| Show I I TR TRUE DE DETECTIVE STORIE I ALLEN A PINKERTON S RECORD CASE i Copyright 1920 by the Wheeler Syndicate Syndi Syndi- Syndicate cate Inc was no response to the impatient knocking on the heavy door of ot the Adams Express company's building near the end of tho Columbus 0 O Union station one night In the middle of winter There stood the train with the usual bustle and clamor preparatory to departure but the express clerk clerIc and his assistant had not made their appearance Bang Bangi Bang Bang This time John Grossman the express messenger knocked chocked harder than ever for Tor it was beginning to dawn upon him that something must be wrong wrong- A moment moment moment mo mo- ment later he tried the knob of the door To his amazement it turned easily and he stepped forward into utter darkness stumbling over boxes and packages un until until until un- un til he reached the gas jet In the center of the room Once the gas was was' lighted it was clear that something had happened something distinctly off oft the beaten track that the office was accustomed to fol fol- low Papers and parcels lay in wild confusion confusion confusion con con- fusion all aU over the floor the door of ot the safe sate stood open and the clerk and his his' assistant were lying in one corner in to a a. sort of stupor It was evident that the two men had been the chloroformed the sickening odor of the dru drug still pervaded the room room and and that the company had been robbed in spite of ot the facts that hundreds of people people people peo peo- had been Just outside the building all during the evening These circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances coupled with the fact tact that 40 was missing from the safe sate were all that Allan Pinkerton had to work upon when he reached Columbus early the following following fol fol- fol- fol lowing morning hut but It was not long be before before before be- be fore he discovered a few salient and unusual unusual unusual un un- un- un usual features about the case The details of of the robbery were obtained obtained obtained ob ob- directly from John Barker the express clerk his assistant having succumbed succumbed succumbed suc suc- to the effect of the chloroform so completely that he remembered none of ot the incidents which led up to the safe safecracking cracking According to Barker he and his assistant assistant assistant assis assis- tant were stretched out on two cots as usual about 10 30 o'clock In the evening I taking a nap before going on duty on the train which TV was as due to leave Columbus shortly after midnight I Ivas was vas awakened by what appeared tobe to tobe tobo be bo a muffled pounding or pushing at the thedoor thedoor door Barker continued n as if someone meone were t trying f ero to ct force their lr way vay In Pinkerton Pin Pin- Was Wag the door locked Inquired kerton It w was s and bolted I didn't pay any I attention to the matter because while we did have in the safe safe of ot it It in revenue stamps stamps we we had often guarded a good deal more and I 1 thought the noise had been made by someone who had stumbled against the d door or in the darkness Then before I got really awake I heard the bolt give and the next thing I 1 knew someone had pinioned my arms and I 1 caught a whiff of something something something some some- thing I 1 recognized as Chloroform I struggled but it was no use When I came cameI to Grossman s the e messenger was bending bendIng bend bend- Ing g over me a and the hs h's whole place l looked d like a cyclone had struck it The In cash was gone but they had overlooked overlooked overlooked over over- looked or deliberately left the In stamps 1 Pinkerton made no comment at the time but continued his examination of ot the room where the robbery had taken place A careful scrutiny of ot the door revealed re- re two Interesting facts the bolt I had it i sint 6 been bent as if it had N been in place a when the door wa was forced but it was bent far more than was necessary to se secure ur an entrance to the room and there were no scratches or other signs of violence on outside of the door All l the e evidence id e appeared to point tp S th the tha fact a t that the ej j Job had been on handled I from the inside and Pinkerton Immediately immediately Immediately Immedi Immedi- ordered the arrest of both Barker and his assistant The two men protested protest protest- ed their innocence but admitted that appearances appearances ap ap- were against them and seemed to be sincere In their requests that continue hI his outside In Investigation tion with a view to discovering where the money had disappeared to for It was certainly not concealed in the room Upon looking into Barkers Barker's antecedents PInkerton found that the express clerk had a brother brothel living in Chicago Chicago- o-a. o a man who was reputed to be quite wealthy ana and whom Barker Harker stated would willingly go goon goon goon on his ball bail If permitted to do BO so But Bui the Chicago branch of ot the Pinkerton agency reported that th the other Barker Banter w was as not only wealthy but was prominent Inthe in inthe inthe the life lICe of ot the underworld having marre married married mar mar- ried the daughter r of the tho proprietress tr of one of ret re t the eau most moat n notorious dives in t the elt city I Where was waa this man on the nl night ht of the Columbus robbery Allan Pinkerton erton inquired by wire Unable n t to tb obtain b definite information n ca came back the b reply but he was aJ not nl in in Chicago Trail Trait him closely and arrest arrest him the Instant he attempts to Jea leave the city were w re the telegraphed directions which fol fol- fol- fol lowed Early the following morning less than thirty six hours hour after arter the crime In Columbus Columbus Colum Colum- bus Henry Barker Darker was arrested en route to Canada and was found foune In the lining of hla his valise vaUse Later after alter having been given Riven a taste ate of the famous Pinkerton Pinker Pinker- ton silence cure be revealed the hiding place of ot the other and the details of the whole affair which he claimed his hilS brother planned The scheme was simplicity simplicity sim sim- Itself Itsel John Barker had administered administered adminis adminis- chloroform to his hi sleeping keeping assistant opened the outside door admitted his brother and opened the safe After Arter strewing papers all aU over the floor Henry Barker Darker placed a cloth saturated in chloroform over his brothers brother's nostrils stuffed the cash in his pocket and left left left- first bending back the bolt bolton on the doo door Unfortunately however he had b been en a a little too thorough in attending to this last detail and had left lett a clue which en enabled enabled enabled en- en Pinkerton to start the two men to toward toward toward to- to ward the penitentiary within forty-eight forty hours after atter the discovery of the robbery I |
