New Nick Carter Weekly, No. 31 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

> . . 10 in two. the job and why. an Sin sted it right at the esi go- ff, Bc one = Of the men quietly. ‘Don’ t you remember that he sug- | gested that mischievous boys had cut the| pole ?”’ ~ So he did.”’ “That tells the whole story; it was done simply for mischief, and if there had | happracd to be a high wind blowing the | sign might have broken off where there | was Hebody fallen and struck somebody else. “It just happens that this man was passing underneath when the sign fell) Trim lay so that he could watch the man ee who made this explanation without open-| * ing his eyes further. - Seems to me,’’ the detective thought, ‘he’s rather re chief theory, and he goes out of his way | to suggest indirectly that the mischief | _ might have been done for the purpose of | «injuring somebody. Roe ‘““Why should he remark that it just | oS happened to be this man who got the benefit of the break; I guess the reason is because he had that very same plan in| I ind. His talk isn’t natural. “Nobody here dreams that this was! anything more than accident. I shouldn’t | : «wonder, mister, if your of this thing that you can’t help exposing your hand.”’ {8 ‘“Benefit!”? exclaimed one of the others, ‘‘I shouldn’t say ‘it was much) benefit toa man to get killed by a sign | falling on him. + ho had especially interested Trim. , ee ‘can’t say for ie! aN but there}. <n ‘he | pas nination was quickl y mad t I = x YEO n Aid, 1s ear over Trim’s Beart, iF oa ae. a moment, Ss bade the sign was attached had been cut sitter They asked many wondering questions | of each other as to who should have done ] passing or it might have and so he got the benefit of it, that’s all.” anxious to prove the mis- mind was so full | Se ell, is he killed?’ asked the man|_ ested him climbing the stairs _ upon | the jently perfectly still and w iw a hand-glass close to the detective’s nos- |trils, Trim held his breath and the sur- geon looked doubtful. “Ts he dead??? asked the man whose | talk had interested the detective especially. ‘*Not yet,’’ was the surgeon’s reply. ‘‘Can’t recover, can he ?’’ was the next I question. The surgeon did not answer, but beck- ‘oned to his assistant, who brought 3 ina | stretcher. ~ “Prim was laid upon it and carried into the ambulance, where as soon as he was Iscreened from observation by the crowd he turned upon his side and put his hands to his face. The surgeon did not seem to notice Ithis act, and he certainly did not see that 'Trim’s fingers were working upon his ‘face rapidly. There was a moment’s delay while the ‘driver and others connected with the am- -bulance were getting to their places, then |'with a clang of the bell they started off for Bellevue Hospital. This hospital is situated on the bank of ‘the East’ River at the foot of Twenty- sixth street, and to reach it the ambu- lance had to pass under the elevated sta- ition at the crossing of “‘T'wenty-third street and Third Avenue. This was the station to which Trim ‘was bound when the falling of the sign interrupted his journey. The driver had the surgeon’s assistant upon the seat m front and their backs, therefore, were turned to the detective. The surgeon himself sat on the seat at — 4 + the rear open end of the ambulance. snot paying any especial atten- He wa tion to Trim, for to him the matter was a commonplace one, and there was nothing | to be done about it until due victim had Ithe station sar ote eaves through | the open back, saw the man who had inter- | downtown side, then the ambu geon experienced the biggest ‘his life. The man who h the stretcher suddenly jumped the surgeon by the shoulders, y ‘from the seat and ¢ threw him”