Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 671 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

2 ——— He is a well-to-do-looking person about fifty, with anample iron-gray beard and a pair of keen, observing eyes. He looks for all the world like a Jerseyman who has no cause for complaint against anything save the train, which he knows is an hour late; but as be hasimproved the delay by conversing with the ticket-agent and opera- tor, both positions being held by one man, he has passe@ the time quite agreeably, Nebody would have taken the solitary passen- ger for what he really was—one of the sharpest of American detectives—Burt Butler, commonly called Captain Catchem, from the success that attended his work, He never left New York except on business, and his appearance at the country depot signi- fied that he had a case of some kind on hand, The depot-agent wasa young man who liked company, and when he knew that an accident would detain the train an hour, he hastened to communicate with the single passenger, and to cordole with him over his misfortune, «You don’t have much excitement here, [ ‘suppose,” remarked the detective in an off-hand way during the talk. ‘“*Not much, In fact, we havent hada real sensation since the. Murchison affair.” . ** What was that?” The young agent looked surprised. To be sure I mustn’t think that everybody has heard of it,” he remarked with a smile, ** but it got into all the papers at the time, and was pretty well spread. Theold house stands over yonder on the hill. Six years have passed since that night, and it isn’t the place it was when Mark Murchison occupied it.” ‘* Was anybody killed?” asked Captain Catch- em, ‘“No; it wasn’t quite that bad, Mark Mur- chison was the richest man in this part of Jer- sey. Some said he didn’t get all he had honest- ly, but that’s neither here nor there now, He lived almost alone, being a widower at the time of the robbery. One night, shortly after twelve o'clock, he found two masked menin his room, Trey had entered the house by a rear window, and penetrated to his sleeping-chamber without disturbing him. He was covered by a pistol, - bound and gagged. Having done this, the bur- ' “ot . » ‘ “e.* 5 e ak - 7 aa oe rte a 7 = — Pa he . by a a s- ¢ wr Ss oe i” Se os a Sf 2, ee - J 5 _ 4 glars proceeded to open the safe with tools which they had brought along, and when they went off, leaving Murchison in a semi-conscious con- dition, raed took along two bundred thousand dollars in bonds, money and salable securities, besides. certain. papers which the owner called the most valuable part of his loss.” ‘* A pretty big haul,” commented the detec- tive. “‘[— should say so. Murehison wasn’t found until the next morning, when he was discovered by a man who lived on another part of the es- tate,” ‘* What did he do toward bringing the rob- bers to justice?” **He offered a good reward, and some detec- tives came down from New York. They cost him a good deal, I fancy, but accomplished nothing.” ‘‘ Nothing at all?” asked the passenger. ‘‘It seems to me there should have been a clew of some kind,” ‘One would think so, but the swoop was the best-planned bit of business I ever heard of.” ‘*7f the men had lurked in the neighborhood they ought to have been seen,” remarked Cap- tain Catchem, ~“ Boys are always roaming about—” “There was a boy who said he saw the men, ‘or two men who were: believed to have been the burglars; but, Mark Murchison couldn’t get him to open his mouth,” * Why not?’ *‘Bscause he was the Widow Jeffreys’s son and-the family claimed that Murchison had grossly wronged it.” How?” _ TT don’t know, Mrs, Jeffreys lived just be- yond Murchison’s land, on the west, occupying a little piece of ground for which she held a deed. er household consisted of herself and a boy named Jed, at the time of the big robbery, about eleven, Jed Jeffreys was universally loved by the whole neighborhood. He was quick-witted, active, and a boy whom nothing eould daunt. He sided with his mother in the quarrel with Mark Murchison.” “That was natural.” VBicaiiga a & I know that the nabob on the hill repeatedly offered Mrs, Jeffreys a large sum for her little home, but she would spurn each offer with indignation, saying that if Maur- chison should turn over every@hing he had to her, it wouldn’t any more than balance things. The Jeffreys seemed to be in Murchison’s way, > -_ wr: “90 . nh _ s a 7, & —e ”* de i i” a -_ . * or -B-. *¢ oe ‘‘ Well, as I was saying, Jed Jeffreys claimed to have seen the men who committed the rob- bery. He said he had seen them in broad day- light while they were hiding in the hollow, waiting for night, and before they put their masks on. You see evidence of this sort was just what Murchison and his detectives wanted; but they couldu’t get it,” ‘‘Tne boy was too stubborn, eh?” * That’s just what he was,” ‘‘Do you think he knew anything?” ‘‘To be sure he did! Everybody who knew Jed Jeffreys knew that he wouldn’t tell a lie for the world. I have no doubt that he saw the robbers m the ravine, nor that he could have put the detectives on the right trail. But he said no, unless Murchison made thing even with his mother, and-there the thing ended,” “ Why didn’t they_arrest the boy and make him tell?” ‘They talked of that, but in the midst of the excitement Jed disappeared,and, of course, the detectives and Murchison were balked,” “When the boy-came back—” ‘‘ Blessryou, he never came back!” interrupted the ticket agent. ‘* Never?” ‘‘ Never!” echoed the young man. “‘ When he had been gone a year Mrs. Jeffreys sold her household goods, rented the cottage and van- ished. Meantime Murchison had quitted the big mansion on the hill. They say he is in New York, living in clover, for he had a great sum in bank tliere when the mysterious robbery took place. It’s a singular case all around, don’t you think?” The detective nodded. ‘’ What became of the servant whom Murchi- son must have kept.” ** Polly Pindar?” ‘* Was that her name?” ‘Yes, Sheslept in the dormitory and didn’t hear the robbers at all, though Murchison said they made a deal of noise. She went away a short time before her master left.” Captain Catchem was silent for a few seconds, ‘¢That boy would have been the thing for the detectives if they could have tapped him,” he said at last. ‘Of course!” smiled the agent, ‘* Because of the old feud Mark Murebison hadn’t money enough to get at his testimony. Jed is reported to have said once: ‘‘Give up the papers you have and you shall hear all 1 know!” “What papers?” Se ‘‘None of us*kiow, but important ones, you may depend, if he said that.” ‘Tt is strange be never came back.” ‘‘ That’s what [ think sometimes,” was the re- ly. : UNobody ever looks after the matter now, I presume?” ‘* Now and then a city bloodhound drops down among us and prowls round awhile, for Mark Murchison’s reward of five thousand is said tobe stil standing; but the length of time that has intervened and the absence of Jed Jeffreys’s tes- timony cut their efforts short, and they goaway with their labor for their pains. None of them will bit the trail till the boy talks, and he'll be apt to keep hip secret so long as,,the keeping of it is against Murcbison’s interests.” At this juncture the rumble of the delayed train was heard in the distance. “She's five miles out yet,” said the agent, ‘“Tt’s queer that you never heard anything of | our sensation. ‘‘T may have heard of it at the time, of fact, your story calls it up vividly.” Captain Catchem did not say that the Murchi- son mystery was responsible for his presence there at that very time; that he had pumped other people as he had the unsuspecting agent; that be had inspected the scene of the famous robbery by a personal visit, and that he was then on his way back to his quarters in New York. ‘* Was Murchison very well liked by the peo- ple?” be asked, with his hand on his grip, ‘‘He hadn’t any close friends, because the people were inclined to believe that Mrs, Jef- freys had cause for hating him as she did, Ho» was a handsome, silent, haughty man, as cool as a cucumber and as ‘deep’ asa well. We didn’t hold a remonstrance meeting when we heard he was going to leave us; but, by Jupiter! we were sorry to hear of Jed’s escapade.” ‘‘ Where do you think the boy is?” The agent shock his head. ** With bis mother?” ‘' It’s likely, but whereisshe?”? ‘* Ay, there’s the mystery,” chuckled the de- tective, Both men laughed tozether, and at that mo- In point Jersey Jed, the Boy Hustler,- $e EL LL ALLEL OD though he sought to read good or evil report, success or failure, by his countenance, But Catchem’s face never betrayed him, Though six years_had elapsed since the rob- bery in Jersey, the New York detective had not yh» 7 = - 4 » * “~ a - * ae = ; ei 7 r< -. te sd . ~ 6 ae oe We are GS a 6 * - " Px - | > ets oo ty . fy ~ . : é ——— ment the flaming headlight of the big locomo- tive came round the bend, and the next minute drew alongside the depot. ‘*Good-night, sir,” said the agent. ** Good-night, and thanks for the entertain- ment,” responded Captain Catchem, climbing. aboard, and waving the official a farewell as the, train started, Soon afterward he had selected a seat in the) darkest corner of the coach, and with the brim of his hat pulled over his forehead, be leaned back and gave bimself over to reflection. ‘Tt wasn’t sucb a wild-goose chase, after all,"% he murmured, “The lost link of the chain iy Jed Jeffreys, the Jersey boy, and I must find him, Of course Pll report to the old man first, telling him what I think he ought to know, and then Til try to run the Jersey secret-keeper down, I think I’m at the door of something deep and exciting, and that’s what I like,” And the detective relspsed into silence, though his brain was still at work. ———————— CHAPTER IT, THE LOST LINK. On reaching New York, Burt Butler repaired to an elegant residence in the upper part of the city, where he was met by a gentleman wLo ap- peared glad to see him, This personage was Mark Murchison, already known, in part, to the reader, through the sta- tion-agent’s story, and as the detective was in his employ, it was proper for him to go direct to the house from the ferry, Mark Murchison was now nearly sixty. His hair and beard would have been nearly white but for his dyer; but nothing could change bis austere look, nor soften the heart he carried in his bosom, e He greeted Captain Catchem with an eager smile, and then eyed the detective closely, as been in Murebison’s employ more than a month. He had been surprised. by an invitation to call after dark, and secretly, at the house to which we have followed him, and there, for the first time, he met face to face the man with whom he was destined to have much to do, He was told the story of the robbers’ visit: he learned how much money they had carried off, ONT Eo aac wealthy, said that he had enoug out it. He wanted the robhers hunted down: he wanted to snatch from their grip certain papers which they were holding over his head, and with which they were bleed- ing him all the time. In all this story there was nota word abert the hatred which Mrs, Jeffreys and her boy Jed bad manifested toward him, Murchison said that a boy living near his house at the time of the robbery had professed a knowledge of the personal appearance of the knaves, having seen them, so he claimed, in hiding, but, when pressed, be had refused to furnish a mite of his evidence in the interests of justice, The nabob spoke very bitterly of the boy, It was clear that he regarded him with a deep- seated hatred, and it was for the pnrpose of picking up some information about Jed Jeffreys that Captain Catchem had made a flying trip into Jersey. : ‘‘T hope you’ve picked up a link!” exclaimed Murchison, eying the detective like a hawk, “ This constant bleeding and threatening 15 very I am willing to pay well for the annoying. ee will not give’the rascals stolen papers, but I their price.” ‘Have they raised?” recalling the last deman by the man before him, “They want two hundred thousand now,” “A raise of twenty-five thousand.” ** ‘Yes, the scamps,” : Murchison opened a drawer in the table at threw a letter before Captain ueried the detective, d, as he had been told which he sat and Catchem, ‘Read that,” said he, in black and white.” Butler relieved the envelope of its contents, and opening the communication read as fol- lows: “We will not sell the documents in our possession for vai thai two hundred thousand dollars in cold cash, id in full before a single paper is turned over. e know what we have, and so do you, Please communicate through the ugnal channel, The day of grace is slipping away, and if you will not save yourself. you must put up with the conse- me bat ie : Mark Murchison. “4 ‘** Hotprast & Co,” “Tt is simply infamy quences and blame no ope but Tv - - chooks co ge — ~ —— eel lle a ~~ — Sr Nee