Albuquerque morning journal. [volume], July 26, 1915, CITY EDITION, Page FIVE, Image 5

About Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926

Image provided by: University of New Mexico

                
ALBUQUERQUE MORNING JOURNAL. MONDAY. JULY 26. 1915.
FIVE
The Exploits of Elaine
A Detective Novel and a Motion Picture Drama
- II By ARTHUR B. REEVE II
Thctt'ell-KnotcnNocelht ar.i Ihe
H Crtjtor of tht "Craig ktnncJy ' ' $t:.:&
Presented in Collsborition With the Pithe
Copyright. 1H. tiy the Stsr Compuy
SYNOPSIS.
The Now York police are mystified by a
n, murders Hnil other crhms. The
I ,1 clue to the criminal Is the warn
ing letter which is dent the victims. i(necl
with a "clutching haiul." The latest vlc
i1T1. ..i tn. mysterious assassin is T,i k i
Dodge, the Insurance president. His
il.tUKliter. irillWf. employs ('ruin Kennedy.
, Famous scientific detective, to try to
i . r .uel the mystery. What Kennedy ac
complishes Is told by Ills friend Jameson.
m newspaper man. Enraged at the deter
m i effort which Klaine and Craig Ken
nedy are making to put an end to Ids
ci lines, the ("lutchlntr Hand, as this
strange riminal is known, resorts to ull
sorts of the most iliahollcul schemes u
put th. m out of the way. Knrh chapter
of the sinry tells of a new plot utiainst
their lives and of the way the ureat de
teetive uses nil his skill to save this pret
ty girl and himself from death.
THIRTEENTH EPISODE
THE DEVIL WORSHIPERS.
Klaine was seated in the drawing
room with Aunt Josephine one after
noon, when her lawyer. Perry Ben
nett, dropped in unexpectedly.
He had hardly greeted them when
the butler. Jennings, in his usual im
passive manner announced that Aunt
JosephlBS was wanted on the tele
phone. No sooner were Klaine and Pennett
alone than Elaine, turning to him, ex
claimed: Last night I dreamed that father
rame to me and told me that If I
would give up Kennedy and put my
trust in you, I would find the Clutch
ing Hand. 1 don't know what to think
of it."
Hmnett. who had been listening in
tently, moved over nearer to Elaine
and bent over her.
"Elaine," he snld in a low tone, his
remarkable eyes looking straight into
her own, "you must know that I love
you. Then give me the right to pro
tect you. It was your father's dearest
wish, I believe, that we should marry.
Let me share your dangers and I
swear that sooner or later there will
be an end to the Clutching Hand
(Jive me your answer, Elaine," he
urged, "and make me the happiest
man in all the world."
Elaine listened, and not unsympa
thetifally, as Bennett continued to
plead for her answer.
"Wait a little while until tomor
row," she replied finally.
"Let It be as you wish, then,"
agreed Hennott quietly.
He took her hand and kissed it pas
sionately. An Instant later Aunt Josephine re
turned. Elaine, unstrung by what
had happened, excused herself and
went Into the library.
Involuntarily, ber mind traveled
back over the rapid succession of
events of the past few weeks and
the part that she had thought, at
least. Kennedy had come to play in
her life.
Then she thought of their recent
misunderstanding. Might there not
be some simple explanation of it, aft
er all, which she had missed? What
should she do?
She solved the problem by taking
tip the telephone and asking for Ken
nedy's number.
I was chatting with Craig in his
laboratory, and, at the same time,
was watching him in his experimental
work. Just as a call came on the tele
phone, he was pouring some nitro
hydrochloric acid into a test tube to
complete a reaction.
The telephone tinkled and he laid
down the bottle of acid on his desk,
while he moved a few steps to answer
the call,
Whoever the speaker was, Craig
seemed deeply Interested, and, not
knowing who was talking on the wire,
1 was eager to learn whether It was
anyone connected with the case of
the Clutching Hand.
"Yes, this is Mr. Kennedy," I heard
Craig say.
1 moved over toward him and whis
pered eagerly, "Is thero anything
new?"
A little Impatient at being Interrupt
ed, Kennedy waved me off. It oc
curred to me that he might need a
pad and pencil to make a note of
some informal in, and I reached over
the desk for them.
As I did so my arm inadvertently
struck the bottle of acid, knocking it
over on the top of the desk Its con
tents streamed out saturating the tele
phone wires before 1 could prevent it.
In trying to right the bottle my hand
came In contact with the acid which
burned like liquid fire, and I cried out
in pain.
Craig hastily laid down the re
ceiver. Helped me and rushed me to
the back of the laboratory, where he
drenched my hand with a neutraliz
ing liquid.
He nound up the wounds caused by
the add, which proved to be slight,
after all, and then returned to the tele
phone. To his evident annoyance, he dis
covered that the acid had burned
through the wires and cut off all con
nection. At the other end of the line, Elaine
was listening impatiently for a re
sponse to her first eager words of in
quiry. She was astonished to And,
This Story
Pljye rs and the Mectte Fihn CoaipsaY
All Forties K.pnt.- lttnrrrrd
at last, that Kennedy had apparently j
left the telephone without any expla j
nation or apology.
"Why u raag off.' she exclaimed
angrily to herself, as she hung up the
receiver and left the room.
In the center of a devious and wind
ing way, quite unknown to all excep
thoso who knew the Innermost secrets
of the Chinese quarter, and even un-1
known to the police, there was a dingy
tenement house, apparently inhabited
by hard-working Chinamen. bu In re-1
allty the headquarters of the notorl-'
ous devil worshipers, a sect of satan
Ists, banned even in the Celestial em
pire.
The followers of the cult comprised
some of the most dangerous Chinese !
criminals, thugs and assassins, be
sides a number of dungerous charac
ters who belonged to various Chinese
secret societies. At the head of this
formidable organization was Long Sin,
the high priest of the devil god, and
Long Sin had, as we know, already
joined forces with the notorious
Clutching Hand.
The room in which the uncanny rites i
of tho devil worshipers were conduct
ed was a large apartment decorated in
Chinese style, w ith highly colored por
traits of some of the devil deities and ,
costly silken hangings. Ileslde a large 1
dais depended a huge Chinese gong.
On the dais Itself stood, or rather
sat, an ugly figure covered with some
sort of metallic plating. It almost'
seemed to be the mummy of a China '
man covered with gold leaf.
Into this room came Ixing Sin at-1
tired in an elaborate silken robe. He I
advanced and kotowed before the
dais with it strange figure, and laid
down an offering before it.
This performance was witnessed by
twenty or thirty Chinamen who knelt
IB the rear of the room.
At the same time an aged Chinaman
carrying a prayer wheel entered the
place and. after prostrating himself j
devoutly, placed the machine on a I
sort of low stool or tabourette and
began turning it slowly, muttering. ;
A few moments later Long Sin, who j
had been bowing before the metallic
figure in deepest reverence, suddenly j
sprang to his feet. His glazed eye and j
excited manner indicated that he had j
received a message from the Hps of
the strange god.
The worshipers who bad prostrated
themselves, in awe at the sight of their j
high priest In the unholy frenzy, nil
rose to their feet and crowded for-!
ward.
Long Sin struck several blows on
the resounding gong and then raised j
his voice in solemn tones.
"Ksing Chau, the Terrible, demands
a consort. She Is to be foreign fair
of face and with golden hair."
At the same time. In a room of the
adjoining bouse, the Clutching Hand
himself was busily engaged in mak
iug the not) elaborate preparations
for some nefarious scheme which his
ferlile mind had evolved.
The room had been' fitted up as a!
medium's seance parlor.
Two of the Clutching Hand's most
trusted confederates and a hard laced
woman of middle age, dressed In plain
black, were putting the finishing
touches to this apartment, when their
chief entered.
Clutching Hand gazed about the
room, now and then giving an order!
or two to make more effective the
setting for the purpose which lie had
in mind.
Finally ho nodded In approval and
stepped over to the fireplace where
logB were burning brightly in a grate
Pressing a spring In the mantelpiece, j
the master criminal effected an Instant
transformation. The logs in the fire
place, still burning, disappeared inline j
diately through the bottom of the brick ,
tiling and a metal sheet covered them
An aperture opened at the back, as if
by magic.
Through this opening Clutching j
Hand made his way quickly and dis j
appeared.
Emerging on the other side of the
peculiar fireplace, Clutching Hand
pushed aside a curtain which barred
the way and looked Into the Chinese j
temple, taking up a position behind:
the metallic figure on the dais.
The Chinamen bad by this time fin ,
Ished their devotions, If such they
might be called, and the last one was
leaving, while Long Sin stood alone
OS the dais.
The noise of the departing satanlstsi
had scarcely died away when Clutch-1
!ng Hand stepped out.
"Follow me," he ordered hoarsely.;
seizing Long Sin hy the arm and lead
ing him away.
They passed through ihe passage
way of the fireplace and, having en
tered the seance room, Clutching Hand
began briefly explaining the purpose ;
of the preparations that had been ,
made. Long Sin wagged his head in
voluble approval.
Elaine was standing in the library
gazing sadly at Kennedy's portrait,
thinking over recent events and above
all the rebuff over the telephone which
she supposed she had received.
in Moving Pictures Will
Jennings entered with a card on a
aalvei Elaine took it and saw with
surprise the name ot her caller:
MADAME SAVETSKY,
Medium
l'eneath the engraved name were
the woids written, in ink "I have a
"Yes. 1 will M-e her.' cried Elaine
eagerly, in respon-e to the butler's in-
Joining room and iliere found herself
face to face nli ihe hard featured
womau who had onl a few moments
before left the Clinching Hand
Elaine looked ra:her than spoke her j
inquiry.
"Your father, my dear," purred the
medium, with a great pretence of sup- !
pressed exciteun nt. appeared to me i
the other night frost the spirit world.
I was in a trance and he asked me to
deliver a message to you.''
"What was the message?" asked
Elaine breati li sl , now aroused to
IntenM interest.
"I must go into a trance again to get
it," replied the insinuating itvstsky,
'and If you like 1 tan try it at ouce,
provided we can be lelt alone long!
enough."
Seated in her chair, the medium J
muttered wildlv lor a few moments,
rolled her eyes, and w ith some con-j
vulsive IBOTSMent I pretended to go in
to a trance.
Suddenly the curtains were pulled
aside and Aunt Josephine and lien-1
uett, who had just come in, entered
"I can do nothing here" exclaimed
Savetsky. starting up and looking'
about severely You must como to'
COl be interrupted.''
"I will," saiit Klaine, vexed at tho
intrusion at that moment "1 must1
have that message 1 must."
"What's all tins, Elaine?" demanded'
Aunt Josephine.
Hurriedly, Elaine pouted forth to)
her aunt anil Bennett the story of the'
medium's visit and Ihe promised mes-1
sage from her lather la the other I
world.
Aunt Josephine, w ho was not one j
easily to be imposed on, strongly ob
jected to Klalne's proposal to acconi-1
pany Savetsky to the lesncfl chamber,!
but Elaine would not be denied.
"It might be safe for Elaine to go." j
Bennett finally suggested to Aunt Jo
A few moments later, in the Dodge
car. Klaine. the medium and ber two
escorts started for the Chinese quar
ters.
t
At the house the medium opened the
door with her key and ushered In her
three visitors.
Sintering the room, the medium at
once prepared for the seance by pull
ing down the window shades.
Suddenly an Indistinct face was seen
to be peering through the black cur
tains. A voice, dee Pi sepulchral, was
heard in slow and solemn tones.
"1 am Eeko the spirit of Taylor
Dodge. I will give no message until
one named Josephine leaves the
room."
No sooner had the words been tit
tered than the medium camo writhing
out of her trnnee.
"What happened?" she asked, look
ing at Elaine.
Elaine reported the spirit's words.
"We can get nothing If your aunt
stays here," Savetsky added, insisting
Elaine It Hurried Through the Hid
den Passage in the Fireplace.
that Aunt Josephine must go. ' Your
father cannot speak while she Is pres
ant."
Aunt Josephine, annoyed by what
she had heard, indignantly refused to
go and was deaf to all Klalne's plead
ings.
"I think It will be all right," finally
acquiesced Bennett, seeing how betit
Kleins was on securing tho message, I
"I'll stay und protect ber."
Aunt Josephine finally agreed "Very
well, then," she protested, marching1
out of the room in a high state of:
Indignation.
She had scarcely left the house,
hOWever, when she began to suspect
that all was not as It ought to be. Inj
fact, the Idea had no sooner occurred
lo her than she decided to call on
Kennedy and she ordered the chauf
feur to take her as quickly as possible
to the laboratory.
Kennedy had not been In the laho
ratory all the day after my expert
ence with the acid, and I was imps
tlenriv awaiting his arrivI At last
r 1
there came knock at the door and I
opened U hurriedly There was a mes
senger boy who handed me a note. I j
tore it open. It was from Kennedy
and rad: "I shall probably be away
for two or three days Call up BalM
and tell her to beware of a certain:
Madame Savetsky
1 was still puzzling over the note
and was Just about to cull up Klaine
when the speaking tube was blow '
and to my surprise I 'mind that it was
Aunt Josephine who hail Called.
"Where is Mr Kennedy? she asked, i
greatly agitated
"He has gone sway for n few davs.
1 replied blanklv Is there anything,
1 can do?"
She was very est Ited and hastily re-1
lated what had happened at the parlor;
of the medium.
"What was her name"" I cried mix
lonslv "Madame Savetsky," she replied, to
my surprise.
Astounded, 1 picked up Craig's note
from the desk and handed it to her
without a word She read it with
breathless eagerness.
"Come back there with me, please."
she begged, almost frantic with lear
now. "Something terrible mav have
Aunt Josephine had hardly left Sa
vetsky when the trance was resumed,
Suddenly, from ihe mysterious shad
ows of the cabinet there appeared the
spirit of Long Sin, whose death
Elaine still believed she hail caused
when Adventuress Mar had lured ber
to the apartment
Elaine was trembling with fear at1
the apparition.
As before, a strange voice sounded
In the depths of ihe cabinet and again
a message was heard, in low, solemn
tones:
"I am Keka, and I have with me
Long Sin. His blood cries for ven
geance." Klaine was overcome with horror at
the words.
Then a dim, ghostly figure, appar
ently that of Ixing Sin. appeared
With arms outstretched, the figure
glided from the cabinet and approached
Klaine She shrank back farther
in fright, too horrified even to scream.
At the same moment, the medium
drew a vapor pistol from- her dfi ss
and, as the ghost of Long Sin leaped
at Klaine, Savetsky darted forward
and shot a stream of vapor full in
Bwnett'i fuce.
BgnMtt dropped unconscious, the
lights in the darkened room flushed
up, and several of the men of the
Clutching Hand rushed In
Quickly the fireplace was turned OB
its cleverly constructed hinges, re
vealing the hidden passage,
Before any effective resistance could
be made, Elaine and Bennett were
hustled through the passage, securely
bound, and placed on a divan In I
curtained chamher back of the ultnr
of the devil worshipers.
It was at that moment that I, little
dreaming of what had been taking
place, arrived with Aunt Josephine at
the house of Ihe medium.
She answered my ring and admitted
us. To our surprise, the seance room
was empty.
"Where Is the young lady who was
here?" I asked
"Miss Dodge and the gentleman Just
left a few pilnutes ago," the medium
explained, as we looked about
1 happened to notice atom handker
chief IvIiik on the floor. It flashed
over me that perhaps It n
riii afford
As I passed It, 1 purposely dropped
my soft hat over It and picked up the
hat, securing the handkerchief with
out attracting Savetsky's attention.
Aunt Josephine was keen now for ,
returning home to And out whether
Elaine was there or not. No SOOBer
had she entered the car and driven off,
than 1 examined the handkerchief It ;
was torn, as if It had been crushed In j
the hand during a struggle ' and
wrenched away I looked closer In
(he corner was the Initial "E
That was enough. Without losing j
another precious moment I hurried
ground to the nearest police station,
The sergeant detailed several
roundsmen and man in plain clothes, i
and together we r turned to the house,
laying a careful plan to surround It
secretly, while tho plainclothes man
and i obtained admittance.
Meanwhile, the Chinese devil wor
ihlpers had again gathered In their
cursed temple and Long Sin, In Ids
priestly robe, appeared on the dais
The worshipers kotowed revet
ently to him. while at the back again ,
stood the aged Chinaman patiently
turning his prayer wheel.
Two braziers, or smoke pots, had
been placed on Ihe dais, one of which
Umg Sin touched with a stick, caus- j
ing It to burst nut into dense fumes.
Standing befote them, be chanted
In nasal tones "The white consort of j
the great KkIiie Chau has been found
It la his will that she now be made
his"
As he finished Intoning the message,
Long Hln signaled to two young China
men to go latO 'be anteroom. A mn
men! later they returned with Klulne.
Frightened though she was. Elaine
made no attempt to struggle, even
when they had cut her bonds.
'I hi v carried her up to the dais, nnd
now IiOng Sin faced her and sternly
ordered her to kotow to he grue
some metallic figure.
She refused, but Instantly the China
men seized her arm and twisted It,
until they had compelled her to fall
to her knees.
TTavtng forced her to kotow, Long j
Sin turned to the assembled devil
dancers.
"With magic and rare drugs," ho !
ensnted. "she shall bo mad- to pass
Be Shown at
byond
l' tons g
Chau
body encased in pr
At last all seemed lo h In readiness
"Hold her." ordered Long Sin in gut
tural Chinese to the two attendants,
as he approached her
Ijong Sin held in his hand a so all.
profusely decorated pot from which
smoke was escaping V he ap 1
preached he pawed thti ret entitle SB
der her nose once, twice, three limes. '
Qredaall Bahse fell tats nacotv
fltMSMBS
.!
While Elaine was facing death in
the power of the devil WQIShlptri I
had reached the house ttt SavetsRJ
next door with the ptlice, and the
place had been quietly iwrfmnded
With the plainclothes man. a daring
and Intelligent fellow, 1 went to the
door and run: the bell
"What can I do tot ou"" asked the
medium, admitting us
"My friend here" I parleve.l. "is In
gteat business trouble Can 'our on
trolling ipil "' VI him ad' ll o ""
avetsk eel io work pnparini the
room tor a seance s she moved over
to the window to pull down the shades
Elaine Is Forced to Kotow to
two of the policemen who had incau
tiously exposed themselves from Ihe
hiding place in which I had disposed
them before we entered. At any rale,
Snvetfky did not lose a Jot of her ro
il. arknhlo composure.
"I'm sorry " she remarked merely,
"but I'm Ifntld my control Is weak
and cannot work today."
She took a step toward tho door,
motioning 111 to leave Neither Of us
paid any attention to the hint, but re
mit i tied seated as we had been be
fore. Almost before I knew what she was
doing, she made a dash for something
In the corner of the room. It was
M detective was on Ml feet In an
Instant.
I II take earn of her," he ground
out, seized her wrlsls In his viselike
grasp. "You give the signal."
I rushed to tho window, threw up
Ihe shade and opened the sash, wav
ing our preconcerted sign and turned
again toward the room.
Ith a sudden accession of desper
ate strength, Savetsky broke awny
from the plainclothes man and again
attempted to got at something con
oealed on the wall. 1 had turned Just
In lime to fling myself between her
and whatever object she had In mind
As the detective took her again and
twl ted her arm until she cried out
in pain. I hastily Investigated the wall
Sin- had evidently been attempting to
nress a tint ton that rung a concealed
Elaine, now completely unconscious,
was being held by the Chinamen,
while her arm wus smeared with
sticky, black material from tho caul
dron of Umg Sin.
Suddenly the aged ciunaman with
the prayer wheel stopped his luces
sanl Impious turning, and, rising, lo Id
up his hand as If to command alteii
tlon.
"This Is nonsense, ' ho cried In a
loud voice. "Why should our great
K'ling chou desire s white fhrsllf I, a
ereat grandfather, demand lo know."
Shaking with race, Long Sin or
dered the Intruder off the dais. Hut
the aged deVOtee refused to go.
"Throw him out," he ordered hi-, at
tendants. Eor answer, as tho two voung
Chinamen approached, the old China
man Ihrew them down to tho
floor with a quick Jiu Jltsu movement
furious now bevond expression,
Long Sin stepped forward. Hi si Ized
the beard and queue of the Intruder.
b
utter amazement they camo
It was Kennedy.
With his automatic drawn, before
tho astonished devil dancers could
recover themselves, Craig stood at
bay.
Long Sin lamped behind the big
gong. As tho Chinaman rushed for
ward to selzo him, Kennedy shot tlvi
S8a JTn3WBglemisW v'J5jPS-i' fc
the "B" Theater Today
ef Lent Sin's tt
vedy's last bulwark It was i.wajing
under their repeated Mows
While KegpMdy was thus besieged
by the devil worshipers la the ante
! oom. several policemen and det cti es
g ain red in the seance room with us.
v t door, where Savetsky was held I
defiant and mute prisoner,
i had discovered the i n and taking
thai as a guide, i started to trace the
com so of a wire which ran alongside
the wall
To the RienhMt i braced the hell
and, in pulling on the wire, I luckily
pressed a secret spring Fo m IBsBM
men) the whole fireplace swung out
of sight and disclosed a secret inis
sageway. I looked throng! i'
it was almost at th it precise instant
that the door of the anteroom bttTSl
npeo and the Chinamen warmed in,
the Gruesome Metallic Figure.
Long bin
To (fay utter amazement, 1 recog
nized Kennedy's voice.
la the first onslaught Craig shot one
Chinaman dead, then closed wnli Ihe
OthlTS, slashing right nnd left with tht
Chinese knife he had picked up.
Bennetl came to his aid, but was
Immediately overcome by two China
men, who evidently hud been detailed
(Of thai purpose.
Meanwhile Kennedy and the BthSfl
were enguged In a leinble lift and
death ut niggle.
dually, long Sin, seizing u large
wall hanging, leaped upon Kennedy
from the back and threw It ovm his
head, almost suffocating him.
It was Just as the Chinese was about
to overpower hlm that I led the po
lice nnd detectives through the pas
sageway of the fireplace.
It was a glorious flghl that tollOWl d
But Long Sin and his Chinamen were
no match for the police ami were soon
Completely routed, the police striking
furiously In all directions and during
tho room.
Initantly Kennedy thought of
fair object of all this melee,
rushed to tho divan on which be
placed Klaine
Ah she opened her eves for at
the
He
had
In-
en
slant she ga d at
ilg,
il II
nett. Still not comprehending Just
what bad happi in d, the gave her hand
to Bennetl Bennetl lined her to her
feet aud slowly assisted her as she
tried lo walk avvav
Kennedy watched them, more stupe
fled than if lo- had been Htiuck over
the head by Long Sin.
Police and detectives were now tak
ing the captured Chinamen away, as
Bsnm ti. hi srm ghoul Klaine, d her
gently out.
a voung detective had slipped the
bracelets' BVei Long Sin's wrist, und I
was standing beside him.
Kennedy in a daze gg the fllg'il of
Elaine nnd K' ini. tt passed us, HCSrce
ly noting who we were.
As Craig collected bis scattered
forces Long sin motldned to him, as
If he had a message tO deliver.
Kennedy frowned suspiciously. Ho
was about to turn away when the Chi
naman began pleading esrneetly for a
chance to say a few words
"Step aside lor a moment, you fel
lows, won't you, pleSSS f" he asked. "1
will henr what you have to say, Long
Sin."
Long Sin looked about craftily.
"What. Is if" prompted Craig, see
ing thai at last they were ull alone
Long Sin again looked around.
' Swear that I will go free und not
surfer " he whispered, "and I will be
trgy Uin great Clutching Hand."
Kennedy studied the Chinaman
keenly for a moment. Then, seeming- ;
y satisfied with the scrutiny, ho nod
ded slowly assent.
As Craig did so, I saw Long Hln lean
over and whisper Into Kennedy's ear
rail started lack In horror and sur
prise. fTO Rl CONTINUED.)
SUBSCRIBE
FOR THE
MORNING
JOURNAL
AllHK
H. M.
60 Cents
Per Month
Our Leased
Wire Service
Is most complete in all
details and all the im
portant happenings, for
eign and domestic, arc
received direct trom the
Associated Press corres
pondents stationed in all
quarters of the globe:
therefore, complete and
reliable.
State News
The Morning Journal has
correspondents on its
payroll in the principal
cities and towns of New
Mexico, and have in
structions to "get the
news" on the wire or by
letter to this paper as
soon as possible. The
state is, therefore, thor
oughly covered by the
Journal's correspondents
IF YOU WANT TO GET
THE NEWS AND KEEP
TOUCH WITH THE
'MPORTANT EVENTS OF
THE WORLD
SUBSCRIBE
FOR THE
MORNING
JOURNAL
Albuquerque, ' N. M.