Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 288 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

16° t the professor was then in his bedroom—had re- : tired several hours before midnight. I It was then almost dawn. i ee coumgggpeelline®-apherOongute alicia ttt Ra: pc Ce a pb — ens ™ >= IE A I I Electro Pete, the Man of Fire. “Me gang?’ with a last attempt at a hypo- crisy which was his second nature. ‘Yes, the gang. I mean the wharf rats of In the corridor above, Daniels removed his , Locust Puint. Come, 1 want the whole thing. shoes. Stealthily as a cat, he advanced to the room and entered without the slightest noise. When the door was closed, he stood for a second in the darkness listening, and his glance was toward that part of the room where he knew the communicating but locked door to be. On tip toe he crept to the door, and stooping, placed bis eve to the keyhole. Tnough bent upon a spying purpose he was rather uuprepared for what greeted bim at that moment. t As if fortune had especially guided him there at the minute, he was, in that one transient F breath, in possession of the whole secret of the | exse with which the room of the drummer had 4 been robbed: Re This; and now all doubt as to who the robber , was, was gone. The man who called himself Pietro Idello was that robber. Plainly before the gaze of the detective was the means by which the theft had been perpe- trated. In that stilly hour another attempt was in progress to extract from the room of the slum- ring Dimble the remnants, perbaps, of the penelty the detective had procured to use as a t. ; CHAPTER XX, b A JEW IN LIMBO, | Aube the detective, was right in his sur- uF mise. ‘ The man captured and held at the north- | eastern station was the Jew of the den on fi Thames street. When he arrived at the station the captain 1 was evidently awaiting him, and he greeted him with: ‘Ah, Mr. West, since telephoning you, we y have made an inventory of the april found Ki on the prisoner, And what do you think?” “Well? said West, who partly anticipated the result. ‘We have struck a portion of the stuff you notified us had been recently stolen from the Mansion House.” My ‘*T am glad to hear it.” he He was shown a valise which had been taken tee from the Jew when arrested. Sure enough, there was a part of the missing ewelry. ‘*T would like to have a little per talk with the prisoner,” the detective said, ‘“* Certainly. arden?” ** Here, sir.” ‘Conduct Mr. West to No. ——.” A few minutes later, West was standin before the Jew, who sat on the hard bench o his cell, rocking to and fro like some old granny with a baby in her arms. “Well, my friend, 1 am pleased to come _ across you here,” “Vat you will haf, eh? You come here to make funs mit me? i haf done not’ing. Wh I am helt in dis blaces for doing not’ings, te me dot?” ‘*So you were off for a little journey?” ““Yabs, [ leave t’e cities.” ‘‘ Exactly—ani with other peoples’ property in your ssession—” ‘*Dot was a lie. not mine own.” Come, old man, we’ve got you in a bole. Better show up honest for once, or it will go pretty bard with you.” ** Wot you mean by dot?” The detective seated himself on the bench beside the Jew, and laid one band on the latter’s knee in a most sociable way. “Jacobs,” be said, ‘Iam going to give you a chance,” © You gif me a chances?” : ‘“Yes, it is your last, too, remember. Now, I haf not’ing of what wos a are getting on in years, Ponder on that fact. I hardly think PAs would survive a long - imprisonment, do you Jacobs looked at the speaker who addressed - him in the suavest manner possible, _ “Twos going to prison? What I haf done?” ‘West here removed the portion of the dis- ao. guise which he had assum fs still another masquerade, which was the same | he wore when Electro Pete and the Jew had _ $*nt him down to bis death—as they sun {nthe pit under the floor of the Thames street Pas ‘den. 7 The effect was remarkable, od Off from the bench slid Jacobs; down on his knees he went, and his skinny hands clasped together prayerfully, *Haf mercy on my olt head! So hellup me gracious, I was not t’e one to se-k your deat’!” — © You know me, do you?” ~~ &Yahs,” whined the old villain. : “Well, then, let me tell you that I mean ‘business now. I have sufficient evidence to send you up for a long term. .I will give you a , as I say. “W’ot you will haf?” - A clean give ’way on the whole gang.” | LL ET TEE eee . - SS — I want to know who Electro Pete is; | want to know who stole the diamonds from the man at the Mansion House; I want on explanation of how that robbery was committed. Finally, you will give me some explanation of bow the man who is called Electro Pete can resolve himseif into a column of fire every time be is touched by any one. The whole thing, old man, or else—’ ‘‘ Else what you will do?” ““Up you go!” and the detective made a mo- tion with one of his fingers significantly in the air, Then while the cringing Jew seemed to hesi- tate, he added: ‘Who killed the girl, Rachel?” The words were bardly uttered when Jacobs sprung to bis feet and backward, as if to escape some gripe from a dreaded object, and his little ratty eyes were filled witb a ijook of burning terror. ; ‘* How you know dot?” he fairly yelped, “I tolt you | baf not murdered t’egirl. 1t wos Pete—Electro Pete. I haf not’ing to do mit dot.” ‘Ab! Pete murdered her, did he?’ “ Yabks, so hellup me—” ‘‘ You are ready to swear to this?” **T shwear!” ‘‘She is dead, then?’ ‘*T tink so—I tink so!” ‘“‘ Why do you only think so?” «sé Sh 7 He advanced again to West’s side and with one finger placed to his lips, as if to guard against another's overbearing, began to tell strange story in a hissing whisper that came rapidly, like one who speaks with but a few moments to spare. Evidently the Jew was impressed with the fact that there was no earthly use in evading the man before him. . In the hope of being *‘ let down "easy, he pro- ceeded to give West some information that was startling. When he had finished, he said: ““ Now t’en, you will not be so hart on a poor olt mans, eh?’ ‘‘T’}l see what I can do for you toward lessen- ing your term.” “De term? W’ot!~you wos going to let a poor olt mans be sent up py t’e jail?” in whining amazement, ‘““T guess you'll have to go, Jacobs; you’ve been in too many dark deeds that have been rpetrated in the harbor, by your own tale. shall soon have all the rats bagged: and may- be, if you give straight testimony against them —and particularly Electro Pete—1 can have things eased on you a little.” ‘¢ Yeahs, I give him straight—I do dot alretty. ae fint te rest of dot shewelry w’are I wos said. And when the detective withdrew, the sly Jew rubbed his eely hands over and over, while he grinned ravenously and muttered in gay bumor: ‘Ha! ha! W’ot I gare for t’e wharf rads by t’e Locust Poind? I gif dem away—everybodys —but w’ot I shall safe mysellef! But I must look oud for dot Electro Pede; he wos a deffil mit t’e knife if anybodys make himankry. I tolt w’ot I shall know ’boud dose wharf rads, ant t’en I glear me oud fun de cities,” 4 was daylight when West came out from the station. “Keep the little Jew fast and tight,” be had remarked to the captain. ‘* He is an important bomen in the diamond robbery at the Mansion se, Proceeding straightway to the Agency, he was handed a note by the clerk. It was from Mark Daniels. And the follow- ing were the thrilling contents: , and it left him in | “ Wrst:—The diamond robber spotted. Would like to see you before I close in on the game. : ** DANIELS.” The missive was written from the Mansion House, as its heading of print indicated. Though pretty well worn out, West would not delay a minute now in conferring with his The trail was drawing to a climax, If Daniels had spotted the actual burglar of | the diamonds, then there were but few thin to be settled for his own satisfaction before t mystery of the wharf rat band, as far as it was coneerned with the girl supposed to be the criminal Anice Idello, would be cleared up. ‘ Any news from the house on Thames street?” he inquired, of the clerk. ** None, sir, as yet—excepting that it is still under a close watch.” ‘‘ Telephone to Lowry, atthe Dentch A potheke on Broadway, and tell him to change his man fora rest. Lam going to the Mansion House. If there is any word from Thames street, let me know at once.” With this order he hurried to join Daniels. He found his partner in the of the hotel. ‘* What have you discovered?” —— ny “Two things,” replied Daniels, as the two ne 4 #5 out onto the portico. nd be added: ‘*The robber—the diamond thief is, beyond all dispute, this fellow who is passing off fora piusic teacher, who calls himself Calis Alfiero.” ‘* You express yourself pretty confidently.” Daniels’s eyes twinkled., *‘[ am werranted in so doing, when I have seen bim at the trick.” ‘*‘Ab! You have learned bow it was done?’ ‘‘T bave seen him doing it.” Pausing for a moment to enjoy West's sur- prise, be continued: ‘*Come up-stairs with me. If you had kept up your watch in the room you engaged, you would have sooner or jater found out just what I have.” They entered the room where we have seen Daniels at bis stealthy Vigil. ‘* Wait a moment, He tip-toed to the keyhole, and having ap- plied his eye to the opening, said: “Sh! He is going out.” ‘The Italian?” 4s Yes.” *'W bat then?” ‘*1’1} show you. Wait until he has gone.” A few seconds later they heard the door of the adjoining room open and close, and the sound of a key turning in the lock, Then Danieis said: ‘* Come.” They went to the door of the room occupied by the pseudo music-tescher, With a skeleton key. Daniels opened the door. Almost the first thing which greetedetheir eyes was the new valise which had been pur- chased by Dimble in pursuance of Daniels’s plan to bait the adroit thief. Me article stood in plain view, near the wash- stand, CHAPTER XXT. A DUALITY OF ROGUES, MARK DANIELS proceeded at onee to show oes he had discovered by means of the key- ole. It would appear that the upper hallway, in which this room fronted, had at one time been broader than it was now, A number of years previous, to give more room in the apartments, a portion of the wal] had been moved outward, encroaching on the entry. At intervals along the entry, and at one side, there had been small register-like ventilators opening from the floor above to the ceiling below—somewhat like those which may be observed to-day at Winder’s building, W ashing- ton. The meen of the wall had thrown these ventilators within the rooms in some instances ; though the carpeting above and the ceiling pering below would conceal their existence rom any save a prying eye or a previously informe rson. The Italian,*Calis Alfiero, must either bave known of these ventilators, or had discovered the one in his room by accident., A rug was placed over it; when Daniels lifted the rug, there was revealed the opening with its small grating. The grating was likeasection of flue. Lift- jae this out, a plain view of Dimble’s room was a . The space between the bureau and the corner below was where the drummer’s valise had stood. Considering that the ceiling paper of the room underneath was very dark and in plaid-like pattern, it bad been a simple matter to cut through with a sharp knife round the edge of the ventilator frame, and the incision was bardly noticeable. In the center of the apartment there was a large rug. Next ea this, Daniels said: ‘The rascal bis cue from finding that ventilator, This spot is directly over the center-piece in the ceiling below. | - The flooring hed been sawed deftly through. The latbing bad been carefully removed until it was ible to fix astrong screw with a ring into the smaller center of the plaster cast, to prevent it falling downward, and a small trap was created that served the same purpose as the ventilator, ‘“‘T can understand why the g at the ventilator would not be noticed,” West said. ‘‘But to have done this, there must have been some mutilation of the ceiling—” | **Not with one who understood his business, as this fellow assuredly did. He had inspected Dimble’s room before beginning operations, and knew exactly what he had to do, Having secured the center-piece by the ring, as you see he sawed around it; and around the mold below, there is a fancy circle of many outlines, in the blending edges of which the small saw he used cut a line that would not be seen. Now then, bere is the means employed to bring up the plunder.” He advanced to the bureau. be drawers were locked; but a little mani- pulation with an instrument he carried in his © Gomichbooks. co ty