Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 853 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

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' . «Ff - ‘ Re 4 | Dick Doom’s Kidnapper Knock-Out. i ie —— eee _ ~- way.” | went his rounds, was it discovered that | dressed and with courtly manners. ‘*T am certainly glad to find you here, for | Loyd Granger was not in his cell, but in- The ferret repeated his request to the doc- I wired your friend, the New Orleans chief, | stead the young girl whom the boys called ; tor, and the latter hesitated, then said: : to send you right on to me here to put on ; Miss Salvation. ‘‘T am sorry, sir, but we do not allow this kidnapping of Mrs. Granger.” ‘‘She sat there serenely, attired in the | any one to visit the patient you ask for,” | ‘Thank you, sir, and 1 too am eu that | prisoner’s suit of clothes, and when discov- ‘* But, sir, I must see her.” I am here; but the kidnapping and robbery ! ered said quietly: ‘It is impossible, 1 am sorry to say.” took me completely by surprise, 1 admit, for ‘‘He is safe and [am here to take what **T think not, sir.” | { had not believed that the prisoners we run | punishment you may visit upon me for free- ‘* What are you to the patient?” igs down had any accomplices outside of the | ing him.” ‘*T am an olfteor of the law, sir.” | jail.” ‘A plucky girl, but it was cowardly for ‘Under those circumstances I must par- ‘It seems that they have,” him to take his freedom at her expense,” | ticularly refuse, for you would but excite ft ‘* Yes, and good ones.” said Dick Doom. her greatly.” = ** But how is it that you are in the lock- ‘‘Her punishment cannot be very great,” ‘*My dear doctor, I did not make this oy smith trade?” , the aah Fa rejoined. journey here for nothing, and, as you refuse ae ‘You know I study any profession and ‘Well, she is content to suffer in his | my request, I must make my demand, and ; b so I set to work onthe case in my own any, and only this morning, when the keeper | visitor a handsome young man, stylishly | trade to perfect myself in my work, sir, and | stead, and claims to be his wife, though she | that you dare not decline to honor. I heard of the man I am now with as an ex- | is not yet eighteen, ‘* Here is my authority, sir.” i: pert in all kinds of work pertaining to lock- ‘*The strangest of all is that she really re- As he spoke Dick Doom threw open his i smithing, so I decided to get a few pointers | sembles the fellow enough to be his sister!” | coat, revealing upon his vest no less than from him. ‘*And there is no trace of the prisoner, | nine medals. ‘*T got one here sooner than I expected, | chief?” All of them were of solid gold, and sev- and I learned one thing, that I can take my ‘* None, Mr. Beall, for he passed out quiet- | eral set with precious stones, one being par- kit of tools and enter any house in this city, | ly past the guards, and made his escape | ticularly elegant and erie open any safe if 1am given time, and if I | good ‘You see, my dear doctor, that I wear 4 can, professional burglars can do the same, ‘The young girl gave it away that her | the State Secret Service badge of Illinois, sy ‘‘T shall now give up my plan as an ap- | companion was to free the other prisoner, | the insignia of a special police officer of Chi- Sd prentice and take to the trail of those mis- | Wirt Westley, in like manner, and she sup- | cago, of a county constable, United States 9 creants who have been working so success- | posed had done so; but she failed to appear | Marshal, of the Secret Service Bureau of all Ess fully of late.” at the prison for some reason, so he is still | the United States, and of an officer in the = ‘* More successfully than you now know, | safe. Government Secret Service League, which " Dick, for I have some news for you and ‘‘Now, Dick, you see that you have a| gives me admission to any place where I de- | ‘x Lawyer Beall that will surprise you, and | good case to work up, and can start upon it | mand admission—will you refuse?” a add another liuk to the kidnapping of Mrs | whenever you please, and the sooner the The doctor looked confused, but at last a Granger and the robbery. of the papers of | better.” , said: ae her estate,” ‘“‘T am already at work on it, chief, but | “No, sir, I cannot refuse, and I will be ‘a It was evident that the chief of the Secret | will devote my energy now to recatching | frank with you—the one you seek is not a Service had something of importance to com- | that scamp, Loyd Granger; but, tell me— | here.” ee, municate, but which thus far he had kept to | have you heard of the insane maid, the real ‘* Not here, sir?” aa himself for reasons that he deemed good. murderess of Mrs. Granger’s sister?” ‘*T regret to say she has escaped.” - - The lawyer glanced at him with the look ‘** Charlotte Hull, you mean?” said Lawyer ‘¢ When was this?” & of one who expected to receive another blow, | Beall, ‘‘Three weeks ago.” ‘*How could she do so?” . ‘‘Only through the connivance of the keeper who had her in charge, and who ‘* Yes, sir; but, let me say, I do not be lieve she is any more insane than I am, and Tll wager high that she is not now in the | while Dick Doom coolly went on fitting the pe new lock with an air of perfect indifference. ae ‘‘ What I have to tell, it was decided by the chief of police and myself, should be | asylum.” asked for, and received, leave of absence " kept a secret from the papers, for awhile at ‘Tf she had escaped, Dick, we would have | the night Charloite Hull left, so we can only least, that we might the better work on the | been notified.” . believe that he was tempted, for the patient had plenty of money, and so aided her in leaving.” ‘* Beyond all doubt, sir. ‘*But what steps have you taken to find ea case, for last night Loyd Granger escaped from prison,” ‘Perhaps, chief, but you wish to keep Loyd Granger’s escape a secret, for reasons of your own, and it may be that the asylum people may also wish her escape unknown.” CHAPTER VI. om 3 A CLEVER ESCAPE. ‘True; but have you any reason to be- | her?” 3! ‘THE situation is just this,” resumed the | lieve that she has left the asylum?” ‘The superintendent has done all in his ag chief, after his secret had been told, to the ‘*My reason is the kidnapping of Mrs. | power. ‘‘He kept the escape a secret, not writing to the authorities, as he hoped to find her, and has paid out money liberally to hunt for her, but all in vain.” ‘* And the keeper who aided her?” or ‘‘Has been sought for also, but with no ihe result, l regret to inform you.” | Granger, the robbery of Mr. Beall’s safe, and the escape of Loyd Granger and intended rescue of his accomplice, Westley.” ‘You look upon her, Dick, as the head and front of all this villainy?” ‘*T do, sir, most assuredly.” ‘‘Just my opinion,” Lawyer Beall de- clared. ‘* Well, I will wire the asylum, and—” ‘* No, no; I wlil go there at once and see for myself,” announced Dick Doom, and | thus slipped out,” having finished putting on the new lock, he ‘* Ah! that is a good point to know; but revealed to the lawyer how to make his own | give me the address and record of this | combination with it, and took his departure, | keeper, please.” i to meet the chief later at his quarters, and ‘*T will do so with pleasure, and hope you : Se amazement of both the lawyer and the young me ° detective, for the latter ceased his work on ‘ie the rope and turned to hear more. ee ‘You know there are a lot of cranks who ae always insist upon going to the prisons to 4) ; ee, preach to the prisoners and pray with them, es and public opinion demands that they be al- %, lowed to do go, ‘*One of these female cranks, for the wo- men are the worst to seek out murderers, aa came to visit Loyd Granger and his accom- bh plice, Wirt Westley. , re ‘“‘She labored with them as she called it ae for several weeks, was always polite to the. K guards, and in'time passed in and out with only a friendly nod. Pars ‘She would tell the keeper that the un- _ \ fortunates were learning to see the errors of Bae" their lives and were becoming daily more Jaa prayerful and repentant. “At last she brought a fellow-worker with ne her and this one became most deeply inter- i ested in Westley. Soe ‘Last night the younger one came as We ne and was admitted to Loyd Granger's | cell, ae ‘The guard heard her praying with him, oe rs then they sung a hymn together, and just sas the lamps were being lit she rapped for _ . the guard to let her out. ae “He did so hurriedly, as he was lighting aay “ the lamps, and she passed on out of the The attendant ushered the detective into as prison. | the parlor and went off to seek the physi- ) me “Supper was taken to the Ulan pa but © cian in charge. talking, and who was the next in authority ri 8 he lay on his cot and said he did not care for; The latter soon appeared to find in the | to the superintendent of the asylum. — PeaRD By 5 ge, Pa Aggie 4 vi . s : , , " - ’ ’ : a c ‘‘He drugged the nurse on duty, sir, and o a - ia =e <3 —— «Me : f, decide upon a plan of action together. — may have better luck than we have. ‘The superintendent was so anxious to find the patient, for, really, we have thought of late among ourselves, that she was feign- * ing madness, that he wrote only last night ae to the famous detective known as Dick be Doom, to put him on the case. for we have Fs heard that he could never be foiled in any- : thing he undertook.” CHAPTER VII. THE FERRET ON THE RIGHT TRAIL. ‘‘T woutp like to see a patient here by the name of Charlotte Hull, entered incurable.” So said Dick Doom as he stood at the door of the asylum for the insane at K——. He had enjoyed the view of the river, the distant town and the asylum grounds as he rode np to the institution, and muttered to himself: ? ‘* Poor creatures, they deserve all the rux- uries that can be given them in their unhap- py condition.” ‘“‘'To the care of the Secret Service Bureau, Chicago.” : ‘‘ Where is the superintendent?” os #2 ‘*T hear him coming now, sir.” i Doom, the detective,” and the young tomet 33 really enjoyed the amazement depicted up- = on the face of the man to whom he had been i - . Ne eee G3 -) aa @ “ Aen x 0 Kat 4s § a | 2 8 » ; ‘ * 4% ; ; ‘ : e ‘ -_ . . , 4 P ° g . P : ; . . r 7 : ' & : a . , ; . ¢ q ‘ ‘ ‘ 7 < Ft = : ° r 7 4 ’ wT. » * 2 ¥ ’ 4 vy : ~ : . a 1 ly, ! (7 | Ge : f : ‘ee. - > be , 7 “ - : - a” st, ~ o f s : . a . ~ . ‘ | ny ) ‘ ~ 4 raat | .< ~ - > aul ee “ P le a? 4 vt at it * ian ee ak Cet eel ys ieee 3 C : i, aft Fae wr ie * ny, 4 | S&S () 7 Li 6) 6) ! = ee } * ad / re” 7 2» an } : » ID * Pe So T S a ~— -_ 42 & - > a ee ee ; thoy, >. ee ie ,¢ : ; 4 hyn Ae e, ~. gst se e- f> 42 . a Bn | 4 ay y oN dee | Sur, oe. - =n 4 = ~ I fo: > { ee fy ‘« Where did he send his letter?” bys a 2 ‘‘ Introduce me, please—my nameis Dick = ax 4. fi na Oe ‘‘How couldhe get out with a patient © Cale without being discovered?” : E ork” . ou. ~* “ ‘ sd tw Oa 8 ee eee ee a <> > a7 Mees —~