by the aunt in iraaty tha
same manner that Bertha Trevors had been. found by,

Maggie Scott:
‘It was nearly noonday, and as she had not appeared, te

 

the aunt, who was a quiet, unobtrusive, soft-voiced
woman, went to her niece’s room to investigate, ue
The shock that she experienced then was one which

 

her life, and it s0 unbalanced the gentle lady's mind a

     

However, Stella, like Belle Trevors, was eee iyi

 

In still: another part of the city, on Park avenue, .

 

-third:crime was committed, as a further result of {

Hie

hideousness of that one night.

 

 
  

(

 

In this case the victim was a man. |

Although nearly sixty years old, he was a bachelor,
and was not known to have any nearer living relative
than a cousin, who was abroad, studying medicine in
a college in Berlin. }

John Snow was found stretched upon his bed, and
it was evident that he had also been choked to death.

At one of the principal hotels, which, for the pur-
poses of our story, we will call the Gifford House,
another mysterious crime occurred.

A young man who had lately came to the city, and
who, outside of the small circle of friends that he had
made since his arrival there, was a stranger, was found

by the chambermaid who went to care for his room,

stretched upon a sofa, his eyes open and staring, his
tongue protruding, and with ~significant blue marks
upon his throat, telling the awful story ef the man-
ner in which he had met his fate.

The name of the last victim was Milton: Barnes.
He was registered at the hotel as being a resident of
the city of New York, and he-had passed in the society
in which he mingled while in Baltimore as a man of
considerable wealth. His handsome face and engag-
ing manners had won him many. friends, for he- was

“just at the age, aboyt thirty, when friendships are
easily made.

CHAPTER IT.
STARTING ON THE TRAIL.

The police of the city of Baltimore were thoroughly

puzzled by this series of crimes, and they set out at
“once to. investigate.

At the end of a week they knew absolutely no more
regarding the ee or murderers than they did at

| beginning. ~~ See:

One after another the most expert: ioe under

‘ oS command.of the chief of police were delegated on
- the cases, and in each instance they returned a report
“= that no clew whatever had been obtained, and that tney
~awere now no nearer an explanation of the: strange
events than ever.

In none of the four cases had a motive been dis-

Nn en ye

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

Sc cae Reser a
Sean are

 

     
  
   
  
    
  
 
    
  
   
  
   
    
  
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
    
   
  
   

3

covered, or had any evidence been discovered which
might have revealed the method by which the murderer
had gained access to his victims.

The similarity in the manner in which the four
crimes had been committed was so apparent that the
chief was convinced that if they had not been com-
mitted by the same person they at least formed a part
of one conspiracy.

When every method at his command had been ex-
hausted the chief wrote a long letter to Nick Carter,

in which he described as much as was known concern--

ing the crimes, and entreated him to come at once to
the city of Baltimore and begin an investigation.

Two days after he received the letter the detective
answered it in person, and was admitted to the private
office of the chief of police the instant he was an-
nounced.

The greetings that were exchanged between them in
the preliminary.convetsation it is not necessary to re-
peat here.

As soon as ey got down to business, Nick began
to question the chief, in his usual quick, abrupt style,
and the facts that were brought out by those questions
and answers led to the discovery of one of the most
remarkable conspiracies that has ever been unearthed.

“I see by your letter,’ said Nick, “that you were
eonvineced that the four.murders which I am to in-
vestigate were committed by the same person.”

“Ves,” replied the chief, “or were the result of the
sare conspiracy.” |

“Were the persons who were the victims of those
crimes acquainted?” |

“I believe there was a speaking acquaintance between
Bertha Trevors and Stella Durland.”

“Let us,” said Nick, “take up the consideration of
the case of Bertha-Trevors first.

“Very well,”

“Who was she?”

“She was the daughter of Algernon Trevors, who
belonged to one of the: oldest families in Baltimore,

-and» who was. immensely. wealthy, and the bulk of

> e

whose estate descended to his daughter.’
“What were her habits?’

     
       
 

 

4 ; NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

“She was described as a recluse, almost a hermit.”

“A miser as well?” :

“No, indeed. All the neighbors and people who
knew her speak in the highest terms of her generosity
and her constant effort, always through the agency of
others, to do good.” : ey |

“She was young?”

“About thirty.”

“Beautiful ?”

over

“Educated and refined ?”

“Unusually so.”

“Do you know atythifie régardine the history of
her private life before or since lier father’

“Very litte”

“Being beatitiful, she naturally had admirers!’

s death?’

“T suppose so.”

“Do you know?”

“T have not heard of arty.”

“Who inherits the fortune that she leaves?”

“Hospitals and charitable institutions generally.”

“Abt she left a will?” ,

OY CaS

“Have you 4 copy of it?”

“| have,”
detective, who spent the ext ten miiriutes in the care-

and the chief passed the document to the

ful perusal of its contents; presently he looked ad and
said :

“According to this document; chief, Miss Trevors
left about a million dollars.”

ee ee:

“The bulk of it is disposed of as you stated; the
, was the first to find her corpse
and. a-tan:

servant who, you Say
receives ten thousand dollars, named
‘Charles sheen rae eis thousand dollars.”
“Veg? . .
“Who is Charles
“I dé not know.’’
“Have you made any effort to ascertain?”
“Ceartarily.” Coy Es eee ret
“What is being done now?”

Gunther.”

ae “Nothing more than advertisingy we have tieod
announcements. in- several ,papers’ in which Charles

‘moved, although it was evident that there had been att -

-and was Seal aa discolored in the atin ai. .

    

 

Gunther is informed of ine death of Bertha Trevors,
and that he is a legatee ‘under her will, and that upon
appearing and establishing his identity as the person : .
named therein, he will be placed in possession ce the
property left to him.” ee

“Who went to the house for the purpose of making
an examination of the premises when the crime was
first discovered?” : ee

did”

‘What time did you reach there?”

“A little after eight o’clock in the morning.”

“How was Miss Trevors found?”

“Lying upon her back, in the middle of the fae
with every appearance of having been choked to death.”

“Will you explain what you mean by that: ”

“T mean that her eyes were wide open and staring,
that the tongue was protruding, and that there were
discolorations upon the neck, showing that she had
been strangled.” :

“Do you believe that the work had been done by
choking with the hands?”

*Ves: there was a scratch ttpon one side of the neck,
which looked as if it had been made by a finger nail.”

“How was she dressed?” :

“In her ordinary house attire.”

 

“What was the condition of the room?” :
“‘About as ustial; all my inquiries and the most care- _
ful examination revealed no disorder of any kind.”

 

“Did Miss Trevors weat jewelry?”
“Not when found; her maid, Maggie Scott, says
that it was Miss Trevor's habit to\wear diamond drops -
in her ears, and that she was seldom if ever without :

them. Those drops have disappeared, and were appar-

 

ently taken away by the person who committed the
erime.” a :
“What else?”

“Nothing else was ‘disturbed. T here was 7 “dia-

 

mond upon one of her fingers which had not been re- :

 

attempt to take it away. The finger had been strained,
  

 

 

 

¢
2 eee ead

murderer either did not have time or abandoned his

_ effort to tile it as useless,”’

“Was there no money in the house ?”
“None that has been discovered, beyond a few dol-
lars which were in the place where the lady was in

_. the habit of keeping small sums for. household ex-
-_penses.” 7

“Who were het tikens: te

“The Twelfth National.”

“Do you know whether or no she drew any money
on the day preceding the crime, or about that t time ?”’

“No; I have not inquired.” -

_ Nick made a daca. and then continued his
questions. :

“What about the sérvatits °” he asked.

“T don’t think suspicion can rest upon any of them.”

_ “Where are they now ?”

“They are still at the house, where I have prevailed
upon them to remain for the present.”

“Why ee ;

“Simply upon the old theory that a crignictal will

one day return to the scene of his crime; I have had
_ the house under careful espionage ever since the crime

was committed, in the hope that the murderer would
wander that way, if only for the purpose of gazing

at the windows of the house where he had done each
‘ee ereat wrong,”

“Not a bad. idea, chief. I notice. that you use the

_ game pronoun in speaking of the murderer every time

4 that such reference is made. It is the pronoun ‘he.’

_ Will you tell me why you are convinced that this crime
_ or these crimes were committed by a man?’

_ “T have one reason which seems to me siBeieat: ie
"What is that?’
“In each case the death was the result Gi isting.
and no woman would have possessed the strength nec-

_ essary to produce the several deaths in that way.”

(OA AP LER. Thc.
FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS.

“Let us pass now,” said the detective, after a mo-
- ament’s thought, “to the murder of Stella Durland.”

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

“Very well.”

son?”
ol ad
“How was the victim found?”

“Tn almost the same position, and under the same
circumstances, with the same general appearance as
Bertha Trevors.”’

“What was Stella Durland’s age?”

Hi ‘Between twenty-five and thirty.”

“She was also rich?”

ens | |

“She was very different in character from Bertha
Trevors, was she not?

“Entirely so.”

“Fond of society ?”

Wes. |

“Full of life and animation, and with a host of ad-
mirers?”’

“Yes.”

‘She had also aes choked in the same manner ?”

"Precisely,

“Even to the scratch upon the neck, which seems to
have been made by the finger nail re

es even to that.”

Nick made another memoranduin.

“What about the servants in that house?’ he in-
quired.

“There are none upon whom suspicion can rest for
a moment,”

“And the aunt?

“Ts cer tainly out of the question as being by any

_ possibility ani the instigator or abettor of the crime

in any way.” ws
“What was the condition of he room in this cage?” :
“There was some disorder, although very little.”
“Of what character ?”

“One chair was overturned, and a soft pillow was

upon the floor near thé body, as though some effort had
been made to smother instead of choke the victim, and
a goblet that had stood upon the marble top of the

--bureatt was found broken upon the floor near by.”

_ “Was anythin missin from. the room? 34>
iytaing: S°

“Did you also examine the premises there in per-. -

  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
   
    
  
   
 
 
  
   
 
  
  
   
   
  
  
  
  
   
      
       
    
         
  

“Nothing so far as known.”
“Did Miss Durland wear jewelry ?”

“Yes; she also wore diamonds, and a remarkable

circumstance is that they were missing from her ears
precisely as they were in the case of Bertha Trevors.
And two of the rings were also taken, one which was
of curious design being left upon her hand.”

“Did Miss Durland ou on the management of

her own affairs?”
“1 believe so.”

“Did she also leave a will?’

Noe

“Who inherits?’

“Her lawyer tells me that there is a cousin some-
where in the world who ts her next of kin, the aunt
who lived with her being what lawyers term a rela-
tive of half blood.”

_ “Have you found out ee name of ue cousin?”

Veg?” aed

“What is it?” :

“Charles Jeffrey.”

“Was the lawyer communicated with him?”

“He has attempted to dé so; he did not know his
exact address, and it may be a month or more be-
fore we hear from him.”

“Keep your eyes open, chief, and let me know when
~he returns, if these mysteries are not aa by that
time.”

Twill do so.” |

“There is no apparent motive,” said Nick; after sev-
eral moments of silence, “which can stand as a cause
leading to the murder of Bertha Trevors, but there are
several, any one of which may have been the basis of
the killing of Stella Durland. —

“This far-away cousin who inherits the property
which she leaves is palpably the one most interested in
ber death in a monetary sense. In these days of prog-
‘ress crimes are committed when the victim and crim-

inal are thousands of miles apart, almost as easily as

communication iS established between people so separ-
ated. : oe

“Tf this man traveling abroad has. become involved

in debt, or has found himself placed in a position where

 

-a will?”

“T had not forgotten that, chief, but where a man
‘considers the possibility of committing a crime for the
sake of gain his first calculation in furtherance of that

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

it becomes absolutely necessary that he should have
money without delay, his first thought would turn to

Stella Durland, from whom he poe knew he was

to inherit a vast amount of money.’
“You forget one thing,’’ said the chief.
Wheater
“How could this man know that Stella had nae "fate

po NAHE

 

crime would be to ascertain whether it will pay to carry

the idea into execution. If this cousin, Jeffrey, com-

mitted that crime, he has been thinking about it for
months, and has taken some means of ascertaining

whether his intended victim made a will or not.

“Or there is still another motive, which is just as
strong as the desire for gain, and that is th motive

of revenge or jealousy. I undérstand that Miss Dur- —

land was very beautiful.”

“Ves 99 ;

“Do you know, or is there anybody that can give me
the information that I require—anything relative to

her admirers or the men who were her ele: friends

or rejected suitors?”

© Gale know a rumor relative 0 that subject.”
“What is it?’ | :
“That while she had many friends and admirers

among the gentlemen of her circle of acquaintances she

was by Ho means a flirt or a coquette, and never had

she allowed intimacy with any of them to approach that

point where gossip or rumor could predict a welds a

or even an engagement.”

“Rather a strange Pharacterietie: is it not, for a
woman who is young, beautiful, accomplished and
rieh ?” |

es.

“Then you have not thought what could be a pos- |

sible reason 2”

“NO 29

Nick made another memorandum.

“We will come back to this case,” he said, looking

up and returning the book to his pocket, “after we have _

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

a ee

 

 

 

 

oe

the murdered man——

"about Milton Barnes i a

 

 

o Bite

 

   

NICK CARTER WEEKLY. z

“touched ‘upon: the others a little, for I think that in
the solution of the mystery surrounding the murder.
of Stella Durland we will find a clew to the others; I

don't know why I think so; it is perhaps more intui-
tion than anything else which leads me to that sup-

*Now, in the case of John Snow,’ he continued,
“who wastmurdered the same night on Park avenue,

what have yott to tell me of him?”

“Very nearly the same story,’”’ replied the chief,
“with the exception that in this case the victim was a
man; that he was old instead of young, and that he

was found upon his bed instead of tipon the floor.

The crime was committed in the same way—by chok-
mo: |
_-“And there was no appreciable disorder whatever in

29

or about the room?”
“There was a wallet full of money in the pocket af
“How much money?” interrupted Nick.
“Two hundred and ten dollars.”
“Was anything disturbed in the room “on the
body was found?” a
“So far as can be ascertained there was nothing
taken from the body of the murdered man or the room

in which he was found; the only object which the

murderer seemed to have was the death of his vietim.”
_ Was John Snow a rich man ?’
es,

_.. “Had he related oe be ae
0 Nos nothing nearer than a. third ¢ cousin.’
i “Did he leave a will?”.

Nee,
. “Have you. communicated with his ‘atiocueya Bt
1 haves. .

CHAPTER IV. .
: A FAMILY SKELETON. )
fs “Now,” said Nick, “regar ding the young man who

was murdered at the Gifford House, have you any par- |

ticulars that would inter est er,

biean give you,’ replied 3 the, biel, “all that I know

a very, iew words,”

 

“The fewer the better!”
“He came to this city about a month ago, and regis-

tered from New York. He brought a letter of intro- °

duction to people who are prominent in society here,

and at once entered upon that whirl of pleasure in

which young men in society to-day are engulfed. |
“Of his means and fortune I know nothing beyond

the fact that he always seemed to have plenty of

money, and spent it lavishly.

“He stopped at the Gifford House, and my utmost
inquiries since the crimes of a week ago have utterly
failed to develop anything that can be counted as facts
relative to the identity, character, or r previous history
of Milton Barnes.” :

“Wave you discovered where he stopped in New
ane 6): :

ENG”

“De you. know that he did come from New York
aside from the fact that he registered from there?”

TOO, a

“Had you ever seen him before he was murdered?”

“No,” . ,

“Do you know anybody who was familiar with his

appearance ?”’

“Certainly; the pearl who w ere connected with the
hotel.” “

tes they identified him since the murder?’

“Of course.” ae i

‘As being the man who was known to them as Mil-
ton Batnes ?”. ie

tN aturally.”

hed, the same one who hee stopped at ihe bstel

during the preceding month under that name?” a

"4 ‘Why, certainly ; what are you, getting at?

Wait, please! - me as there any hesitation about the

depiction es

“Not that I abcd. *

“Do you think that it may have been possible that
the young man. who was murdered at the Gifford
Honse was not Milton Barnes really, but that, in fact,
he may have been some other per son. who was sutb-

stituted for that individual 7”.

_ id had not thought ot such a possibility, and I do

 

 
?
%

 

I cannot imagine

not now think it at all probable.
what object there might be in pursuing such a course,
and the idea does not seem to me to be tenable.’’

Nick spent some more time with the chief in asking
questions relative to the crimes that had been com-.

mitted, but received nothing more than he deemed of
importance, and soon took his leave, and returned to
the obscure lodgings that he had taken in. conjunction
with Chick, where they were presently in consultation
over the mysterious network of events which they had
been delegated to untangle. a
At nine o’clock that evening the detective rang the
bell of the door of the house that had belonged to Stella
Durland, and sent a card to the aunt of that unfortu-
nate lady, upon which was written the name:
“John Brown, Detective.”’ |
He was presently admitted to her presence, ‘and at
once began a series of ducstol relative to the case
in hand.
“Madam,”
retained by the chief of police of this city to under-

he said, “T am a A I have been

take an explanation of the mysteries which led to the
assassination of your niece; I wish to ask you a few
questions about her private life and character, which,
I assure you, are calculated only to aid me in the ob-
ject that I have in view, and no matter how personal
they may seem, no unpleasant insinuations or innuen-
does are meant.” : oe

“Ves, sir,” she replied.

“How old was your nj lece?

“Twenty-six.”

“She was wealthy?”
“Quite so.” a

“Beautiful?”

“Ves,”

“She had many. admirers ?”

“Naturally.”

“Among them was there not one who had been, tem-
porarily accepted as a probable husband, and who ‘was
afterward rejected by the young lady 2”

“No, sir; not to my knowledge.”

“Do you know any man or woman who was S schaye:
of her for any cause whatsoever ?”

 

 

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

- “Te do not.”

“You are Mrs. Morgan, are you not?”

“I am’ .
- “In what way were you related to her?” —>

“T was her father’s half sister.” a
“Have you heard of the other crimes that were

committed the same night that Aes niece was killed?” _

“No! What erimes?”’

“You have not read the papers, then?”

“No, I rarely do that.”.. 2

“Have you ever made the acquaintance of a young
lady named ‘Bertha Trevors?”

The old lady gave a perceptible start, and glanced
apprehensively around her, then in a subdued tone
said : |
“Why do you ask?”

_ “Simply because I want to know; please answer.”

“Ves, I have heard of her.” :

“Did you know her parents ?”

did? |

“Ts there any blood relationship existing between
the families of which Bertha Trevors and Stella Dur-
land were members ?”’ ?

“Yes,” she replied, with very apparent hesitation.

“What was or is that relationship?”

. “Rertha Trevor’s mother and Stella Durland’s father

were brother and sister.”

“Indeed!
Trevors?” a

“She was my own sister.”

“Mrs. Motgan,-did you ever know a man, a Tesi
dent of this city, re John Snow, who liv ed on
Park avenue?” =

“T knew such a man; yes, sir.”

“Was he related ‘to you in any way?” !

The woman hesitated, and after looking at Nick

with burning eyes for a few moments without reply:

ing, she said, hesitatingly:
“Is it necessar y; sir, that I should answer that. anes
tion? oe : uy

NEE AS. very. Gece) A
“Why ?” she asked. Te lag
“Madam,” said N ‘cle « ‘you might as well know the i

Then you also were related to Mrs.

 

ee

 

 

 

fo dae eee

 
 

 

RRO PRE

 

| truth at once. On the same night that your niece was

murdered Bertha Trevors, John Snow, and a man who

was a stranger in the city also lost their lives in very
much the same manner as that by which your niece
met her death. That the crimes are connected .in some

way I am satisfied, and I have believed from the mo-

ment I began to investigate this case that there was
some relation, not only between the crimes, but be-.

tween the people who suffered by them. John Snow
is dead. What relation was he to you?”
_ “He was my half brother.”

“Vour half brother; was he then the full brother of
stella Durland’s father ?”’ :
- “No, they were no relation.”

“Ah! I understand, you stood between them as a

half relative to each.”

“Yes. my mother and Jahn Saou s mother were the

same, and Samuel Durland and I were children of the

same father.” ‘ ,
“Tn that case Bertha Trevors and Stella Durland
were cousins?”
“Certainly.”
“Were they aware of the fact
“They were not.” ;
“Did you niece who. was Souci dead so mysteriously

- know anything about the relation that she bore to

John Snow?”
“She did not.” |
ae she even aciucuied ith as ae
No, ,
To go still farther, did oe know. “that he existed?
“1 belive nots’ a
‘Madam, your words tell me as aay, as theaeh
you had said so that there has been some violent quar-
rel in this family. Will you-tell me what it is?” _
~ “No, sirs 1 will not,”
“Not even. to aid me in vee. search for the e mur de er

of your niece?’

Nos’
“Not even to ail in convicting that murderer if 1
sueceed in finding him?’

“No; not even to save me from meeting wae the

same fate.’

NICK CARTER WEEKLY. > o

“Who -besides yourself is aware of eis family se-

-cret?”

The woman smiled sadly as she answered :

“Tf what you say be true, and John Snow is dead,
there is no one to-day except myself who can tell you
what you wish to know.”

“And you will not speak?”

. “And I will not speak.”

“Have you any suspicions which might aid me in
discovering the murderer of your niece?’

“No.”

“Do you believe that the knowledge of the secret
to which we have referred could aid me in any way?”
“I am positive that it could not.”

“You then believe that the family quarrel that has
taken place had nothing to do with the commission

‘of thecrimes(’%

“That is my belief.” .
“Madam,” said Nick, rising, “you are wrong, ae
I will yet-convince you that the skeleton in your family
closet is responsible for the four crimes that were com-
mitted in the city of Baltimore one week ago last

“nighh”’

CHAPTER V.
AT THE HOTEL,

Nick left Mrs. Morgan and went directly. to. the
Gifford House, where he found Chick awaiting him,
and after exhibiting their credentials, which had. been
given them by the chief of police, they at once began
to gather what information they could, considering
the time that had elapsed since the death of Milton

- Barnes in ene of the rooms of the hotel.

The clerk who responded to the questions that they.
asked impressed Nick as being one who was unusually
bright and observing, and the detective felt that what-

ever information he derived from him would. be of a

character that might be depended upon.
“How long had Milton Barnes been a guest of this
house ?”’.he asked.
“About a month.”

 
 

  

10 NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

‘Was he social in his nature, and did you become at

all intimate with him ?”

“Not at all; he seemed to shun association with any-

body connected with the house.”’
here: ri

“Yes; there were a good many.”

“Can you tell me who they were?”

“There were several who were well known in the

society of the city, and there were two men who came —

quite constantly who were utter strangers to me.”

“Very well; never mind thase whom you recog-
nized, but tell me som ething about those 3 you did not.”

said there were two.”

“Veg”?

“One was a man, who might, by a casual observer,
have easily been mistaken for Mr. Barnes himself.”

“Ah! that is interesting. When did he first begin to
call upon your guest?” a SE ak

‘Did he come often after that?” :

‘Daily, and sometimes two or three times a day, for
the next two weeks.” a

“And after that?”

‘Atter that I os not see him at all; 1 do not think
that he cameé again.’ ae

‘Now, about the other; describe him, please.”

: ‘He was a man Of middle age, with smoothly shaven
face, and hard, unrelenting features. He was tall,

solidly and muscularly built, and unconsciously he re- K

minded one of a man who had been a soldier or an
officer of some kind, where he was accustomed to
command and to be obeyed.’ i:

“Did you ever learn his name: oe

ST gid not?

“Or he name of the char ee eee

2

oe did they. gain. access to. the room occupied by

Mr. Barnes avithout first sending up. their names?”

_ “I do not know, unless knowing teu ie

room, they proceeded straight to-it, without: first in-

quiring at the office.”

 

“Did he have many friends who called upon’ him

“Do you ever see, or have you ever since seen, ‘either a

of the men to whom you refer! o
“T have seen one of them several | ines since.”
“Which one?”
“The tall man to whom I referred last.”
“The other you say was a total stranger, and you

have neyer seen him, except when he came to call bess:

Mr. Barnes: ee

“Never.”

“Were you present at any time when the two men >

met? ‘I mean Barnes and the man who looked like
him?” ’

“Yes; several times.”

“What was their conduct at such times?”

“Tt would be ditheult to judge, but I should imagine
that Barnes was not over pleased to see his caller; un-
less I am greatly mistaken, an expression of annoy-
ance crossed his features every time they met.”

“Did the two men, the one that tooked like Barnes
and the tall — ever meet : ni

MK God

“You say you have seen 4c tall man sey ere times
since the murder?”
eo
“Where?”

“T have usually met him upon the street.”

“THe has not been here to make einiies for his

friend?”
“Yes, he came the day after the crime: was com-

mitted, and inquired of the clerk who relieves me. He™
said then that he was greatly shocked by the news,
and explained his acquaintance with Barnes by saying
that they had formerly had business relations tect s
Ww hich were about completed.” : er
“At the times you have met him upon the street have’

~ you spoken with him at all?”

“Once.”

“When was that?’

“This morning.’ :
“Indeed! Where did you meet him then?”
“Tn front of the Sum offie.” = >

“What was said at that meeting?”

“He bowed, and I returned the salutation, ‘and ther ;

 

 

 

 

=

 

 
 

 

 

 

asked him if any clew to the murder of Milton Barnes
“had been discovered. He told me, ‘No.’ I asked hum

if he would not eall at the hotel and give us any in-
fermation that he could relative to the identity of
Barnes.” :

“What did he | eke ”

“He said that he would be glad to do so 7 it were
possible, but that he knew abselutely nothing about
Barnes which could be of interest in that matter, and
that besides it was his intention to leave Baltimore to-
day, so.that it would be extremely inconvenient for
him to do as I requested.”

“What was said next?”

“Nothing; we bade each other. ‘Good- -day,’ and
parted.”

“Have you ever told the police Wo have been in-

yestigating this matter about these two men?”

ONS,

“What did they say about ite’

“Nothing, except that it was. of little or no impor-

tance. I think, however, that they did make some in-
vestigation, and became satisfied that ene of the
men had anything to do with the crime.’

- “Can you describe either of them with great detail

so that if I chanced to meet with one of them I might

recognize him: a
ST can do better than that,”
- “How 2” ;

“I have some. ability at sketching ; it is am amuse-

ment of my leisure hours; am fond of sketching faces ;

whenever I see one that interests me my first inclina-
‘tion is to draw a picture of it. _ Fortunately L. have

sketshes of. both the faces to wilich you refer.”
Excellent! Y? exclaimed: Nick, cee so kind as. to
let me have those sketches at once.’ |
As soon as the sketches were predueed, and Sly
stowed away in Nick’s pocket, the two detectives left

‘the hotel.

They paused upon the corner, and then Nick said:

“Now, my lad, we have got serious work to do.

“That there is a great conspiracy connected with
these murders 1 have not the slightest doubt, and I

have somehow imbibed the idea that we must look for

 

 

 

NICK CARTER WEEKLY. eae

a regular organization of some kind in ferreting out
the motives for these several crimes.
“I want you to go at once to the atterney who had
charge of the affairs of John Snow, and get all the in-
formation that you can about him concerning the dis-
tribution of his property, and ascertain what relatives -
he may have who are now living who were at all con-
versant with his habits and his position in the world. -

‘When you have pumped him, try looking up the at-
torneys who represent Bertha Trevors, and go into the
same particulars in that quarter.

“Take a good look at these two sketches, and, when
you have finished the work that I have laid out, follow
your inclinations and ideas in reference to tracking |
down the murderers of John Snow and Bertha Trevors,
and use whatever means you deem best whereby there
is a possible chance of coming in contact with either of
these two men whose pictures we have,

“T will investigate the other two crimes, and I am
satisfied that sooner or later we will come together.”

 

CHAPTER VI.
JOHN SNOW’S WILL.

That the element of luck has much to do with the
success of a detective’s work is beyond the question of
doubt,-and although if is sometimes, or indeed often,
the result of careful consideration on the part of the
officer as Ww ell as an ability to grasp and make the
most of whatever opportunities may arise to aid him
in his undertaking, no better term can be employed by :
whick to express the name of the fortunate circumi-
stances than the word “luck.” :

It is necessary now that we fellow Chick in or der to
discover just how he got upon the track of, the “Red

‘League.’ First he had an interview with the Jawyer

who ieneeseneed the inter ests of John Snow.

Chick reached the office of the lawyer, who was a
shrewd, sharp man of business, and, having made
known the purpose which brought him there, was at
once admitted to the inner sanctum of the man of law.

“You are the attorney for John ‘Snow?’ . began
Chick. :

Reem

 

 
12

vA at,”

“Since his death you doubtless represent his estate.”

“do.” !

“The chief of police has informed me that the mur-
dered man left no will. Is that so?”

“No; the chief of police is mistaken.”

CA?

“I have found a will since my interview with the
chief. -

“When did you find it?”

“About ten o'clock last night.”

“Where?”

“In a private compartment in the desk which stands
in the room. where he was killed in Park avenue,”

“You went there purposely to search for stich a docu-
ment 7”? |

Va

“Had you any reason to believe that sucha thing
existed ?”’

tha

“Why ?” ;

“Because Snow had told me often that he intended
to make a will, and had several times consulted me
about it.”

“But you did not draw it?”

“Nos I did not,”

“Are the names of the attorneys who did upon the

document ?”
€ ‘No. 32

“You then have no knowledge as to who ecco in

‘that capacity for Mr. Snow?”

“None whatever.”

“Have you read the will?”

“I have,” )

“Judging from its contents and the manner of its
wording, do you believe that it was drawn by a pra ac:
ticing lawyer ?” :

“I should say that it was.”

“What are the provisions of the will?”

Cars

lhe will leaves the old man’s entire property ” a

mn.”

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

shird cousin, who is now studying medicine in Ber-

“Do you know that the young man referred to is in
_ Berlin now?” i

| Yes.”

“How do you know it?” :

“I at once communicated with him by cable, and re-
ceived a reply about twenty minutes before you came
into my office.” ;

“Will you let me see i reply ?””

“Certainly; here it is,’

Chick took the cablegram, and’ Tead as fellas :

Cable received.
GUNTHER.”

Haney oO. Sanite, Baltimore,
Will sail in first steamer.

Chick had, of course, been put in possession of all
the facts that Nick Carter had gleaned thus far in the
investigation that had been made,

He was, therefore, well awate of the fact that the:
man named Charles Gunther, whose whereabouts were
supposed to be unknown, was a beneficiary to the ex-
tent of fifty thousand dollars under the will of Bertha
Trevors.

There was one point, oo upon which Nick had
ant, and that was the con-
Sanguinity which pedal between the Trevors family |

tailed to inform his ass

and John Snow.

The coincidence, however, in the name of the young :
man who was in so strange a manner to inherit so great
a sum of money struck him forcibly. He made a men-
tal note that he would be at the steamer to meet and j ins.
terview Gunther when he should arrive on his Hip?
from Berlin, :

“Do you know anything of this man Gunther?” he _

asked of Lawyer Squire.

Mery. ttle," '
“Tell me what little you do know.” N

“Simply that on one or two occasions Mr. Snow tex

ferred to him in conversation with me. When I found
the will | was rather surprised to learn that Snow had —

lett his property to this distant cousin, a part of whose

college expenses he was paying, to be sure, but for

whom I knew he felt aversion rather than- affection,
“In the conversations to which ] refer, and wheti-

ever Snow spoke to me relative to the will that heim

 
 

 

 

had escaped my. mind.

 

_ tended to draw, he never intimated that he thought for

a moment of leaving any of his property to Gunther.”

“When did this young man go abroad?”

Da or four years ago.” |

‘And he has ee there continuously ever since?’

“I believe So: OO

“Do you know heen! he he Snow corresponded’?

“J don’t know, but I don’t think they did beyond the
fact that twice a year, at Mr. Snow’s request, I sent a
“draft to Charles Gunther in Berlin.” |

“Mr. Savire,’ said Chick, his face brightening as a
sudden thought struck him, “if you will go at once to
the bank, through whom these drafts were sent, and
desire them to request of their correspondents in Ber-
lin all the information. that they can give regarding
Charles Gunther, his conduct while there, his place of
residence, and in short anything and everything pos-
sible concerning him, you will do me a very great
favor.”

¥‘T will do so.’

“Ask them to cable the request, and to desire that
the information be returned in the same manner. We
should then receive it by to-morrow.’

“Very good. It will be extremely expensive.”

“The expense will be defrayed as soon as the amount
is known. .[ wish you would lose no. time in carrying
out these suggestions.

“Now, | want. to ask a few more questions.

a “You say you found the will in a private compart-
_ ment of the desk?’ Te

fadid.:

“Did you know before you found it that such a com-.

partment existed in the desk?”

Pes. «
“In that case, wy did you not look there until las

night 2” e

Because the fae that the compartment did exist
IT remembered in thinking over
my business relations with Mr. Snow that he had men-

tioned it in talking about oe will.

“I was absent from the city two or three days last

fall, and it occurred. to me that he might have had
Acting

such a document drawn while.1 was away..

 

NICK CARTER WEEKLY. eas

upon the thought that had suggested itself to me, I be-

gan a search, and found the will,” :

“What ig its date?” :
“The fifteenth of November last.” :
“Were oe away at that time?”

MT was’

“Have you a clerk in your i employ that you can spare
for to-morrow who is bright and quick?”

es. ED a

“T wish that you would give him a foyer s direc-

tory of this city, and let him start out in the morning,
visiting every lawyer in town, no matter how promi-
nent, not matter how obscure, in the effort to discover

the man who ait this will.’

“*T will do so.’
‘Who are the witnesses to a will 2”
ORT

You will be surprised when [ tell you the name of

one of them,” replied the lawyer, “for it is ne other

than the man who was murdered at the Gifford House

-. — Milton Barnes.”

“Ah,” said Chick, “yet that was seven months ago.”

eee

iw ould appear ‘that Milton irae and John Snow
were not only acquainted, but probably had interests in
common.”

“Tt would seem so, yes.”

“What were the names of the other witnesses”

“Caleb Green.and Steven Hurl.”

“Do you know them?”

Co

“What are their hea x)
pad I
have already sent a messenger'to determine if they.can
be found.” |

“Good!

Mr. Squire.

“Their residences are given as Baltimore,

I will call upon you or in the mora,
-Until then, goad- by.
_ And Chick left Squire's office to continue hae work.

wre nent ren ener

GRAB PR V 1

A. GHASE,

When Chick left the office of Henry Squire it was

nearly dark, and he passed in front of the place where

é

 

 

 
       
 

414

leit.

_ denly arrested his eyes ag he hurried along the passage-

the lawyer’ s office was located, undecided i a Be

ment whether he would seek out the residenee of the
attorney who represented the intersts of Bertha Trever,
er defer that part of the investigation until the follow-
While he stood on the curbstone, think-
ing it over, he was nearly knocked off his feet by a man
He dashed
against him in evident haste to enter the ine aa
which Chick had lately left.

The first emotion that every man feels when enlided

ing morning.

who sprang from a car that was passing.

with in this unceremonious fashion, especially when
the stranger does not think it worth while to apologize

‘fer his rudeness, is one of indignation.

Chick was quick tempered, and he turned with an
angry exclamation which he was about to utter, when
he caught sight of the face of the man who had run
against him, and the words died upon his lips ere they
were uttered. is

The face that he saw was that of the tall man in
the sketch that the hotel clerk had given Nick.

Instantly Young Hefcules forgot his indignation,
and every instinct of the detective rose aaa to
all others. |

Instead of going up and expostulating with the man

for his rudeness, Chick shrank back out of sight bes

hind a tree-box, hoping that he would thus escape ob-
servation and be enabled to follow him at once.

Whether the stranger realized or not that a had
been rude, cannot be said.

scarcely a momient elapsed from the time that he
collided with Chick until he disappeared in the stair-
way of the wae? that the young detective had just

“This is a lucky find, ” muttered Chick, “and I am
bound to discover where that fellow is going: I
wonder if it is possible that he can be meditating:a call
upon the very man whom I have just left?”

The figure of the stranger had scarcely disappeared
before Chick powders after him, and up the stairs in

pur suit,

The hallway of the building was well ated: and
the young detective could see the man. who had so sud-

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

way ne ved the door of the office two numbers

from that which was occupied by Henry Squire. —
It was by no means Chick’s intention to permit the
man to know that he was followed, and there was time

enough to make an investigation regarding the per=

son who occupied the office into which the stranger
had disappeared.

Twenty or thirty feet behind the door cdc which

the stranger had passed there was a niche or alcove in ~

the wall. :

Chick saw that, and at once placed himself in partial
concealment, with the firm determination to wait until
the man who had collided with him again appeared,
even if it took him until the next morning.

However, he did not have long to wait. |

Less than half an hour had elapsed when the door
again opened, and a figure came out which in stature
was the exact counterpart of the man who had so re-
cently entered the office, but the face was totally dif-
ferent in every particular. | ae

“A disguise,” muttered the young detere: “this is

becoming interesting, and I have struck a hot trail at

the very beginning.”
The. stranger hurried to the ‘stairs, descended them,
and hastened into the street.
car which was going in the direction of Paterson Park,

‘There is no worse locality in the city of Bal timore :
than that region which is known as Boston street, and é

Chick, who was thoroughly acquainted with the alleys

and byways of the city, at once decided from intuition —
rather than from any certain reason, that the man -_

whom he was shadowing was bound for that place.

When the stranger leaped upon the ear, Chico. :

beunded atter him, and took his place upon the front
platform. |

There was no one on that part of the tramway eX-
cept the driver and himself, and, standing behind that

individual, the young detective was enabled to make -
two or three simple but effective alterations in his dis-

guise.

The stranger took his seat in one corner of oo ear, :
opened a paper and began to read; nor did he once de-

There he leaped upon a

     
 
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
 
   
 
 
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

 

 

 

 
   

sist from
“were passengers reached Canton street and stopped.

_ ‘Then, with yreat deliberation, the man folded up his
‘paper, placed it in his bag, ‘stepped down from the

‘his occupation aul hee car'on which they

  

_ toward Harbor Creek, \

He crossed the creek on the boneeac street bridge,
; feed through Chesapeake street, and. after walking
several blocks in an easterly direction, paused upon a
corner, where he deliberately. scanned the neighborhood
in every direction, evidently with the intention of dis-

covering if he had been followed. _
But Chick was too acute to be ee by such an

 

: ‘ ene or design as that.

- (| : ‘He did not stop abruptly, y, nor attempt to due into’
, a doorway to conceal himself; on the contrary, he con-

tinued his way along the street, and passed quite close

i to the man whom he had been following.

The stranger had not even. devoted a glance to him,
but Chick had managed, while they were cross ing
Lancaster street, to make another alteration in his ap-

pearance, and he now presented a per fect specimen of
the roughest of the rough element which infest the
neighborhood of the oyster-packing establishments.

He walked very slowly, and, having paused a mo-
‘ment, he turned abruptly and crossed the str eet at right

ne angles, so that he might see out of the corner of his
3 eyes any moye which the stranger might make to ek

 

 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
    

out in a new direction.
: . He was nevertheless ‘destined to meet with disap-
" pointment, ‘for scarcely had he reached the middle of
"the street when he met with another. accident.
La \ There was a stone lying loose upon. the street which
: : he did ‘not see, and his toe coming in contact with ba
he was thrown forward so that he nearly lost his bal-
ance,”

“Not a. than tivo seconds could have elapsed be-

discover what had become-of the stranger.”

ee The man had disappeared.
es Te that brief space of time the very thing hat oc-
ied ownien ‘the: ‘detective had been so anxious to
avoid, and the man whom he had followed from such

 

 

NICK CARTER WEEKLY. :

ear, and started leisurely away leds Canton street —

ae, fore he was himself again, and he turned cides. to.
aoe and he had begun to think that the man had out:

15

a distance, and upon wien he depended ne a py i:
tion of the mystery in which the four murders were in-
volved had disappeared.

_Chick-looked eager ly around him.

He saw by the buildings near which he was ‘stand:
ing that the stranger could not have escaped his ob-
servation by passing up or down either of the streets
which crossed at that point,

rin order to have disappeared so suddenly,”
tered the young detective, ‘the must have entered the
building directly. behind him.” | |

Chick drew nearer to the building and peanined it.

He saw what had at one time doubtless been a pack-
ing house of the inferior class, and one glance showed
him that the man could. not. have entered the building
as there

miuit-

directly from the spot where he was standing,
was no door or window from that point which had
not been thoroughly boarded up.

How then did he manage to escape?

There were. but few, people i in the street except where,
the lighted doors of saloons were located, and, as is al-
ways the case in such locations, groups of men in
various stages of intoxication were standing about.

Chick walked back and forth around the corner
where the building described was located, without dis-
covering by what method the man ‘could have escaped
him. :

For once in his life, i was thoroughly puzzled,

“CHAPTER VIL.

THROUGH THE ‘GRATING.

Determined that he would not leave the place nil
he again saw some signs of the man whom he had fol-
lowed from the office of Lawyer Squire, Chick took up
his position at the exact spot where the pirauger had
stood when he last saw. him. es aes

At ten minutes past twelve he. was still, standing

witted him, when he suddenly. became conscious of the
‘sound of. voices proceeding. from some. spot near by,
and yet he was at the same time convinced that there

were no persons in sight who were near enough for

     
 
  

~
i
Wied
y= Z
Ya

   

ene

- us now.

 eaution.”

Re voices to have reached: hon in OF rdinary conversa-

tional tones. — oe
‘Then, toa, the vaices were mtiffled, as though they

eame from behind some barrier or obstruction, or

from the interior of a room near at hand.

‘He listented intently, turned his head several times,
and changed his position from spot to spot, in the effort
to locate the sounds that he heard.

While he listened the voices came nearer, and he

finally decided that they were directly behind the wall :

near which he was standing.

Suddenly, and without any apparent cause, the
voice became distinct, so that he could understand the
words they were speaking, and turning he realized that
they were behind what seemed to be a solid iron grat-
ing which led from the street to the eellar beneath the
building.

“Byerything will wer ‘all right now,

33

said one of

the voices.

“Ves,” replied the other, “old Squire to the ee
notwithstanding.”

“When will I see you again?’ -

“To-morrow. night.”

“At what time?” oe

“About midnight.”
_ *Can’t you get here before that?”

“No, it would be impossible.”

Why P?
“Just new iti is is danger ‘ous for me to be oe street,
Ww yhile the people who may have seen me w ith Milton
Barnes at the hotel will find me out.”

“You will be here at midnight, ay a

€FN

ves. And I will not rest in peace until the com-

pletion of our scheme,”

“That is the way to talk; nothing can interfere with
Our road to success is open and clear, and
the money is as ey ours as that which is already
in.Our grasp.”

“Be Seu, ‘Ben; you are not safe when you come
here”

You may fest assured that : be take every Log

_“Did you lock out for such athing to-night?!

Ae ? NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

    

-“T certainly did.” . : é Le
“Well, good-night.” a ee
Chick realized that some of the men who were talk-

ing were about to issue again upon the street, and

that the means of access to the house was close at
hand, and in all probability through the very grating:

through which he had heard the voices.

He started and tarned the corner, and then, standing
in such a manner that he could see without being seen,
he saw the figure of a man issue from the grating and
leap out upon the sidewalk. ce

It was the man who had been called Ben, the same —

one that Chick had followed from the Bailding in

which Lawyer Squire’s office was located.
There were two courses open. to the young detec-_

tive at that moment, and for an instant he was unde-_

cided which one to pursue.

One was to let the man Ben go his way while Chick

remained to investigate the interior of the building,
which was apparently the meeting-place of the con-
spirators, and the other was to leave that investiga-
tion until another time, and to follow the stranger and |
ascertain where he went.

The question had to be decided auiday, and the
young detective took the latter cour se, knowing that
the house would not run away, and that after he had
pursued the man Ben to his residence he could easily

return and search the mysterious house from the gar- a

ret to cellar. | .

The tall stranger returned over dic same course that
he had pur sued in coming ther e, and before long they
were again in the very same portion of the city, where, —
greatly to Chick’s astonishment, the shadowed iman
went directly to the Gifford House, called for a key at: |
the desk as though he belonged there; oe ascended. to
his roem.

He had, however, pevbed long enough on ee route
ie alter his appearance, so that when he entered the
hotel he represented a man much older than he really
was—a man whose hair was turning gray, and whose
long-pointed beard of the same hue completely” con

cealed-and disguised his face. — Shee

Ch ick aoe not enter the hotel in the oS that

 
NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

he then bore, and having watched the man through the
window as he took the key and ascended to his room,
_ the young detective disappeared long enough to alter
his own disguise, and twenty minutes later he walked
into the office of the hotel, a very good representation
_ of a young man about town.
Going at once to the clerk, he said:
_ “Who was the man who last entered ?”
“Do you mean Mr. Grosvenor?” asked the clerk.
“Yes, I think that is the man I mean—the ald one
with the gray hair and whiskers,”
“Ves? “that was Mr. Crgavenor,”
“Flas he stopped here long?’ asked Chick.
“About two months.”
“What i is his business! £7

’ replied the clerk,

“It is nene of yours anyway,’ "replied the clerk, dis-
liking to be questioned.
replied Chick, with a laugh.

3?

“1 only
No

_ Very true,
thought I recognized an old friend of my father’s,
offense, I hope,”

“No,” said the clerk; i.
objection to telling. He is a wholesale liquor dealez,
and we have bought a good many things for this house
“from him.”

_ “Is he likely to be-here-long ?”
(=. About a weeks more, I think.” . -

~ “Thank you again; I-will call upon him,”

And Chick, with a smile, turned and left the room,
He went 3 at once to the place that had been’ agreed

Ay upon betwe en him and Nick for their meetings.

: _ The detecti ve had not yet appeared, and, after wait-
ing an hour, Chick wrate a hurried note, and left it for
Nick Carter to find when he should return,
Then, after having made himself up with great care,

in a disguise that he felt sure would not be pe: netrated, ,

he started out again. An hour later he was once more

standing upon the grating at which he had heard the

voices earlier in the evening, and through a the

= man ‘Ben, alias Augustus Grosvenor, had- issued,

Away in the distance he heard: a clock strike one,.

Cae . . and he felt that there could not be a better time for

if that-is the case ] have no

17

him to undertake the investigation “that be was deter-
mined to pursue, '

_ After carefully serutimizing every direction from the
point where he stood, he became satisfied that no ond
was observing what he did, and he dropped upon his
hands and knees at the grating, and attempted to move
it, ?

For some time it resisted his efforts, but at last his —
hand touchéd a spring, and he heard a sharp click, and
as he was at the moment pressing against the grating
it. flew open before him and he pitched forward 1 in the
direction of the cellar below.

For a moment he was stunned, for although he had
fallen only a few feet, he had alighted upon a hard
cemented floor. :

He was thoroughly jarred by the shock that ensued.

He listened intently to determine whether or not his
unceremonious entrance into the cellar had given an
alarm, and, being satisfied that it had not, he closed _
the grating, and produced his bull’s-eye lantern, and
touched the spring. -

He found that he was in an ordinary cellar, from
which, at first glance, there appeared to be no way of
ascending to the floors above.

However, he presently discovered a ladder that was
fastened against the wall, and at the top of it was
what appeared to be a trapdoor. , He closed the slide of
his lantern, leaving himself in total darkness, and éxer-
cising great care lest he should again fall and make 2
second noise to 2 alarm whatever occupants of the build-

ing there might be. He climbed to the top of the lad-
der, and pressed against the door that was over his
head,

The room above was as dark as the cellar beneath

‘him, but he pushed the door back and lee Hegieb

upon the floor, and closed it after him, :

: _ Again he listened, but there was no sound, and he:
once more had recourse to the lanter 2 ia
_ He touched the point, and cast the light straight into
the face of a man not five feet away, who was standing

with a leveled revolver pointed at the detective’s head.

 
NICK CARTE RK WEEKLY. -

CHAPTER IX. -

SEVERAL CLE Ws.

_ The position in which Chick found himself when he
flashed his light aiter reaching the floor above the cel-
lar of the house was both startling and unpleasant, a

There could be no doubt that the man had heard
him coming from the moment he found the spring in
the grating. that communicated with the street.

_ The young detective was practically unarmed, for

although he was well supplied with weapons. they. were
in his pockets, and not immediately within, his BYASD,
for the purposes of defense.

-“Good- mening ’ said the man, coolly. “T hope you

gre well, sir.’ . ,

: “Hm!” replied Chick, ye as mooi. as he and with
a degree of politeness that was in marked contrast to
the position in which he found himself placed;
mit me to peer

“per-

it is no longer evening, but

morning.” ’

The man with the revolver smiled, NO Chick in-
stantly saw that as a detective he had made a mistake.

In his desire to appear self-possessed, Young Hercu-
les had answered the man before him in a tone that
was not at all in keeping with the character he repre-
sented, and in so doing he had betrayed his true busi-
ness in that house,

“Ah!” said the man with the revolver, taling great
care to keep it pointed directly at the detective; “I per-
ceive that you are not what you seem to be—a bur glar.”

_*Thanks.”. 7

“Whe are you?”
replied Chick,

rrawled in here through the grating in the cellar.”

“Tam aman,” ‘who is pursued, and I

“Exactly. - Who is re sid re
“Officers, of course.’ oe | :
“Humph! ‘Young man, have you | ever been ele
brated for your veracity?”

a ».ftNlot PTC aN es i eee oe
“oy thonght not. a4 are an ceil ie Har”
“You don’t believe me, then?”

“Certainly not.”

“Perhaps you are better posted than I am regard:
ing myadentity. = TO ena
“T am, at least, as well posted as you are.”

“Who, then, am I?” .

“A detective.”

Chick laughed cate AO ee ee ene
“When have
been all my life oe to avold detcer ves I am accused

“That's a good joke!” he eased:

of being one myself.”

ae you deny that you are not disguised Aa
AN G. : o }
“You adopted the cheat in order to aid you im es-

?

caping, I suppose,” sarcastically.

“Certainly.” f

“Do you know where you are?’
 “Yes—in Baltimore.”

“Very good, but not sufficiently ee

“Then where am 1?”
- "You are in a Dreeiyenert from which you are €X+
tremely unlikely to escape.”

While Chick had been talking to oe strange man he
had by stealthy and almost imperceptible motions
moved the fingers of his right hand, which held the
bull’s-eye lantern, until it touched the pyoH which
worked the ingenious little device. | |

Upon the instant that his finger touched that: the

‘light went out and he and the man with the Povelver: a

were in total darkness.

Chick believed that the man befote him au pal Q
the trigger ‘the moment ‘that. he realized that. be was a

being tricked, and he was not mistaken. oe

But when the flash and report came the bullet ane
harmlessly over the young detective’s head, for the mo- a
ment that he touched the button of his lantern he —
dropped like a bucket thr ough ae aS which a a
mitted him to the room.

‘Like a cat Chick alighted upon ‘Ais eet, ies the -next
instant he was up and away, leaping toward the iron a
grating” that communicated with the street. with me
ay of desperation. nia Pee

- Theré were sounds which. followed the firing” ot is

revolver; sounds which told the detective that instead — se

of one enemy in the room above there were a dozen.

st

 
| ile heard curses, shouts of ‘Kill him pe “Wing him!”
“Lay him out!” and the scramble of feet upon the lad-
der which he had not paused to use in his descent,
In two beunds he reached the grating. -
To move the bolt that held it in place was: but he
work of an instant, and in another moment he was
7 upon the street free, and beyond the reach of the occu-
pants of that mysterious house. A
: He knew, however, that Re wou id be purs Aa and
ie darted quickly into an alleyway between two build-
ings, where ina trice jhe altered his disguise so that
there would be no fear of his being recognized by any
of the men who were in that room should he chance to
meet them again,
To return to the house was, lac the present, at least,

out of the question.

alte spent an hour or more pang 6 about.on ‘he out-

side watching it, but without result.

If anybody followed him when he ‘ace: his.eseape .
old and young, handsome people, beautiful women, and

they. did so while he was in the act of altering: his dis-
guise, and thus escaped his notice.

Plainly. there was but one thing for him to. i saad
that was to return to the place where he had left the

note fer Nick, and acquaint him with all. that had nape

pened.

that idea, but when he-reached the appointed rendez-
vous he found that Nick-had been there, taken his note,
and gone. pee
ew A ae er be a x
Let us return to. Nick, at the time when he parted
! aath his assistant, _ oe
His first step was to go. at once: ss ae hans ae
- “Bertha Trevors had lived, and to thoroughly examine

it in every detail.

_ Among other things ie looked ce ee ks ae :
a dead. girl’s friends, but although he examined a
score or more he: did not find the face that he Fee rt ,

to. See.

a called upon Milton Barnes. at the Gifford House,

the sketch of the man. who resembled the. one who was
Se

NICK CARTER WEEKLY, :
Nick had conceived the idea that he would find some

-He therefore Sod off in as bale to carry out

dn ins eee was the aah a the young: man who

19

evidence of the presence of that same person in Bertha
Trevors’ house at some time, and it was his picture that
he hoped to find.

There was a servant who showed him around white

he was making his researches, and at last he turned to,

her,
“Do you know whether there are any ether photo-
graphs lying around the house anywhere?” he asked.

“Yes; there are some in the attic, Shall Lget =

them ?”

“No; take me to them instead,”

~ He was conducted to the top of the house, and the
an old trunk was dragged forward and opened.

Nick uttered a ery of pleasure.

Before him, piled pell-mell in the eld trunk, as
though the owner no longer had any regard for ae
were fully a hundred photographs.

' They were both ancient and recent; they represented
ugly and forbidding ones as well. In short, the pict-
ures represented the same variety of faces that can
always be found among a miscellaneous lot of photo-

graphs.

‘The detective began to turn them over,
Ere ten minutes had elapsed he uttered an ‘exclama-

ation of pleasure, and started to his feet Mh a picture

in his hand.
oe was not the one that he stad expected to find, but
it was equally interesting, for it was the pictured face
of the other man whom the hotel clerk had sketched,
The tall man; the man who, in some occult manner,

had impressed Nick with the belief that he was the

head and front—the general-in-chief—of the conspir-
acy of blood, ii such a conspiracy existed. |
“How long have you been employed in this family?”
he demanded of the servant who stood near him,
“Sixteen years and more, sir,’ ’ was the reply. -
“Do you know who that is?” said N ick, hol iding HD
the photograph.
The woman took the pe in ber hand and gazed
at it.

**T have seen bie Sif. a a acs

re

 
20

o Where?”
“Were in this house.”
When? :
“Long age,.§ Sir ; very long.”

R

“Vears, sir.’
“How long? Try to remember.”

“How many? Guess if you can’t remember. Give
me some idea.”

“Tt must be ten years at least.”

“Now, caninot you remember his name?”

“No, sir, but a |

“But what? speak !’’

“T think I can find out, or, at least, tell you where

you can do so.”

CHAPTER &.
IN THE OLD HOUSE.

‘Where do you think you can get this information
that I want?” demanded Nick.

“Brom a bundle of letters potion have been in my.

possession since before the death of Bertha Trevors’
mother,’ replied the servant.
“Where are they?” |
“In my room.”
“Flow did you get possession of them ?”
“T stole them long ago.”

“For what purpose?”

“Because they possess a family Pe that | enew

would place the Trevors in my power.”

“Get them at once and give them to me.’

The woman departed to do the detective’ $) bidding,
and he turned again to the trunk to continue the ex-
amination of the photographs before him. ;

One atter another he turned them over until but
oné remained in the trunk, and that was lying face
down in one corner partially covered by the lining of

the trunk so that it nearly escaped his notice.

But he saw it in time and, seizing it, turned it over,

His search was omar
Before him was the face of the unknown man who
had cae lipon Milton Barnes at the Gifford House,

‘and who so unaccountably resembled him. —_

examination of their contents.

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

“At last, ” prelate Nick, “1 have discovered Me 2
very clew of which I have been in search.” a : a ,

tle placed the two photographs in his pocket, cea oy
descended the stairs, meeting the servant at the foot of :
them just as she was on her way to carry him the

letters to which she had referred.

‘Have you the letters?” asked Nick. Ss
“Ves, here they are,’ ‘and s she extended the package

to him.

He received them, placed them i in his pocket with ee |
photographs, and after feeing the servant for what she
had done to aid him in his search, he left the house anc
went at once to his rooms, where he produced the
bundle of letters and proceeded to make a thorough

Before beginning upon them, however, he found the
note that had been left there by Chick, in which the

young assistant described all that had occurred to him

up to that time, and definitely located the mysterious.

house wherein the man called “Ben” had disappeared.

The detective decided that as soon as he had finished
examining the letters that he had procured at the Tre-
vors’ house he would visit the place to which Chick re-~
ferred, and make some ee on his own ac-
count, ;

It is not necessary to recite here explicitly else con-
tents of the letters that had been given the detective

by the servant.
| They told much of a story. that, it would take. a vole)
ume to describe, and Nick was enabled to glean from a
their contents something of the strange history that —
had created the skeleton which existed in that family

closet.

Trevors, and the Durlands the reader already knows,

_ but the rupture: in the family which had occasioned the _

change of name on the part. of certain members ot i.

chad occurred long years | before, and told ofa crime that /
had been committed. by one Be other against another,

which, having never been brought home to them, had _

resulted in the continued estrangement of all those who
_were left alive.

There was nothing in the fener that contd dae ae :

S

 

 

The relation whe died between oe Snow, ‘the a
   

   
 

satisfactorily. the identity of the man whose picture

i stated she had seen ten yeats before at her master’s
\ house,

that he might question her concerning them, for he
now realized that she was more fully conversant with
the secrets of that strange aiid than he had sup-
|i posed.

In reading this siralige history the name of the
brother who committed the crime was given in such a
manner that Nick decided that he was no other than

 

j the one who was known to him as the tall man, and to
. whom Chick had ‘referred as being the one he had fol-

‘ a lowed to the old house in Hudson street, and who was

called by. his friends there “Ben.” hs
He decided that on the morrow he would’ go again

  
  

to the Trevors’ house

  

more explicitly upon these matters.

  

At present, however, he decided to visit the old

  
 

bottom, for he "bel ieved that, inasmuch as this man,

  

Ben, had visited it in such a manner, it mnignt be prove n

 

to be the home of the conspirators.

 

He glanced at the clock-and saw that it was a few

  

minutes past two in the morning

   
  
 

visit. until the ensuing night. ©

  

- Almost’ mechanically he began to don the disguise

 

, w hich is very easily known to the readers of this library
as Old Thunderbolt, Joshua Juniper, and The Country-
‘man, so that by the time he had finally decided the

 
 
    
 
  

long-tailed coat, and checkered pants, and was standing

  
 

seed.

  

The inevitable straw was in his mouth as he trotted

  

away, and by taking a cab he ‘succeeded in reaching in

  
  

= i - a

: wished’ ‘to ‘visit:

 

 

+

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

Nick had in his pocket, and whom the old servant had ;

‘The detective regretted that he had not ex-
amined the letters in the woman's. presence in order

and question the old servant”

house in Hudson street, and to search it from top to”

He did not ‘realize
that he had Spent so much time over his examination —
of the letters, and for several moments he ‘hesitated, 4
doubting if it would not be better to defer the intended

‘question he was arrayed in the broad-brimmed hat, the

in the middle of the floor with the ancient carpetbag.
in ie ae the ‘ber Soniticatiol, of an animated hay-

less than halt an hour the vicinity oF the Shane that he

~~ and passed through.

21

‘ Strangely enough he paused upon the corner directly
opposite the mysterious house, not more than twenty,
minutes beyond the time when Chick had departed,

‘after his almost miraculous escape from death at the

hands of the man who had confronted him with dr awn
revolver when he so secr etly entered the place.

In the note that Chick had left for his superior he
had described the method by which the inhabitants of
the house entered and left it through the grating which
led to the cellar.

Nick,

believed that he could enter by the same means with

in consideration of the lateness of the hour,

very little fear of being discovered.

He accordingly approached the grating, bent for-
ward, inserted his hand, and after a moment’s search
discovered the spring which worked the bolt, pushed

the grating open, and with a quick leap passed through

and alighted upon the cellar floor.

In an instant his bull’s-eye lantern was in his grasp;
he touched the spring, and a sharp ray of piercing light
made a hole in the dense darkness with which he was
surrounded.

Like Chick, he quickly discovered the ladder which.
was fastened upon the foundation wall, and going

‘toward it he threw his light upon the trapdoor at the

upper end, or rather upon the place where it should

liave been, for it stood invitingly open.

‘Then he turned off his light, and cautiously mounted

the ladder. It took but a moment tor ‘him to reach the

“floor above, and after listening intently for several mo-
“ments and becotning satisfied that he was alone, and

that no one had heard him enter, he again drew forth
his lantern, and touched the spring.
He turned the light from side to side, glancing here

ad there to discover if any one was pr esent, or if there.

w ere signs of recent occupancy. "

There w ere none. He was apparentl; y alone, and the

Foon, to all appearanee, had been. deset rted for weeks. 2.

” Phere was a door at the farther end of the apart-

“ment, and again with his usual caution he approached 3

it after fir st : shutting off the light, and, -having turned

‘the knob ‘and. found. ‘that it Ww vas _unloeked, , opened it

Pe te eS
ee

  

  
 

 

4

There he paused once more and listened, but no"

sound came to his ears, and now mere than ever satis-
a fied that his presence in the house was unsuspected, he
again and for the third time werked the button ef his
magic: bull’ s-eye lantern,

He found that he was standing m the batiay atthe):
foot of a long flight of stairs, and putting himself once
more in darkness he seized the baluster and mounted
step by step.

Once he paused peed he theught he heard a noise
which came so faintly to him that it resembled a sigh
more than anything else.

But after listening intently and finding that it was
not repeated, he continued up the stairs until he reached

the landing of the next floor.

There he paused a moment, uncertain: whether to

make’ use of his lantern again or not.

Presently deciding that it was the safest course to
pursue not to do so, he began to feel his way around
the upper hall, pausing to listen at every step, and with
every sense upon the alert for a possible surprise.

There is no doubt that his expedition would have

been entirely successful had it not been for the adven-

ture with which Chick had already met in that same

house less than an hour before.
As it was, the men who had inhabited it were warned
and on guard, and more than half expected to be visited

again before daylight.

Presently the detective's hand came in contact with.

the door, and he cautiously felt along it until he
touched the latch, and then, with great care that he
should not make the slightest sound, he raised it and
pushed the door ajar. -

As the door-flew. open before him he stepped hastily —

back out of the reach of any one who might have been

waiting to attack him. 9 ~~

But there was neither sound nor sign of any other —

human presence than his own in the house, A

: expected -you would return.

NICK CARTER WEEKLY. Me oe.

Again he cali seriously of using | his s lantern, but

still that innate eaution which was so strongly de-- |

 

veloped in him argued that it was not safe to do so, :

and he continued stealthily forward until he believed |

that he stood in the very center of the reom.

Suddenly, as he stood there, he did hear a sound —

that was Sc eee and distinct,

It was a man’s voice, and it spoke one word shar ply i

and clearly:
oReadyl |

In an instant. there were twenty-one sharp clicks that

sounded as one, and the next instant the brave detect-_

ive was nearly blinded by the fierce light which fell

upon him.

Those clicks had been made by the opening . lan-..

tern slides, and Nick found himself focussed by the in-

tense rays of twenty-one bull’s-eye lariterns.

They surrounded him on every side, and as be ;
glanced about him with a bewildered air that was |
natural to the char acter he had assumed, he saw that ‘ ‘
the men surrounded him in the form of a horseshoe, y

and that he stood at a point exactly midway between

&

the points.

Before him in the center of that strange group, rapier
in hand, was a man who wore the dress of a Mephis- —— |

topheles, horns, hoofs, and all, his face being painted a

blood red to match the garb he wore,
“Wal, I'll be gosh darned!” exclaimed Nick, vith
thoroughly -countrified astonishment.

fellers all here waiting for me, hey?”

“That sounds very well, and the tone is very per-

fectly assumed, Mr.. Detective,’

tion I will answer it.

that you have been in our power to-night, and I prom-.~
isé you that youcshall not-again escape.” 2. = 9745 6 23?

ee

“Hey? what’s that?’ cried Nick, “expecting me to: _

We were waiting for you, and

Sayt. Ber you o

’ returned the man who ~

_ was dressed in red, coldly, “but since you ask the ques- — :

This is the second time ~

ee

 

 

 

 

 
  

  

aS
return; “Be: is the second time?
drink 2?

“T hope not,”

Say, mister, be you

“Then what do you mean?” |
“Explanations are unnecessary, sir. You are here,
planation )

and in our power, and you shall not again escape.”

“Wal, mebbe I won't,” said Nick, “but I'll have a try-

anyhow.” —
As he uttered the last word he leaped suddenly for-
ward, and using all his gigantic strength he seized the

man who was disguised as a devil, tore the rapier from

his grasp, and while with his left arm he held the man.

-a close prisoner in front of him, with the other he flour-.

ished the rapier in the faces of the masked and cloaked
men around him, and shouted :
“Come on, consarn you! I reckon Josh
knows how to take care of himself, even if you have got
the devil for a captain.’ «

“A few of them‘made an effort to shut off their lights,

sharply:

   

, _ have here, if it’s the last thing I do in this world.”

 

   

-. CHAPTER XL

. CONFESSION.

   
  

: _-The men‘ hesitated. i SN Hee ae a

   
   
   

they realized that he had it in his power to do. what he

    

them to prevent him.

 

‘They drew revolvers and took two or three steps ior-

  
   
  
  

it, "i ak said, ey Sous ve oe het ee a

 

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

Juniper ’

but Nick, quickly realizing their intention, cried out,

“The moment we are in darkness I'll kill this man T.

» the men would make a dash to free their c

ae here was something in the tone of the detective |

ie told them he meant exactly what he said, and .
threatened, owhile it would be utterly impossible for -
ward, but Nick, still holding the figure of Mephis-

topheles before him as a shield, dropped the rapier, and, ° -

' drawing one of his own trusty: react. he raised:

 

“The first man who comes a step nearer dies:””
They paused.

“T am going out of here,” said Nick in the same
tone, “and I am going to take this fellow with me. i
will shoot the first man who attempts to prevent me as.
I would a reptile that crawled in my path.”

As he spoke he began backing toward the. door by.
which he had entered the room.

The scene was a remarkable one.

One man alone and unaided defying twenty-one des-
perate ‘characters, each armed to the teeth, and accus-
tomed to scenes of bloodshed.

It was just such an incident as might occur where

that one man was possessed of such gigantic strength

» as was the detective, and was blessed with that super-

natural presence of mind and quickness of appreciation
of his surroundings that made it possible for him to do
those things which seemed impossible.

Slowly but steadily he backed toward the door.

The man in his grasp struggled desperately to free”

himself, but he was as a child in the hands of a giant.

Nick knew that the decisive moment would: occur

ities he reached the door and passed through.

Then he knew that the lights would go out, and that
hief from.
the hands of the detective and to overcome the man
who had captured him. |

He was considering what would be the best move for -
him to make, when his ear caught a sound from the
hall below that made him start with apprehension.

He heard a voice; what it-said he did not know.

The next moment there were heavy footfalls upon ~

the stairs, and ten seconds later a figure bounded.

through the doorway,. followed by. others, and Chiek

and a dozen blue-coated policemien were in the room.’
Never in all the detective’s career shad a circumstance *
happened :so fortunately as that... 2. ©

The men of the Red League who wore the masks and:

   
- .

cloaks, and who were greuped around the room so full
of indecision, braved and defied by one man, seemed to
forget. their fears when they suddenly found Sa
selves confr onted by a dozen policemen.

The lights they carried were instantly extinguished,
and then there followed the flash of discharging fire-
arms and curses and shouts, and then another flood of
light fell upon: the scene. |

This time it was produced by the policemen, who, at
Chick’s suggestion, had also provided themselves with
the means of lighting their way, and that room which
but a few moments before had been so quiet became a
veritable pandemonium. |

Sheuts, groans, curses, cries, pistol-shots, flashing
weapons, and even shrieks filled the air until it seemed

as though a cage of wild animals had suddenly been

liberated there and were engag ged I in a battle of Se

nation. Again the lights went out.

Mriends knew who friends were only by the sense of
touch, and for fully a quarter of an hour the combat
continued 1 in intense darkness, and then almost as sud-
denly as it began it ceased. |

Nick waited in one corner of the room when the tur-
moil stopped... A man was upon the floor beneath him,
the detective's knee was upon his chest, and his hand

clutched the prostrate man’s. throat.

During all those moments of intense excitement } Sick

had not-once loosed his grasp upon the chief of that
strange league of conspirators, and it was he who was
now lying upon the floor choked almost into, insensi-
bility. i

_ The detective did not speak, cea he did not know

who were victors in the fight, but he did know that

he would presently. learn,
light fell upen his face, and he saw Chick looking down
upon him.

“Why: describe the scene that existed in that room

me

and a moment later a sharp

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

when once more it was illuminated and the result of
the fight: was known?. ey a
suffice it to say that out of the twenty-one conspira-_
tors seven had escaped, four were dead or seriously —
wounded, and the rest were prisoners, while ameng
them all, detectives, officers, and members of the league,
there was not one who had not a wound of some kind —
to exhibit as a result ‘of the affray.
ee ee ee Bde
“On the following morning, at ten o eek Nick pre-
sented himself, in company with Chick, at the office of
the chief of police of Baltimore.
“Welly ‘said the chiet, ih

last night; now tell me if it has anything to do with —

you made quite a capture —

a

the four mysterious crimes.” oe cs
“It has everything to do with them,” replied Nick,

“How sof”

~The man who was brought here last night dressed _ ae

in the garb of Mephistopheles was the chief of an. or- :

ganization that has existed in this city for several

months, and which they had very appro opriately named a
‘The Red League,’ and to the Red League are due the a

murders of Bertha Trevors, Stella Durland, John Snow:

and Milton. Barnes.

“Just how the crimes were planned, and why Milton

Barnes was killed we have yet to determine, but. this 4

man to whem I have referred as the chief was really a a

broth@r of Bertha Trevors’ mother, and to kim is due +

the conspiracy which has resulted so disastrously for —

four persons. :
“Even now, “chief, he is registered at the Gifford
House under the name ol Augustus Grosvenor.

cy the men of Hie Red League he is known : as

‘Ben,’ ‘while his real name is Be enjamin Gunther, and

he is the father of Cia Gunther, who was Bertha

ac reyors’ legatee, and: who is the ee | under the
will ef John eHow ee

ree once the réasons for the murder: of Milton

 
  

Barnes, I know the reasons for the other crimes, but I
think if Benjamin Gunther is brought before us here
and now, and confronted with the facts already in our

ssession, he will make a confession of the whole story
aad save us the trouble and uncertainty of conjecture.”

“It shall be done,” replied the chief.

He touched a bell at his elbow, and gave the order.

for the man to be brought before him, and ten minutes
later he appeared in the charge of an officer.

“Will you let me question him?” asked Nick of the
chief.

“Certainly.”

“You are Benjamin Gunther,” said Nick to the pris-
oner. | 4 | :
_ The man started, hung his head as if ashamed, then
looked boldly up, and-said: :

“Well, what if I am?”

“Nothing, only I wish you to know we have got your

 

entire history. We know that you are the father of
Charles Gunther; we know that you planned the mur-
ders of Bertha Trevors, of Stella Durland, of John
Baa and of Milton Barnes. We know that Charles

! Gunther and Charles Jeffrey. are one and the same per-
- 1 | son. We know by advices lately received from Ber-
lit, where your son is now supposed to be studying
medicine, that he has not been there for the past six
mont! hs, bat that another person has been passing him-
self off by that name in order that the people here
| might get no inkling of the fact that he had returned to

Ameri ica.

 

nesses to that will are fictitious personages, and that
these four crimes were nothing but the working out, a

a gr eat conspir acy which originated with you ‘and your

  
 

son for ‘the- ‘purposes of possessing” yourselves of the

 

   
 

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

ayy . know that the al of John ‘Show, which w as Se)

recently found in the secret compar tment of his ‘desk.

was. for ged by you or at your dictation, that the w it-

 

25
millions: that bel ee to the other members. of your
family.

“We know that you. were ostracized from decent sO-
ciety and from intercourse with your family ten years
ago, by reason of a crime that you committed at that
time, before which even these four for whieh you are
responsible sink almost to insignificance.”

The prisoner started again, and turned frightful

pale as the last few words fell from the detective’s lips,

and as he raised one hand, as if to ward off a blow, he

gasped’:

“Don't—don’t speak of that.”

“T will remain silent on one condition,’ ’ said Nick,
sternly.

“Twill accept it ev en before you state what it is,
cried the man; “T shall have to suffer the penalty of
these crimes anyhow, then why make me any blacker
by mentioning that one?” , a

"TT doubt if you. could be blacker than you afe,’’ re-
niarked the detective; “but on condition that you give
me the history of the conspiriacy against the lives of
the four people who have lately become your victims,
nobody shall learn of your past deeds from me, and
no one here but myself knows of them.” —

“May I tell the one in my own tk Pe

“Vou may.” _ ne

“A year ago,” began Benjamin Gunther, “T con:
ceived the idea of making it possible for my son to in-
herit a vast fortune. I was already a criminal, and
two or three crimes more or less did not deter me.

“There was a time, long ago, when John Snow, who
was my half brother, signified his intention of leaving
his-estate to Charles, but the boy was wild, and he suc-
ceeded: in displeasing: his uncle, so that he finally de-
stroyed the will that he had made, and informed him,
without mincing words, that he might never expect to
receive anything from him. s

“TE you know so much you: also. cris the relation

op

 
26
that existed between ‘Stella Durland and myself, and
also Bertha Trevors : y

“When the man whom “you have known as oes
| Snow disnherited my son I believed that I could in-

duce Bertha Trevors to make a will in his favor.

a brought. every influence in my power ‘to bear to
bring that point about, and believed that I had done
So. Had I known that out of her vast estate she had
- Jeft him only $50,000 her life would have been spared,

and she would have been alive to-day. It was through
the lying and deception of a servant that I was misin-
formed, and that same servant is to- aay Be real cause
of Bertha’s death. :

“T knew that John Snov had made a will, and I also
knew where it was concealed.
matter after his death to possess myself of that docu-

ment, and destroy it, and then 6 catise another to be

made in its place and put where iis lawyer, Henry

Sqitire, would find it.
“hat was done.

John Snow’s gniltions became m ny

soil's. As you know, Stella Durland’s fortune also
fell to him, and T believed until the will of Bertha Tre-
vors was read that her vast property. was his also.
: “We bad only to wait until the several estates had
Deen administered to. ‘gather: in the reward. of. our
crimes, and then by dividing a few hundred thousand
‘dollars out of the vast for tune among the men who had
been my aids and assistants all these years, we ® wortld
have gotten rid of them.and. lost ourselves j in some. foe
‘eign country where we. would have lived like Panes
upon. what you would call.our ill-gotten gains.”
e “But what of Milton Barnes?” asked Nick; ee
have said nothing about him bho .

“yaton. Barnes,” ‘replied Conthe fy

.. man. whose face was his misfortune. -

It was a very. easy -

| “Who i is guilty of the murder of John Snow? " oo

“not Willing to betray others.”

, “Was a young

 

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

He bore an un-
accountable but remarkable resemblance to my son. - :
“When the conspiracy, if yout are pleased to call ce
such, was first inaugurated our plan was that Charles,
after partially disguising himself, should masquerade i |
at the Gifford House under an assumed name, while we
were working for his interests in the dark, |
“We speedily found, however, that such a “method )

was impracticable, and the man whom you have

known as Milton Barnes, and who was a member of |

the Red League, was substituted for him without any _
ore being the wiser. 8 : :
“All went well until the murders were about to take ‘ ; : :
place, and until success seemed to be within our grasp. ee
“It was then that Barnes rebelled. He knew. too : i

mutch ; he believed himself to be too important a the |

 

success of our schemes, and it was decided tha he
should iecine one of the victims of the deverat “
crimes.’ oe
aay he killed Bertha Trevors? . asked Nick.
a did.” Ye : ee
“Who killed Stella Durland? a \ : ; : a |
: ri Ae A ee

 

 

ue am.’

 

 

“And a daeeied be crime e that tools place at the

 

potel 7)

8 . that ‘question, ' said Gunther, oot will not reph

I am willing to’ confess miy own. iniquities, bn l amy) a

33

“You must. answer, aid the. detective, sternly, ‘or

amy_ promise will not hold good. ”

Again th 1e man sta irted- and turned ee then, im a

  

buck cy. voice, he almost W whispered ed:

 
 

 

 

NICK CARTCR WEEKLY.

: “The murderer of Milton Barnes was my son
Charles...) | |
“One more question,” said~ Nick,
done. |
which you have named the Red League Py

“The Red League,” :

replied Gunther, ‘originated in

New Orleans, and still exists’ there. I can give you
no information concerning it, for the ‘reason that I
separated myself from it more than a year ago, but
it is powerful and thoroughly organized, and its mem-
bers are men who are banded together for the purpose
of aiding each other in the commission of crimes.”
Both Charles Gunther and his father answerefl to
the law fae the crimes that they had committed, and

the mystery in which the four mysterious murders

were.shrouded was solved.
THE END.

Next week’s issue (No. 305) will contain the full
details of Nick Carter’s work on the mysterious Alling
case. This strange murder that was apparently solved
_ only to become more deeply tnvolved in mystery than
ever, and the revelations that aided the famous detect-
fe ip unraveling jt, form a most absorbing story.
ie title will be “Nick Ce. s rere Decipher; or,
| “The Letters on the Floor.”

Sryer =

Nege oO Murder s Ccnstabie. —
(By Jim Hall, Conn.) ~ a

Constable Harry Buck White, of Greenwich,. “was he

and killed by Samuel Greenage, a negro he had arr ested.
-Greenage ‘then attempted to kill his own wife. Mrs.
_ Greenage had her husband arrested for threatening to
kl Cher. White was taking him in a buggy from his
home to the court of Justice John T. Hall. The con-

stable, who was fearless, allowed Greenage to take his
on shotgun along.

 

“and then I am _
ae shot White in the left temple.
What is the real purpose of the organization

_ in the wagon.

the. "Oppenheimer home.

When Greenage wanted to get three .

 

aT

shells which were in the house the constable Jet the negro
de so, saying, “Oh, he wouldn’t hurt anvbody.”

Whén they arrived at the justice’s court Greenage
jumped from the buggy, slipped a shell into the gan and
The horse, frightened
by the eae ran a throwing White’s body into the
road.

Greenage ran and hid behind a fence in a * cornfield
where he knew his wife would pass on her way to the
justice’s office. She came along in an open wagon with
her father and mother. Greenage fired at her, the load
striking her in the face, breast and shoulders. She fell
Her wounds are not mortal.

After shooting his\wife Greenage disappeared in the
cornfield. Word of the murder was sent to Bridgeton
at once and Sheriff Hendee, Constables Lore, Custis,
Woodruff and Creswell and Prosecuting Attorney Fithian

started out to search for the murderer. .

More shooting is feared, in view of the desperate a
acter of the negro, who shouted, after shooting the con-
stable, that he would shoot any man who tried to attest
him. It is said that the murderer is surrounded in a
marsh.
Greenage has been arrested several times. Last spring
he held Constables: Chester and Hilliard at bay with a
revolver when they went te arrest him. He is a son of
Peter Greenage, a noterious character, who served a term
in prison.

Constable White was forty-eight years old. He leaves
a wife and four children. Officers are ‘scouring the
country and the village of Greenwich is in a ferment.

 

Robbed Many Families.
(By Chas. Dudley, N. Y.) a
Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue Jacob Sse

heimer and his son, Leo Oppenheimer, an inspector of

highways, were complainants against Anna Jensen, a
Swedish servant, whom they accused of stealing $60
worth of clothing.

The woman was engaged by the Oppenheimer family

on peutstpe! 18, but she only remained in the house a

few hours.’ When she was missed it was found that
two suits of clothes had gone, teo. One day Leo Oppen-
heimer saw her and had her arrested. She told where
the clothes might be found in pawn. She was held in
$so0 for examination.

The police say that the woman has confessed to rob-
bing a number of other houses in the neighborhood ot
She said, according to the po-
lice, that she had a notebook at her home which con-
tained the names of thirty families she had robbed while

employed as a servant.
 

 

 

 

 

Here you are, boys. "
A. fresh batch of great stories.

There are tons on hand already and they’re bringing them in by the basketful with every mail, but of .

course we can only print a few of the best. |

If you want to know something about the prizes we offer, look on page 35.

 

A Criminal’s Fate.
(once A By A, Gibson, Mich.)
It is night. Snow is slowly fluttering down, and the

moon casts a weird light over the surrounding country. |
glimmering lights of the city.

Far away to the south the
can be seen.
On this cold November evening two men are slowly
wending their way along the road leading from the city.
Both wear caps pulled well down over theit ears, and
long fur overcoats. A Winchester rifle, slung across the’
saddle of each horse, and the sagging revolver holsters

make it plainly evident that they are armed to ‘the teeth,
comes up, “Who are they? Where are’

The question now
they going ? :

Phe man on the right is the sheriff of the cotinty and
his companion‘is Detective Robert Parsons; known a$ Bob |
Parsons. They are on the track of John Small, train rob-_

ber, bank burglar and all around dangerous man.

They received information of the train robber’s where-

abouts late 'n the afternoon, and
capture hin. | ae
After riding about twenty-five miles they came in sight
of a small town.
they started.

immediately set out to

“Well, Bob, if I am not mistaken, this is where our

journey ends.” wees
“Yes, and it’s liable to be the end of something besides
our journey,” spoke up Bob, grimly, Sea
They again relapsed into silence and cautiously ap-
proached the village. oe
“he second house from this end ef the street, isn’t it?”
* asked Bob. Ee ie i
“Yes, atid it looks as
ane Coen
“Rather uncommon at this
- some one there, all right,”

 

The sheriff spoke for the first time since ’

thotigh some one was sitting in saw son :
ae res ward. Jud followed. Sam
time of night, but there is © m

 
 
 
 

As they came nearer they saw it was Small himself,
busily engaged in cleaning a revolver. ae
He did not hear them until the sheriff spoke.
“Surrender in the name of the law!” =
Small gave a start, jumped back, and kicked the door
shut. _He seemed to have forgotten that a Winchester
bullet will easily penetratea door, SOs
Bob and the sheriff both fired through the door, and
then sptang from their horses and burst the door in,
They found Small where he
inhisbody. - .. as
It was reported that he had a large sum of money in the
house, but his housekeeper, an Indian sqtiaw; fled when

With Bera

the door-was burst open, and probably took the money

The sheriff and Bob returned to the city and received
_the reward and honors. vere See ae

 

The Gold Field Detective.
(By. William Rall, Jr.,N.Y)

Jud Ashwell and Sam, his friend, went to the Yukon. . oe

On their way they picked up two men who were drown- ©

i

fell, with two bullet holes

ing. They were sullen and would not work,

Jud woke up.

One day they were sleeping later than ustial when they |

heard a noise.

Suddenly he flashed upon something. They had been

TODD ic tg

Jud went through his clothes, The pockets were all oe
empty. His friend’s were, too. He thought about the ue
(ENG AHEM ce pk ee ee Ae a
.. After breakfast they were walking about when, Sam
tan. for-

saw something. He shouted, “Gee, whiz,” and

entered a Saloon,

 

   
 
 
 
 

 

ame ‘ had entered before them.

     
  

mn grabbed one with each hand and down t

  

wie

They were the robbers,

 

fi
i

  
  

money enough.

With the rest tie bought: a tees and marked of ae

claim. They dug and the first day earned $20,000. They
had found eleven large nuggets. But duting the day
they found that the two robbers had taken a claim be-
side themselves. That night Sam was awakened by feel-
ing cold air. ‘He turned, but Jud was gotie; so was the
old pistol and the $20,000. He knew they were robbed.
He heard a shot. !

Was Jud-killed? He ran. There was one of the foe:
bers, dead. He found Jud, but Jud had gone crazy.

Sam was a doctor. He got his case of tools and took
a piece Of bone out of the wound and Jud was all right.

That night they captured the other robber. He was
punished by the mounted police of the Northwest. Jud
and Sam worked one month more and then depatted
with $200,000,000.

Jud was immediately married to his sweetheart; while
Sam went to coach the football team in his college.

 

An Oil Fire.
(By John Nelson, N. Y.)

It was a bleak, wintry morning that the great oil fire |

| started, and proved so disastrous to many.
Jack Burns jumped on a truck that was passing the fire
- where the heat was intensé, when an explosion occurred
and he was hurled across the street and killed instantly.
The fire raged for three days, and was finally put under
a control. The loss was estimated at $300,000, and three
* lives were lost.

 

os a -. An Amateur Sleuth.
(By James Carron, N, J.)

_ William Fi innegan, steward of the Keystone restaurant, :
in the Pennsylvania station at Jersey City, solved the mys- |

tery late one night of the disappearance of  provi-
sions from the restaurant’s larder.

waiters, come to the icebox and take out two tenderloins
of beef, three pieces of bacon, a spritig chicken, three
. porterhouse steaks, an imported oe and a pottnd of
butter.

™ .. — They wrapped the provisions in separate packages,
ee ‘stowed them away inside their waistcoats, and sauntered
into Exchange place. The steward followed’ them until

- he met. a policeman and had them arrested.

 
 

 

 
 

“Boy Tied Naked to a Tree. :
_ (By Fred Ledoux, La.)

 
 
 

  
 

jed - naked to a tree.
having been. assaulted, tortured and cut, and he
red ¥

   
  
   
 

   

NICK CARTER WEEKLY.

but. hee was: vafrestédl.” He had to sell his. watch to. get

ARO.

He secreted himself
on top of the icebox just before the last customer had been |
served. Soon he saw Martin Dressler and John Schlenck,

_to the festivities.

Ciscoe Trauth, a white boy, eleven years old, was
He was in a “desperate con-

When brought |

¢ and he had recovered his senses he declared
pe aoe had broken ne and the aaa were oe midicat-

“searched the neighboring Suid and 4 a 1 negro: was found.
concealed there who was identified by the boy as his

assailant.

The father of the boy mocked’ the negro, wiiode name
was Clem Garrison, sénseless with a club, and an attempt
was made to arrest the man. He was finally taken to
the police station and ultimately to the parish prison for
protection, as the neighbors of the boy were — excited
over the outrage. Lee

(BS

 

A Jealous Man‘ 3 Benue.
(By S. Dunn, Boston} *

Becades he had been snubbed by the father of the girl
he loved, Frank MéKee, who has for some years lived at
the Golden Eagle Hotel, at the corner of New Jersey ave-
nue and D street, wrecked the hotel with dynamite in an
attempt to couple suicide with revenge.

The proprietor, Louis Brandt, and his wife, were hurled
into a cellar by the explosion and severely hurt. Their
daughter, with whom McKee was in love, escaped un-
hurt. Thirty euests had miraculotis escapes.

A minute after the explosion a pistol shot was heard
inside the hotel and several men rushed in to find McKee,
dying in his rodm, with a bullet in his head. He was not
yet unconscious, and as two of the men approached him
he said:

“T did it. Now I'm even with’him. I told Brandt I
would blow him and his business to hell.”

Then McKee gasped and died,

The thirty other guests had been blown out of their -
beds, some of them being injured. The walls were —
loosened in many places. .

McKee came here from Philadelphia several years
It was understood that he was a member of: a
wealthy Philadelphia family, and he had plenty of money.

He had made his home.at the Golden Eagle Hotel during

the greater part of the time he spent “here, He once
served on the Oregon and tose to be chief machinist.
The pretty daughter of Louis Brandt, the proprietor,

attracted his attetition a short time ago, and he fell in love

with her. She and her mother spent the summer in Ger-
many, and during her absence McKee dissipated heavily.

He drank, and lost large sums on the races. At one
time he is said to have had $30,000 in bank, but he drew
his last $70 from a building association lately.

One day Mrs. Brandt and her daughter returned from
Europe, and Mr. Brandt gaye a dinner in their honot.
McKee was one of the guests, and his attentions to the

daughter angered the father.

Brandt took McKee out of the room and told him he.
could go to bed if he liked, but that. he must not retarn
Brandt’ ireatencd to have him arrested
if he did,

McKee became sullen, said nothing then in response,
so Brandt states, and left the house. In front he met a.
policeman, to whom. he said:

“Tm going to get even with the Dutch slob, ” and
walked away hurriedly.

When McKee returned between four and five ‘o'clock,

 
  

30

ing to McKee that all had gone to bed. Itis believed that

he then went to the reom on the top floor, directly over

the room occupied by Brandt and his wife, and there

placed several sticks of dymamite. Stretching a fuse

down the hall to his own reom he lighted it and then
awaited developments.

The police believe that McKee thought the explosion
would kill him, and that when it had net injured him
the shot himself. When found the revolver was still in
his hand.

McKee is said to have inherited a inrge sum of money
“when his father died in Pennsylvania several years ago.
He came to, Washington in 1898, and had been living

at the Golden Eagle Poti ever ‘since.

He had been playi ing the races for a long time and for
several months has complained of losing steadily. He
was a eonstant cigarette smoker and talked in a manner
to leave the impression that his mind was not right.

- He was twenty-eight years old. When he first came
here he was employed in the Navy Yard, but after he
commenced playing the races he gave up work and de-"
voted his time to spending his money. :

The dynamite exploded with a terrific noise. The roof
of the building was blown off, and the falling wreckage —
crashed through to the basement, leaving the structure
looking as if it had been struck by a tornado.

Every pane of glass in the adjoining buildings was. -

shattered. The hotel is only a block from the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad station, which is always crowded, and
- the explosion created great-excitement there.

The Fire Department was called out, and, aided by the
police, extracted the Brandts and the guests of the hotel
from theit perilous positions.

The police say that both dynamite and gunpowder were

used in the explosion.

 

NICK ‘CARTER WEERLY, |

A Jealous Suitor,, he

(os 4 (By Rob Kine, No YO? |

So insanely jealous of Miss Irene Winebrener. was
David Goughnour, of Conemaugh, that when another man
spoke to her on the street he became very angry. ae had
put himself down as being her “steady company,” and
so far as can be learned, he had no rivals. Shortly before _
midnight one night she had occasion to visit a drug store, |
and while there met Edward Kaylor, who resides several
doors from her home.

_ The pair were walking toward theic. residences when
Goughnour approached from the rear and, drawing a res
volver, fired three shots at the young woman. One
lodged in her abdomen, inflicting a fatal. wound. . The
second bullet lodged near her left kidney and the third
grazed one of her arms. The remaining four bullets in

the revolver were sent after young Kaylor, who is a mere
boy, and who took to his heels when Goughnour began
to shoot.

Miss Winebrener ran to an alley, eiera: she fell.
Goughnour followed, and, seeing the woman lying pros-
trate, and believing her dead, reloaded his revolver and ~
fired a bullet through his heart. Death was instantaneous.
Both Goughnour and Miss Winebrener were about twen-
ty-one years of: ae while young Kaylor is still in his
teens. 5 :

 

i oN Ez SEE

iia PRICE

 

All of the occupants of the hotel were abed when the |

‘explosion occurred. Brandt and his wife fell through _
two floors into the cellar, and were more seriously i in jured

ae any of their oe

 

A Kidnaping Case.
(By, ‘Will Speers, Conn.) _

A young. man. made an attempt one day to kidnap a
young girl, a charge of the county home, from the family

of George Marsh, corner of Smith street and Warrenton

avenue, where she had been employed for six years. The

man hired a hackman to take him to Smith street, where

he was to seeure the girl and then be driven to Windsor =
Locks itn the vehicle; where he was to take a train foes.

Will be paid for ‘the ae
following Weeklies:
ine Blue Weekly us : | Nemibers ts a

6

Starry Pa ela oo od, 9 ie

Adventure ot tear a 19, Hh.

Good News, Musabes 137, ae 2
quit

 

 

Springfield. At the house, however, the man’s plans mis-

carried, and he returned to the hack, telling the driver that - Ho
he was being watched too eloesiy and would have to post- i |
s i should. communiéate at once with Stewart, Box 192). ‘New York ie

‘Unless you have one or more of ‘the numbers above do ss

pone the job.
When interviewed Mt. .
man came to steal the girl.

Marsh: admieed ‘Wak Wie”

but volunteéred the information that she was to be re-
turned. to the county home. ‘~The would-be: abductor told .
the cab driver that the girl was his cousin, and that she..
was being ill treated at the home of Mr. Marsh, but the
ee denied both these statements.

He said he was infatu-
ated with the girl, whose name he also refused to disclose,

Any boys whe have copies of the above mentioned num a ber .

City.

not write, 5 as no other numbers ef the Weeklies are wante

 

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een A niseleusteche a7 noon pi Irth, orSideWbishorsamy
SI beitle Spirls Guia te cilcz them om. Box cef Barat Cork te Dlastow :
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eo great: vaniabing helt: datinx trisk. Tails ble ofer :
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ai a plays. wise. wicks & agts, Iztset nersithes M pape
oer thle Th co Twill also put ina Heavy GOLD piste dec
FREE sand ize. Address Chea. Marshall. Mie. Leckpest, N.Y. NG

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A NEW CONTEST # FIFTY PRIZES.

Stories of Celebrated Cases Are What We Are After 7 in this New Contest.

: Wa ‘Offer. as Prizes 175 of the Best. Books. of
Adventure and Detective Work Ever Published.

 

4 There isa fine chance in this contest for every boy who teads
the NICK CARTER WEEKLY. You are all interested in stories of
famous crimes—kidnaping cases, bank robberies, thefts of famous

jewels, forgeries, ete. All you have to do to win a prize is to tell in
your own words the story of one of these or other crimess Tell how.

the crime was committed; how discovered, and how the criminal was
brought to justice. Make it a Detective Story if you like.
Every one of you can do it, and every one of you has a splendid

: chance. Remember there are

FIFTY NEW PRIZES.

 

 

 

 

The five first boys who send
in the five best stories will

Five First Prizes! | =.=

cludes some the best detect- -

Nive! stories, tales Ot adventure, and at intetesting boys’ stoties ever written.

 

| The ten boys who send in
the next best stories will

 

{sec ce] Ten Second Prizes!

 

 

this list.

 

 

 

 

; aura ase : : - ‘The fifteen boys who send
‘ us the next best stories will

Fifteen Thi rd Prizes! | sccm = =

this list.

i TWENTY OTHER DEER ES. - he cect tests have wil receive

e

any TWO BS ey may select in this om

 

. eo ‘HERE ARE THE DIRECTIONS.
h ; This contest will.close December 1st. Remember, whether your story wins a pres or |
- not, it stands a eal chance of being Pete together with your name, i

 

 

COUPON.
Nick CARTER WEEKLY STORY CONTEST.

 
  
  
  
 

_Name.....: PRN U Ne Aes Puma ee ee SIR tA Sie 6/8) Aum Sct Bere, emma
ene ecg ces ie peels

  

Be lr aiclagtalylie tainiar aria Int gama gee!

 

City OF TOW. esses eeete sree es eee te entree

eee eee teen erent eens etenetes

 

 

 

 

To become a contest- —
ant for these prizes you
must cut outthe Prize
Contest Coupon
printed herewith, fl! .
if out properly, and
, mail it to EaioK CARTER .

“WEEKLY, cate of ©
Street &- Smith, 238
William St., New York
iGity = togeth er with
your story.. No story,
will

(oes

Me

*

be cotisidered that’ -~

f does not have this cour.
pon a ee it.

2 encrmernenteonnenen ne

Bi pe Rana GARG REA GORAR
* Nick Carter Weekiy” " has a gay ae than any oe of detective o~

1+--The Boat Club..........: .By, Oliver Optic
ea, Bit Garey. BY. Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry
8—All Aboard. sesessor By, Oliver Optic

#-Lieutenant Carey’ “Luck,
oie Lieut. Lignel eee

| B-Now or Neverees ls .cesececeee y Oliver Optic
6—Captain Carey ‘of, the Galant Boy enth,
By Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry

%—Chased Throu h Norway.......By James Otis.

8—Kit Carey's § PUR
By Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry
De Ury ARAM coe oeds hua Vek Hs ow eos By Oliver Optic
10—Don Kirk, the "Boy Cattle’ King,
By Gilbert Patten
mide > Tent to White House, (Boyhood and

Life of "President McKinley.),

By Haward 8. Ellis

2—Don Kirk's a NG. 6 cigisis nein. 2 By Gilbert Patten,
ist the Lad a sa Mgt ates “By ‘thot shank Murray
14—-T ‘ Young ploniat. i Story ars Life and

War in Africa..... Giura ce deg geen iat ‘ . Henty

15—Midshipmen Mies

16—-The White King He Africa,

By William Murray Graydon.
17—Einsign Merrill. By Lieut, Lionel Lounsberry.
18—The Silver Ship... ives tl és eeees BY, Leon Lewis
19--Javk Archer..c....sscceeee> By Gs As Henty
22—The Champdoce Mystery... By. mile Gaboriau
The Detective’s Dilemma. By Emile’ Gaboriau

 95--The. Detective’s Triimph..By Jimile Gaboriau

Doc Wile ING! FIBi ws ee cas see. By Emile Gaboriau
27-—The Steel NecklacesBy Fortune Du Boisgebey
28—Under His Thumb,...By Donald J. McKenzie
29-—The Clique of Gold........By Emile Gaboriau
40-—-The Bag of Diamonds.

By George Manville Fenn
81—The Red Lottery Ticket.

oe Fortune Du Boisgobey
32—A. Mysterious Case. ..........-. By os F. Hilt
33—-Jud and Joe, Printers and Publisher
By Gilbert Patten
34—The Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green,

By Guenbert Bede, B. A.
35—In the Reign of Terror....,.. By G. A. Henty
36—In Barracks and Wigwam,

By William Murray Graydon
87-Commvdore Jumk...By George Manville Fenn
88—Gary Dashleigh’s Academy Days

By. Arthur Sewall
89—With Boer and Britisher in ie Transvaal,

By William Murray Graydon
40--Canoe and Campfire, .By &t. George Rathbone
44—-Check: 2184 2. eee i we By Bdward 8. Ellis
42—The Young Acrobat....By. Hoyatlo Alger, Jr.

43—In Southern Seas. By Fra H. Converse ©

44--The Golden. Magnet. “By Utes “Manville Fenn
45—Jack Wheeler; A’ Western’ Story
By Capt. David. Gouthwick

; 46—Poor and Proud... Pa Ree taal By Oliver Optic
2 SfeTerie Dane. /ics es ee Matthew: White, “dr

45-—-Liike Bennett® s Hide-O
By Capt.°C; Be “ Ashiey, Ui. S. Scout
49—The Mystery of a Diamond,

a 4 By Frank El. Converse
60--Dean Dunham......,...By Horatio Alger, Jr,
Bi—-Tom Tracy,..scss.s i By Arthur Lee Putnam

(Horatio "A er, Jf)
62-From Farm Boy to Senator,
By Horatio Alger, Jr.
S3—The Adventures of a» New. York Telegraph
GV ie is SRE we biedie By Arthur Lee Saree
.. (Horatio Alger

5
54--Joe Nichols; or, Difficulties Overcon ,
By A Alfred Olatetiow.

§5—A. Voyage to the Gold Coast,
y Fra ink H, Converse
&6—Nature’ a Young Noblemen,
By Brooks MeCormick
57—The Gold of Flat Top weal
By

ank Hy. Converse

227-—F'rom Clew to Climax.....By Will N. Harben

995—Tracked by Fate. o..... soso. By Fergus Hume.
228 Wound Dead. oo. wees PN oe By Hero. Strong
221-—Other People’s Money. ! By Emile Gaboriau

219-—-A Hidden Clew.By Ernest De Lancey Pierson
Sj7—Baron Trigault’s Vengeance.
By Emile Gaboriau

216—The Count’s Millions...... By Emile Gaboriau :
8

214—The Missing eaapice,
By Ernest De Lancey Pierson
212-4 Mystery, Still, ... By Fortune mu gree ey

2i6—An Excellent ‘Knave..v.is.6: By ¥. Molloy

208-—The Condemned Door.
By Fortune Du Boisgobey

206--The: Portland Place Mystety.
By Ernest De Lancey Pierson ty

204Huntea Down.

By Richard Aghton, Wainwright
RRA ATTN NaCatd

¥ Lieut. Lionel Lounsberry

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First

   
 
  

  
 

 

 

NLP LS PLP ALO POL LAL MOLE OL lO

N te K CA RT Er R W EEKE

-274-—Nick Carter and the Smugglers; or, Thief-Catching on the Borde.

.292-—Nick Carter’s Note of Warning; or, The Murder of the Empress.

cents a copy will bring them to you by mail, postpaid,

 

  

LARGE 67)
_ The Best Detective Stories in the World.

268-—Nick Carter and the Broken Dar gger; Or, The Black Man from Borneo.

269—Nick Carter’s Advertisement; 01, A New Way to Catch a Criminal.

2vo-—-Nick Carter and the Nihilists; or, The Mine Under the Grand Duke's Palace.

27t—Nick Carter in the Convict Gang; er, Ida Jones to the Rescue.

o72-——-Nick Carter and the Guilty Goveraor; or, The American Detective and the Russian
Officer.

273-—Nick Carter in Canada; or, Showing the Way toa Tencher ous Guide.

 

a7e-—Nick Carter’s Enemy; or, Bringing a Murderer to the Gallows.

276—Nick Carter's Land Office: or, Outwitting a Clever Swindier.

277-—Nick Carter and the Professor; or, Solving a Scientific Problem.

5 doe Carter as a Mill Hand; or, The Fall River Murder Mystery Reveated.
2796—Nick Carter and the Kidnaped Heiress; er, The Recovery of a Great Aree

pha Mick Carter Strikes Oil; or, Uncovering More Than a Murderer.

281-—Nick Carter’s Hunt for a Treasure; or, A Fight for life with a Mysterieus Foe.

a82-—Nick Carter and the Highbinders; er, The Great Chinese Mystery.

282—Nick Carter Facing the Mob; er, Smashing the Red League.

284—Nick Carter nd the “hirteen Club; or, Trailing a Triple Murderer.

28s—Nick Carter’s Chinese Puzzle; or, Patsy’s Little Game. :

286—Nick Carter’s Pullman Flot; or, Following a Chance Clew.

287—Nick Carter’s Wedding Gift; or, Landing an Old Offender.

yea Nick Carter’s Expert Exposure; or, Downing the Freight Thieves. _

289—Nick Carter and the Bank Draft Raiser; or, Catching a Slippery Criminal.

200——Nick Carter's Quick Decision; or, A Strange Weapon for a Murderer.

291-—Nick Garter and the Snake Brooch: or, Making a Startling Discovery.

293—Nick Carter's Ghastly Find; or, Sleuthing in the Dutch Mountains.
294-—Nick Carter’s Handicap; or, Victory. Won ina Canter.

292-—-Nick Carter’s Palm Clew; or, What Chick Saw Through the Window,
296—~—Nick Carter and the Stranglers; et, The Coin Cuff Button.

207-—-Nick Carter at Mount Vernon: or, The Old Rabbit’s Paw.

2o8—Nick Catter’s Bath Mystery; or, After a Sleek Pair.

299—Nick Carter Among the Peter-Players: or, The Little Knocker-Out. -
300—-Nick Carter's Suspicious Companion: or, Discharged from Custody.
301—Nick Carter in Chicago: or, The Crime ef the Lake City.

302——Nick Carter’s Qtreerest Case; or, A Murder in the Snow.

All of the above numbers always on hand. Jt you cannot get them from cae newsdealer, Bie |

STREET & SMiaG, Pusuisvers, oe William St... New- York.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

WEEKLY, issued eacl

of one of the greatést detectives

TER

SETI
eS TRE

RETEST

is'a Quaker, and is

AIL AGT IER
ik

read splendid stories

 

rki saad. learn tae inside

some of the t crimes of recent years, read the OLD BROADBRIM WEEKLYg

4

No. 3—Old Broac oP im ina Race for ic. or
Day’s Fight. » :

1 natic—— Old Broadbrim had Pos thirteen days in which to}
‘aside: the Be nt g ae horrors—the fight save the life of an innocent man condemned to die in the?
with the maniac—the escapes—are all din this story electric chair. How the old Quaker after nearly losin
together with the account of how the old Quaker foiled his life at the outset finally won his race for life, is a
one of the biggest and best planned will frauds ever | exciting story. .

a OD

>
*

perpetrated.

No. 4—Old Broadbrim’s Crimson Knot; 0
2—Old Broadbrim Mignung a Cliq ie of The Bats

“@&

ne ae of Baltimore. :
Crime Bey eG Detective’s Ghos The Bats of Baltimore were a strange crew’ of crouks
This tells of the detective’s fight against the association awd criminals who inhabited the slums and docks ‘of :
of villains tn Philadelphia led by the famous Dector Baltimore and followed the leadership of a woman whio
Lamonte—how they nearly succeeded in killing the plotted all their crimes. Broadbrim’s hunt for a wealthy,
detective by the bite of a venomous snake and how he man who has dissappeared mysteriously is told in eh

‘foiled them by calling a Ghost from the Grave. issue.

 

These stories are among the very finest detective stories ever published. Th

can be purchased for Five Cents at any newsdealers, or from

AITH, Publishers

232-238 William St., New York City. _