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THE STOLEN BRAIN
THE STOLEN BRAIN
OR, A WONDERFUL CRIME BY NICHOLAS CARTER Author of the celebrated stories of Nick Carter’s adventures, which are published exclusively in the New Magnet Library , conceded to be among the best detective tales ever written. STREET & SMITH CORPORATION PUBLISHERS 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York (Printed in the United States of America) All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian....
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CHAPTER I. STARTLING INFORMATION.
CHAPTER I. STARTLING INFORMATION.
“There goes another, chief. That makes five so far. There surely is something going on to-night,” the young man at the window declared excitedly. It was Patsy Garvan, Nick Carter’s second assistant, and he who was addressed was the great New York detective himself. The closest friends would have known neither of them, however, unless they had been in the secret, for both were cleverly disguised. Moreover, the room in which they seemed to be so much at home was not one of those in Nick’s handsome
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CHAPTER II. THE BOMB RUSE.
CHAPTER II. THE BOMB RUSE.
At Wallace’s suggestion, the detective promised to occupy the empty house next door to Grantley’s under an assumed name, moving in openly, as an ordinary tenant would do. The plan was carried out with comparatively little delay, and Patsy was chosen because he was married and could bring his wife along to give an air of domesticity to the establishment. The “Webbs” had moved in ten days before; their furniture having been carefully selected in different secondhand stores of the better class. Cha
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CHAPTER III. AN APPALLING SIGHT.
CHAPTER III. AN APPALLING SIGHT.
They heard a commotion in Grantley’s house, and the scuffling of many feet as they ran across the yard. Evidently the occupants were scurrying to the front to see what had happened. The ruse seemed to have worked so far. It remained to be seen how successfully the rest would turn out. Nick and his companions were already under cover back of the doctor’s house before any one emerged at the front. They found the rear door locked, and left it alone after giving the knob one quick wrench. The neares
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CHAPTER IV. NICK STIRS UP THE ANIMALS.
CHAPTER IV. NICK STIRS UP THE ANIMALS.
Nick, Patsy, and Doctor Cooke had concealed their weapons in order not to provoke trouble unnecessarily. At this move on Grantley’s part, however, Nick whipped out his automatic and covered the surgeon. “None of that, my man!” he commanded. “We’re all armed.” The sharply spoken words and the steady muzzles of the three automatics—for Nick’s companions had followed suit immediately—froze Doctor Grantley into inaction for a moment. One hand was still extended toward Doctor Siebold, but it had been
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CHAPTER V. “LET GO, OR I’LL FIRE!”
CHAPTER V. “LET GO, OR I’LL FIRE!”
Without warning, Doctor Grantley clubbed his weapon and threw himself at Nick Carter. Taking their cue from him, Siebold and the others sprang forward almost simultaneously. Grantley was shrewd enough to know that the detectives would not fire upon them if it could possibly be avoided, and, furthermore, that they would be greatly handicapped by their concern for the safety of the unconscious girl. That was true, for a rough-and-tumble fight there in the operating room would be very dangerous for
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CHAPTER VI. A FLANK MOVEMENT.
CHAPTER VI. A FLANK MOVEMENT.
Nick’s assistant did not need to be told that his own position was a decidedly unenviable one, despite the momentary advantage he had gained over Doctor Grantley. Patsy’s back was turned to his seven foes, all of whom were bent upon “getting” him in almost any way they could. They did not seem disposed to shoot, and that was the only comforting fact that stood out. The young detective’s threat to fire into Grantley’s body if the vivisectionist did not relinquish his hold on Nick’s throat took th
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CHAPTER VII. PRISONERS.
CHAPTER VII. PRISONERS.
Patsy presently heard a door open into the hall from one of the other rooms, and Doctor Siebold’s voice came to him again, this time from behind and to one side. “Now we’ve got him where we want him!” it said triumphantly. The young detective did not dare turn his head as he heard footsteps approaching along the hall, for there were still four men in front of him in the operating room, and they were waiting to take advantage of the slightest inattention on his part. All he could do was to withdr
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CHAPTER VIII. A SINISTER CELL.
CHAPTER VIII. A SINISTER CELL.
That conviction made Patsy cringe more than ever. Had they done anything to relieve the girl’s sufferings or close the gaping wound they had made in her breast? Or had they thrown her in there just as she was, to die? Again the young detective’s speculations were interrupted, however; this time in a different, and, at first, more puzzling way. The air suddenly became still closer and more oppressive, as if they had been shut in a confined space; but that was not all. The sound of shoveling began
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CHAPTER IX. AN INTERRUPTED ESCAPE.
CHAPTER IX. AN INTERRUPTED ESCAPE.
A pair of hands groped toward the spot from which the sound had come, found Patsy’s arm, and gave it a reassuring pressure. Nick Carter had answered as well as he was able at the moment. “Good!” murmured Patsy. “I’ll have you loose in two shakes.” He felt along Nick’s arms in turn until he came to his chief’s face. Nick’s gag came in for attention first and was quickly removed. “There now,” Patsy remarked, in the same low tone. “This is a little more like it.” He had a knife out now, but his fin
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CHAPTER X. PATSY TO THE FRONT.
CHAPTER X. PATSY TO THE FRONT.
The shock benumbed Patsy’s faculties only for a moment. He gave Adelina’s waist a warning squeeze, then lifted her over with a rush, set her lightly and silently on her feet, and dragged her to one side. He made no attempt to warn Nick, for he knew that his chief’s keen ears had already done that for him. Next to the bin from which they had just emerged was a space not partitioned off, which contained several barrels and boxes. It was nearer to the stairway than the bins, but Patsy instantly dec
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CHAPTER XI. VARYING FORTUNES.
CHAPTER XI. VARYING FORTUNES.
It was Nick Carter who had come to his assistant’s rescue—and, incidentally, had taken a hand just in time to halt Siebold in the latter’s pursuit of Adelina. Contrary to Patsy’s expectations, the detective had chosen to crawl through the opening into the next bin, instead of through the little door which Hoff had opened at the front. Grantley and Siebold were too near the latter to make it a safe exit, for Nick would have had to crawl out on his hands and knees, and they would have been practic
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CHAPTER XII. A SURPRISING DEVELOPMENT.
CHAPTER XII. A SURPRISING DEVELOPMENT.
“You say that Doctor Hiram Grantley has offered his services to J. Hackley Baldwin? What do you mean?” These two startled questions were put by Nick Carter to a handsome, impressive-looking man of the most polished professional aspect. The scene of the interview was the detective’s study, and the gray-haired man in eyeglasses, with whom he was closeted, was Doctor Delos Vanderpool, physician to many of the most exclusive families in the city, and, more particularly, the family practitioner of J.
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CHAPTER XIII. WANTED: A MOTIVE.
CHAPTER XIII. WANTED: A MOTIVE.
The case against Grantley and his confederates had furnished one of the greatest newspaper sensations of recent years, and the attitude of the public toward the vivisectionists was bitter in the extreme. Their trials were delayed for some months, during which time Nick and his assistants collected all the evidence they could obtain. The girl recovered, and, as there had been no law at the time to forbid such unnecessary operations, the detective was compelled to furnish another basis for prosecu
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CHAPTER XIV. A BOLD MOVE.
CHAPTER XIV. A BOLD MOVE.
The first part of Nick’s plan involved a certain amount of risk. It takes courage to beard a man of Doctor Grantley’s type in his own lair, especially after a narrow escape from annihilation by acid in that same lair. Nick Carter never allowed such considerations to weigh with him, however, and the most he consented to do was to take his first assistant, Chick, with him when he set out for the Bronx. Hoff opened the door a crack, in accordance with his usual suspicious attitude toward visitors.
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CHAPTER XV. MADDENING SUSPENSE.
CHAPTER XV. MADDENING SUSPENSE.
The detective gave hurried orders to his assistants and set them to work on another investigation into Grantley’s past, with a view to ascertain, if possible, the surgeon’s experiences in Wall Street. Unfortunately, nothing of any importance was unearthed. It was learned that Doctor Grantley had speculated heavily at one time, years before, and was supposed to have been unlucky in some of his investments, but the exact facts could not be obtained. Nick felt it his duty to communicate the little
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CHAPTER XVI. “THIS IS TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE!”
CHAPTER XVI. “THIS IS TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE!”
There had been nothing at any time which Nick could properly seize upon as an excuse for action, much as he longed to end the terrible suspense. Doctor Grantley had the whip hand throughout, and the isolation of the financier, alarming as it was under the circumstances, was nothing more than any surgeon might be expected to insist upon in such a case. The only departure from that rule occurred on the fifth day, when J. Hackley Baldwin’s confidential secretary received a check, directing him to f
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CHAPTER XVII. THE LOOTED CRANIUM.
CHAPTER XVII. THE LOOTED CRANIUM.
The man seemed reliable, and he told a perfectly straight story. He informed Patsy that he drove for a garage on Boston Road, in the Bronx, and that he had never been called to Doctor Grantley’s house before that morning. The manager had received the order and sent him out. Patsy did not see fit to tell the chauffeur that he had seen the arrival of the machine at Grantley’s. He allowed the man to tell his story in his own way, and found it accurate, so far as his own observation went. The driver
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CHAPTER XVIII. WHAT DID IT MEAN?
CHAPTER XVIII. WHAT DID IT MEAN?
What in the world did it mean? This new development was certainly startling in the extreme, and even more incomprehensible in its way, if that were possible, than the appalling crime itself. It was unnecessary for Nick to piece the check together in its entirety in order to be fairly certain that it had not been cashed. Any one with the slightest knowledge of banking methods would have understood at a glance that the check had either never been deposited, or else that it had been stolen afterwar
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CHAPTER XIX. A GREAT STROKE OF LUCK.
CHAPTER XIX. A GREAT STROKE OF LUCK.
Hard thinking and tireless following of trails could usually be counted on to explain the successes earned by Nick Carter and his assistants, but sometimes plain, “bull-headed luck,” as Patsy Garvan would probably have called it, proved to be the determining factor. That was the case in this instance. Nick’s other assistant, Jack Wise, the well-to-do young society man, had had nothing to do with the Grantley case at all. He had been doing a little “pussyfooting” in the Harlem section, in connect
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CHAPTER XX. SOME GOOD NEWS.
CHAPTER XX. SOME GOOD NEWS.
Jack Wise made himself scarce, and yet took up a position which enabled him to keep track of the fugitives’ movements. He was in no great hurry to notify Nick or the police. He wished to first make sure that there were to be no more doublings and twistings on the part of Grantley and Siebold. Apparently, they had reached the end of their New York trail, and Jack was forced into a sort of reluctant admiration for their cleverness. The man who had driven them—with the unfortunate millionaire—from
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CHAPTER XXI. THE FUGITIVES GET A SHOCK.
CHAPTER XXI. THE FUGITIVES GET A SHOCK.
The low cabin of the canal boat Mary Jane was aft. Nearly an hour and a half after leaving the dock, Grantley and Siebold were sitting just forward of the cabin, on a couple of coils of rope. Their heads were thus below the level of the low roof. They were conversing in low, guarded tones in order not to be overheard by the captain and hands. “I’ll confess now,” the younger of the two was saying, “that I never expected to get away from those cursed detectives so easily. It seems almost too good
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CHAPTER XXII. GRANTLEY TAKES A SWIM.
CHAPTER XXII. GRANTLEY TAKES A SWIM.
The strain had already proved a little too much for Siebold, who was not made of such stern stuff as Grantley. When the detectives dropped down behind the rail of the police craft the younger surgeon looked about him wildly for a hiding place. He was close to the little companionway which led down a few steps into the barge’s stuffy cabin, and in his unreasoning terror he forgot that he would be bottled up effectually there, even if he should be able to reach that retreat with a whole skin. With
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CHAPTER XXIII. A TIMELY SHOT.
CHAPTER XXIII. A TIMELY SHOT.
The girl had made a foolish mistake in throttling her engine, for the current was carrying her down to meet the desperate swimmer. Nick’s men gasped involuntarily as they saw that Grantley could not fail to reach the power boat before the tug could overtake him, unless the frightened girl came to her senses and forged ahead again. “Run for it, or he’ll board you!” shouted Chick through his cupped hands. But the girl’s presence of mind seemed to have deserted her, or else she was torn between the
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CHAPTER XXIV. A TRAGEDY OF THE STAGE.
CHAPTER XXIV. A TRAGEDY OF THE STAGE.
It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table—a rather unusual circumstance. The famous New York detective sat at the head of the table. Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant. It was the latter who held the attention of her companions at that moment. She was a little late, and had just seate
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CHAPTER XXV. ESCAPE BY SCHEDULE.
CHAPTER XXV. ESCAPE BY SCHEDULE.
“What do you mean by that, chief?” demanded Chick. “Kennedy says that one of the keepers was found, in a peculiar sort of stupor, as he calls it, in Grantley’s cell, after the surgeon had gone. He had evidently been overpowered in some way, and his keys had been taken from him. Kennedy assumes, rightly enough, I suppose, that Grantley lured him into the cell on some pretext, and then tried his tricks. The man is still unconscious, and the prison physician can do nothing to help him. Kennedy want
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CHAPTER XXVI. THE ACTRESS CONFIDES.
CHAPTER XXVI. THE ACTRESS CONFIDES.
Nick was led through a couple of sumptuously furnished rooms into the great Swedish actress’ presence. Helga Lund was a magnificently proportioned woman, well above medium height, and about thirty years of age. She wore a loose, filmy negligee of silk and lace, and its pale blue was singularly becoming to her fair skin and golden hair. Two thick, heavy ropes of the latter hung down far below her waist. She was not merely pretty, but something infinitely better—she had the rugged statuesque beaut
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CHAPTER XXVII. STRONGER THAN BOLTS AND BARS.
CHAPTER XXVII. STRONGER THAN BOLTS AND BARS.
The great detective set his men to work and called up the prison before leaving New York. As a result of the telephone conversation, the warden gave up the search for the fugitive in the neighborhood of Ossining. Ossining is up the Hudson, about an hour’s ride, by train, from the metropolis. It did not take Nick long to reach his destination. He found Warden Kennedy in the latter’s office, and listened to a characteristic account of Doctor Grantley’s escape, which—in view of the fugitive’s subse
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CHAPTER XXVIII. THE TRAIL VANISHES.
CHAPTER XXVIII. THE TRAIL VANISHES.
Grantley’s trail vanished into thin air—or seemed to—very quickly. Nick Carter and his assistants had comparatively little trouble in finding the hotel which the fugitive had patronized the night before, but their success amounted to little. Grantley had arrived there at almost one o’clock in the morning and signed an assumed name on the register. He brought a couple of heavy suit cases with him. He had not been in prison long enough to acquire the characteristic prison pallor to an unmistakable
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CHAPTER XXIX. HELGA IS AMONG THE MISSING.
CHAPTER XXIX. HELGA IS AMONG THE MISSING.
Doctor Lightfoot, the actress’ physician, was greatly excited and had just telephoned to Nick’s house, after the detective had left for the hotel. The doctor had arrived there about half an hour before, for his regular morning visit. To his consternation he had found the night nurse stretched out on Helga Lund’s bed, unconscious, and clad only in her undergarments. The actress was nowhere to be found. The anxious Lightfoot was of very different caliber from the prison physician at Sing Sing. He
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CHAPTER XXX. A SHREWD GUESS.
CHAPTER XXX. A SHREWD GUESS.
The detective had revealed his identity, and the chauffeur was quite willing to tell all he knew. He had driven his temporary employer and the woman in nurse’s garb to the Yellow Anchor line pier, near the Battery. Grantley—or Thomas Worthington, as he had called himself in this connection—had volunteered the information that his companion was his niece, who had been sent for suddenly to take care of some one who was to sail on the Laurentian at five o’clock in the morning. Both of the occupants
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CHAPTER XXXI. “HOW ARE THE MIGHTY FALLEN!”
CHAPTER XXXI. “HOW ARE THE MIGHTY FALLEN!”
The house in which Nick and Chick found themselves had been a good one, but it was now badly in need of repair. The main hall was comparatively wide for so narrow a building, and a heavy balustrade fenced off the stairs on one side. The detectives paused just inside the door and listened intently. The doors on the first floor were all closed and the rooms behind them appeared to be untenanted. At any rate, all was still on that floor. Subdued noises of various sorts floated down to them from abo
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CHAPTER XXXII. THE SWING OF THE PENDULUM.
CHAPTER XXXII. THE SWING OF THE PENDULUM.
What was to be done, though? To burst into the room and seek to overpower the four doctors then and there, in Helga’s presence, would place the actress in additional danger. Nick was convinced, however, that that risk would have to be run. He had seen evidences that more than one of the men were tiring of the cruel sport, and it might now come to an end at any moment. He swiftly considered two or three possible plans for drawing the four away from their victim, but rejected them all. They would
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CHAPTER XXXIII. A HUMAN WHEEL.
CHAPTER XXXIII. A HUMAN WHEEL.
Chick had thrown himself to one side to ease the pressure on his back. Accordingly, he struck the floor on his left side. Chester and Graves dropped heavily upon him before he had more than touched the boards, the former at his feet, the latter on his shoulders. Their bony knees crushed him down, and Graves used his weight to try to pull Chick over on his back. Nick’s assistant had twisted his left wrist out of Chester’s grasp as he fell, but the renegade physician had clung for dear life to the
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CHAPTER XXXIV. NICK’S EXTREMITY.
CHAPTER XXXIV. NICK’S EXTREMITY.
The newcomer saw his opportunity and snatched up a chair as he rushed toward the tangled combatants. Nick heard him coming, but did not have time to extricate himself from Grantley’s dogged grasp. He raised his weapon, though, and was about to fire at Willard, when he saw that the latter was directly between him and Helga Lund. Under the circumstances, the detective did not dare to fire for fear of hitting the actress. He kept Grantley down as best he could with his left hand, and waited for Wil
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CHAPTER XXXV. “MYSTERY 47.”
CHAPTER XXXV. “MYSTERY 47.”
Nick had just concluded the preceding case, when he received a request to come down to police headquarters at his earliest convenience. The request came from the inspector in charge of the detective bureau, and Nick hastened to comply, as Inspector Ward was an old and tried friend. The inspector looked worried as he greeted Nick in his private room at headquarters. “Nick,” said the inspector, getting right down to business, “this is undoubtedly the strangest case that has ever come to the attent
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CHAPTER XXXVI. NICK CARTER’S NARROW ESCAPE.
CHAPTER XXXVI. NICK CARTER’S NARROW ESCAPE.
The man was bleeding from a great wound in his right temple, his face was pale as death, and he was gasping for breath. “Great heavens! it is Sweet,” exclaimed Nick Carter, as he sprang forward. “Who has done this, Tom?” “Billy Young—Weeden——” As he gasped out the words, Sweet’s head fell forward. He tried to finish the sentence; a spasmodic shudder ran through his frame, and he was dead. Nick made a hasty examination of the body and found that, besides the wound in the temple, Sweet had receive
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CHAPTER XXXVII. FIGHTING AGAINST ODDS.
CHAPTER XXXVII. FIGHTING AGAINST ODDS.
Did the man in the motor car fire the shot which had killed the driver of the ambulance? Nick was certain that it was so. It was useless to try to pursue the man on foot. As Nick was about to reënter the morgue, Inspector Ward came out. His face was white with excitement. “Did you see the man who fired the shot?” he asked. “Yes.” “Who was it?” “I am positive that it was Weeden.” “Did you see his face?” “No, I didn’t. But from the man’s general appearance I could have sworn it was he. This is two
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CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE FIGHT IN THE WOODS.
CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE FIGHT IN THE WOODS.
Nick and the inspector were taken aback by this turn of affairs. As the beggar hobbled down the road his hoarse laugh came back mockingly. At the same moment that the four men appeared, two others came from the direction of Weeden’s house; they were Meloy and the chauffeur of the taxi. The question that flitted through Nick Carter’s mind was: “Where was Weeden?” None of the men who confronted the detectives bore any resemblance to Weeden or Billy Young. Was it possible that the old tramp was non
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CHAPTER XXXIX. THE BLIND BEGGAR.
CHAPTER XXXIX. THE BLIND BEGGAR.
Five minutes after Nick had driven away from the spot where the encounter had taken place, a dozen rough-looking men had come from the woods and were looking around to see if they could find any trace of the detectives. They were piloted around by the chauffeur of the taxi, who declared that the two officers had been assaulted and thrown to the ground by Meloy and himself. “You see,” said the fellow, as he stopped at the side of the road, “we had a desperate fight with the two cops, but we were
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CHAPTER XL. A BOLT FROM HEAVEN.
CHAPTER XL. A BOLT FROM HEAVEN.
When Nick Carter left the doctor’s house he was buried in thought. The events of the day had occurred so quickly that he had hardly had time to figure out in his mind the best thing to do next. In the first place, what did it mean that Weeden should turn up in the company of Billy Young, the burglar? What was their object in killing Tom Sweet? Was it possible that they had been seen going somewhere that would have betrayed them? The visit to the morgue, and the killing of the driver of the ambul
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CHAPTER XLI. THE STRANGE FARMER.
CHAPTER XLI. THE STRANGE FARMER.
Hall and his comrades were panic-stricken; they could not seem to realize what had happened. It was an instant before Nick fully realized the danger that had threatened him. He had heard the terrific report and had seen the ball of fire as it descended, but he did not know for a moment that the man had been creeping up behind him until he saw the stone in his hand. The men were at the detective again. Suddenly the noise of horses’ hoofbeats were heard. Hall, the leader of the outlaws, cried to h
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CHAPTER XLII. SALLIE AND HER COUSIN.
CHAPTER XLII. SALLIE AND HER COUSIN.
Nick Carter looked at the woman in silence for a few minutes, and then he asked: “What was the object of your father trying to hold me down on the ground? I have no money, and he would not get anything of value from the few papers that I have in my clothes?” “First of all, let me tell you that he ain’t my father, nor my husband; he is just an ordinary fourth cousin. He did not want to rob you at all, but I suppose that he wanted to stop you robbin’ somebody else.” “Oh, he took me for a robber?”
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CHAPTER XLIII. THE FARMER QUESTIONED.
CHAPTER XLIII. THE FARMER QUESTIONED.
When the farm wagon had reached the park, Nick commenced to talk about one thing and another, cunningly putting in from time to time questions about the murders and about Weeden. “Is Astoria a healthy place?” asked Nick, as a starter. “I reckon it is healthy enough for some people,” said the farmer. “Not for such men as your friend that was relieved of his pocketbook, is it?” asked Nick, with a laugh. “No, I hardly think that it is, although it is better than getting a bullet in you,” was the an
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CHAPTER XLIV. RESCUED FROM THE MOB.
CHAPTER XLIV. RESCUED FROM THE MOB.
The great farm wagon was going along toward Brooklyn slowly, the lights in the distance were growing brighter as the party approached the city. Suddenly Nick turned to the farmer, and said: “I didn’t suppose for a moment that you would tell me anything that I wanted to know about Jack Weeden, or any of his gang, but I thought it best to ask you before I decided on my course of action. I will give you another chance to tell me the truth, and I can assure you that it will be to your interest to te
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CHAPTER XLV. THE MAN OF MYSTERY.
CHAPTER XLV. THE MAN OF MYSTERY.
With an apology to the man whom he could have sworn was Jack Weeden, Nick once more fought his way through the excited crowd. He went back to see what had become of Harry Block, the farmer. The wagon and its two occupants were gone. Nick was inclined to be angry, but after a moment laughed, and said: “Well, the fellow saved my life, and, besides that, I can pick him up at almost any time.” All round him was the scene of conflict. Suddenly a bloodcurdling yell was heard. The mob, angry at being r
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CHAPTER XLVI. NICK CARTER WOUNDED.
CHAPTER XLVI. NICK CARTER WOUNDED.
When Nick came to his senses, he was lying on a cot in the Brooklyn police headquarters. Around him lay the bodies of several men that had been killed in the riot. Several others who had been slightly wounded were sitting around in chairs, talking about the riot. At the hospitals were a dozen other officers who had been severely injured. A citizen had seen the rioting, and had sent word to police headquarters, and the timely arrival of the reserves from several station houses had finally checked
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CHAPTER XLVII. ALMOST EXPOSED.
CHAPTER XLVII. ALMOST EXPOSED.
The scene was a dramatic one. On the face of the supposed automobile repairer there was depicted amazement mingled with terror. His face was ashen, his hands trembled, and he tried to speak, but his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. The doctor’s face was a study; he was surprised and bewildered. On the face of Nick Carter there was a quiet smile as he watched the man who had been brought into the station. The doctor was the first to recover his presence of mind. “I demand to know what this
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CHAPTER XLVIII. CAPTURE OF MELOY.
CHAPTER XLVIII. CAPTURE OF MELOY.
It was late before Nick parted from the inspector of the Brooklyn headquarters. They had gone over the question of “Mystery 47” thoroughly. Shortly before Nick left the inspector, a man was brought into the room. It was Meloy. He was put in a cell next to that occupied by the wife murderer, and an officer was placed in the cell next to him, so that he could hear if Meloy tried to say anything to the other prisoner. After Meloy had been locked in the cell, Nick said to the inspector: “I want to i
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CHAPTER XLIX. A FIGHT ON THE FERRY.
CHAPTER XLIX. A FIGHT ON THE FERRY.
Nick was lifted high in the air. “Throw the confounded detective into the river!” hissed a voice. “Over with him! Some one may come!” said another. At this minute, two figures sprang out of the darkness and struck two of the men that were holding Nick in the air. The men struck fell to the deck like logs, and before the other two could defend themselves they had likewise been sent to the deck. “I saved your bacon that time, Nick Carter, although you don’t deserve it,” said a familiar voice in hi
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CHAPTER L. TRICKED.
CHAPTER L. TRICKED.
After Nick had said good night to Chick and Patsy, he set out to trace the men that had assaulted him on the ferryboat. About two blocks from the entrance to the ferry, Nick saw a lumber wagon, which was covered with a sheet of tarpaulin, moving slowly up the street. It took him but a few seconds to reach it, and as he did, he grasped one of the horses by the bridle and ordered the driver to stop his team. The driver made a cut at Nick with his whip, and yelled that he would brain him if he did
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CHAPTER LI. YOUNG’S CAPTURE AND ESCAPE.
CHAPTER LI. YOUNG’S CAPTURE AND ESCAPE.
The man had kept pretty cool up to this time, but as soon as the acting inspector called his number, he commenced to rave and swear, and tried to dash his handcuffs in Nick’s face. One of the officers on duty grabbed him, and he quieted down. “I guess that the jig is up, as you seem to have me marked, so go ahead with what you are going to do,” he snarled. “The inspector is going to give you a chance to save yourself from Sing Sing if you will be square, but if you are not, you are going up the
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CHAPTER LII. NICK’S LIFE SAVED.
CHAPTER LII. NICK’S LIFE SAVED.
In vain did they try to get Deck to talk. Once that he had seen his pal Young he had somewhat recovered his courage, and he positively refused to answer any questions that were put to him. After they had tried to get him to tell about the gang for an hour, Nick gave it up in disgust. “Inspector, I feel hungry, and think that I will get a bite to eat before I turn in for the night,” said Nick, as he left headquarters. “There is no doubt in my mind that Deck knows all about that gang, but when he
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CHAPTER LIII. AN ATTACK ON NICK’S HOME.
CHAPTER LIII. AN ATTACK ON NICK’S HOME.
When the detective and the reporter were left alone, Nick said to the latter: “I almost regret that you fired that shot, old man.” “Why?” asked the other. “Because, Billy Young alive might have proved of great service to me in clearing up this case. Of course, I know you did it for the best.” “Maybe I can help you on this case, Nick.” “You might, but I cannot accept your help just at the present time.” “Oh, I see,” said the reporter; “you do not want any of the papers to get to work on the case
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CHAPTER LIV. THE THIRD DEGREE.
CHAPTER LIV. THE THIRD DEGREE.
At nine o’clock next morning Nick Carter was at Center Street police headquarters. After the men had been routed the night before, Nick had returned to his bed, and had had several hours of good sleep. He took a cold plunge and a brisk rubdown with a Turkish towel. When he appeared at the office of the inspector, that official was more than astonished to see him. He had hardly supposed that Nick would be up and ready for work so early after the hard work he had done the day before. “Have you rea
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CHAPTER LV. THE MYSTERY SOLVED.
CHAPTER LV. THE MYSTERY SOLVED.
“How did you come to discover that the man Weeden was Benny the Bum?” “I followed the tramp one night, and saw him steal into the shop. He went into the rear part of the shop and took off the false beard that he wore, also the wig of matted hair that hung over his shoulders. He kept saying to himself: ‘I am the king of murderers! I am the king! I love to see their ghastly faces as they look up at me.’ “Then he went over into the corner and set down the long staff or walking stick that he carried
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