rrasPTSw-" " VST V ' i -v " THE PITTSBURG DISPATCH. THIRD PART. PAGES 17 TO 20. y ft f H F In theEognes' Gallery of Uncle Sam's Treasury. HANDLING BOGUS MONEY. Thirty Thousand Dollars in Bad Bills Sewed in a Skirt. X.ADY COUNTERS AS DETECTIVES MANY FEMALE C fCOEESrOvDECE OF THE DIsrATCII.1 Washington, May 3. 5 hat mighty ills hare tt, -s not been done by woman? Who was't betray'd the Capitol? A woman! Who lost Mark Antony the world? A womanl Who was the cause of a long ten years war, And laid at last old Troy In ashes? Womanl Destructive, damnable, deceitful womanl There are few crimes so great that women are not mixed up in them and there are none so small that woman has not had her share in their origin. This is true with counterfeit ing, and the Rogues' Gallery of the Treas ury contains scores of female faces. Old women and young girls look out of the frames surrounded hy the most noted counterfeiters of the world, and a Psyche or a "Venus shows forth in a group ot women more horrible than the witch of Endor. Some of the women are mothers, and a few have babies in their arms. Most of them are intelligent women, and a few might pass for literary characters. The ma jority, however, have a cunning, depraved look abont their faces, and the elderly ones among them have crows' feet at their eyes and the wrinkles of fear and care in their foreheads. Uearly every gang of counterfeiters has one or more women connected with it. They are much more successful than men in put ting the stuff on the market, and they can pass a bad bill or a counterfeit coin ten times where men can pass them once. Counterfeiting is of such a nature that it can only be carried on in secret, and as a rule whole families are mixed up in iC Colonel Brooks, the old head of the Secret Service, Ann McCormick and Annie Kelly, FAMOUS SHOVEBS Or TIIE QUEER. once told me that he found that counter feiters ran in families, and that the making of the "queer" and passing it was done by father and son, daughter and mother, through generation after generation. THIRTY THOUSAND IN A SKIRT. The wives of counterfeiters are most fre quently used as the passers of the money for there are few women who possess the requisite skill to engrave a counterfeit bill. They are very cunning, however, in passing them and they are less suspected than the men. It was on this account that Kusso, the great Italian counterfeiter who is now awaiting trial, tried to force his wife to put his counterfeit certificates on the market. He had 50,000 of these certificates which he made in Pans, and he had been in prison a number of times before for counterfeiting. His wife had helped him to pass his counter feit money and she was with him when they left this country and started for London to get up the stuff for a new raid upon the public They left America in 1887, and gave their friends to understand that they were going to California. In fact, however, they sailed for London, and there found the Italian en graver with whom they plotted to make this money. Mrs. Itusso could t.ilk French as well as she could talk Italian an J they made Paris their workshop. After they had en graved the plates and struck off ?30,U00 they started for America. Mrs. Russo was afraid to carry the money, but Kusso said he wouldniurder her if she did not, so she made a gingham skirt fitted with pockets, And in this she stuffed away the money and carried it to London., She was badly fright ened by meeting so many customs'omVers, and when she got to London she refused to go any further. chloroformed nis wipe. The engraver then advised Russo to kill her, but Kusso chlorolormed her one night When sne was asleep and robbed her of all her money and jeweliy. He and the en graver then sailed for "the United States, leaving her a pauoer in London. In some way or other Mrs. Kusso got enough money to come to America. She looked up her husband and threatened to expose him un less she was taken into the gang and given a share of the proceeds. In companv with Busso she then began to put out the "oueer." New York Citv was soon floodi-d with it, and tiiey passed bills at 13 stores in one day. They were shadowed, however, by the Secret Service detectives, were followed home and were arrested. A number of counterfeits were found upon them, and upon trial they pleaded guilty. Busso was given 12 years and his wife four years, and an attempt is now being made for a new trial ou accouut of Russo's simple-mindedness and poor health. The detectives of the Treasury s.y that this is all a sham, and they state that Busso is one of the sharpest counterfeiters in the country and that his wife is not far behind him. Both Busso and his wife are Italians, and Italians are the most cunning counterfeiters among the foreigners who are engaged in the business in the United States. During the past year 1(35 foreigners were arrested for counterfeiting, and of these 76 were Italians. In all there were 437 counterfeiters arrested, and 206, or not quite half, of these were ot American birth, 20 were Germans, 18 were negroes, two were Greeks and one was a Chinaman. KELSON DEIGGS -WIPE. One of the most dangerous counterfeiters now nnder arrest is Nelson Driggs, and his wife has been implicated in his crimes. He has altogether put about n quarter of a million of dollars into circulation, and he has a history which reads like a romance. He began his work as far back as 1845, when be had a little variety store in au Ohio village and there put out bad banknotes until he was forced t to leave. In 1853 he was arrested in Chicago with tn nnn ,d. oT State bank notes on his person and.ws sent to the penitentiary on a sentence for ten years. He was pardoned after a time and shortly after he got out he began to counter feit again, and was sent to prison for counterfeiting in Minnesota and Iowa. He reduced his term by good behavior and as soon as he got out began the old business and was caught in Illinois. At the time he was captured 5100,000 in counterfeit money were found buried in the woods near the place where he was taken and his wife was with him. She was ar rested as his accomplice, and it appears that the two fell in love with each other when in jail at Cincinnati. They got married as soon as they were released, and she was a valuable assistant to her lotmg husband. She will probably go to the penitentiary with him after the trial has come off. A KING AND HI3 QUEEN. In the annals of Treasury crime there is no more noted counterfeiter than Pete Mc Cartney, and, lite Driggs, his wife has been his chief assistant. His lost arrest was for raising one dollar bills to fifties. He took the "50" figures from a tobacco stamp and by pasting these over the "ones" was able to make them look for all the world like 550 bills. He passed a number of these, and he also raised 2 bills to twenties. He has been a counter feiter all his life, and Qe has had a career which would make a dozen dime novels. He has reformed a number of times, and his wife, who was engaged with him in counter feiting lor a long time, plead with him to give up the business. He would not do so, however, and she went in with him. It was through her that be often escaped Almirinda Boyd. Lucy IngenolL Rosa Russo. Catherine Bianealini. Mary E. Hardin. NOTED FEXALE COUNTERFEITERS. from prison. In 1S66, when he was in jail at Springfield, 111., she appeared on the scene with S2.000 in her pocket. A week later McCartney's cell door was found open and he and his wife had disappeared. It was supposed that the sheriff had been bribed. After this McCartney became a photographer, and later on opened a livery stable at Matloon, III. One day a secret service agent came to hire a team and Mc Cartney recognized him. He made some exense, and taking all the money from the cash drawer skipped out the back door of bis livery stable and escaped. ONE OF THE FAMOUS GANGS. At another time he was running a counter feit workshop in an old log cabin in the lit tle town of Osgood, Ind., and Mrs. Mc Cartney was helping him. There were two other womeu connected with the gang and among its members were Fred. Biebuscb, a capitalist of St. Louis, and an old man named Levi and his son. These two latter were determined counterfeiters and the whole Levi family engaged in counterfeiting. When the old man died one of the girls pre sided over the establishment. She was robust and handsome and a daring manipu lator of bogus money. She was very lady like, I am told, and her bright blue eyes gave no evidence of the secrets which she carried. "With this gang Pete McCartney and his wife stayed for some time, and in 1870 he was arrested with a great lot of bogus money on his person. He escaped again and shortly after this he was again arrested and taken into thesame Springfield jail from which he had escaped. "While he was here one of the chief de tectives of the Secret Service called upon him and had an interview with him. Dur ing the interview McCartney said: "You don't intend to leave me here, do you?" "Yes, I do," said the detective. "Well," replied McCartney, "I can get out of here easy enough. I have done it before and 1 can do it jgain. At this the detective laughed, but Mc Cartney inquired his hotel and room and said he would return the call that evening. At 10 o'clock that night the detective, it is said, heard a quiet rap at the door. A DETECTITE SURPRISED. "Come in," he called, and McCartnev entered. The detective sprang to his feet and covered his visitor with obis revolver, but McCartney quietly said: "I merely called to pay my respects and I am going back. You do not need to shoot me." The greatest caution had to be exercised in the care of McCartney at this time and he was usually searched jf'ter his wife had paid him a visit. At one time after she left a small bar of lead was found upon him and he would probably have escaped "had this not been discovered. One of his former escapeshe had n.ade by means of the tin foil which was wrapped around his chewing tobacco. He had pressed it into shape and in some way had managed to get out by Weapon of Counterfellert. means of it. At another time, he disguised himself as an old man and a third time he escaped while in the keeping of two United States marshals. A reward of half a million dollars was once offered for him, but he was not found, and when he was arrested six months Inter this reward had been withdrawn, and only 1,000 was standing. McCartney paid his captors 52,600 to get off and thus obtained hli freedom. He was captured in Indiana some years ago and put in the penitentiary, and it was here that he had to serve out his sentence. His term was 15 years, but he got something off for good behavior. Dur ing bis imprisonment he offered the mar shal $1,700 for a steel saw, but' the official was honest and would not give to him. A MAN OF WONDERFUL PARTS. McCartney at one time lectured ou coun terfeiting and he acted the part of the re formed counterfeiter. He announced that 11 JL h II fl I he had abandoned his trad and was going to be a good boy for the rest of his life. He passed out counterfeit bills to the people who bought his tickets, however, and he supplied other counterfeiters with plates which he engraved on the sly. He was a man of wonderful parts and during his life acted as an artist, a miner, a livery stable keeper, practiced medicine and acted as a commercial traveler. He came of a family of counterfeiters and his brother-in-law, Miles Ogle, was a noted counterfeiter. His grandfather, father and brother had all been engaged in counter feiting and his first experiments were as a boy in changing one dollar bills to tens. He was connected with another noted coun terfeiter named Ben Boyd, and he had a number of women acquaintances who were counterfeiters. ''Among these were the Ackerman girls, Martha Ann and Alnii tanda. Mrs. Ackerman was the widow of a counterfeiter and her daughters were both bright and skillful and Martha Ann had been engaged in printing counterfeit bills in her lather's house when she was only 11 years of age. McCartney fell in love with Martha Ann and married her and it was this same girl who so often aided him in his escapes above mentioned. A FAMILY OF COUNTEEFEITEES. His mother-in-law married again, and her new husband was a counterfeiter. The re sult was that all of his family connections were professionals. Almiranda Ackerman, who had also been engaged in the business, married Ben Boyd, and she was connected with him and his interesting career. It was from Ben Boyd that McCartney learned how to engrave, and he was apprenticed to him as a boy. Ben Boyd was associated with him in most of his schemes, and the two sisters who helped their father and mother in their counterfeiting schemes, worked to gether in aiding their husbands. The making of counterfeit money requires a number of processes, and the women con nected with the families have much to do with it. The money is not as a rule passed out just as it comes from the press. It is desirable to make the bills look old and to give them the appearance of having been handled. They are sometimes dipped in weak coffee to give them a brownish tint. Oil mixed with dirt is used to produce the finger marks and the bills are rubbed this way and that until they are soft and lose their rustling nature. It is a great deal easier to pass an old counterfeit bill than a new one, and the work of making the bills is no light matter. One of the Secret Ser vice officials tells me that it REQUIRES EIGHT MONTHS to get up a counterfeit note that will have any chance of passing. The engraving must be done by an expert, and a good counter frit plate will sell to the shovers or the queer for hundreds of dollars. I looked over the scrap-books of noted counterfeiters to-day, and I was shown some bills the au thors of which have never been discovered. One of the best counterfeits in existence is a 20-greenback, and it is not known whether it was made by a man or a woman. It is not engraved, but it is drawn entirely with a pen, every line and dot with all the shades black and red of the regular $20 hill are seen upon it, and the Treasury Department has been searching for years for its maker. It often goes through many hands before it is detected. The rogues' gallery has a number of faces of women who have been arrested for shov ing bogus silver dollars. One of the most striking of these is Anne Kelly whose face shows that a nip of flesh has been taken out of her nose, the work of her counterfeiting husband during a fracas over the spoils. Anne Kelly was only 28 years old when she was arrested in 1887 and he is now serving a four years' sentence in the Monroe coanty jail. She had been making silver miliars and when arrested she had some counterfeits in her pocket and a number of bogus dol lars were found in her house. One hundred and thirteen bad dollars were hidden away in a bureau drawer and these were in an un finished condition. Allthe tools of counterfeiting were found in herTdonj's and it seems that she was both making money and passing it. The usual method is that the counterfeiters do not pass their own product. They sell the stuff to others who pay about 25 cents on the dollar for it. Great quantities of these bogus dol lars .are captured by the Treasury I art nicnt and though in some few cases v.i. lble metals are used, as a rule the counterfeits arc made up of the poorest stuff and the mixture is not worth the trouble of assaying. COMPOSITION OF BOGUS DOLLARS. Antimonr, block tin, pulverized glass and sheet silver are the principal elements of a counterfeit dollar, and the greater part of those struck off are made from molds taken from a genuine dollar in plaster of paris. The milling is the most difficult process, and it is very rarely that a counter feit dollar has milled edges lree from flaws. Some silver is alwajs used, and the way is to take sheet silver and plate the coins. Silver-plated spoons are often used, and the silver Irom these is taken off by an electric battery, nnd by means of electricity is placed upon the com. The base metal of the spoons is then used as a part of the material for other coins, and the cost of making hpse bogus aouars is pracucauy noming. The old trade dollar was counterfeited a number of times, and one of the leading passers was Mrs. Annie McCormick, who has served her term in the penitentiary, and is now at liberty. Her husband was a noted counter feiter, and he is still in jail. , Gold coin is seldom counterfeited, for the reason that it takes some gold to run the business and the machinery for doing the work is expensive. Gold coins must be made Irom dies and not cast and, while al most any mechanic can make a silver dollar, it takes a cood deal ot an srtift to get up a counterfeit 5 gold piece. DANGEROUS GOLD COINS. I am told that only one bogus 20 gold piece has ever been discovered and this bears the date of 1850. In this case a genuine double eagle was split in two ana as much gold as possible wjs scooped out of the in side of it. .Other metal was then put in to make up the weight and the coin was then put together again. It was a filled coin rather than n counterfeit and was actually worth about 57. Several $10 gold piece's have been counterfeited and the most dan gerous is that of 1817. The first S5 cold piece was issued in 1850 and about 22 other issues have appeared since then. The most skillful counteneits in gold that were ever made are dated 1882. The Chinese are adepts at filling gold coin and they will take 1,000 silver dollars and get a grain or so out of each one and think they are making money bypassing them again. Women have little' to do in the filling of coin and such filled coins as are in circula tion are made by men. The Secret Service Department ot the Treasury has Irequently to use women as detectives or assistants to other detectives. Many of the counterfeits arc detected right here in the Treasury De partment and the lady counters of the Xrea; ury surpass the bank'cashiers in their delicacy; of touch and the accuracy with which tbeypass upon the genuineness of a bill. AU bank notes are strained through the tellers aud cashiers ot the various banks before they come here and these girls pass upon the" strainings. They note to an atom just how the paper on which the bank notes are printed should feel and I have heard it said that there is one girl in the treasury who once detected a counterfeit in the middle of a pile of money six inches thick by merely seeing the thin edge of it. This mav not be true, but equally wonderful things happen in this big money mill every day. These counters get'only $75 a month, and many of them save the Government more than that in the counterfeits which they detect in a week. Women have to do with destroying the bad bills, and all counterfeits which once get into the Treasury 'never get out again. The letters "Bad" are punched into them by a patent punching machine over which a woman presides, and the American female thus acts here as the god dess of justice as she does outside among these girgs of thieves as the goddess of vice. Miss Grundy, Jb, PHTSBTJKG, SUNDAY, MAT 4, 1890. A LAUNDRESS' HAYOC. Her Habit of Mixing Up Her Contri butions Caused a Tragedy! A HEAYY VILLAIN EXTINGUISHED. She Gaye Mm a Blgr Han's Shirt and Ho Disappeared in its Folds. THE UNDEEffEAE PCZZLED A CORONER rWBUTEJt TOK THE DISPATCH. Tlate washerwoman was a humorist She had a fine idea of the anatomy of a joke. Half the se cret of humorous work is in skillful combining of the incongruous. This makes other people laugh. The second half ot the secret is in selling the pro duction for more than it is worth. This makes the hu morist laugh. My late washer woman had a large grasp of both these necessary elements. I don't think I ever laughed so painfully in my life as I did when I endeavored to sort out the first week's washing which she brought home to me. There were 13 stockings of different hues in the bundle, and I had never seen any or them before. They ranged in size all the way from a little one belonging to my landlady's infant phenomenon up to the stocking which she herself used to hang on the chimney piece ot her home in Chicago every Christmas, as a delicate hint to her husband that she would like a piano for a present. SEARCHING FOR FRAGMENTS. When I called my late washerwoman's attention to the peculiar, job lot she had brought me she apologized, and said that she would go around among her other cus tomers and collect my property, even if they had to go barefoot while she was finding theirs. After this tour she brought me 11 stockings of much better Quality than the original 13, but only 3 of them were mates and none of them were mine. And the wash, taken altogether, was decorated with nearly all the names and initials in the directory. And then her bills! They weie something magnificent. She would tear a gar ment in two in order to get an extra "piece" into the list, and when it couldn't be conveniently brought up to a satisfactory figure in that way she Leaving a Trail. would put in imaginary articles and prom ise to bring them when she came next time. It used to amuse me to see her get away after collecting one of these bills. At such times she would be in such a hurry that the soiled clothes she was carrying away in her basket couldn't keep up with the pro cession aud would be strung along in her wake like wreckage in the track ot a storm. I once traced her for ten cross-ton n blocks in this way, when I had forgotten to in quire whether she could recover one of my dress shirts in time for an evening recep tion. SHE KILLED A MAN. And speaking of that reminds me of the the entertaining tragedy, which is the ex cuse for this narrative". Eight across the hall from me, in bachelor quarters similar to mine, lived a young man of diminutive stature, whose name t as Sydney Dale. I was all the time getting his clothes, and he was getting mine. This was bad enough for him, but it was worse for me, because, while he could wear mv clothes by taking three or four reefs in them, I couldn't get into hi3 with a search warrant and a file of police. Our washerwoman used to work this ex- change so frequently that, after awhile, when either of us hadto dress in a hurry we usually found it most convenient to do so in the other's room. One evening Sydney had an engagement to play the heavy villain in an amateur theatrical 'performance. As I subsequently learned, he got to his room in a great hurry, with about 20 minutes' time to get into a dress suit and escape to the scene of his his trionic triumphs. By this time his stock of underwear had been very nearly exhausted by the depredations of our washerwoman, and he discovered, to his horror, that he had only one dress shirt in stork and that was mine. It called for a No. 16 collar and the sleeves were abont a foot too long. They say that Svdney was almost the maddest man that had ever been seen or heard in the Capricornns Flats. It happened that I wai awa) and the door of my room was locked so that he couldn't extend his search for raiment beyond the boundaries of his own apartment. He had to make the best of it. and pin up my sleeves to the required length as securely as might be. HIS ONLY HOPE. I attended the performance, and was well repaid for my trouble. J ust before the cur tain went up an nsher brought me a note A ( f Silt .; Sorting Clolhet. to come to the dressing room. I did so. "Old mn,, cmid he. in an excited tone of voice, "have you any of mv clothes on?" "Only a few," I replied, "and I don't think they're what you want" "Don't tell me that shirt isn't mine," he cried, "it's the last chance I've got." "Sorry for you, old fellow," said I, "but it belongs to a gentleman named Smitzber ger, who lives in our block somewhere, I understand." "How big a man is Smitzberger?" he fal tered. , "Taller than I am," I replied, "and nearly four times as big round. He has got to get his collars mide to order. It's non sense, my boy; you'll have to go on as you are." He groaned; but just at that minute the curtain went up and Sydney bad to take his place in the wings, I returned to my seat in the audience. Sydney got along very well in the early part of the play, and I think nobody noticed that nnything was the matter except once, when he sat down and half bis face went out of sight behind his collar. This created some amusement, and led the audience to hope that something funny might happen later on. It did. As I remember, it was in the fourth act. The villain is always especially offensive and pitiless about this time, when his down- The Latt Scene. fall is drawing so near. The heroine was kneeling at his feet begging him to be merci ful, and not to disclose the fatal secret that would blast her father's good name and send a large detachment of innocent victims to various terms in State's prison. Sydney always liked that scene because the heroine was on her knees and the audience couldn't see how much taller she was than himself. He put on his most heartless frown, and threw out his right arm with a gesture ex pressive of boundless ferocity. Unfortu nately he threw it out a little "too violently. A pin gave way somewhere, and apparently about a yard of my shirt sleeve flew out from nnder cover and then fell limp around his hand. Just then the hero rushed in to the rescue. He was a somewhat spasmodic voung man, ana ne seized Sydney by the back ot the neck so realistically that he pulled tho number 16 collar entirely over Sydney's head, and the unfortunate young man disappeared entirely in the foldsof my too ample garment. The audience applauded wildly. They had probably never seen a stage villain so completely and satisfactorily wiped out. He had withdrawn into his shell. The e'ltire company was called before the curtain before the assembled multitude would stop laughing. a 'perplexed coroner. But poor Sydney never recovered from the humiliation of that episode. He disap peared, and I did not know what had be opme of him. Several days later I received a note from a coroner. He had only recently been naturalized. He asked me to call at the morgue and see if a body lying there was mine. I was suspected of being the remains because my name had been found on the shirt of the deceased. He added a request that I would hand the note to one of my rela tives in case I had really committed suicide as he suspected, in order that I might be identified at the earliest possible moment. In JS"ew York public documents of this nature are frequently confusing, espe cially when they have to do with legal formalities. However, I went to the morgue and inspected the shirt with my name on it. I also saw a stocking marked T. M. Jones, and another, much smaller, stamped A. D. T. The collar ot the deceased was marked It. D and the cuffs respectively P. D. Q. and John Brown. Three handkerchiefs in the pock ets of the remains bore nine different in itials, and the Coroner didn't seem to know just how many inquests he ought to hold. He was really perplexed. But I was not. I recognized the handi work ot my washerwoman, and when I gazed upon the face of the dead I was not surprised to find that it was Sydney Dale's. HO-WARD "FIELDING. as nrarocEKT fishehhah'. lie Illustrates How Tront Can bo Taken Bnckvmrds and Fills Hli Creek New York Herald. I had been fishing all day with indifferent success, hid taken numerous tumbles, and was wet from the soles of my feet to the nape of my neck; my flask was empty and my fish basket so nearly so that it was no fun at all to return to the hotel and suffer the slings and arrows of my fellow boarders. In the dusk of the evening I halted by a way side tavern, with a large drinking fountain in front, and happening to look into it I saw several fine fat, speckled trout beauties they were half pounders and pounders, and jvst enough to fill my creel to the bursting point. I looked at them carefully to see that they were not branded with the name of anybody, and when I found that they were not I turned my back upon the trough and fell into an abstracted mood wondering how I could catch them. Insensibly to myself, of course, my line with baited hook attached fll iutothe fountain. Suddenly I 'felt a ts nhc tugging and wrenching as if some mi was trying to take my pole away from me. I seized it valiantly, and the next I knew a fine fat trout lay gasping and somer saulting on the highway, I looked around to see that no one was looking and hastily transferred the beauty to my basket, and in a moment or two I was off in another fit of abstraction with my back to the fountain. That night I had the boarders green with envy. I did hear that the landlord of a cer tain wayside inn indulged in a terrific shear ing bee next morning, and said something abont city thieves and blackguards. sxrrrsTEOKE and memoet. Ouo Victim Could Not Tell Who Ho Wns for Fonr Dots After tho Attack. Prof. H. S. "Wood, in The Century for May, says: "During the Centennial Exhi bition a big, burly Scotchman was brought to the hospital unconscious from sunstroke. I plunged him into a mass of slush and water and piled great masses of ice about his head. As he gradually struggled back to consciousness, his first sensation was that he was packed away in nn ice-box and doomed. "When he came more fully to himself his first inquiry was. 'Who am I?' I said, Who are you?' This ho could not answer. For four days that man lay in the hospital, apparently perlectly rational, wondering who he was. During all this time his friends were searching, and had detectives looking for him all through Philadelphia. At last his recollection came back, and he was able to give his name." from Svdnev. asking me A ROMANCE OP RUSSIA AND SIBERIA. BY PRINCE JOSEF LUBOMIRSKI, Author of "Safer-Hadji, a Story of Turkistan," Etc. TBAH3LATBD FROM THE RUSSIAN FOR THE DISPATCH BY META DE VERA. SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. The story opens In St Petersburg with an Interview between Colonel Palkfn, aid-de-camp of the head of the gendarmes, and Mr. Onophri Schelm. head of the division of political affairs under the Minister of tho Interior, Count Ferowski. Both are ambitions and cardially hate each other. Palkin announces a conspiracy that Schelm knows nothin of. Count Lanin. aid-de-camD of the Emperor, enters announcing the order of bt, Vladimir for Palkin. In reward for his skill, and a censure upon Schelm for his ignorance of the conspiracy. Jana is the daughter of wealthy Alexander Wernin. Count Vladimir Laninfsfn love with her and she accepts him Previously Schelm has asked Wernin for Jana's hand. She, thinking to humble Schelm. has Count Lanin send to htm an invitation to their wedding, as ber answer to his request for her hand. Wernin learns of tho fnsult just too late, tries to intercept the invitation, but fails Schelm receives It, and his anger krows no bounds- Wernin trembles, for Schelm's power ii al most absolute. An old schoolmate of Schelm's, Sillier, of Millertown, evidently in abject poverty calls on him and asks a loan to pnt him In shape to attend a law banquet. Schelm abruptly dis" mil ses him. Miller goes to Vladimir, who accommodates him nd eoes with him tn tho iUnnnr There tbey meet Schelm, who hides his bitter anger successfully and alludes to the weddin" in vitation. Because Nicholas Popoff was not at hand just as he wanted blm, Schelm discharges On Popon" are dependent his aged mother and her child, living in one of the poorest dis of the city. Popoff returns to them desperate. His sweetheart. Helen, and Miller drop in iller leaves all that is left of the money Vladimir ?ava him. Nicholas vnw r..n nn tricts o and Miller Schelm. Miller calls on Schelm, again penniless and hungry. Schelm give's him 10 000 rubles for which Miller binds himself to his service absolutely, and thus becomes the tool of Schelm In a most outrageous conspiracy against his dear friend Vladimir Lanln. Schelm needs more money. Nicholas Popoff overbears him say so ana offers to get 100,000 rnbles by forgery. Schelm ac cepts. Intending to betray Popoff immediately he gets the monev. because tho discharged soldier has heard too much. Popoff biings the money, but, suspecting Schelm, gives him all the 100 000 rnbles instead of retaining part. It was Schelm's plan to get rid of hlin by prosecuting him for retaining money. Lanin is married and spends his honeymoon at Crimea. He aoes all In his power for Miller and makes Popoff his Secretary. After their return Lanin displays jealousy of Count Palm, of the French Legation. Jana is angered. Afterward in Miller's presenco she tells of a woman's club to which she belongs. Madame de Dugarcy. of the French Legation is the head of this woman's club. It is to meet Saturday at 10 o'clock. Miller arrange? to meet Lanln at the theater that day. Then Miller goes to the meeting place of consnirators against the Czar. He officiates, saying the Ace of Clubs. ho Is President, is detained. The meeting shows the conspiracy is of great power. The Ace of l Iubs has hitherto been nnknown to the conspira tors. They demand to know him, whqn Miller, forced at last Into close quarters, ays he will bring "The Ace of Clubs" to the next meeting. The conspirators adjourn, to meet for final ac tion at the same hour Jana's woman's club is to moet Schelm manages to get an order for 200 -000 rabies to carry out bis plans under pretense that it is necessary to bribe the leader of the conspiracy. Then he plots with Miller to cet Vladimir Lanin into the room of the conspirators when the arrests are made. Miller suggests to Vladimir that all is not well at Jana's woman's clnb and arouses his jealousy. At the theator Miller arranges so that Vladimir overbears a conversation in which the club is spoken of in a suspicious mannnr. One of the conversational ists drops the street number of the room in which the conspirators meet in such a connection as to lead Vladimir to believe it is th street number of Jana's clao. He also drops the pass words to tho conspirators' meeting. Vladimir and Miller hasten to the house indicated Vladimir wild with excitement. He gives the password and passes himself off as the Ace of Clubs. He is hailed bv the conspirators as their nnknown but powerful leader, and just as they are rushin" up to him Colonel Palkin and bis gendarmes break into the room and arrest tho conspirators. " CHAPTER IX "When the first surprise was over all the conspirators, with the exception of Lanin, who did not know what was going on, and of Miller, who had quickly recovered his ordinary calmness, crowded toward the cor ner of the hall. The man called the "Ten of Hearts" fell with nis sword upon one of the gendarmes, but instantly a shot was heard and he fell weltering in his blood. The others were unarmed and easily se cured. All this was done in an instant. The con spirators did not utter a sound; they were terror-struck. At this moment Lanin, who could not yet find out what it all meant, felt a brutal hand on his shoulder. Now, only, he awoke, and recovered his usual energy. Powerfully he freed himself from the hands of the gendarme.who were about to bind.hlm,. t "Ton are mistaken; I only came in by accident. I am Count Vladimir Lanin!" His voice was so clearly the voice of truth that the soldiers stopped. At this moment Ten of Hearts, who was lying wounded on the floor, raised his head, looked at Lanin so contemptuously that Palkin laughed aloud and said: "Ha! ha! Ace ot Clubs is innocent! That is news indeed ! I swear " Now Palkin also looked at him with con tempt, "Go on boldly 1" he called out to Lanin; "he who engages in such matters must take the consequences. I was present downstairs when you called yourself the Ace of Clubs." "But I only came " "Quiet! Enough of that! Tie his mouth 1" Lanin tried in vain to resist; the gen darmes seized him, tied him, and actually gagged him. Soon all the conspirators were lying on the carpet by the side of the wounded Secretary. Yladiinir, dazed by the occurrence, thought it all a horrible dream. At this moment Schelm eutered, highly rejoiced, with a portfolio under his arm. Vladimir looked instinctively at this port folio, and read there in large letters the words: "Conspiracy Lanin." Now he comprehended, and Schelm's dia bolical smile told him the rest. The words of old Wernin came back to him. He gave himself up as lost. He looked reproach fully at Miller, but his face was turned the otner way; he could not see his features. "To tho lortress with them all!" ordered Schelm. "To-morrow the investigation will begin." In the meantime Jana and Mme. de Dusarcv had reached the theater. The Countess went to her box and was surprised not to find her husband tbere. ''The gentleman may have gone out to smoke a cigarette," said Jana. "Oh. certainly!" replied Mme. de Du garcy. , The arrival of the two ladies caused a great commotion in the theater. Prince Max was one of those men who love to en joy the mislortunes of their friends. After having in vain looked for the unknown man in the pit, he couid not reirain from telling everybody be met the strange story of Count Vladimir and his wife, together with the commission he had received. Now, when Jana entered, all eyes were directed to her box. Although the young countess was accustomed to receive such homage, she still wondered why the admira tion should be so marked to-night. The French woman, who possessed more knowl edge ol the world, felt at once that something extraordinary must have occurred, and some thing that co'ncerned herself. Alter having looked around once more she said to her companion: "They stare too much to-night." Jana shrugged ber shoulders contemptuously. "We must not mind it." The first act was ended. During the short pause all opera glasses were directed to their box and remained fixed there so long that even Jana began to resent it. She felt, be side, troubled, because neither Vladimirnor Miller showed himsel'. 'Something must havehappened to them," she said to her lriend. "My heart feels op pressed. I cannot imagine why the gentle men arc not here." In the middle, of the second act Jana sud denly rcae and said : "Pardon me, but I must go home." Mme. de Dngurcyreflected a moment. "I dare say you are right. It is evident something lias happened that concerns one of us. Ordinarily our box is lull of visitors! to-night not a soul comes here." "I can bear this uncertainty no longer. Good night!" "Will you permit me to accompany you?" "Oh, certainly, with pleasure. I do not know why, but I feel as if I should not like to be alone." When they reached the palace no one knew auytbing. Jana could get no answer to her questions. Jana was perlectly help less, and even the cheerfulness of the French woman disappeared gradually. All of a sudden Popoff rushed in like mad and cried: . "The police are here! The whole palace is full of gendarmes." At that moment Jana remembered her father's prophecy. Schelm's miserable figure appeared before her mind's eye and she fell into a chair with the cry: "My God! We are lost!" "Lost? Why?" asked Popoff. "The coming of the gendarmes is surprising but by no means necessarily terrifying. They perhaps look for a criminal who has hid here." "Do you not know," said Jana, "that my husband disappeared several hours ago? "rOU CANNOT LEAVE HERE, MME. DE DTjaAECY. No doubt he has been arrested. I recog nize Schelm's revenge." Popoff sprang up. "Did you say Schelm? Do you know Schelm?" "I know him and have mortally offended him. My father predicted that be would avenge himself and he was right." In an instant everything that had so long been a mystery to Popoff Miller's sudden wealth, his intimacy with Vladimir, those letters, "La...." on the certificate of the Chief of Bureau all became clear to him. Popoff was endowed with rare energy and no small acuteness. Since they attacked Lanin they wonld attack him also. At once ne formed his decision. "I think you are mistaken," he said, after a short pause. "But calm yourself. It may be that I can be practically useful to the Count." He had suddenly secured a great influence over themind of the frightened ladies and sat down by tbem while he poured out a cup of tea for "himself. "When the gendarmes come please say I am your guest," This whole consultation had not lasted two minntes. Popoff was just putting sugar into his tea when the door opened. Palkin entered and brutally asked: "Which of you is the Countess Lanin?" jffna, whom nobody had ever addressed in this way, forgot for a moment her tronble and proudly asked: "And who dares to speak to me in this way?" Palkin threw himself insolently into an armchair and said: "Oh ho! the worthy wife of a man guilty of high trearon! That is not the way to speak to an officer of gendarmes who has just arrested your hus band because he has conspired against the Czirl" Jana had anticipated this news, and yet she trembled as If the blow had been unex- ' pected. "My Godl!" she exclaimed, "is it really true?" t Palkin looked sharplv at the Countess, who had thns been thinking aloud. "Ah!" he said, "you seem to have known what was going on." Mme. de Dugarcy looked scornfully at the onicer of gendarmes. "Yon must know," she said to him in French, "that I understand a little Russian, and that I nnd you behave very indecently. It looks almost as if yon were to examine us here." Palkin turned to the foreigner and an swered in the same language: "And who is this? No doubt a governess. But mind, there are prisons for such birds also, and nothing is easier than to send yon to the frontier. .Enough of this. "What ii that door there? he asked Jana, who in the meantime had recovered her composure and ordinary dignity. "I shall answer," she replied, "when yon speak as it is becoming you should speak in this house." Palkin cast a threatening look at the nn fortunate woman. "This manner neither benefits yon nor your husband. You can do, however, as yon choose. Hallo !" he said to the gendarmes at the door, "send me two men." "Are you going to use force?"ass:ed Jana. "No, although I have the right to do so. I send for the men to post a sentinel at every door." He noticed Popoff "What man is that?" he asked Jana. But before she could answer Nicholas said very quietly. "My name is Popoff: an invitation" "You keep bad company, young man," interrupted Palkin. "ButI mast have seen you somewhere." He had no time to ask more, as the gen darmes entered just then. Palkin turned to the door leading to Jana's sitting room. The proud woman was burning with indig nation. "That is my own room!" she exclaimed. Palkin shrugged his shoulders 'without looking at her. He disappeared behind the velvet portieres and left the two ladies nnder guard of a gendarme with PopofH "Countess," said the latter in French, "I must get away from here at once and speak to your father. I know that nothing can be found here and vou will be free soon, but the gendarmes will remain. To-morrow Schelm himself will appear here to ex amine, and ho would, of course, recognize me instantly. If I am to serve you I must be very cautious so as not to lose my free dom." "Ob, God! what a terrible catastrophe! He is, of course, innocent, I cannot doubt it for a moment!" "No doubt, but a denunciation by a man like Schelm is all-powerful. Still, I do not give up the hone of saving the Count, Keep up vour courage." "Courage I have," replied Jana. "Yon have seen that. I must save my husband or perish with him." Now Mme. de Dugarcy also took part in the conversation. She looked a different person. Indignation glowed in her eyes, her whole carriage spoke of courage and resolution. "I'll take you away from here. Give me your arm, Jana," she continued, kissing her friend, "be of good courage. I shall always watch over you and go myself to see the Emperor to save your husband. And now let us go!" Leaning on Popoff 's arm, she turned to the door. On the threshold the gendarme stopped her with the words: "You cannot leave here." The lady did not look at him even. "I may go where I choose. I am not a Russian subject." "You cannot!" repeated the soldier, bnt in vain, tor Mme. de Dugarcy seemed not to hear him. At the sight of a fair lady in full dress passing him without minding his threats the man hesitated to use violence. The weak woman compelled the strong man to respect her! "Colonel!" he called at last, Palkin appeared at once. "What is it? Miss, do yon wish to be sent to jail?" When the lady saw Palkin she said: "Order this man to let me leave? I ad vise you, moreover, to be more polite or I shall complain to His Majesty the Emperor. I am Mme. de Dagarcy of the French Le gation." Mme. de Dagarcy was at that time on of the most brilliant stars in the great world of St. Petersburg; her name was on every bodv's lips. Palkin knew her relations to the Empress very accurately. He bit his lips and said: "Of course that changes matters. But as I do not have the honor of knowing yon personally I shall send a gendarme with ?ou. As soon as your indentity is estab ished I shall not fail to apologize at your Embassy. I regret I cannot act differently, but duty first," Then bowing coolly he told the soldier: "Yon are no longer needed here. Follow this lady and do not leave her for a mo ment." "Yes, Colonel." "Madam, you can go now. That gentle man, however, will stay here till fnrther orders." "Pardon me." said the lady, very firmly. "Mr. PopofTs arm and protection are in dispensable to me. I must take several im portant steps to-day, and your gendarme cannot well pay visits with me." "Yon forget that the gentleman is a Rus sian subject'.said Palkin impatiently. "A truce to these formalities," said Mme. de Dugarcy, haughtily. "Mr. Popoff is just now under the protection of France. He gives me his arm and that settles the question. Use force if you dare." "Cautious, madam; be cautious. Diplo matic privileges do not go quite so far. The Emperor shall know all." "What!" exclaimed the young lady. Now you threiten me with the Emperor? Very well, I shall drive Irom here directly to the Winter Palace and explain it all to the Emperor. Gendarme, get me a coach." "You will not take your eye from this person!" said Palkin, bowing. She motioned to Jana, who, half fainting, awaited the end of this scene to keep up her courage aud went downstairs, leaning on PopofTs arm- The gendarme had broughta droschke, she took a seat aud ordered the coachinjti to drive as fast as he could to the Winter Palace. They had barely left when from the oppo site direction another droschke appeared, and Schelm, with a huge portfolio nnder his arm, got out. It was, perhaps, 2 o'clock: in the morning, when Count Wernin's valet waked hiin from profound sleep and announced that a strange lady, in company with Count Lanin's secretary, wished to see him- A 1 gendarme, be said, accompanied her. ,, i M 3 1 I
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers