Show x- x o- o K XH X True TrueD I D Detective t Stories l f BY PERSONS UNKNOWN t y J. o Copyright ky by 7 T The e Wh l lI tae I IT T IS IB lI absolutely essential said Raid 1 th the secretary of at treasury glanc glanc- glancing glancing ing across his desk a Q ey the tha short ruddy complexioned ra rather stout man who sat Mt nt opposite him that the person per paI son eons res responsible for these lynching at t V Versailles be arrested tried and convicted I dont don't think It Is overstating overstating over over- stating the tIle matter to say that this tills case Is more Important than any counterfeiting plot or or smuggling lIng scheme which the department has hRS ever worked on for the governor of at Indiana Indiana In In- diana has applied to the federal gov government OV for troops to handle the uprising uprising up up- rising which threatens to SW sweep p over that part of the country and the entire entire en en- nUre n tire Ure state Is la taking sides In the matter mat mat- ter Naturally we do not wish to send troops to Versailles unless It Is absolutely absolutely ab ab- necessary It would only lead to additional bloodshed and dis dis- order What we need Is someone who has the nerve nervo to go o out there In eRtI Investigate the case lage from every possible possible pos pos- sible sable angle and make a report as BS to the persons responsible for the lyn lynch lynch- h. h In lags Ings s. s That's why I sent for you The man loan on the other side of ot the desk smiled smile and tapped thoughtfully with the fore forefinger n er of ot n a hand which Indicated strength and determination of ot character Of Ot course continued the secretary secre secre- secretary tary I must warn you rou that the casIs case cas Is one that Is apt to prove pro dangerous More so 80 so In fact than anything you JOu have ever eyer attempted Compared to It the roundup of a gan gang of ot moon moon- shiners is childs child's play play for for here you will lit have to work entirely In the dark one man against practically an entire state A A. single slip would mean your death and would force the government government govern govern- ment to take steps which might lead lend to pr protracted bloodshed In HIn which case replied the tIte other ether It would be well for me to get et out outto outto outto to Versailles as soon as I can Th longer we walt wait the less chance th there r rIs Is Ie of ot success Dont Don't make any attempt attempt at at- tempt to hear from me or to locate mt me for at least a n month If It at the end endot of ot that time you haven't received In some flome kind of n a report you will know knew that they've got me But nut rye got a n hunch that they wont It was two days dars later that the train which stopped at Versailles Ind halted Just long enough to penn permit It a ft single passenger to to alight a alight a man who was short and rather plump and with n a ruddy complexion a man who r registered at the local hotel R. R as James JamesM M M. B Beck k and who allowed It to become become be be- come orne known that he was nn an Insurance trace ance a agent ent representing one of ot the the- known best-known companies In the country But Versailles as ns Beck soon discovered discovered ered was 8 1 a poor field for life Insurance insurance insurance ance at that time There was only one topic of conversation In which the natives were Interested the lynching lynching lynch lynch- ing Int of the flye prisoners who had been taken from Jail jall and murdered by byan byan I an nn Infuriated mob This coupled with open threats of at defiance against ng the governors governor's edict that the guilty men men mu must be punished kept the town In n a continual state of simmering teething seething nn unrest punctuated punctuated t by frequent state ments that any state or government official who tried to find out the names of the men Implicated In the lynching would be shot on 51 sight ht Beck apparently wasn't In the least Interested In the local turmoil turmon He ne had been heen sent to Versailles to sell ell insurance In- In and he was determined to sell It no matter how V many people he ho had to Interview The fact that he was a stranger led lcd of ot course to Immediate suspicion of his motives find and some two weeks passed before he was able to allay this About the end of ot the third week matters were vere brought to a head hend by rea reason On of ot a wire which Beck Deck sent to New York a dispatch h which was vas In code and which caused the operator to spread the report that the life lite Insurance a agent ent was a detective In dl disguise Getting wind of ot this and r realizing that he must take some mad rad radical leaf ical step to offset suspicion Beck neck approached approached ap the man who appeared to be bethe bethe bethe the leader lender of ot the trouble The ag agent nt explained to him that he was petting getting tired of at the quarters nt at the hotel hotl and wondered If It f It would be pO possible to secure lodgings In some private te house where he would be bo n ft little more comfortable Certainly said the native I Ir r reckon ckon we ve can Rn put you yon up all right An And he smiled at the thou thought ht of ot this n ml whom he suspected placing himself him him- self flU entirely entirety In his power That however how ever was precisely what B Beek l wished lid and It only took a couple of or days day of ol clever deTer acting to convince the IO local I lender leader er that he was only what he lit lit- peare d to be be n a slow low plodding and a Insurance agent It was Tn Cn Ih the tho hou house e of the mo most t dangerous citizen of at Versa Versailles es under the tile very eyes of his associates that the stranger stran- stran I Ir per ger r secured the Information he wanted i and put It together piece by piece until he bad ad nd the entire story It was n precisely a n month to the day after the conversation con In the office of the be secretary of ot the treasury when that t official received a n wire from Chi c sago capo o stating that nil all facts taets about Versailles Ver Yer- sallies sailles lynching now In hand Complete Complete Com list of at men Implicated follows b by mall mail The name signed to the wire was Wall J. J Burns Burn chief of tho the United t s 's secret e ret service u |