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THE HIDDEN DOOR Another of the Gray Mask Stories. \ By Wadsworth Camp. ARTH had spent an hour or 50 | on an unimpressive case, and it was nearly midnight when he turned south from the frontier of Harlem. From time to time a light snow fell. He walked for a long time, scarcely aware of the landmarks of the neigh- borhood, rehearsing thoughts which, these last few weeks, had grown fa- miliar and unpalatable. Now, as al- ways, they failed to guide him to any explanation of Nora's abrupt aban- donment of her routine. His recent visits to the flat %ad thrown him into | the hospitable hands of the inspector, who, however, had maintained an in- comprehensible silence as to his| daughter's whereabouts. Garth could | read in this attitude no antagon to his own ambitions. He was confi- dent that the result of his campaign for Nora's heart depended wholly on the girl herself. He realized it was growing late. Absent-mindedliy he turned into a side street, intending to reach 3d avenue and climb the steps of the nearest elevated station. | 1t was the discreet murmurini of a motor that routed finally his preoc- | cupation. A limousine of av uxtrava- gant type had halted to the curb at the end of the block. It poiat- ed a contrast which stirred the detec- tive's curiosity. The buildinks, with high stoopx and sunken areaways, ere of a depressing, tasteless simi- larity — doubtless cheap boarding houses or dreary converted apart ments. He saw that, while the chauf- feyr retained his seat. the door was opened from the inside and 3 tall man, in a high hat and a furi coat, which exposed an evening shirt. stepped with nervous haste to the dewalk. Garth slackened his pace. He watched with increasing _interest while the man crossed the pavement, d. instead of climbing the steps, stooped to place an object on the ound. EGarth, speculating on this uncon- ventional performance, stepped ca ually into an areaway, as if. indeed. | it was his_destination. From this} shelter he observed the outcome. After glancing quickly around the| man in evening clothes straightened. returned to_the limousine and closed | the door. The car roiled aimost si-i lently up the street. When the car nearly opposite ! him the man inside tapped on the ane. On a subdued note the chauf- feur exclaimed again, then pulled the ear to the curb and stopped it. * % ¥ ¥ O CE more the well dressed man left the limousine and crossed the sidewalk. For the second time hel bent and placed something carefully | on the ground. As the driver set his gears and let the clutch in, Garth reached through the areaway ralling and fumbled about the sidewalk for the object. His fingers found it—round, flat. hard. It was a piece of money. Garth slipped from the areaway. He held his find up to the nearest: lamp. The plece of money was al five-dollar gold picce. He glanced aleng the street. The automobile had | just swung from sight. He started Quickly after it. ‘When he turned the corner he was not surprised to find the limousine halted again, to see the young man returning from a third excursion to the house line where. doubtless. he had with an extreme anxiety placed | another piece of money. Gatfth broke into a run. the chauf- feur glanced over his shoulder and muttered quickly to the man. who sprang in. As soon as the door was closed the car started with a speed almest affirmative of flight. Garth hastened to read the license number on its rear. As he wrote it in | his pocketbook he watched the red of the tail light diminish and disappear. He walked over and picked up a 25-cent piece. Almost certainly another coin lay close to Lexington avenue, where the car has first stopped. He wanted to learn the denomination of that coin. s soon as he turned the corner he saw that ha would be too late. Breathlessly. he slipped into an area- | way and watched. ‘A singularly small figure of a man shuffied across Lexington avenue and. | as if with an assured purpose. made | for the corner stoop. The face was concealed by the turned-up collar of a diminutive overcoat and by a felt hat, drawn low over the eves. The man bent and picked up the ooin. Afterward he continued to- ward Garth, not, however, in a straight line. Garth piaced the five-dollar gold piece just outside the railing. He took his pocket lamp from his coat and held it ready. The man had evidently caught the pallid gleaming of the gold. Without Increasing his pace he shuffled across and Stooped. stretching out his hand. Garth reached through the railing. and. as the hand was about to close over the money, grasped it with all| rength. m;-l:t hld‘ been prepared for fright and for a strugsle, but scarcely for the shrill, animal ery tha rise. SR last Garth managed to wrist the small wrist so that practically he con- trolled the fellow’s moveme! ho pressed the button of hjis lamp. The'light shone mercilessly “pon an nt face. AP he skin was yellow and tight, like parchment, across the high cheek, Pones. The tiny eyes lay far back | in rounded sockets. But it was on the head, from which the hat had fallen, that Garth’s glance lingered with thehmotukdinula A queue was out it. p c“'r;l'j"did you know you'd find this money on the sidewalk?” he asked. “No talk-ee, eh? All right, little ene. Then you'll have a nice free ride downtown—just as a suspicious char- acte: ‘or & ssibility had occurred to nim trom which he shrank. Still, cince it existed. it dictated a clear enough duty. He stepped from the areaway. “Hustle along. The Chinaman was on the point of collap: Garth practically carried him to the corner. He was relieved to turn his man over at headquar- ters. He saw him placed in an empty ntion cell. deA‘: soon he he was up the next morning he telephoned the bu- reau of licenses and apparently ran his one clue into a dead wall. The limousine, he found, belonged to "Thomas Black. Garth flushed uncom- fortably.. He began to suspect that he had been guilty of an indiscre- tion, for Black, some years ago, had married the slster of Rufus Manford, whose recent selection as head of the Society of Social Justice had set in motien a cumbersome amount of self- satisfied and unusually ill-designed activity against crime. Still Garth knew that Manford was working with thé inspector now on some urgent cases about which little was said at headquarters. It was possible, then, that the trail of coins had been ar- ranged by Manford in the society's office for a purpose which his inter- ference might have destroyed. x * k¥ Bu'l' the growing day diminished the importance of the whole ad- wenture. That returned to it only when the telephone summoned him as he was about to leave his rooms. The voice that answered was gruff, disapproving. ~Jv's Ed, at headquarters. Say, m'vo'{o: me in bad. That pigtail of you sonny." Can’t make out the chief. Might be a member of his own fam- 1 ’¥“l¢ are you driving at, Ed? , What's the matter with the pigtail?” “Desd—that's all Must have done 1t right after you left. Choked him- | queue. | about the Chinaman. t greeted his jim a3 more pronounced part nts. Then | ¥ to_heaven with his bloomin® Now if he'd- had it cut off self proper. For the first time Garth entered the inspector's office with the discomfort of a culprit. Yet he could not accuse himself justly of blundering. When he opened the door he ap- preciated that there was more than that out of the way at headquarters this morning. A woman bent, ancient, poor, sat in a chair to the right of the inspector's desk. He could haz- ard no more concerning her, because of an intricately-patterned shawl which was draped over her head and nearly covered her fa “Here's a pretty mess! Why did you hands. dring him in at all? Garth threw up h 1 only brought -ance. T knew you were “How could. I tell him in are after the funny medicine ‘crowd. He WHEN IT WAS TOO LATE Was up to some queer business last night, and I thought he looked the es.” the inspector agreed, drily, he certainiy looked the type, so much 50 that I'd gamble that wizened brain of his held all I to tell me how you happened to pick him up. the inspector said. . “She won't give you away n if you have made an ass of your- rith reddened. Impulsively he turned on his heel. Later he would be ushamed, since he understood the inspector thoroughly. But for the moment he surrendered himselt to pride. The sound of the chair shoved back by the iuspector was not un- expected, nor did he fail to catch the note of apology, the appeal for terms he gruff voice. back here. Where are you oing? But jt was another voice that swung im sharply “Jim! Don't lose your temper. Garth strode to the woman. He snatched the intricately patterned shawl from her head. The face be- neath was old, stained and wrinkled; but there was no disguising the dark, young eyes which smiled up at kim. “So that's why?" he gasped. “You've done it well. Nora. Now maybe I can know something about it “Understand.” he said, “Nora doesn't tell me any too much how she's work- ing, and she's been at this off and on for a long time. She had to see me today. That's why I'm on my ear He might have You see, she’ h saved her a good deal. working on that case. “Dope!” Garth cried. “It isn't safe. I tell you she's fighting desperate people. inspector.” “Talk_to Nora. I've told her all that. When this rotten came up she would go into it on her own hook. I guess that's because she knows Manford and his high-brow, meddling society have got the dis: trict attorney behind them, and th e put it up to me hard. e thinks she's spotted the house. That's what she had to see me about. She wants a raid arranged for tonight, and she wants you ther: You must tell us.” Nora said you found the Chinaman. doubt he was one of them. Garth told his story of the man in the limousine, of the trailing oriental, of what he had learned at the bureau of licenses. Nora offered no inter- ruption, but she smiled sympathetic- ally at the inspector's rage. “They put it up to me,” he grum- bled. “Then they want to put it over me. What happens every time I work with these silk-stocKined, fur-coated societies that think they know more about vice than the police? And to think, Garth, you snitched him away trom them, then let him croak!” Nora prepared to leave. Garth fol- lowed her to the hallway. He urged her to let him share her plans, to give in the “how 've no risks. She shook her head. “It's best to let me work this alone ntil the last minute, Jim.” The day lingered interminably. ‘Whatever Nora had told her father|Deople the joy of finding it. he guarded with an unqualified stub-|don’t do such things in their right bornness. When Garth joined the in- spector in an uptown precinct house inspector’s temper with a smiling face and an insinuating conversation. A number of detectives and some men in uniform were grouped about the two. The inspector's commands were brief. At last he announced the number of the house. Garth, Manford, and the inspector led the way. Garth’s misgivings were far more profound than if the chief risk had been his own. Where was Nora now? What would such con- scienceless men do to her if they found at the last moment she was responsible for their hopeless pre- dicament? The house presented an uncommuni cative front. They climbed the step. No lights showed in the hall. The win- dows appeared to be shuttered. The inspector pulled the old-fashioned bell handle. After an undisturbed wait he tried again. Then he put his shoulder to the door. “Give a hand here, boys. ax.’ * % k% THE lock snapped under their as- < sault They stumbled through into the vestibyle. Garth choked. He was aware of fine particles of dust in his nose and his throat. They at- tacked the inner door. They burst through into a black hallwa; ‘The dust rose in clouds. The inspector snapped his flashlight ard fell back with an exclamation, disappointed and surprised. The light shone on bare floors and walls. Its power was radically di- minished by the long accumulated dust their entrance had disturbed. As far as the first floor was concerned they stodd in an empty house. MG.:IIord sneered. “Get upstairs” the inspector snarled to his “Scour e":y inch of this place. He turned to Manford. N “I'll swear they were here this afternoon. This house was uséd as a dive no later than this afternoon.” The plain-clothes men returned aj most at once. There was not a per- =on in the house—not a piece of fur- niture. The grime on the walls, the thick dust testified to its long disuse. Manford's superior wisdom ap- peared justified. “Good night, inspector.,” he drawled. “I cut the opera to take in this ex- Bring that n. | ant to know. May- | be you'll be accommodating enough business ; 'THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., JUNE ample of police efficiency. J hope my soclety, on its own initiative, will be able to make more progress with the case. At least I can lears from the police what sins to omit. The inspector, strangely, did not an- swer. Manford lighted a clgarette, grinning, and strolled down the steps. Garth grasped the inspector's arm. He drew him to one side. - “How were you so sure? he asked under his breath. ‘“Because Nora gave you this number?” “No. She had no number to give me. But this afternoon I saw her en- ter this house. I watched the door close behind her, and Garth—she has never come out.” Garth scarcely dared open his mind to full comprehension. If Nora had been directed to this deserted build- ing and admitted. it was clear that her connection with the police had been discovered. It was logically cer- tain that she had walked into an elaborately plotted ambysh. He hurried to the sidewalk where he found the inspector braced heavily against the rail. the big “What can 1 do, man asked, hoarsely. *“Chief,” he whispered, “take your men back to the station house and keep them ready. I'll telephone you there in a few minutes, fifteep or enty at the outside.” ‘What are you gaing to do, Garth?" Take one chance to et Nora back. he answered quickly, “probably say Garth?" | good-bye to New York. It was some- |thing T thought of last night. It seemed common sense to forget it this imorning. Now. I'm going to muke jsure. No time to talk." He ran swiftly west, past the house on ihe corner, where the man had left the first coin, past the areaway where |he had secreted himself last night. yinto Park avenue, always on the |course taken by the limomeine. And. when ‘he came to Black’s number he saw lights burned in the upper story of the small but expensive house. He ressed the electric button. sighing is relief. He was grimly determined to see the thing through. So when the door was opened by a sleek serv- ing-man. he did not hesitate. Garth gave him a glimpse of his badge. pushed past, and entered the, reception hall. The servant turnefl, staring at_him with insolent eyes. You'll have to get out of here. What do you mean by forcing—' “Mr. Black! Mr. Black! “Who is that? What's all this row, Arnold?” i T'm sorry. Mr. Black.” Garth said hurriedly. ~“T have to speak to you about something too important~ to | ela; He paused, embarrassed. reluctant to go on, for in the brightly lighted doorway of the living room a woman had appeared, small. with an extraor- dinary grace of figure and a face which, in a trivial, light-hearted wa: impressed him as rarely beautiful. he wore evening dress. A wrap was jdraped across her arm. ~Her resem- blance to Manford established her |identity beyond debate. “It makes no difference, John. You weren't coming any way. Ill tell Aunt Sarah why—busines 2 Garth breathed more freely. He waited until he was sure she was started for her reception or_ dance, unsuspecting the desolation he had brought into her home. Then: he swung on Black “Come in here. He indicated the llving room. Black followed with uncertain steps. The light shone on his sallow face out of which heavy eves looked dis- trustfully. “What do you want?" Black asked. ‘What does Manford want?" “Don’t trouble to sit down, Mr. Black,” Garth directed. ‘Tve little time—just enough to tell you that I'm on to you. Black. with an odd, halting motion, reached the center table. His fingers haking, he lifted a cigarette from a silver box and essayed to strike a match. The wood splintered. He fumbled aimlessly about the table. He took the unlighted cigarette from his mouth. He stammered: “Wh—what the devil do you mean?" “No use bluffing,” Garth said. “You give yourself away. But don’t get too scared. I'm the only one who knows." “Who are you?' Garth threw back his coat lapel, displaying momentarily his_badge. k's voice rose on a shrill note. t's a lle! It's a lie ' watched you last night,” he said. ‘planting money here and there—a pretty, generous fancy, just to give Men senses. I've heard of it, but the fact that you were the brother-in-law o! at 10 o'clock that evening he found |the head of an organization that wa: Manford, In evening clothes, leaning | after these cases put me off the | against the desk while he tested the track. Thought you were working for him. Now that I've had a good look at you. there's no question.” ack made a last I have my price,” Garth admitted. Black sat on the table edge. “T'll put them on to you down- town—through Manford.” “You! You'd never have the nerve. Give a police surgeon one good look at_you!” Black fumbled in one of the draw- ers. He lifted out a check book. “How much?” he asked, with dry 1i ‘Not money,” Garth said. “When 1 saw you making a fool of yourself last night,” he went onm, “you had come straight from a house you are m‘l‘g‘it:hgglt( e 1]:: tonight.” ook fluttered to the floor, “Wh—what is {t? wrilo save a woman,” Garth answered. It's enough for you to know tI they've trapped her there, and that she means too much to me—" “You mean you love her. Theén may- be you can understand. What about my wife * ¥ x ¥ LACK,” Garth said, quietly, ‘you stand a better chance of sparing your wife if you meet my price. I promise to do all I can to keep you out of the scandal. I'll get you away clean if it can be done. All I ask is that. for your wife's sake, you'll try to be & man. But now listen. By gad, if you refuse to do this thing, Il shout the thing from the housetops. T'll take you to a cell within the next i ten minutes. What about your wife then? Look at me. I'm not bluffing. I hate it, but I've no choice. It's life ;nd a.tnl;' to n:e. .tm"— since it's all 've got, I'm going to use your repu- tation to make it 1ife,” P “You do mean it. I can't do it. I tell you I can’t do it.” “t Garth: reached out and grasped the telephone. Black stumbled to his feet and tore at Garth's arm. 'What are you going to do?” “Call for a patrol wagon to drive up to your exalted home.” No, no, no! “Then you agree?” “Then I agree.” The gleam in Black's eye was re- vealing. It retarded Garth's relief. It warned him that, entering the place alone, he could be handled, as, “ perhaps, Nora had been handled. “l’l"]." get my hat and coat,” Black said. “No,” Garth answered. “From now on you'll stick to me like a brothe, He took the receiver from the tele- phone and got the inspector at the station house. While Black protested, he instructed the inspector to have & man follow Black and himself, and, no matter what house they entered, to surround that entire block and to keep 8 watch on every house front. If he could communicate in no other way, Garth promised to fire his revol- ver twice, if possible, from a front window. % Black led the way without further protest down the staircase. He crossed gait. Garth glanced back. A durk figure skulked after them. So that was all right. The Inspector would know their destination immediately. Black walked straight for the block in whith he had been at his folly last | night. But he did not pause there. He continued across Lexington ave- nue and made confidently for the de. serted, dust-filled house which just now had mocked the police. Black took a key from his pocket, and with the ease of long habit in- serted it through the obscurity in the lock of the basement door and Garth walked into the blackness with a quickening suspense. The darknexs was 8o complete that Garth had to Keep his fingers on the other's arm to avoid stumbling ARTH UNDERSTOOD THE TRICK. against the walls. Yet his guide went with a quick assurance to the rear door, which he opened with another key Black proceeded along the fence to the corner. Black stooped. Garth looked down at a rustling among the rubbish. A thin plece of flagging had opencd at his feet as if hinged like a trap-door, ' leaving visible the top of a fii rough wooden steps. B e Black stepped down and Garth fol- lowed. The steps led diagonally un- der the angle of the fence. Others rose into the corner of the adjacent yard. If this was their destination, it was neither to one side nor directly behind the empty house used as an entrance. Garth marveled at the slmvpllcll) of the contrivance, While Black carefully lowered the flag on the other side Garth glanced around. They stood in the kitchen shed of a house which, of course, faced the next street. Garth saw Black press an electric button. Almost at once the door opened a crack, but no gleam of light came through. Black muttered some- thing unintelligible to Garth and led :h‘n into dar‘kneul. Yet in spite of it e was sure it was a woma, v admitted them. man, who lisg “This way,” Black said. Garth followed, scarcely breathing. Where weuld he find Nora? How would he find her? " A door opened ahead, and at last there was a light—a subdued, brown 1ight, unhealthy ,suggestive of a mel- ancholy repose. Garth turned sharply. to inspect the woman who had followed him in. He drew back. He controlled his gasp of relief and gratitude, for it was Nora herself who had opened the door for them and who stood now on the threshold of the hall His astonishment had held him longer than was discreet. He turned !at a sound to find his conductor gone. He knew what that portended. cursed his carelessness. Nora took his arm. “What are you doing here” she whispered tensely. “Go before it's too late. I knew they suspected trouble tonight, but I never dreamed of your getting in_ here alone. Go—the way you came.” “To be scofted. away by He caught in the yard” he “That fellow's given me is time. They'll watch that exit first. He ran along the hallway. At the foot of the stairs Nora caught his arm again. ¥ “Where are you going? *“TUp there,” he answered. “I haven't the ghost of a show in this suffocat- ing basement. They'll look for me here first. They'll never let you out. He turned at the head of the stairs. A repellant Dtru not to be classified, arept into his nostrils, made him want to cough, Heavy prple hangings were draped across two doorways. “Tell me the lay-out.” he whispered. Quick! The yard isn‘t the only get- away?” Except the roof and the front,” she whispered back, “and they're locked. The head one keeps the keys. For God's sake, Jim, try to get out of this house before it's too late.” He pointed to one of the draped doorways. It was at the end of the hall, but the hall appeared to him too short. s that the front door?” She shook her head. “Only leads to the front of the house. That's planted, of course—a boarding-house. I tell you that door's locked.” “Then how can I get to a front win- dow? “Then how am I— A heavy step seemed to set the thick, brown air in lazy motion. It came’ from a nearby room. It ap- proached. Garth glanced at the pur- ple hangings, expecting them to part on one who would discipllue without meroy his presumption. “Jim! They've got you, and if they see me with you—-" She apread her arms. They know you're a detective. Your only hope ie that they shouldn't sus- pect me, and I can't lose all I've done. Hit me, Jim, Jim! ae “Nora!™ “Trust me,” she begged, “and we've a chance. They mustn't doubt me. Hit me, Jim. Take hold of me. Clap your hand over my mouth. Quick He drew back. He knew she was right, but he couldn't, all at once, bring himself to obey. UDDENLY Nora screamed. flung upon him tigerishly. “Jim!" she whispered. “Now! ‘The contact swept him with a bit- ter, distorted content. He had to force himself to grasp her shoulders, and to bend them back. Her hand rose. Scarcely understanding her intention, he saw her strike herself sharply across the face. An ugly, reddish Wk survived. 'You coward, Jim!” The curtains were wider, but al- ways, as he forced her back, he com- bated the desire to draw her closer instead, to heal with his lips the scar with which his precipitancy had ‘marked her. She cried out again.. He glanced at the curtains. He let her go, staring with a sense of loathing at a yellow, wrinkled face, which protruded from the purple, and permitted him to see, glistening above it, a braid of hair, serpent-like and perilous. The leering face was withdrawn. She the avenue with a lurching | Garth heard a low whistle modulated on an unfamiliar, minor interval. “Don’t resist them, Jim,” Nora whi pered. “I'll do what I can.” Then she turned and ran, scream- ing, through the curtains. arth dashed for the hidden door which led to the front of the house. If only he could break through there, reach a window, and signal the in- spector! But when he tore the cur- tains back he faced panels of an ex- | ceptional ~stoutness, unquestionably built to deaden sound as well as to form a competent barricade. He sur- rendered to the realization that he was caught in the heart of this evil jhouse. Tle wondered if Nora's strate- gy retarded his captors. A stealthy shuffling turned him ‘from the door, so that he faced the hall. He had heard that same sound ;1ast night when the diminutive jChinaman had approached him. He saw three of the same mold, whose queues appeared to writhe in the jbrown and stifiing light as they glid- ed along the hall, their talonlike hands outstretched. He guessed that the picture was in- tended to terrify, to impress upon {him the futility of resistance, vet | while he had his revo.ver the nuccess {of such an attack was remote. | “Stay where you are,” he said puz | zled. trying to understan; ‘ome any ! closer and.I'll shoot.” . The yellow mouths grinned. Then, iwhen it was too late, Garth under- %tood the trick. A rush of colder air back door was open. In fact, on hi | heavy tween two fires. could tur) Two leering faces were close to him, but as the revolver was wrenched from his hand, he pulled the trigger twice. With He stood be- before he ond ven to the sidewalk. They had. at least, aroused in the inspector's men on the { restless, incoherent stirring. muttered. Stey {there. A muffled bell commenced to complain. Through the curtains from i{the inner room stepped a man—a !white man with cruelly intelligent feutures. Garth realized that probably faced the head of this or- | ganization which for so long had out- witted the police. sarth laughed with bravado. “That was a signal” he said. Block's surrounded. They'll be in here before you light u joss stick Call these things or “you're as good as in the chair. Upstairs the stirrings Some one shrieked. Nora appeared at the man’s elbow. Her face was twisted with an aban- doned terror. “Men in the yard!" she gasped. Garth guessed that it was a part of her scheme to turn the hunt from him, to give him that one moment needed. And it worked. He felt his hands released. The ~Chinamen crouched along the wall, as if tr ing to conceal themselves, pititully. an effort at increased. HARACTER development” is frequently enumerated in the recruiting posters as among the numerous bene- fits to be derived from service in the Army of Uncle Sam, the inference being that after three vears of contact with | Army discipline no one could find it in | his heart to enter upon a life of crime. Without going into the merits of the War Department's contentions as to the beneficent influences of Army training, however, it may be stated without fear of successful contradiction that there are certain phases of Anny experience which may be depended upon to act as a deterrent on possible criminal inclina- tions. Any prudent cx-service man with a knowledge of modern methods of penology would hesitate to enter upon a criminal career when he recalls that the War Department hag a perfectly good record of his finger prints, nicely cata- logued and indexed and accessible upon demand to the police authorities of any city in America. In the old Ford Theater building In Washington, historic as the soene of the assassination of President Lincoln, the War Department has the finger-print records of more than 5.000.000 young Americans. This collection, which is be- lieved to be the largest of its kind in the world, is largely the result of the draft. To be sure, the War Department had maintained an identity section since 1888 and had been making finger-print records of its officers and enlisted men since 1306, but by far the greater part of the enor- mous collection consists of the imprints of men who came into contact with the selective service machinery during the world war. * % k% HE value of this collection can scarcely be estimated. Hardly a day passes that the identity section is not called upon to lend its aid in untangling a mystery. In hundreds of cases it has proved the means of identifying unknown dead in ship- wrecks, floods and railway accidents; in a number of instances the deduc- tions of its experts have resulted in the capture and conviction of murder- ers and other criminals, and on still other occaslions it has proved the means of establishing the innocence of persons who through the force of circumstantial evidence had become entangled in the mesh of suspcion. The primary purpose of the identity section of the Army is to identfy un- known dead In time of war. and to Keep undesirable ex-service men from re-enlisting under assumed names. It also has proved of great practical value in supplying soldlers with {dentification records necessary in se- curing discharges, and in addition it has proved a source of unexpected as- sistance to the police throughout the untry in identifying criminals among discharged service men. A recent example of the sort of in- quiries that are coming in almost daily is that in connection with the Carl Wanderer murder case, which for months baffled the police of Chicago. An effort was being made to identify the “Ragged Stranger,” the man ai- [ | no time to conguer locks. | formed him that thelfajled to share his scorn. his wrists were grasped. on his arm. | the great door o;‘!’enl these explosions might penetrate be- i tha one. I'm thinking. of. the house wall, mIght Carry | Sunk. too happy. to hav thick, brown twilight of the houre @ i4lipped hehind the window curtains. Voices i 7o Inspector, Manford. and a num- pattered here andiper of detectives rushed in. i i he{put his arms around her. whining | Black's urgent fingers. I 1 | { furnishings. 19, 1921—PART 4. B B e e ——————— e Garth jumped threugh the front hall. The vestibule door was locked and the key was missing. There was His op- 80 he ran portunity was limited. The window into the front room. catch baffled him. He didn't dare wait_to fumble with it. He raised his fists and crashed them through the glass. His hands, scratched and bleeding_a little, waved a frantic ap- peal. He shouted. And he heard answering_voices and the pounding of feet. He saw figures glide into view and spring up the steps. The battering _of shoulders filled the | house with a turmoil that drawned its own increasing agitation He went back to the inn’r hall. “Nora!" he called. | He pushed through che curtains | into a room fantastic with oriental Black, in a panic, had Nora in his grasp. The girl strug- | gled mutely. “Drop her. Black!" ack turned. That ends our bargain,” said_harshly. he tried to stop me,” Black quav- ered. “He's the brother-in-law,” Garth| sald scorafully. “of the very man who's been trying in his useless way fo smash this gang. What do you think of that?" * * ¥ * forward. She was Lut it was clear she As the front door yielded she put her hand Garth ' AJORA came shocked, “Have you ever seen his wife, Jim?* e asked simply. He nodded. “S8o have 1" sh “She's he's too her whole she went on. life stained by this thing. Put Garth's anger persisted. Black, however, in response to Nora's nod, et your men through the house, adviscd. ‘The Inspector motioned the men to go. He lumbered over to Nora. He An ex- cessive gratitude moistened his eyes and_thickened his voice. Thank the Lord! “Thank Jim,” she said. “although he risked everything by appearing told us more of your plans,” Garth said, “we would have worked better together. “I didn't dare.” she answered. I knew so little myself. So much de- pended on succes: Manford's fragile fingers pulled at his mustache. The humor in his eyes did not quite veil a real admiration. “Well!” he said, gayly. “Let me con- gratulate you, inspector. The police have put something worth while over —through & woman.” Garth, whose eagerness had carried him closer to the girl, noticed for the first time on her neck a brulse left by A sudden. un- reasoning temper swept him with the ty for atonement. Impulsively he burst ou “Inspector, one of the be: ‘want is behind those curtains. Nora cried oyt: i “Jim! You might have let me have | that. His wife!” | The inspector glanced from one to| the other. “What's on your mind. Nora?" Manford laughed casily. “No sentiment in this game, young woman. If we thought of the wives there'd be few arrests.” With an air of satisfaction, as if the climatie features of the raid had been | reserved for his importance, he snatched the curtains open. Biack cowered in the embrasure of the boarded window, glaring out at his, brother-in-law. He moigtened his lips. | “Don’t let them tell Anna, Bill. Manford's satisfaction, founded on a self-imposed superiority. suddenly ex. | pired. He- became rather pitifully | human. His cheeks darkened. His' inginuating antagonism for the in- spector dwindled and faltered. finally, into a passionate mendicancy. He would meet any terms to spare hi sister's entanglement in the destroy. ing ecandal. “I'm afraid you might thini tae po- lice didn’t do its duty,” the inspector said, goftly. “I just heard your own motto-—no sentiment for the wives. Garth had not shifted his glance from Nora. Her disapproval more &nd more impressed him, yel, with the bruise still eloquent on her white ck, he forced himself only with dis- te to bargain. ‘He's my prisoner, Manford. If the inspector says the word, we'll tamper with the law and get him away and home. There's one condition: He does . as I say for the next couple of years —takes any treatment I suggest “Don’t worry. I'll see to that,” Man- ford said. “It's good of you, Garth. He turned to his brother-in-law: “Are you willing, John? Black stumbled from the embrasure, ched out his hands appealingly. 1 want to—wtih all my Manford be- s you gan. The inspector moredly. “Since we're all such old friends I agree. I've never had u cgme-back yet from reading a little humanity and mercy into the law. You've a good deal to learn about police work, voung man._Let's start your educa tion now. We'll see what the boys have bagged. en the crowded police van had ora, Garth and the inspector ped into the crisp air. “Garth,” the inspector said. “you and Nora ought to have medals or something. That paleface at the head of the gang s Jerry Smith. He must have been sent on from San winked good-hu- | !illness as the pa \a cafe i ful. | courage { rescue. air. She proposed that thev walk downtown. Gaitn, cware of her Giev pleasure, scarcely dared ruggest an answer to his curinsity, but the in- spector, in a huppier mood, did not hesitate. “Maybe. Nora, you'll tell us how you got in that dive as a first-class housemaid. * % x % THERE was only onc way T could thiak of" she anewcred. “The place was bound to make cases for Bellevue, 80 1 went to the head nurse and tock her into my confi- dence. She kept me posted. At every chance 1 went there and was appar- ently ill mygelf of the same dreadful jent in the next cot. About two werks ago the head nurse telephoned me a case had come in which looked promising. I've been there since. I'll confess, the best T hoped for was the number of the ®ouse. but thiy girl grew confidential finally. She had actually worked there. When she found she cou'dn’t £0 back for a long time, and learned that 1 was about to be discharged as cured. she whixpered a telephone number 2nd a name. She said they would want somebody and it was hard to get just the right kind. T called up Iast night and told them about her and my anxiety for the place. A meeting was arranged with Smith in He wouldn't give fe the ad- dress, but he agreed 1o take me there this afternoon. You see he wouldn't ave let me out again until he w sure of me—no afternoons off thers “Clever, Nora,” the ingpector mut- | tered. She shook her head. “Only choosing the best chance. T ! knew I coudin’t trace them in any ob. vious fashion. They were too care- Few customers had the run of the place. The stuff was taken to the rest. The way they had Black followed last night to make sure he left no trail shows how they account- ed for everything. He had evidently been seen answering to that generous symptom of his before.” Garth noticed that she did not speak to him directly, but her resentment could not completely veil her relief at his safety, her appreciation of the that had urged him to her her gratitude that his daring had brought about tne end she had 5o ardently desired. He hoped, moreover, that there was about her quiet man- ner something to be followed to that necessary but imputsive moment in the brown radiance of the evil house. Yet. that {llusion she did not per- mit him to hold for long. He left the inspector and her at the flat, with an uncomfortable feeling of having failed to measure up to the idea of him she Francisco. If ther a country-wide syndicate of crime he's on the board of directors along with your old friend, Slim. “Some day.” Garth said. “that syn- dicate will be tapped properly.” N after her experience in the heavy, repellent atmosphere of the house, was anxious te remain in the RMY Identification Bureau, Located in the Old Ford Theater Building, Aids Searches i had developed. She did not mention Black again, but her reetraint per- sisted. Sooner or later. he tried to tell himself, something would destroy that — probably another case that would throw them together, that would make them depend one ‘upow the other. (Coprright, 1921.) U. S. GOVERNMENT HAS FINGER PRINTS OF FIVE MILLION MEN FILED IN RECORDS citement in America the suggestion was made, but not acted on. that a =ystem of finger printing might be used for their registration. But no departure at any time previously made is comparabl in importance with the systematized la- bors in this direction of Sir William Herschel of the British Indian civil serv- for Lost Persons by Locating Prints—Great 'ice. Finding false perconation prevalent yin all the Indian courts, he determined ito introduce the use of finger impres- i 1 | | Catalog ued. Value of the System—Peculiar Cases on Record—No Chance of Two Prints Being the Same—How the Prints Are Indexed and A FINGERPRINT HIGHLY WAGNIFIED. SIXTY-FIVE SEPARATE AND DISTINCT POINTS OF COMPARISON. THIS PRINT FURNISHES IF TWO PRINTS ARE ALIKE IN TEN PARTICULARS, THE CHANCES ARE 1,562,000 TO ONE THAT THEY WERE MADE BY THE SAME FINGER. leged to have been paid by Lieut ‘Wanderer to stage a fake hold-up, and who was shot by Wanderer while carrying out the agreement. The Chi- cago police belleved the “Ragged Strang’er” to be an ex-soldler of Mil- waukee, who was known to have served in the Army, either under his right name or that of Edward M— of Texas. Knowing that the finger- print records of every man who served in the Army since the identification system was installed were on file with the War Department, they sent the imprints of the “Ragged Stranger's” fingers to Washington for comparison. It was found upon investigation that the finger prints were different from those on record. It was found that no less than six Edward M——s had served in the Army, and that two of them were from Texas, but the finger prints of the man slain in Chicago did not tally with those of any of the M——s who had served. The peculiar significance of finger prints was well known to the ancients and persists in various superstitious and ceremonial practices, such as ‘“kissing the book™ {n connection with the taking of oaths. In 1828 Purkenje, a professor of physiology, read before the Univer- sity of Bresiau a Latin thesis on finger impressions in which he gave nine standard types and suggested a system of classification. His labors, however, failed to attract the attention they mer- ited. Francis Gaiton, the eminent so- clologist, did perhaps the greatest serv- ice in bringing to the attention of the public the great value of finger prints as a means of identification. * ¥ % ¥ HEN the immigration of the Chinese was causing s0 much ex- SCENE IN THE GOVERNMENTS IDENTIFICATION BUREAU. EACH OF THE PIGEONHOLES IN THE CABINET ALONG THE WALL CONTAINS FROM FIFTEEN TO TWENTY RECORDS., EACH RECORD FUR-|Army. INDISPUTABLE PROOF OF THE IDENYITY OF THE MAN WHO MADE THE NISHES AN ABSOLUTE AND PRINT. sion in the district of Hooghly, in Ben- gal, of which he was then in executive charge. The success of the system was }instantaneous, and {t was soon intro- duced in practically all the departmen.s of india Col. C. V. Henry, an Englishman. later became active in the extension and ap- plication of the system, and worked out what is probably the most satisfactory system of classification that has yet been dicovered. The Henry system, slightly modified, is used by the War Department in Washington. o The most philorophical treatment of the, however, ix_probably that of Franeis-Gal addition to pro- viding types and & memenclature, sug- gesting a system of, classification and examining the character and purpore of the riddges in their physiological aspect, Galton, who made uge of much of the data collected by Sir William Herschel, has discussed the all-Important question of persistence, and has proved that the details of ridges constituting the pat- terns of finger impressions persist throughout the whole period represent- ing the life of man, those found on the fingers of the new-born infant being traceable on the fingers of the same per- son in old age, and apparently effaceable only when, after death, decomposition sets in. Galton has brought together some evidence to indicate the transmissi- bility of patterns by descent, but finds that no sensible amount of co- relation exists between the patterns or impressions and the bodily facul- tles or characteristics, or that these finger markings are distinctive of race or temperament. Basing his conclusions upon exam- inatfons of many sets of prints taken at different times and covering the interval from childhood to boyhood, from boyhood to early manhood, from early manhood to middle age and from middle to extreme old age, Gal- ton has this to say as to the per- sistence of the same characteristics in finger prints throughout the life of the subject: = “As there is no sign except in one case of change during any of these four intervals, which together almost wholly cover the ordinary life of man, we are justified in inferring that between birth and death there is ab- solutely no change in. say, 699 out of 700 of the Rumerous characteristics of the markings of the fingers of the same person such as can be impressed by him wherever it is desirable to do so. Neither can there be any change after death up to the time when the skin perishes through de- composition. For example, the marks on the fingers of many Egyptian mum- mies and on the paws of stuffed monkeys still remain legible. Very good evidence and careful inquiry is thus seen to justify the popular ide: of the persistence of finger markings. There appear to be no bodily char- acteristics other than deep scars and tattoo marks comparable in their per- sistence to those markings; at the same time they are out of all pro- portion more numerous than any other measurable features. The di- mensions of the limbs and body alter in the course of growth and decay; the color, quantity and quality of the hair, the tint and quality of the skin, the number and set of the teeth, the expression of the features, the gestures, the handwriting. even the eye color changes after many ye ! There seems no persistence in the v ible parts of the body except in thosé minute and hitherto disregarded ridges.” SO usefu] has the identity section of the War Department proved. that every now and then officials are com- pelled to squelch some ambitious and mercenary sheriff who tries to make the service pay him dividends. Ordi- narily his method of operation ie He makes a ocollection of * % % % ‘War Department {dentity seow in of Walter 8 Kaye, who enjoys the distinction of having organized the first identification bue reau ever established in the Ameri Mr. Kaye, who is recognis in_the United States and abroad: XContinued on Sixth P'“’T:: both