Beadle's Dime Library No. 146 — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

- — Se Ser 7 oe ee wee | ——— ~ * —_— ee eee ea a ee ee - +- ~we- eS ee ee - » —-- se 2 ee ey Se 068 i ee a a Yee e: <r. Ee ee ee - - ~ _ ———.s0ce + a ero ~~ ——— — ————— — eer" —_——— ee ee — me - eo el el So —- re te ee pee or - — é % « 24 those and he is in this cellar somewhere, for there isn’t a hole here, as far as I can see, big we pull these boards over; he may have man- a to convert himself into a straw and crept in between them,” and by way of emphasis the | ker lifted his muscular foot and own with considerable vigor on the boards, and the top board, to the astonishment of all, yielded perceptibly under the weight. For the three to grab this and lift it up was but the work of a moment, and, lo! the hunted man laid at full length was concealed beneath it! The pile was a sham; it was in reality a long box, the sides and ends so arranged, being small strips of wood glued together, that the most careful inspection would not detect the trick. And, if the superintendent had not by pure accident placed his foot upon the top the chances are a thousand to one that the secret lee =F pi would not have been discovered and that the searchers would have retired com- pletely baffled. **T surrender, gentlemen!” exclaimed Les- cant, rising to a sitting posture, ‘‘and I wilil give 9 the bonds, although I protest against illegal and forcible ane into my house. Remember, gentlemen, New York is not Mex- ico, and the law will hold you to a strict ac- count for this outrage.” The listeners did not know exactly what to make of this speech, and were somewhat puz- zled to account for it, and as they looked at each other, questioningly, Lescant got out of the box. Rising to his feet he came face to face with the chief. ‘‘Good heavens! superintendent, is it you?’ he cried, apparently recognizing the official for the first time. ‘‘ Well, well, you have taken a weight off my mind. Why, do you know I thou that it was that villainous Mexican rascal, Colonel Guzman? Of course you are not acquainted with my private affairs, but for nearly five years now [ have been persecuted by that scoundrel. He has attempted my life a dozen times and that is the reason why I was forced to leave Mexico and take up my resi- dence in this country. You see, superin- tendent, it was all in regard to arailroad. Guz- man and myself, then partners and warm per- sonal friends, got a land-grant from the Mex- ican government for a railroad from the capi- tal northward. But when we came to issue our bonds, in order to obtain capital to build our road, the colonel claimed that he, being the secretary, should negotiate the bonds; i, as president, of course laughed at the idea. In my mind there was no doubt that if anybody handled the funds accruing from the sale it should be myself. When 1 made this known to him he at once flew into a violent passion and declared that it was my intention, when I got the moneys in my hands, to levant with them ‘—to slope—skedaddle—to use your expressive Americanisms, And the moment he said this, I understood at once that this was his inten- tion. Then there was war. Ho had more in- fluence with certain officials in high offices than I, and so procured an order directing me t9 give up the bonds. I replied to the decree by an nt flight to the United sepeny Ning td the bonds with me. In the courts of this coun- try he knows that he would not be able to do anything, and so he has resorted to all sorts of devices to inveigio me into his power, that he mizht ss himself of the bonds, and to-night I feared that be was about to succeed, and therefore I fled, having had this hiding-place e cted expressly for use in such an emergency. Upon my word, chief, you can’t imagine what a weight you have taken off my With all the fluent, gesticulating energy of the Gallic race, Lescant had delivered the speech, but now that the superintendent had ot his eyes open, he was no longer to be ooled. He brushed the flimsy explanation of tho headlong flight aside without ceremony. ‘‘Mr. Lescant, I have come on a painful er- rand; you are my prisoner,” he remarked. The well-acted surprise of the other was really wonderful. ‘“You arrest me? Impossible! charge?” ‘* Assault with intent to kill.” ** Who is the accuser?” Diamond removed his disguise, ‘*Tam!” he said. Upon what q ‘'Inever saw you before in my life!” * Be careful what you say; it will be used as evidence against you,” the chief continued. ~* Aninnocent man need not fear!” Lescant answered, proudly. An hour later he was safe ia the Tombs. CHAPTER XXXV. AN ACCIDENT. THANKS to the information ven by Doctor Diamond, the police authorities succeeded in making one of the greatest hauls of rascals on Fifteen, a ged men and women besides the supposed chief, were taken, and all of them, with the exception of tae master-mind, were well known to the officers, As the super- rought it | | | | | The Doctor Detective. house were well-known criminals, and, as he had shrewdly calculated, the rascals had called a meeting of all the principal members of the band that ee in order to deliberate over the situation, which they regarded as being grave in the extreme; and so it happened that the sudden swoop of the police was attended with grea‘ results. Indeed, it really looked as if the authorities, with the one blow, had broken up the danger- ous band which for so long defiled the power of the police. There was only one weak point about the matter, and that was the failure on the part of the officers to secure any proofs that would place the guilt of the members of the gang be- yond the saadow of a doubt. They had ex- pected to find something in the house itself, some stolen property, or something of that kind; or, after they had got the prisoners locked up, possibly-some one of them might be induced to | | SS es with a critical eye. ‘‘The man came down | intendent had expected, all the servants in the | voice, but his eyes were not keen enough to enough for a mouse to get out. I say, suppose | | ——— the complete disguise that Diamond assumed. ‘*Well, Cap, you seem to know me all right, but, blow me tight if I know you.” Diamond had addressed the boy by name. The doctor could not forbear smiling at the puzzled look upon theshrewd little face, “Oh, I’ve heered you speak afore, I am sure enough about that,” the boy continued, * but I'm jiggered if I kin remember where I sav your figurebead.” ‘You must not betray me if I reveal my, secret to you,” the doctor said, confiden: thai the boy could be trusted. ‘*Oh, no, honor bright!” The lad’s curiosity was excited by the apparent mystery. *“*T am Doctor Diamond.” ‘*You don’t say so!” cried Hoppergrass, in wonder, bis eyes big with amazement. ‘‘ Why, what are you up to, anyway?’ ‘‘ Nothing wrong, you may rest assured of turn State’s evidence, and “ peach” on the rest. | that. I have been very busy since I first saw But, so strong was the bond’of union which held together this remarkable organization of outlaws, that neither threats nor persuasions could induce one of the” to volunteer the least information. In fact, they all protested, indignantly, that they knew nothing, whatever, about aésecret band, and although their past lives might be of a kind that would not bear inspection, yet they had reformed, and were endeavoring to walk in the narrow path of righteousness when ar- rested. Of the fifteen, three women and four men claimed to be servants in the house, and really they were fulfilling such duties, as Miss Eldoa testified. The other eight said they came to the house to see their former chums, now leading honest lives, with the idea that they might secure similar positions, and so escape from the unsavory sphere in which they had moved, The White Band had been struck down by the police, but, like a gigantic cuttle-fish, each and every member was wriggling vigorously on the defensive. Miss Eldon’s testimony, which the chief, in a measure, thought he could depend upon, after he had heard her story, when closely ex- amined did notamounttoenything. She could not testify to a single thing implicating any one in the bouse, of a criminal act. All the authorities had to eo was the evidence of Doctor Diamond. He had clearly identified Lescant as the man who had twice at- tempted his life—the noted leader of the White Band, but it was a serious charge to make against aman occupying so good a social posi- tion as Lesé¢ant, and, unbacked, too, by any other evidence. Heand hislawyers would swear of course, that it wasa case of mistakenidentity and the more the astute superintendent reflected over the matter, the more he became puzzled how to proceed. The an eel, it seemed likely to slip out of the danger- ous position. In his own mind, the chief hadn’t the least doubt but that he bad got hold of the | glancing at the card. right parties, but, how to make that clear to every one, beyond the shadow of a doubt, was a puzzle. With the doctor detective he dis- cussed the matter very carefully, and the result they arrived at was that the secret haunt of the ruffians, the old vault wherein the doctor had passed through such a perilous adventure, must he discovered as soon as possible. The rogues had been too wary to keep anything that might implicate them in their city head-quarters, but the chances were great that they had not been so careful in regard to the old vault. So it was agreed between the two that they should take up the chase the first thing in the morning, staving off the examination of the supposed criminals in the mean time. e doctor had abandoned his disguise, now, for he had an idea that all the d rate men of the gang were in limbo, and therefore he was in no danger of further assaults, but when he re- flected about the enterprise in which he was to embark on the morrow, he concluded it was better for him to again assume it, for there was a great as some members of the band might be lurking in the neighborhood of sheir hiding-place, and it would endanger the success of their mission if he was recognized by any of them. So, after leaving the police head-quarters he went to his lodgings and again carefully dis- guised himself, and then, as he did not feel an inclination to sleep, he went forth for a stroll upon upper Broadway. Upon the corner of Thirtieth street he en- countered the newsboy who figured so promi- nently in the early part of our tale. | | | you or I should have hunted you up, for I had determined to see if something could not te done for you. Will you call at my house next Saturday in the afternoon, say about one o’clock,’ ‘“‘ Yes, sir, I will be on hand.” “Don’t forget, for it will be to your advan- ge. * All right, boss!” Then the doctor passed ou up the street, and then a “‘swell,” on the opposite corner across Broadway, who was rather the worse for liquor, hallooed to the boy to bring his buckets over. The lad ran across the street, but in endeav- oring to avoid an omnibus, driving at a good pace up the highway, ran in front of a carriage which whirled around the corner from the cross street just at that moment. The driver of the vehicle saw the boy too late to save him, although he immediately pulled up his horse, but the concussion knocked Hopper- grass over and he was stunned by the shock. The doctor, who had witnessed the occur- rence, was the first to reach the lad’s side, but, as he raised him in his arms, bis experienced eye perceived that he was not seriously injured. The person within the carriage, a woman, was also prompt to act. She threw the door open and cried: ‘*Is he dead, sir, or badly injured?” » ‘* Neither, madam, | think; only stunned.” ‘*Will you have the kindness to put b?m in the carriage, sir, and 1 will see that he is‘. tended toimmediately. I will take him to ni. home and send at once fora medical man. i am Mrs. Judge McQuencher, and I reside at No. — Madison avenue.” The woman was closely vailed, so that Dia- mond could not see her face, but the tones of her voice sounded so familiar that he was sure she was no stranger to him. He placed thé boy in the carriage, received hite Band was in his clutch, but, like | the lady’s card and away the vehicle went. ‘‘Fortune is standing my friend this time,” Diamond observed as he walked up the street, ‘“‘T wanted a chance to find outall about this Judge McQuencher and now I have secured adinission into the house.” CHAPTER XXXVL. A TRACE AT LAST, BRIGHT and early upon the following morn- ing the doctor detective —— upon his ion. He retained his disguise, since, in ali probability, his features were well known to nearly all of the members of the White Band, and although the greater part of the gang had been captured, yet it was likely that their se- cret haunt was not left unguarded; but, if he was ized, the chances of discovering the secret of which he was in quest were greatly decreased. Diamond, having thought the matter over carefully, had —_ plan which he thought was likely to succeed. He went straight down the street to the river, just as he had — on the night when he had ollowed in the footsteps of the pretended sailor who had decoyed him, but when he arrived at the oo he oe =~ cross the street to the ier, but, turning abruptly to the right, w on toward a nort a sett om e doctor had reasoned in this way: he could walk about as fast as a boat could go, propelled by two oarsmen, as had been the craft in which he had been carried up the river, for he had become convinced that the course of the boit wasup the stream. As near as he could calculate, the trip had occupied about an hour. Of course, bound and gaggedas be had been, thy time seemed twice as long, but he reasons that, if he walked straight on for a couple o With that rare thrift with which he was so | hours, following the course of the river ani eminently endowed, Hoppergrass bad entered into the flower trade, as newspapers were now out of season, the sale stopping about nine, and was busily engaged in seliing button-hole bou- uets. | then halted, he would not be far from the mys- terious hiding place of the secretband. But, as he turned to carry out this idea, another, and, as it seemed to him, a better scheme occurred tohim. He would bire a boat and row up the Forgetful for the moment that he was in dis- | river; then he would be enabled to examine ise, and therefore not liable to be recognized y the boy, be accosted him. , The lad stared in amazement; gifted with wonderfully sharp ears he had recoguized the both shores. This plan he carried out at once. There were boats to let at the dock. He one and pushed out into the stream, (EO MMINCE| OeKo) CS co aa