Show I r iTiE THE AFFAIR OF THE SPECIE VAN VANI I BY EDWARD TOWLER I u ard steamship ft New York on Satur t hundred thousand pounds r board for the Dank Bank of o Eng Engs EngI I j i c the text of a para s c the shipping column of a ar ag f g r r r I dailY ain paper that the Jf aling r His Hs single eye shot shota V 1 a like gleam eleam as he read the Twi Tw hundred thousand 1 I tn t t decent Greaser rr r sat at t by the fire The two wre fre In the smoking room tt t Blackpool and being the thet t I f the semon they were vere r ra a r took the paper from j f hi his superior ana an l read the thea theal al a ini 1 i he said there was a aI aI aI I might have havo thought the thet bb bbL t our your carving but Its an f f tn to an estancia a that you can jh the East E st Anglian Angilan bank i play compared to this k c your jour plan for I know It L enough but when In crea u 1 J have a pile big enough to toj toI j 4 I 1 know knon you have a fairish t aPlY for yourself My Iy lit D ool ten thousand now no and f Ittling down somewhere re In InT 1 T rv n getting made a J P and p g ik kc i upon as a pillar of or rural 5 UJ dU the game P f ident of ol a South American r what oat ir r said the Man Ian j g r me it an Idea I would not be beS beJ S J t Ei gJ and I could do the ruling t Mg g t Then hen there would be dollars 1 3 I will think It over oer But to toIe toI Ie I left loft New York She will be e due d at Liv Lt f r i n Saturday sp efe rc unshipped fr The specie boat train 01 ea av an for I J 1 about four fourt t n Ti ay say six They slack up g and a mile or two be bea ri a gradient nt The average speed r ill U rot root ot be b more than thirty i I lur that Is one point Get Gt GetS S I i got th map no noret n nt nor ret t T for or at a time when the One 3 Mane brain was working at high ure lie h t brooked no Interference r nap tap ap was a opened and both studied o iVy for mr some time At last the Man Ian spoke I Make lake a note he said Wire Paul to come at once Say In the telegram m In answer to ro your advertisement In the Dally Daily Telegraph call Miller Hydro Blackpool tomorrow noon Take It to the postoffice yourself Ten minutes later the Greaser re returned returned returned turned Let me see sec said the Man today Is Wednesday and It Is now 1130 You must start at once for Liver Liverpool Liverpool pool Theres a train from fron the central station at 12 On arriving at Liverpool you must find out what lights will be on the taU tall van of the special express to Euston fr m the Riverside station Take Tako mental notes no scrib scribbling scribbling scribbling bling as people might notice you of other particulars that might be of use to us and meet me here again to tonight tonight tonight night The Greaser saluted and turning on his heel left leCt the room The Man Ian continued in a brown study His fingers fing rs locked and unlocked while the end of the cigar he was smoking glowed like a furnace under the strong pulls he was tas taking After an Interval of cf an hour he rose from his chair and throw throwing throwIng throwIng ing the stump of his cigar In the grate rang the tho bell ordered a Scotch and Polly and the problem he had been studying solved enjoyed It to the full tull The Greaser returned In the evening I and together they the compared notes Its a green light Boss Boas Bo s on the last Istvan van an There will wilt be two vans a specie van and a luggage van vanSo vanSo an anSo So much the better said the One eyed Man They wont notice a van off the train for a mile mUe or two The must mut be at Shilton colliery siding gates at p m on Saturday We 0 shall unhitch the van an between Buckingham and n and switch it down the disused colliery sid sidIng Ing The points point must bo be well oiled Then we shall unload on to the ear car and make tracks for forwell well Its destination I leave Suffice it that It will not be ten miles away ava We Ve dare not n t hold that amount of stuff long but its resting place will win surprise even you yo Greaser I 1 trust you Boss laughed the Greaser Yours is the master mind Morning brought a member of the gang named Paul and his instructions were brief and to the point Paul said the Man Manyour Manyour lan your business is to go to tho the rendezvous I and give this letter to BrescI and Or 01 Orloff lolL loff They The are to ro have the we Pan hard at atthe atthe atthe the gates of the Shilton colliery siding Elding It Is disused now at p JJ m on Saturday They will see se a passenger van como cOme c mo down the siding and they must be ready Your duty Is to see ee that the switch points are In thorough work working working workIng ing order and the moment after atter you see the train go past close the points for our van will be traveling behind the malt mall and only just uncoupled You must be quick Paul for If you fail fall me we lose the tho boodle and you ou your our job Right Boss Anything further No nothing Remember upon your our quickness depends five fe thousand pounds for tor yourself If all goes well If not you yourself wll It stand In no small Jeopardy Look here Boss BosSo said Paul dont you OU fear ear r I manage the Job of the State express on the rand Grand Trunk Well Veil I smile Switch a n van yan SnaKes Its ts a fleabite Right Paul youre oure the man for lor my money mone With a brief goodnight Paul left hilt Now No Greaser Grear there is I your part in Inthis inthis this his affair Tou must m st secure g Curo a green lamp amp forth t il of the train OF signalman s sa r ln b Iff tt tall tights lights and If 1 U re missing at the first cabin passed d the th signalman would put his signals ls against it or telegraph on on and the train would bt bl b pUlled up When you OU have procured d a alamp alamp lamp amp you OU will reserve the th last carriage on the special lal for yourself and a friend who is s expected by t Af M After ter that there is 1 nothing further to be bedone bedone bedone done until the time Ume t nm tot or action There will be two men traveling traWling iu in the specie van an You must tackle one me I Ithe Ithe Ithe the other By the way way I regret that It may be necessary to tc shoot hoot the guard guardas guar guaras as we w crawl past his window for if he 1 missed the van an It would be pe all nil U C p with us However that is a detail ex ox except except for the guard The Greaser hummed a tune from tho the Beggars opera opera and built castles In Mexico with his share The guard Oh yes Well Its in his days work and he must take it as it comes Col Collision Collision might kill him any an day da DoSs Boss Greaser you are a philosopher I Idid Idid Idid did not know that trait in your our many sided character Saturday came and the Man and the Greaser both disguised had bad obtained access to the departure platform at the Riverside station Af At After After Atter ter carefully noting noUng the he coupling of the specie van an they got Into the thO reserved compartment nt next to the luggage van Just as the guard blew ble his whistle and nd the train moved moed out of the station Hurrah said the Greaser Plenty of time Heres the lamp Opening his bag ho he took out a railway lamp similar to the one on the tail tall of If the train It was ws fully prepared wick oil and everything complete Now said Id the Man hen henhe henhe he had examined It here Is my m lifting jack You will wilt see se Its principle is that used for tor lifting derailed engines You slip this under the coupling and md pump Do I crawl trawl out for the Job asked the Greaser No said the Man we na cut a hole with this thia saw and nut put the clutch t lt through U r i The he thins is lead esy sy Wo We win commence operations after atter we have bave passed Stafford Stafford was left behind and when hen henwell well out of the station the Boss sprang to his feet tee Now he said While the train was In the dark rk of the county they slipped silently out on to the foot boards of the van an The Man Ian cleared leared his hi arm for action and although the terrific force of the wind Ind and amI tn vibration of oJ the train made his progress a perilous undertaking the Iron nerve of the man never mW r flinched The Greaser clutching the tall lamp left the corn com compartment by the opposite door Creep ing along the footboard one on either r side the two reached the luggage van and the tha Greaser climbing thc steps ai at t the end of the tho th Van fixed fi ed tho the lamp he carried Into the th t without at attracting attracting attracting the thc attention of the guard Then creeping along they thc got to 10 tue w window of the th specie van ah They The gave a sharp rap on the glass and simultaneously simultaneously two tW heads appeared The rhe p carried by b the confederates cont spOt their deadly messengers and the two to guardians of the bullion fell fen limp ana lifeless on the floor of the van Letting themselves in by the aid or of their pass keys kes tile the Man lao spoke So far excellent Are they dead pointing to the two men on tire the floor The Greaser bent over oer them Stone Soon dead lead Bo Boss s replied the man Ill em In the corner out of the tho way an az ap he carried them to tho other end or of the van vu ii The Th Man Ian was gloating gl over the haul before him There Thero wore were ty boxes bOTes of minted soV and dol dot dollar dollar lar tars all his life and the murder of or two more men upon his soul goul hut ut he rocked little of that Now Greaser out with V thal tha saw and cut cut a hole a foot foot in circumference never mind the noise the train drowns that thaL Five Fire minutes was sufficient to cut cutout cutout ut I out the panelling and anci the measurement I had been correctly calculated for when wuen the piece felt fell put it was only nine Inches below bilow the coupling Then handing the to the Greaser who dropped it through the coupling chain the Man got the jack to work and found all aU In order Where are we Greaser he asked sharply Nuneaton Boss as a Ii station flashed Dashed by Good said the other Five miles mlle more to We 0 can cian travel a mile mUe under our own impetus What rate do i you think we ne are running now Sixty Boss Bos Out with your watch now tell me when two minutes have gone The Greaser watch in Ira hand counted counte t the seconds as they went nent by b Time he said Then the other seizing the handle of the Jack worked work 1 it vigorously while the Greaser reported progress Its coming its off Boss There was a clang dang as the chain halo slipped bacK and hung limp but the rOar of the train drowned the noise nole For a n minute tue way va on the van an kept kent kE t It well up with the train and then the distance widened between them Outside the night was black as ink By heaven ejaculated th the Man if Paul falls us At that mo moment moment ment meat a lurch took the van with a 11 wrench that nearly nearl caused it to leave leae the tho metals and threw them both down The Man Ian prang sprang f up u Quick Quirk on with the th brake brakes its Shilton siding that Pauls switched us over owr The Greaser threw off ate the lock han I and put on the fiand f na brake braUe And th n the van an running down don the disused she sla Ia Ing pulled up in as quiet a spot JOt as one on could wish wishOn wishOn On the country lane that ran along alongside alongside alongside side the line stood the powerful Pan lau hard with Bresci Bresel and Orloff In 11 readi readiness readiness ness nes Ostensibly built for tor eight per persons persons sons eons the whole interior of the motor as ac a Bresci Bresel described it was as built for ca caTo To transfer the bullion was the work of minutes only and Paul who had ha them was heartily greeted both by the Man and the Greaser I d da a thousand to your our share Paul sa 5 the tho former you did well Paul drawled out in inimitable Amer American AmerIcan Amerlean ican lean I guess the old cayuse nearly nea bucked you OU out when she ho took the t hurdle The Man Ian laughed We had her ber on the snaffle seattle Paul P uli Now ow lets away the van can an be J left lett ner nerThe here liere The rendezvous BOPS said saki the Greaser Where here do we make for forThe forThe The Tho canal seven miles mites away ava wa was the reply You know Yo You I had your our instructions Is all nn ready rEdy All AU is ready Boss Bosso answered the theother theother theother other with nIth a smile Then go ahead The leaped looped into the nt and in fifteen minutes had reached tue canal An Old canal boat was ws moor moon to the side with a cargo of ano an hides It was tas in charge of two men who wore the blue jerseys s typical of their class These were two of the crew ere of the Submarine The Man Ian looked at the Greaser who was lost in admiration Boss he said Its a daddy of a scheme Wheres she bound for forShe forShe forShe She can go SO from hero here to London It Greaser Grea r and in in rier r ci v t h i Ii W I ISo our Submarine So it came about that thet under U tt of cake and hide hl a dingy can an ant i i J carried two to thou inin pm in minted c en cin m without th t h ll fleet t cargo that evir pr oana eana canal host boat i arri arni down the sluggish reaches i f anal Iii I iu if river in safety tet hili Engan v scoured for the th missing ng bullion The Man and aAd the I were taken to within a mile of Stat Sta Statford Statford f fI I ford frd where whre tu th y ln the motor arid ami proceeded on o f t t i th t h railway Mo Ita Motion st tion and with ti kt marked EUM U Uto to Dublin that th t Hros i liil brought wi in II i him from London the tv two o men boarded ti tithe the night mail to Holyhead Breed Bresci 1 an anI i Orloff posing polling as all independent gentle gentleman man JOan on a pl tour went on t Chester and north alt Th The van an was wall a not missed misfit until f t fTh re retrain train arrived at Euton Then a II gr gyr gitt u t thue hue hoe and cry Cl was wal raised ra i td The new ue r greased points point and switch gave gf a ad tit titto ij to th the of tin thc m an when dt lia f light came and nd th di ver at ihn hii f ton siding elding the enormity of an another another another other mysterious the second tr tra f f a long Ions Ut which made the tho country countr I i J with Ith Indignation and an terrorized Mi 1 more timid section of the population Meanwhile Scotland Yard wa was U n t f tidle t idle and d the tory story of the first Mit encounter t tw tn between an official of the criminal investigation department and the On Or eyed Man Yan made thrilling reading w h r some time later on It appeared d In t papers M Next week cicek The Detectives D fl an n exciting tale of how th in Man outwitted the f t of the law Copyright 6 bv by b the National Press Pren I t |