The Argosy, January 1907 — page 197: what you’re looking at

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

THE LETTERS MARKED XxX. “ There is no necessity of your talking now,” the secret service man cautioned. “It may interest you to know that we have also arrested the man Fennell in Pennsylvania and that the man calling himself Candee has probably been ar- rested down-town before this.” Bridger seated himself easily. “It does interest me—very much in- deed,’’ he smiled. ‘ It interests me more, because if it hadn’t been for myself I hardly believe you would have gathered in one of the gang. And by the way, my name isn’t Standish,” he added. “ It’s Richard Standish Bridger, and I’m sup- posed to be a private detective in New York. Ever hear of me?” “[ have heard the name, but enae 4 slight smile ended the sentence. “Then look at the badge,” laughed Bridger. any other way you like. ment, just listen.” He sketched the story rapidly, and Jordan, at his suggestion, produced the letters and handed them over to the oth- ers for inspection. “And it was only after one of you gentlemen stole the first lot of stamps for evidence—you did, didn’t you? Ah, yes, I thought so—that I began to attach much importance to the matter. After 1 saw the stamps I began to get an ink- ling of what was under way, and why my friend, the doctor, here, had been followed about town. “Thereupon I began to think hard, and after interviewing the doctor’s maid I hit upon what has happened to be the right idea. “ First of all, I recalled that name of Fennell. It seems to me that I assist- ed some of you people in looking up the gentleman. He is a post-office inspector, is he not, and he has been suspected of some crooked work lately?” ‘“ He was to have been dismissed this week,” one of the secret service men put in. ‘#xactly. Well, the name struck a familiar chord, at any rate. It occurred to me as just possible that he might be traveling about the various offices, on the strength of his official connection, steal- ing postage-stamps and sending them on here to some one else in the department for disposal. For the mo- “Later on [ll satisfy you in- 379 “Then [I began to figure on this XX business. Why was it not supposable that Fennell was in league with one of the letter-carriers here? Why could it not be that he was sending his letters so that they would fall to this particular man’s route and he could pick them out, by reason of the XX marking? “That is just what happened, gentle- men! Fennell was working with Henry Johnson, who has been delivering mail along this street every day for four years. He’s a poor devil witha family, no mon- ey to speak of, and no end of trouble. Fennell picked him out as a good co- worker, and after a while Johnson, in his desperation, fell in with the schemé, for it offered him a share of several thousand dollars. ‘He dared not have Fennell write to his home. ‘Therefore, they picked out Dr. Jordan’s name and number—just as they might have picked out John Jones’s, three doors below—and they agreed upon the marking. When a letter came along for the doctor with a distinct XX in the upper left-hand corner, that was Johnson’s. He was to pick them out and pocket them, and thus he would get his advices from Fennell in perfect safety. “ But just after Fennell had started to work the unexpected hitch came—all unknown to him. Johnson fell sick and was taken to the hospital, with typhoid fever, and there he has been ever since. Another man was put on the route, and, of course, the letters were delivered di- rectly to Dr. Jordan. Johnson dared say nothing about it, and he has been shaking with more than chills down there in the hospital.” Bridger paused and smiled. ‘"There’s your story,” he concluded. ‘Incidentally, may I ask just how you people learned.that Jordan, here, was receiving the letters and was mixed up in the business? ”’ “ That’s a little curious, too,” laughed the government detective. “ It happened that the robberies were discussed in the Craftsburg post-office, and this new car- rier overheard the discussion and chanced to remember the places and the dates. He had already remarked the two x’s on the letters, and when two or three more had arrived he suddenly observed EOPMICGLOOOKS (C@