Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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RICH TBV CHAPTER I. The Message in the Box. Anticipating the possibility of my train arriving lute, 1 hud named the hour of my meeting with Cuminlngs as three o'clock, and, in consequence of our reaching the city exactly on uuic, n?!i couipeuea 10 icuer luiy about the hotel for uu hour, liowever, in passing through the corridor my attention was attracted by uu unique curiosity shop occupying u small side rooui, and, merely to pass the ttuie pleasantly, 1 entered and began examining the strunge collection of wures on display. There were severul articles I lingered over, tempted to purchase, but drifted on, rather undecided, until my eyes perceived u very quaint lacquered jewel box, of a class of workmanship quite unusuul. The proprietor, perceiving my Interest, joined me! < "The Jewel box uttracts he aid pleasantly, opening the case and bringing It forth. "You have love for auch things?" "A deep Interest ut least," I admitted, taking the article from lils hand, "a collector In an umateur way. What Is the workmnnsliln?sur?lv not inn. i anese?" . "No," smilingly. "Although positively I cannot answer as to its origin. The Inscription, which can only be read with a microscope"?he traced with his linger?"is ancient Arabic, but no wild Arab ever did the lacquer." "Yet so strange a curio must have n history, an imagiunry oue, at least. What Is the story?" ^ ( "Positively none," he admitted regretfully. "The fuct is. this nrtlele was rounu oy a ciiaiaoe<iuu>u In one of the hotel rooms, am! turned In to the manager. He made every effort to trace the guests, only to learn that they, two men, by the way, had registered falsely. He even advertised, but with no >coyuusc, unu uimuy, u111*1 tinny uuya, was persuaded to accept my offer for the article." "You have put a price ou this?" "Yes, ridiculously low, no doubt, yet bringing me a good profit." He named a price, and, still with the box In my hands, I yielded to the temptation, and bought it. The article was sufficiently small to find lodgment In an overcoat pocket*, and, as Cummings appeared a little later, was soon for- ] gotten in the earnestness of our con- | versatlon. We later had dinner together, and attended the theater *tu company, my mind so occupied with other matters that I scarcely ouce ! thought of the strange purchase 1 had ! made, which remained securely hid- i den. It wus only after returning to ' my own room, then nenring midnight, ' that It wus again recalled to memory. | Only un Idle curiosity and a feeling ' of sleenlesaneSM lnrtiicpd mo t<? #1r?w i the article forth, nn?l remove Its wrap- | pings, hut the sight served Immediately to lncrense my Interest. It was j certainly a wonderful find, artistically ! beautiful, und most unusual In design. There was a mystery that must have , exercised a strange speir over my Imagination, for I dreamed of the longdead workman who fashioned It, forgetful of the passing night hours. A clock somewhere In the neighborhood struck, und I counted twelve, arousing myself. Perhaps 1 was already half aleeplng, for as I turned to rise my j sleeve struck the- hox at 'the edge of. the table, and before I could prevent the fall, It lay upon the floor at my feet. As I stooped* hastily to recover the | overturned box, I was astounded to discover the bottom slipped partially aside, as though some secret spring had been touched, revealing so narrow a receptacle that the ordinary eye would never suspect the possibility of Its existence. Not only was there a false I bottom, but the opening revealed a closely folded paper. I grasped this quickly, a thrill running through lue. What ancient and long-hurled message was about to be unfolded? But no! This was plainly modern? a clean, white sheet, no folded parchment of old. hut some invsterv of vo?. terday. There was writing there, In Mpunlsh, ao faintly traced 1 could barely decipher the words, yet clearly revealed aa of this day und generation. I know Spanish fairly well, having had a year In Mexico City, yet It required some time before 1 could puzzle out the message on this sheet. The paper had been torn, seemingly sundered from a much longer letter, and preserved merely because of the specific address and Instructions It contained. Beyond doubt all else had been destroyed. What remained may have been sufficient guidance to thev party who had the benefit of what went before In the original epistle, but was obscure to anyone else. Yet it was modern, something relating to this very time, a menace; something to be grasped and understood. This conviction absolutely gripped me. I stared at the rather sinlater words, blindly groping at what lay hidden behind them. Instinctively scenting a conspiracy of evil which I could not determine. All unlntentloned I had stumbled Into a clew which might lead to startling results, yet It seemingly gave me no hint of who was Involved, or of Its real nature. I put the words together. weighing each one with care as to Its exnct meaning, and read them over with Increased bewilderment. The torn fragment begnn and ended abruptly ; 1 could only guess at tta meaning, yet the Impression left upon mymind was both sinister sod menacing. K?|| wanted to know more. iir i mi " i i " i "Vl ' ' i ' a HOROP^ _ __ ZAUUE, CASE of CAVENDISH Illustrationsv^'WEIL RANDALL PA Rill 3M 108 silled Saturday from Stockholm. Will deposit letter of credit with Krantx to your order. Amount ample all needs. See to this at once, and advise 876 Oans. so as to be no delay. Two raps, three?Cervantes. Waldron favors action this month; suRftest Watonla. - Can you be ready? Use South A code. That this loiter was authentic I had no dnuht, nor was Its meaning altogether obscure In the light of certain events. Several allusions were familiar to me ami these were what caused my earlier suspicions to crystallize Into probability. It bore all the earmarks of a plot, u revolutionary plot, and one not yet brought to consummation. To be sure the note was undated, and the box hud been left at the hotel thirty dnys before. Yet ihe Wntoi.la was certainly the name of a ship and to my runmurv ailffcrnotrt/l 1 A j qu^^coicu v>cuii(ti Aiuerirnu trade. This did not necessarily Imply thnt the conspirators had abandoned their purpose. More likely they were not quite ready in time to operate on the suiting date of thnt particular ship. Some delay had .occurred, and, possibly, even now prompt action might overturn all their plans. 1 undressed and went to bed, hut not to sleep, for the darkness brought new thoughts and suggestions for the morrow. I was still In government employ, although unassigned, and felt this discovery to he a direct call upon my service.- While my first Inclination should naturally have been to turn the wnoie matter over to the proper bureau for Investigation, two facts led me In another direction?I was sufficiently young to seek adventure% and I desired to verify my suspicions before creating any false alarm. As I rested there, sleepless, staring up at the black celling, the words of the strange fragment of letter remained vividly before me. Littie by little 1 dug at the truth, coming Anally to this conclusion: "108" was, no doubt, the recognized number of some agent who hud been dispatched to America on u special errand to the conspirators In this country. He had | sailed Saturday, a month ago, or more, and must have long since arrived at I some nort Mnffltiir U'l?h Mtn I""' , ?S.UB " .? ? IU3U Uf | tlons uot to be intrusted to the ninli, and sufficient money. In form of letter of credit, with which to finance whatever nefnrlous scheme of revolution might he contemplated. This money Questioned Him Relative to the Mysterious Box. was to hi? out to tho u party through a man named Krantz. Who was Krantz? There was a wellknown banking firm, Kulh, Krantz A Cp? tn Wall Street, and It was quite probable these might prove the ones Involved, although to my knowledge they ud no outward Junta connections of tills nuture. "Gans" wus evidently a street, although 1 could recall none bearing so peculiar appellation, while the password was in itself proof almost positive us to the South or Central American sympathies of <Le eon spiral ors. These facts were fairly cleur us 1 thus weuved them togeiher, hut they were rendered more duuiuing by the other name mentioned?Wuldrou. If till? U'HM T VII n W'ulillSkii I hull OA/ul roil noo to know the fellow, and to connect his activities with any scheme destined tu embarrass the government. He huh a professional agltutor of the roost pronounced type, a socialist radical, who In the past had openly advo~~ MICICIE, THE PRIK. eH\eA<ao &OOM i8L 5ti8fl oppwition to six iiwriuu oracr. | Moreover, th* fellow, had a large and' desperate following, to whom he waa a high-priest. He was reported to be a r Russian by birth, bnt spoke English without an accent, and I felt no doubt but what a sufficient amount of money would engage his Interest Jn any desperate cause. The -desire to "get him" added zest to my Interest In the affair. If he was actually at the head of these fellows, these plotters against the neutrality of the United States, the catch would be worth while. As soon as possible next morning I sought out Burke, the manager of the hotel, with whom I had a speaking acquaintance, and, without confiding the extent of my discovery, questioned him relative to the mysterious box, and the guests who left It behind. Two men, he said, both well dressed, but with | uuiniug particularly to distinguish them, had registered together late in the afternoon of Friday, September 27, and on request had been assigned to one room with twin beds and a bath. The larger man, who had inscribed himself as "P. S. Horner, Detroit," alone had a hag; his companion, known to the hotel as "Gustave Alva, Toledo, Ohio," being without baggage. The hill was paid the next morning by Horner, and the two departed together. It was an hour later when the chambermaid on that floor reported finding the box in the room vacated. After holding it for a,day or two in expectation that It might be called for, no such inquiries being made, the hotel endeavored to trace the men, but to no avail. The fellows had either falsely registered, or were entirely unknown where they claimed residence. The first was the most probable condition. After thirty days, and having exhausted all reasonable efforts to find the rightful owner, the hotel felt legally justified In selling the trinket. That i was ail Burke knew of the matter, and i his Interest in it was not keen. I am inclined to think now thai T I went ait the probleri without much system, and that any success achieved was through pure accident. During the forenoon I dropped In upon Clem* ent Breckenrldge, cashier of the Dover's National bank. We had been classmates at college, and I generally called on him when In the city. This time I led the conversation to Kulb, Krantz & Co., on the pretense that I had received mall from them relative to some recommended Investment. Clement knew Krantz well and favorably, and my probing elicited the Information that the man was Austrian by birth, but a naturalized citizen, rather deeply Interested In political matters. If his sympathies were at all revolutionary he had carefully reiralued froui any such open expression. The Qrm had made a specialty V " ul iiitnuunfc soutn American business, and had Intimate financial connections In both Rio and Buenos Aires. Tho company ranked high In financial circles. "The present war must have cost them a rather heavy loss," I hazarded. "However, this Is nothing to me. By the way, Clement, do you chance to know of a Gaus street in this town?" "Gans? That Is a new one on me. Try the city directory?-there On the edge of the desk." The name was not to be found, nor any other approaching It In sound or spelling, and I finally drifted out onto Pi# qtreet,-i-eolly no wiser than when first entered. I made one more efTort, however, telephoning to a detective setgeant whom I knew well, as to the present whereabouts of Ivan Waldron. The last heard of Waldron, he was In West Virginia, speuklng to striking miners; that was less than a week ago; ne nad not been seen In the city since. The whole affair looked hopeless. About all I could do would be to send the torn note to the proper authorities In Washington, with a statement of how It came Into my possession, and let them dispose of the matter in any way they deemed best. I wrote such a letter carefully on hotel stationery, and went down to mall It In the lobby. Before disposing of It In the mailbox I encountered tho mnnii?#r nnrir? ?"> ? ?, mmibvi auu stopped for a word. We were still talking when a bellboy- came up hurriedly with a message. Burke turned. "Wiat Is It, George?" "Th.it G'.ns street party la on the wire, s> " "Oh, all right. Excuse me, Severn, but I've been trying to get connection for an hour." "But wait a minute," my veins tingling. "Did he say Oans street? Where Is that? There Is no such name In the city directory." "Oans! Why, over In Jersey. Yes, I'm coming." 1 thrust the unmalled letter Into my pocket, and sat down, staring at the crowd In the lobby, but entirely Indifferent to their presence. Here at least >"?ii ? uiniicc?uani stiwt was in Jersey City. Then it was not all a dream. I would at least look over the ground before I gave up In despair, for I had atumhled upon a way out of the blind alley?Qans street, Jersey CUy. CHAPTER II. A Man and a Woman. It was lnte in the afternoon, the day dark, \?ith a chilly wind blowing off \ the river, when I reached Jersey City. 666 cures Bilious Fever. 40 VER'S DEVIL vAoui ft\Q is Cmo ' 8 AS OOfcOQJJC? -^ll^wrr vt ^ oo *tv 1 I THEREX nv\v& K* MM |wo?A VM)Mg! PQ1 ?I???i it?>j I I 'i II - tto.ftret policeman encounter*! ftwi me all necessary directions, so that 11 alighted from a street car within a block of my destination. A saloon oh i the upper corner of the block fur nished me the necessary dew, and, using It as a marker, 1 succeeded In tracing back until satisfied 1 bad thus safely located "876." It was an abandoned factory, built of brick, two stories high, evidently extending over considerable ground at the rear, but with a frontage not to exceed forty feet. 'The lower Vlndows were boarded un_ a number of those In the second story broken, and the main entrance, large enough for the passage of a motor truck, was tightly secured by an Immense Iron bar. A smaller door to the right alone offered any possibility of entrance, although it was tightly closed. x To all outward appearances the place had been unoccupied for months, and perhaps years. From the sidewalk It was Impossible to gain any glimpse within. Only one discovery served to convince me that I might be on the right track?that I had not been entirely deceived. A small sign, so covered with dust and dirt as to be almost unreadable, was nailed over the smaller door. In the growing dusk 1 was obliged to study It Intently to decipher the words, but finally made them out letter by letter: "OFFICE ALVA MALLEABLE IKON COMPANY." Here was a strange coincident, If nothing more, for Gustave Alva bad been one of the names signed on the hotel register. Beyond doubt this old, abandoned Iron foundry was his property, and what better spot could be selected In which to meet and concoct a scheme of crime? Wh?f a ? - ,< ? ?? ? |/1?V,V tv hide arms for shipment. Whatever doubt 1 may have felt regarding my venture vanished in the presence of that unusual name. This was unquestionably the place named In the letter as a rendesvous; here was where the recipient of that letter was to go and receive Instructions; where he vras to ' use the mysterious raps, and the countersign "Cervantes," In order to gain admittance. The knowledge that 1 was actually upon the threshold of such a discovery brought with It a determination not to lose the advantage. But what could I do? What further steps might be safely taken alone? The might was dark, a slight driszle In the air, no one abroad except from necessity. No sign of life was visible lor me run extent of the block, until the Mloon on the further corner came into view. Its gleaming hospitality InYlted me, and I strolled along the opposite walk, my coat collar turned up to shut out the drlaele. and dually crossed over to where I could peer In '//'/ I Could Peer In Through the Dingy Window. I through the dingy windows. The mua i behind the bar was umnlstakaUfy Pol- | leh, and of no high type, and at first 1 saw no other occupants of the pluce except two roughly dressed men at a table just inside, who were playing cards silently. The room was clean enough, and quiet, yet 1 felt no lncll- i nation to enter. Those were not fel- I lows it would be safe to question, and 1 would have turned away, but at that j Instant T perceived the Indistinct figure of a young woman In the further corner, sitting beside a table alone. Her presence stimulated my curios- ' lty. She appeared to be young, not badly dressed, and her being In such a place unattended rendered her of some Interest. It surely could do no harm I# I lea #ne ? oon/lmlrtK and a glass of bear. 1 crossed to the bar, furtively watchful, but no one exeept the proprietor apparently paid the slightest attention to tuy entrance. The two inen never glanced up from their cards, and the girl?for she was scarcely more?merely turned her head and stared at me without Interest. I spoke to the barman In Kngllsh. We exchanged a few words?his own si>ee<'h very broken?while he prepared the sandwich, and the only thing unusuul I 1 noticed was the passage of a alight ' signal between him und the woman . across the room. 1 could not he sure even as to that, but gained the impression that he shook his head negatively, as though to some mute question. By Charics Sughroe I?M M null IMk AGO,BOSS? vs vr as *\oW x<% siGG&m weictoaJB ien Grr cxxc r "T*V* AMAV jj '? ' "? ? - Uttleas It be the Intense brunette blMfcffii ef hair and an extrmelx dear complexion, there was Mtblog typically Spanish In bar appearance. Indeed she Impressed me a* t*tcr.?ughly American la features; dress and manner, somewhere In the twenties I shonld Jedge. with brown ey?*s. and a face decidedly plratant to look upou. although with a (lrmue?s toJt, expressed by mouth and chin, not to be mistaken. 1 noted these things hurriedly, uever venturing to stare at her. though she apparently gave me no attention whatever. Somehow the girl seemed nriin?i> ?> ? " ?--? ? - ? ? ?? that dingy saloon?ahe did not In any sense belong. She was evidently not there seeking company, nor was she drinking; and yet -there must surely be some meaning to her presence. The proprietor approached me, leaning one hand on the table. There Is nothing more?" he asked. "No, this will answer very well." He lingered, tempted to question me. "You have not been In before? Perhaps you do not live near?" "1 do not," I replied frankly. "1 .travel out of Boston, and sell lumber. 1 have lioon Hnln? K..-I ? _ . . _ wvuiv UUOIUCM Willi the yard down below." "1 see. You are not from New York. I make it?" "No; Boston has always been my home." "Once 1 lire there, too; when 1 first come north from Rio. What you think about this war? We lick Germany? hey?" "Oh, 1 don't know; she seems to be more than holding her own." "Ach, yes. But now this country go In; what then?" 1 looked up quickly Into his face, with a swift desire to test his real sentiment. "This country! Why should It go In? There are Germans enough over here to stop that." "Not Germaus?no. But Internationals, revolutionaries. They are more than you think. *Tls time for them to strike a great blow." "You are Polish, are you not?" "Yah, from Warsaw. I come over six years." "Naturalised?" "1 have first papers?why you ask?" suspiciously. "1 merely questioned from curiosity." My eyes wandered once more to the rlrl u ih. ? . _ ? ?>iv iwui, auu Lit? UV" tlced the glance. "You wonder what she do In here?" he asked. "1 tell you. She was my niece, an' sit here to wait for a trtend to walk home with her. It Is not a good neighborhood, this, for a woman alone In the dark." "Her home Is some distance?" < "Five?sis blocks. It is s dtrk, bad way." He moved back toward the bar, apparently satisfied with his examlnatlou of me, as well as his explanation. I wondered grimly why he had taken the trouble to tell me all tills, and ordered another glass of beer as an excuse to linger there a while longer. What was the party like who was to call for the girl? I did not have to linger long to gratify my curiosity. The side door opened silently, and a man stepped briskly luslde, shaking the raindrops from his coat as he greeted the barman cheerily. "A dirty night, Jans," hs said, glancing swiftly about, his eyes sweeping over me sharply. "Business not very good, I suppose?" "Dead. It's no good now any more, with all the factories closing up because of the war. Just some salesman drops In for a beer. That makes me nothings." The newcomer laughed, evidently put quite at ease by this quick explanation. 1 was watching him. A rather thick-set fellow with a turned-up mustache and a. disfiguring scar on one cheek, which gave to his eye a peculiar expression. Watching the fellow 1 must have missed some signal, for he whirled about suddeniv end ed th? girl, who had already risen to her feet and stood expectantly, one hand yet resting on the table. MAh, senorlta! Ton were waiting for ma to come," he exclaimed. "Yet I have not kept you long." MOh, no," she answered quietly In Spanish, her voice so low the words barley carried to where I sat. "You were delayed T' "A car blockade at the wharf. No, thank you, Jans, nothing tonight. Tou would go, senorlta?" "There can be nothing to remain longer here for, surely." I watched them disappear through the side door, marking his grasp on her arm and her quick glance aside Into his face. There had been something wrong about this meeting, something undeniably awkward and constrained. These two were not what they pretended to be?old-time friends meeting Incidentally to walk home together. They were strangers, coming together there fr? r the Or?* !...? K ?V l?UJC U/ appointment. Neither had previously known the other. 1 had even detected fear, doubt. In the expression of the j girl's face. Yet 1 dare not move, or attempt to follow them. 1 could only alt quietly. | my eyes on the window fronting the street I watched Intently, but no shadows passed that way?the two had not turned down Oans street My mind worked rapidly as I sat there motionless, afraid to make the slightest move lest It arouse suspicion. Whatever the object of the meeting might be. Jans was more or less In \f* YX n i ii ii 11 111 *11 !' i 1 voived. lie bed si reeled to the girl twice, end hie words, however Innof cent they may hare sounded, must have brought a warning to the man. Beyond doubt he had questioned me with the distinct purpose of thus discovering why I had drifted Into the place. I dismissed utterly his statement that the young -woman was his niece?her very appearance gave thnt the He. Something was wrong, perhaps not criminal, perhaps In no way associated with fb? affair which had brought rne I Into that neighborhood, and yet sus' plcloualy wrong, and 1 felt Inexorably ! driven to find out what It all meant. 1 finished my beer slowly, and then | selected a cigar from the case and lit ii ueuueraieiy, Jans leaned over the bar, speaking confidentially, and 1 had to regain, although I cursed inwardly at the delay. Yet I broke away at last. I CurMd Inwardly at the Delay. assured that I had dually lulled every suspicion to rest and passed out through the front door. The street was deserted and rainswept. the few lights showing mere pln-prlcks in the darkness. 1 plunged straight across the street, as though headed for the nearest car line, and then. In the shade of darkness, retraced my steps, passing the corner, until I attained the side entrance. Here, assured that I was safely beyond observation, I paused to gain some conception of my surroundings. ACTOM f n> where I stood anueared the dim outlines of a long, ramshuckle building, apparently a shed of some kind, while beyond the saloon was a row of one-story dwelling houses, seemingly exactly alike, and exhibiting no evidence of being occupied. In which direction had the cuupie turned after their exit through the side door of the saloon?to right, or left? Jans had unconsciously pointed In this direction when he told of where (Continued on Istt pa;s) H.H.L1 FUNERAL DIREG1 Quality Pv jumper We carry a full line of ( Supplies with W. H. Port Two Motor Funeral Carsfor colored. 'Phone No. 3 w Wamble Hill N | Farm L Open to negotia! County on improved Federal Land Bank of 1 Association charges J paid with each application. Parties must exhibit i application. I See me at office in Ban information on loaning to fz promptly as possible. . B. J. Douglas Wamble Hill But He's a Smart Kid in .UttG IU UOVU- QEa \WH\X. < sx auosee \ cmvcago \WOI Catarrhal Deafness Cannot Be Cured by local applications, as they cannot rtach the diseased portion of the ear Thers la only on# way to curs catarrhal deafness, and that Is by a constitutional remedy. Catarrhal Deafness Is caused by an Inflamed condition of the mucous lining of the Eustachian Tube. When this tubs la Inflamed'you have a rumbling sound or Imperfect hearing, and when It Is entirely closed. Deafness Is the result. Unless the Inflammation can be reduced and this tube restored to Its normal condition, hearing will be destroyed forever. Many cases of deafness are caused by catarrh, which Is an Inflamed condition of the mucous surfaces. Hall's Catarrh Medicine acts thru the blood on the mucous surfaces of the system. We will give One Hundred Dollars for any case of Catarrhal Deafness th?t cannot be cured by Hall's Catarrh Medicine. Circulars free. All Druggists. 7!?c. F. J. CHENEY & CO.. Toledo. O. J. ARTHUR KNIGHT Office in Courthouse Chesterfield, S. C. | FOR SALE?Oood farm; 50 acres, 38 in cutivation; pood dwelling; good tenant houses and out buildings; orchard and vineyard; on mail route, 2 M? miles of Chesterfield. ltp C. A. Brown, Chesterfield R 4. R. L. McMANUS Dentist Che raw, S. C. At Chesterfield Monday and Wednesday evenings. At Pageland Tuesday. At Mt. Croghan Wednesday morning. At McBee Thursday. At Cheraw Friday and Saturday. v \ Money back without qucition >? \ltf HUNT'S GUARANTEED \ I SKIN DISEASE REMEDIES WJT fa/J (Hunt'* Salve and Soap), fail in f 11 rY the treatment of Itch. Bcsema, ^ g/\ Ringworm,Tetter or other itchins akin diacauea. Try thie treatment at our risk. D. H. LANKY. Druggist A. F. DAVIS MARKET The Finest Fresh Meats THe Best Fancy Groceries High Grade Canned Gooda The Bett of Everything for the Table A. F. DAVIS MARKET For Best Results Use <AROyiT LIVE STOCK REMEDIES I Sold by Druggists and Dealers | LAV ITT [OR SEMBALMER idability Service Coffins, Caskets and Burial er, Chesterfield, S. C. ?one tor vvnite people, one 1. ational oan Associaton te loans for Cnesterfield farm lands thmncfli Columbia. L per cent, and requires $10 their deeds at time of filing k of Chesterfield Building for irmorc Will - VV yuu US 5s, Sec. Treas. N. F. L. A. His Own Home Town! &oa>s\ \ ovowrr voaovj v MI 'I