Show oooo oo o o 0 oo o o oc se sere secret re 1 service serviceman mm eMam and elusive elu s ve C ginunas nal tile the most pecullar peculiar experience in ili all my professional career said the secret service man cecur occurred redin in a small but ambitious city in ili missouri I 1 do not believe I 1 ever related all tho the particulars tic ulars even evento to my most intimate td friends and I 1 am my official reports failed to relate the story atory in its entirety 1 I was in search of a young man who was wanted for using the malls mails to defraud and I 1 had reason to believe that lie he was vas hiding in this little missouri city I 1 had not traced him to the place but I 1 based my belief on my knowledg knowledge D o of at his lia habits bits coupled with the info information that lie he had relatives 1 in n M so I 1 took two tw onion men and went to M to invest investigate 1 ate we put up at an obscure lodging zd house and I 1 made cautious inquiries I 1 found many who were well acquainted with the man mah I 1 was after for ho he had been a frequent visitor in the tha place but none 0 of f them thein had seen him for several months moreover I 1 learned that the relatives who I 1 had beetled been led to believe were conc concealing ealin him were the mayor of the city and ills his family now the mayor aside from having an excellent reputation for lionor honor and honesty was one of the leading politicians of the state firmly believing that the mayor was harboring 11 a criminal I 1 dare not let him know that I 1 even suspected such I 1 a thing unless 1 I was absolutely certain that such was the tha fact for if I 1 was prong boag roag alip the mayar il who iio very 1 1 naturally 1 would feel highly indignant ht at me would doubtless take such action as would certainly result asu feln in my losing my official head still my sixth sense to told ld me thail that I 1 had my man located and I 1 have always found my sixth sense unerring in my ex errity I 1 enlisted the aid of a man and his wife in whom 1 I knew I 1 could place implicit confidence and to them I 1 explained the situation they wa opre re neighbors of the maiorand may mayor orand and his family and they agreed to assist me following my illy suggestion 0 the husband band called upon the mayor at his oft me 0 o and tile the wife called upon the fai fayly ay iy at their home at the file same lio j of the day thus separately and apa f the mayor and his wife were casually questioned about their nephew who it was rumored was v visiting them both expressed genuine surprise at the question and both with all the semblance of candor and truthfulness denied that they had seen the nephew for several months the woman whose services I 1 had secured went even further with great adroitness she obtained permission to examine 0 very every room in the house tinder pretense of inspecting the arrangements odthe of the building but she saw not tile the slightest thin thing t to indicate that anyone was in hiding boys said 1 I 1 I 1 am positive the ilic man is in that house and I 1 am going to find him I 1 intend to burglarize but clarize the place tonight if I 1 am dis discovered covered I 1 shall make my escape and they will not suspect that their nocturnal visitor was other than a thief well vin I 1 carried ont my pian pi an i waited after midnight for I 1 dijk 11 wit I 1 ell I 1 found myself I 1 in n 4 a parlor knew the family kept late hours and I 1 naturally desired that they th e y should be exceedingly 0 sound asleep the jovn lad had Infer inferior loi police protection rind and I 1 knew new I 1 had little to fear in that elroc d arc tion ion I 1 left my assistant at our lod lc dir house for I 1 bel believed loved I 1 could best es cape detection by going alone it was as dark as tho the ace of za spa 1 11 io when I 1 finally approached a window winda c the house nor was there any I 1 gh n within vi thin cautiously I 1 open opened edthe the blinn bibi and carefully lifted out them the acl then taking tho jimmy jimm y with wh i c had provided myself rny self I 1 slipped it itz nn en under tinder tile sash and gayo a suj s ul wrench vr ench the latch ana ped with a report like a pistol shot I 1 crouched in the dark darkness hess until I 1 was satisfied 1 no one had been aroused then I removed my shoes raised the window I 1 antl and plumbed in If I lound found myself in the parlor noiselessly I 1 inspected the roomi room flashing the he light 1 from my dark lantern into every corner from there I 1 passed to theather thep ther roams on the ground floor opening every door and peering into eve every y possible hidi hiding R place then rhen I 1 ascended the stairs on the second floor I 1 found four rooms in bno the mayor and his wife were I 1 flashed the light in their faces out but they did not awaken I 1 walked around the room looked under their bod bed and in the closets from there I 1 passed into another room where two small children were v ere sleeping t I 1 stood a moment and watched them in the third room I 1 found a young man he was the mayors son I 1 kept the aig light gh t in his face a ion long ta time I 1 even turned him over on his back that I 1 might examine ills features the more carefully for he slightly resembled the one for whom I 1 searched but lie he slept soundly in the last room I 1 found the family servants sleeping the sleep of the he weary I 1 opened a door and discovered some narrow wl vinding anding stairs leading to an all attic TJ tonao i croat ta alv creaked loudly but no na buozas ono was aroused at tiro the 2 E 21 N I 1 H he e was vas the man I 1 vi wanted anted top I 1 found a large room lighted b r a window atone end at tile the ond end opposite to the there was a board partition it had a doorway but no door I 1 hashed flashed wy light through it and saw piles of 0 broken brokell f furniture urn iture and bric a brac s scattered catt ered about I 1 made my way way around these and came presently upon a dilapidated bed and on the bed was a man maii he was sound asleep the covers were drawn over his hea I leaving only ills his hair visible I 1 p an ii i 1 back bach the covers and flashed the light in his face he he was the man I 1 wanted it was not yet daylight and J i thought courtesy forbade that I 1 should disturb th the family at that unseemly hour so I 1 decided to wait until the household should awaken I 1 sat on the side elde of tha bed in silence and soon became drowsy for many da days ys antl nights I 1 had watched the house unceasingly cea singly and was nearly exhausted when I 1 found it difficult to longer remain awake I 1 decided to yield to 0 tho the caresses of but first I 1 carefully slipped a pair of handcuffs s on my prisoner then 1 I lay down by ills his side and with one hand grappin gr grasping aspin the chain I 1 fell asleep the old secret service service man lapsed ido silence while a mischievous glimmer bri brightened his eyes and a broad grin crept slowly across ills his good natured face then he continued with a chuckle well when 1 I awoke the sunlight was streaming through the window I 1 was alone and handcuffed to the bed my prisoner was gone I 1 never saw him again presently the mayor conio camo nn ni the stairs he was surprised to see me but I 1 explained matters and we both lau laughed ailed I 1 promised to keep his secret et and he agreed z to keep heep mine he secured a file and released me ine and I 1 returned to the lodging house where my assistants were waltin waiting 0 boys I 1 said truthfully hels he is not tb there ere philadelphia ledger |