The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, December 31, 1914, Page 6

~ Somethin’ lost overboard by some. pri- The Million Dollar Mystery By HAROLD MAC GRATH Itustrated from Scenes tn the Photo Drama of the ‘Same Name by. the Thenhouser Film Company (Copyright, 1914, by Harold MacGrath) of the crew Dunkera would have been badly injured, perhaps fatally. They hauled back Blossom, roaring out his oaths af the top of his lungs. It took half an hour's arguing to calm him down, Then the captain demanded to know what it was all about. And blubbering, Steve told him, “Six hundred feet of water, if I've got my reckoning right. The anchor lies in 60 feet, but the starboard side drops sheer 600. You swab! Why didn’t you bring the box to me? A man has a right to what he finds. I'd have taken care of it for you till-we | got back to port. I know; you were greedy; you thought I might want to stick my fist into your treasure. And you'll never find it in 600 feet of water | and tangled, porous coral, That's what you get for being a blamed hog. As for you,’ and the captain turned to Dunkers, “get your dunnage and your pay and hunt for another boat back. 1 won't have no murder on board ‘Cap- | | And That Is Why Jones Was Able, | Some Weeks Later, to Hide Once. More the Original Box. tain Manners.’ And the sooner you go, ' the better.” : “Till go, sir,” said Dunkers, readily | enough. Had the misfortune happened | to him and had Blossom been the ag- | gressor, he would want his life. He | understood. Like the valet in “Oliv- | ette,” it was the time for disappearing. “An’ keep out o' my way. I'll git | y’ yet,” growled Blossom. | “Keep your mouth shut,” said the | yarn.” mate, “or I’ll have you put in irons, you pig!” “All right sir, I've said all I'm goin’ t' say t'day;” and Blgssom strode off. | “What was the box'like?” asked the captain of Dunkers, “Chinese contraption, sir; leastwise it looked that way to me. Didn't look as if It'd been in th’ water long, sir. vate yacht, t’ my thinkin’. I'll keep out o' Steve’s way. I'll lay low on, shere, sir.” | And though Steve made a perfect | raage of the spot, he never came back | to find the mysterious box, never saw | the Gilson house back home, nor did he ever see Dunkers again. On the voyage home he brooded continually, | guzzle down his throat a very poor | substitute for whisky, | where there was a million, and all he | ing cheap whisky; he'd be steering a | which the bartender understood. Then | with drunken caution. | Bill?” turning to the bartender. here's th’ yarn.” smoked quietly. without speaking. ‘The Million Dollar Mystery’ The tenth installment of which appears in The Times this week ‘Star Theater _ Every Tuesday afternoon abd Was frequently found blubbering; and one night he skipped his watch and went to Davy Jones’ locker. Dunkers had not told about the name he had seen on the box; and Blossom had not thought to. The name Hargreave had instantly brought back to Dunkers’ mind the mnewspaper- stories he had recently read. There was no doubt in the world that this box belonged to the missing million- aire, who had drawn a million from his banks and vanished; and, more over, there was no doubt in Dunkers’ mind that this million lay in the Ba- haman waters. It had been drawn up from the bottom of the sound, under the path of the balloon. He proceeded, then, to take a most minute range. It would require money and partners; but half a loaf would be far better than no loaf at all; and he was deter- mined to return to New York to find backing. Finding is keeping, on land or sea. Now it happened that his favorite grog shop was a cheap saloon across the way from the headquarters of the Black Hundred; and Vroon occasion- ally dropped in, for he often picked up a valuable bit of maritime news. Dunkers was an- old friend of the bar- keeper, and he proceeded to pour and He became comrmunicative. He bragged. He knew needed was a first-class diving bell. A year from now he would not be drink- course up and down Broadway and buying wine when he was thirsty, He was no miser, But he had to have a diving bell; and where the blue devil could he get one with $12 and an Ingersoll watch in his pocket? From his table Vroon made a sign he rose and approached Dunkers. “T own a pretty good diving appar. atus," he said. “If you've got the goods, I'll take a chance on a fifty- fifty basis.” Vroon did not believe there was anything back of his talk; but it always paid to dig deep enough to find out. “Have a drink; and, Bill, give us a real whisky and none of your soap-lye. Now, let’s hear your “Don't yuh believe {t?” demanded Dunkers, truculently, a , “But.600 feet of water, in a coral bottom, and no way of telling just’ where it fell overboafd. That's a tough} by myself. I'm going to get a glimpse ries a scar of mine somewhere, for 1 hit him that night.’ of that mysterious stranger. He car- proposition.” “O, it is, is it? I’m a sailor, lay my hand right over th’ spot. I can ly. . “T don® know yuh,” said Dunkers, “How is it, “He's the goods, Jim. You've heard of Wyant & Co.?” “Sure I've heard o’ them. Best divin’ app'ratus they is.’ “Well, this gent here is Mr. Brooks, “ general manager for Wyant & Co. I ff can O. K. him.” \ Vroon threw an appreciative glance at the bartender. He was not affiliated with the Black Hundred, but he had often aided Vroon in minor affairs, “All right, if yuh say so, Bill. Well, | And when he. had done, Vroon Motion Pictures And Vroon knew that the one thing he wanted was there, a plan or a draw- -ing of the range. So there was another man shanghaiéd that night, and his destination was Cape Town, 22 days’ voyage by the calendar. Vroon carried hig information to the organization that same night. They would start the expedition at once, and till this was accomplished, Har- greave’s daughter was to be immune from attacks. Besides, it would give Hargreave (wherever he was) and the others the idea that the Black Hun- dred had concluded to give up the chase. Above, with his ear to a small hole, skillfully bored through the ceiling without permitting the plaster to fall, knelt a man with a bandaged arm. He could never see any faces; no one ever took off a mask in this sinister chamber. But there were voices, and he was going to forget some of them. After the meeting came to an end, he waited an hour after, and then stole down into the street by the aid of the fire escape. Later, he entered a tele- phone booth and called up Jones. Then, one leathern and steel box, dotted with bits of ivory and mother- of-pearl, became two; and the second: one was soaked in mud and salt water for two weeks till you could not have told it from the original. And that is why Jones was able, some weeks later, to hide once more the original box. As for the substitute, just as Braine was about to use a mallet and chisel upon it, the lights went out. There was a wild scramble, a chair or two was overturned. “The door, Braine, furious. It slammed the moment the words left his lips. And as suddenly as they had gone out the lights sprang up. The box was gone, There were evi- dently traitors among the Black Hun- dred. the door!” shouted CHAPTER XIII. An Agent From Russia. The Black Hundred, not as individu: | als but as an organization, began to | worry. Powerful, and often reckless and daring because it was powerful, it began to look about for some basic cause for all these failures against Hargreave’s daughter and Hargreave's ghost. They had tried to put the in- | Count Paroff Presents His Credentials. quisitiye reporter out of the way; they had laid every trap they could think of to catch the mysterious visitor at the Hargreave home; they had thrown out a hundred lures to bring Har- greave out of his lair, and failed; and |. they had lost a dozen valuable men and several thousand dollars. This must end somewhere, and quickly. ~ The one ray of hope for the conspi- rators lay in the fact that Florence had never seen her father and knew not in the least what he looked like. They determined to try again in this direction. © : “Give it all up,” said the countess to- Braine. “‘I- tell you, whatever is back of all this is stronger than we are. He knows the organization, and Do yuh think I'd be fool enough t’ hunt for it without a perfect range?” Dunk- ers tapped his coat pocket suggestive- ; "And we have worked toward that end The door opened and the executive chamber became silent, _ : *“Count Paroff,” boomed ‘the : voice of Vroon, “He will present his cre- dentials.” |seribed by the rules; and Count Par- off was given his chair. He spoke for a while, rather pompously. “The head organization is not sat- igfied with its offspring in this Har- greave affair,” he said in conclusion. “You are slow.” : “Then you have come’ with some suggestions for the betterment. of our business?” asked Braine ironically. “Sir, this is not the hour for flip- pancy,” said the agent coldly. a@ sign ‘not observéd by every one. Instantly Paroff bent lowly. He réc- ognized-that the speaker was the ac- tual, not the nominal, head of the American branch. “What are your suggestions?” in- quired the nominal head from his chair, anxious to avoid a clash be- tween the newcomer and the trucu- lent master of them all. “I have been informed that Har- greave's daughter las never seen her father, not even a photograph of him,” said Paroff, more amiably. “We are absolutely certain that this is the case,” said the nominal ‘head, who was known as the presi- dent, “But we tried one play in that direction, and it failed miserably.” “I have the story,” replied Paroff. “It was clumsily done. The ruse was ‘an old one.” Braine was frank enough to admit the truth of this statement, however much he disliked the admission. He | nodded. ’ | “T have authority to take a hand in | this affair. mer, Those government plans of the fortifications of the Paname are wait- jing. There's your millions, But the | fact remains that it is the law of the | Black Hundred never to step down | absolutely defeated. The, hidden million is but half; we must find and | break this renegade Hargreave. ; “If he lives,” said Braine. “Who can say one way or the other?” brusquely asked Paroff. “The fact that all your plans and schemes heve come to naught should prove to you that you are not fighting a ghost. There is but one way to bring out the truth.” “And that is to make a captive of his daughter,” supplemented Braine. ceaselessly, We are quite ready to listen to your suggestions, count.” “And 80 am I,” thought the man with his ear to-the little hole in the Braine made a sign with his hand, i We cannot waste all sum- i Official Reports of Allies and | Gérmans Claim Slight Gains for Each. , RUSSIANS REPULSE TEUTONS Fetrograd Report Says Kaiser's Troops Suffered Heavy Losses in Poland-and Are Now On the Defensive. London, Dec, 29.—The battle lines in the East and West have undergone only infinitesimal changes during the day. The French and German reports agree that the Germans have captured a section of trenches near Hollebeke, south of Ypres. The French assert that the Germans gave up trenches on the first line, to the extent of about 800 or 900 yards in the Lens region, further east, while unsuccessful dem- onstrations have been made from both sides at various points along the ex- tended lines, : The reports of the numbers of wounded both armies are sending back from the lines in Belgium appear to show that the fighting on Christmas in that country was the fiercest of the past month, Correspondents in the rear say the Belgians as a result of five days sapping captured nearly 3,000 Germans with only small losses to themselves. Russians Repulse Germans. Petrograd, Dec. 29,—The following statement from the general staff of the Russian commander-in-chief was issued last night: “On the 27th there was no import- ant engegement between the Lower Vistula and the Viiica rivers. The German attacks were everywhere re- pulsed, The Germdns suffered heavy losses, especially in a vain attack they made to the southeast of Sknernie- wice. Between the Pilica and the Up- per Vistula the enemy has now adopt- ed the defensive. * “Our troops stormed the village of Szitniki, which was- stubbornly’ de- fended by the Austrians. The enemy has definitely evacuated the left bank of the Nida, British Raid Cuxhaven. London, Dec. 28.—Assisted by light cruisers, destroyers _and submarines, seven [ritish naval airmen, piloting seaplanes, made a daring attack Christmas Day on the German naval base at Cuxhaven, at the mouth of the Elbe. Six of the airmen returned safe- ly, but the seventh, Commander Hew- lett, it is feared, has been lost, as his machine was found off Helgoland, wrecked. What damage was done by the bombs thrown by the attacking party could not be agcertained, but the German report of the affair says that the raid was fruitless. Austrians Fall Back, — ceiling above. “And some day, my energetic friend, I'm going to pay you back for that bullet.” Count Paroff cleared his. voice and laid his plans before his audience. A “To act frankly and in the open, to go boldly to the Hargreave home and proclaim myself Hargreave, 1 can disguise myself in a manner that will at least temporarily fool the but- ler.” ¢ : “Who has been with his master for | fourteen years, knows every move, | habit, gesture, inflection,” interposed 1 Braine. “But proceed, count, proceed. You will remember the old adage; “Ah,” flashed back the count, “but | @ new cook?” Olga touched Braine’s ingly. : “You mean, then, that there has been talk in St. Petersburg of dispos- of some one?” 7 deal of talk, sir,” haughtily, that he had bent humbly arm warn- then honest. men get “Yes, yes; proceed, pro- -| ter and eastern lines while the Ger- ‘The Russians apparently have gained ascendency over the Austrians in South Poland and Galicia. The Aus- trians themselves admit the loss of the towns of Jaslo and Krosno, on the South Galician Hailway, which their army from across the Carpathians re- vcaptured a week or more ago. Capture German Guns. The strength of the German lines of defense along the western battle front is indicated by a semi-official note issued at Paris in reference to artillery captured by the French in the attacks on German trenches in the Perthes region on December 24. The note says when these trenches were taken the Frnech gained posses- sion of two quick firers, several siege guns mounted on carriages, one siege mortar of 245 ‘millimetres, one gun of fifty millimetres with an armored cu- pola, and a revolving gun of thirty- seven millimetres. Fought on Christmas. London, Dec. 26—Christmas brought no‘ rest to the embattled European ar- mies. It found the Russians still fighting desperately in the snows of Poland against the fierce attacks of the German and Austrian Allies; Przemys! still in the grip of the in- vading army; the French making spas- modic thrusts againsi the long Ger- man lines of trenches in northern and northeastern France, and the British and Belgians engaged in almost hand- to-hand warfare against the German trenches in West Belgium. “In Flanders things were generally quiet,” says the German bulletin. The French report speaks of intermittent artillery firing there. The French claim several successes along the cen- mans declare that they have taken the second British trenches in Bel- sium. Both sides assert that they have repulsed attacks at various points which indicates that the feeling pro- cess is under way all along the lines. - Sleep Waiker Froze to Denver, Dec, yee e other night. Clad only derwear, and one shoe, he nN Ramona: Flores. has the dis-~ tinction of being the only female cotonel in the fexican army. The “Joan of Arc,” as she is termed, has fought in 47 battles, and was wounded twice in the warfare in Mexico. Two years ago at the outbreak of hostili- ties against Huerta, her husband and four near relatives were killed, her estate in the state of Sinaloa was confiscated and her property was destroyed. Car ranza_ gave her permission te join his ranks _and she was made a colonel and given a command of a battalion of 500 cavatrymen. HAULAGE Pe GRISIS IN MEXIGAN HISTORY Villa. Objects to New Course of Political Amnesty—He Wants “Some Revenge. Mexico City, Dec. 28.—Provisional President Gutierrez issued tonight a circular to all generals of the armies of the convention, ordering them in most explicit terms to cease all sum- mary killings, for whatsoever offense. A copy of the circular was sent to General Villa and General Zapata. The provisional president’s secre- tary gave out an interview authorised hy the chief exequtive, in which he said that General Villa objected to the circular as unnecessary, because Villa: desired to run down “the assassins” and punish them, “Two rival conventions are in the field and three rival armies are strug- gling for ascension to power. Unless some central authority is to be reeog- nized in the very near future the moet serious crisis in the history of Mexico soon will be reached. President Gutier- rez is tired of receiving the brunt of all the complaints of the foreign dip- lomats. “Only yesterday an order of the president concerning the safe conduct of Eduardo Iturbide was ignored by a commanding gerieral, who insisted en the rearrest of Iutrbide and who se- verely criticized Leon Conova, a rep- resentative of the American State De- partment, who was accompanying ~’ Iturbide to the American border. “It has come to. my knowledge, causing me both pain and displeasure, that all social classes-in this city are in a state of alarm and even panic- stricken at the continuous disappear. ance of individuals, who are kidnap- ped by night, either to exact money from them or to be murdered in some secluded place.” : MUST WITHDRAW CONSULS Washington, Dec. 29.—The German government has formally notified the American State Department that American consuls in Belgium must be acceptable to the German military authorities and that-it is desirable that some of the consuls be withdrawn for the present at least. The State De- partment has not yet taken ‘any action and is considering what action to take. —Destruction of the stamp mill the Isle Royale, Mich., Copper Min! Company by fire will cause ATR HC) ORTEGA EE TUN a Mg