Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 859 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

; / > & eS We » —— white hair and seems very feeble.” ‘* Show her in,” A moment after a lady in mourning enter- ed the room and just partly removed her vail as she bowed to the chief, who said politely: ** Be seated, madam, and tell me how I can serve you?” ‘* I know you are most busy, sir, and yet here is something you should know, as I am informed by the one who gave it to me.” ‘And who gave it to you, madam?” said the chief, taking the sealed envelope handed to him, and which bore his name and ad- dress. “That I do not know, sir, but a youth ah it to me and said that he wished me to o a good act—that is to bring you this letter, and before I could ask him more he was one in the crowd. I| felt that it was my uty to come to you, sir.” ‘You did right, madam,” and the chief had already broken the seal, which he was gazing at curiously. It was of black wax and the imprint upon it was a most peculiar one, a humun skull held in a hand of flesh, while beneath it wasa skeleton hand clasping one of flesh and blood. ‘Ha! [ have seen this strange seal before!” and the chief hastily glanced over the letter, which was written in a bold hand as follows: ‘*A murder was committed in the old rookery on ——th street last night, known as Miser Max’s Mansion and the Haunted House. ‘* Robbers attempted to rob the miser, but he resisted and was killed. One of the robbers, in the attack also lost his life. “Their bodies now lie in the old mansion, awaiting your action. ‘THe UNKNOWN SHADOWER.,”’ ““Do you know the contents of this letter, madam?” ‘* Indeed, sir, I do not.” ‘* You never saw the one who gave it to you before to-day?” | NG, sip.” ‘* Would you know him if you saw him again?” ‘*[ think so, sir.” ‘* Where do you live?” “Number 18 West —— street, sir.” ** Thank you, madam,” and the visitor took her departure. But, hardly had the door closed upon her when the chief touched one of a number of buttons on the desk before him. A man in civilian’s dress at once appeared through a side door, and the chief said quickly: ‘* Detective Sloan, an old lady in black, with white hair and walking feebly, just left here. ‘* Shadow her and let me know with what result.” Detective Lucas Sloan saluted and at once left the chief's quarters, the latter touching his bell for his attendant. ; ** Matt, send Captain Williamson to me.” The captain, a handsome man with mili- tary bearing, came in after a short delay and the chief handed him the secret letter he had received. ‘‘Ah! this is surprising information, sir; but from whom?” That is what I cannot tell you. the stamp on the seal?” ‘¢ Yes, sir, a strange one, certainly.” ‘‘Yes, and the signature is simply, as you see: ‘¢*¢Phe Unknown Shadower,’” “That gives you no clue; sir,” ‘‘Not in the least as to who my infor. mant is, but I wish to tell you that this is by no means the first information I have received You see from this same mysterious source,"’ Indeed, sir!” ‘“Yes; I have had a score of just such communications.” “YT do not know her, sir, but she has Wew York Nat, the Gamin Detective. “But of any value, sir?” ‘*So much, indeed, that not once has my information been false. I have not spoken of it to any one, for I had hoped to entrap my informant, but in vain. ‘‘Each time the secret information has come in a most mysterious manner. Once it came by registered letter; again I found it on the floor, evidently shoved under the door of my private office, while I once got an im- portant message by Express, ‘‘A tramp brought me a letter on another occasion; then an old negro man; again a young girl, and this last was brought to me by an aged lady in mourning ‘‘T have placed Sloan upon her track, so may discover something of my mysterious informant, though | half believe she told the truth about how she got it.” ‘It is certainly most mysterious, sir; but in each case you say that the informa- tion has been of value?” ‘‘Most valuable indeed, for when you raided the gold counterfeiters, it was through information I gave you, which I got from The Unknown Shadower, and you tracked the murderer Cox, by the same means, while others have been caught through my giving clues, and each time The Unknown Shadow- er has been the one to give me the pointers, “T tell you, Captain Williamson, this secret information I receive is most mysteri- ous; but now go to ‘that old rookery and see if this news is not correct.”” CHAPTER XI. ANOTHER LETTER FROM ‘THE UNKNOWN SHADOWER,”’ CAPTAIN WILLIAMSON found it as the mys- terious communication had stated: there were two dead men lying in the old mansion, one Miser Max; the other was recognized by the police as one of the worst crooks in the city, They were glad that this ruffian had met his death, for he at least was off their hands; but who had been his pals, where were they, ney many, and had they gotten the miser’s gold? These questions the most cunning of the regulars could not answer. The old residence revealed only that Miser Max made his home there, sleeping in one room, cooking and eating in another, as far as appearances went. The house was only partly furnished, much of its furniture having been stolen, or sold years before, and what there was show- ed the touches of time and was in bad con- dition. The wardrobe of the old man was found to be rather extensive, consisting of several suits of good clothing, shoes and hats and other articles but little worn. He was known to have done his own werk, except his laundrying, which was done by a Chinaman near. He paid cash for his groceries, and all else he bought, and was supposed to have laid up a large sum of money, which he kept near him, It came out that he had bought land in different parts of the city, sold it at a good profit, and always had ready. cash with which he entered into only the safest specu- lations. The mansion and its surrounding acres be- longed to him, There was no morigage-up- on it, the taxes were paid up in full, and all other valuable property he held also was free of debt. . This much was found out from the lawyer, Brackette, who had the miser’s will in his possession, with other documents left in his charge, The story came out that Miser Max had an heir, a granddaughter, then at boarding- school in New Orleans, and Lawyer Brack- ette went there after her but only to find that she had left at the close of the term, she said, to join her grandfather North. Search was at once made for the missing heiress, by both the lawyer and the chief of the Secret Service; but in vain; not the slight- est clue could be found to her whereabouts since she had left New Orleans forthe North. So here wag another mystery in connection with the murder of Miser Max, and the police, after careful consideration, took to the theory that those who had killed the grandfather had also spirited away the girl, to hold for future schemes for getting gold; or perhaps had done away with her to hide their capital crime. No happening in the great metropolis is more than a nine days’ wonder, and so, after a couple of weeks of giving startling head- lines and sensation reporis, the papers were glad to drop the mystery, which their ferret- like reporters, cunning and skillful as so many of them are, could not fathom, So Miser Max, his tragic death, the miss- ing heiress and the unclaimed fortune soon dropped out of the public mind, But such was not the case with the chief, his detectives and the police. They were each and all of them anxious to solve the mystery, and were glad to have the papers let up on the affair so as to lull all suspicion, Miser Max had been buried decently in Greenwood, Lawyer Brackette paying all expenses, The dead burglar had been given a pine box and aresting-place in Potter's Field, among those who had been kindred spirits in his life of evil. The old mansion, doubly haunted since the latest tragedy beneath its roof, had been watched by a squad of police for awhile. Then it was locked and shut up securely, and the key given up to Lawyer Brackette, who had inserted in the Herald a ‘‘ Per- sonal,” offering a large reward for the find- ing of Olive Maxwell the missing heiress. The chief, however, kept a detective se-' cretly shadowing the old house for many | days, trying in vain to get a clue to some one who might go there, for he had an idea - that his unknown informant of the murder there, might be in some way connected with the place or the men who committed the murder. But, as time passed and no one was seen to enter the grounds, the Headquarters shad-; ower was withdrawn. Strange to say, that very day came a mes- senger-boy with a letter for the chief. It bore the same seal of black, had the same peculiar stamp and read as follows: ‘The missing heiress will turn up in good time to claim the fortune left her by Miser Max, ‘‘Meanwhile, give Lawyer Brackette a hint that the property does not belong to him, and not to monkey with what was left to another, or he may get into trouble, ‘*Expect further information, when the time comes to give it, from ‘Tne UNKNOWN SHADOWER,” ‘Boy, where did you get this letter?” de- ‘manded the chief in a tone that startled the young messenger. ‘* At the office, sir.” ‘* Who gave it to you?” ‘A young lady, sir, and she said as how T was to give it only into your hands,” “ Do you know her?” ‘No, sir.” ‘* Ever seen her before?” ‘No, sir.” A button was touched, a detective ap- peared, and the chief ordered: ‘Go to the Broadway office with this boy, find out if he tells the truth, and see if you can discover any trace of the one who gave him this letter to bring to me.” CHAPTER XII. THE CHIEF MORE THAN MYSTIFIED, Tuer chief was coniately mystified regard- ing the identity of his unknown correspond- com . =. - ’ 7 ef, - 7 4 de S| wy , Be chooks. w= wi5 Oe a PTs ay ea ; . . ee . > oo -. ; ih a Hens we : C - ‘ ’ -