Jennie Baxter, Journalist
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Robert Barr >> Jennie Baxter, Journalist
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"Oh, yes!" replied Jennie. "I am eager to begin at once, and, of course,
I shall be much obliged to him if he will act as my guide in the vaults
of the Treasury, and tell me how much they have already discovered."
"You must not expect much information from the police--in fact, I doubt
if they have discovered anything. Still, if they have, they are more
than likely to keep it to themselves; and I imagine they will hold
a pretty close watch on you, being more anxious to learn what you
discover, and thus take the credit if they can, than to furnish you with
any knowledge of the affair they may happen to possess."
"That is quite natural, and only what one has a right to expect. I don't
wish to rob the police of whatever repute there is to be gained from
this investigation, and I am quite willing to turn over to them any
clues I may happen to chance upon."
"Well, if you can convince the Director of that, you will have all the
assistance he can give you. It wouldn't be bad tactics to let him know
that you are acting merely in an amateur way, and that you have no
desire to rob the police of their glory when it comes to the solving of
the problem." Promptly at four o'clock the Director of the Police put
in an appearance at the Palace Steinheimer. He appeared to be a most
obsequious, highly decorated old gentleman, in a very resplendent
uniform, and he could hardly conceal his surprise at learning that the
lady detective was a woman so young and so pretty. Charmed as he was
to find himself in the company of one so engaging, it was nevertheless
evident to Jennie that he placed no very high estimate on the assistance
she might be able to give in solving the mystery of the Treasury. This
trend of mind, she thought, had its advantages, for the Director would
be less loth to give her full particulars of what had already been
accomplished by the police.
Jennie accompanied the Director to that extensive mass of buildings of
which the Treasury forms a part. The carriage drew up at a doorway, and
here the Director and his companion got out. He led the way into the
edifice, then, descending a stair, entered an arched corridor, at the
door of which two soldiers stood on guard, who saluted as the Chief
passed them.
"Does this lead to the room where the explosion took place?" asked
Jennie. "Yes." "And is this the only entrance?" "The only entrance,
madame." "Were the men on guard in this doorway injured by the
explosion?" "Yes. They were not seriously injured, but were rendered
incapable for a time of attending to their duties." "Then a person could
have escaped without their seeing him?" "A whole regiment of persons
might have escaped. You will understand the situation exactly if I
compare this corridor to a long cannon, the room at the end being the
breech-loading chamber. Two guards were inside the room, and two others
stood outside the door that communicated with this corridor. These four
men were killed instantly. Of the guards inside the room not a vestige
has been found. The door, one of the strongest that can be made,
somewhat similar to the door of a safe, was flung outward and crushed to
the floor the two guards who stood outside it in the corridor. Between
the chamber in which the chest lay and the outside entrance were sixteen
men on guard. Every one of these was flung down, for the blast, if I may
call it so, travelled through this straight corridor like the charge
along the inside of the muzzle of a gun. The guards nearest the treasure
chamber were, of course, the more seriously injured, but those further
out did not escape the shock, and the door by which we entered this
corridor, while not blown from its hinges, was nevertheless forced
open, its strong bolts snapping like matches. So when you see the great
distance that intervened between the chamber and that door, you will
have some idea of the force of the explosion."
"There is no exit, then, from the treasure chamber except along this
corridor?"
"No, madame. The walls at the outside of the chamber are of enormous
strength, because, of course, it was expected that if an attempt at
robbery were ever made, it would be made from the outside, and it is
scarcely possible that even the most expert of thieves could succeed in
passing two guards at the door, sixteen officers and soldiers along the
corridor, two outside the Treasury door, and two in the chamber itself.
Such a large number of soldiers were kept here so that any attempt at
bribery would be impossible. Among such a number one or two were sure
to be incorruptible, and the guards were constantly changed. Seldom was
either officer or man twice on duty here during the month. With such a
large amount at stake every precaution was taken."
"Are there any rooms at the right or left of this corridor in which the
thieves could have concealed themselves while they fired the mine?"
"No, the corridor leads to the treasure chamber alone."
"Then," said Jennie, "I can't see how it was possible for a number of
men to have made away with the treasure in such circumstances as exist
here."
"Nevertheless, my dear young lady, the treasure is gone. We think that
the mine was laid with the connivance of one or more officers on duty
here. You see the amount at stake was so large that a share of it would
tempt any nine human beings out of any ten. Our theory is that the train
was laid, possibly electric wires being used, which would be unnoticed
along the edge of the corridor, and that the bribed officer exploded the
dynamite by bringing the ends of the wires into contact. We think the
explosion was a great deal more severe than was anticipated. Probably,
it was expected that the shock would break a hole from the treasure
chamber to the street, but so strong were the walls that no impression
was made upon them, and a cabman who was driving past at the time heard
nothing of the sound of the explosion, though he felt a trembling of the
ground, and thought for a moment there had been a shock of earthquake."
"You think, then, that the thieves were outside?"
"That seems the only possible opinion to hold."
"The outside doors were locked and bolted, of course?"
"Oh, certainly; but if they had a confederate or two in the large
hallway upstairs, these traitors would see to it that there was no
trouble about getting in. Once inside the large hallway, with guards
stunned by the shock, the way to the treasure chamber was absolutely
clear."
"There were sentries outside the building, I suppose?"
"Yes."
"Did they see any vehicle driving near the Treasury?"
"No, except the cab I spoke of, and the driver has accounted
satisfactorily for his time that night. The absence of any conveyance
is the strange part of it; and, moreover, the sentries, although pacing
outside the walls of this building, heard nothing of the concussion
beyond a low rumble, and those who thought of the matter at all imagined
an explosion had occurred in some distant part of the city."
"Then the outside doors in the large hall above were not blown open?"
"No; the officer reports that they were locked and bolted when he
examined them, which was some minutes, of course, after the disaster had
taken place; for he, the officer in charge, had been thrown down and
stunned, seemingly by the concussion of air which took place."
As Jennie walked down the corridor, she saw more and more of the
evidences of the convulsion. The thick iron-bound door lay where it had
fallen, and it had not been moved since it was lifted to get the two men
from under it. Its ponderous hinges were twisted as if they had been
made of glue, and its massive bolts were snapped across like bits of
glass. All along the corridor on the floor was a thick coating of dust
and _debris_, finely powdered, growing deeper and deeper until they came
to the entrance of the room. There was no window either in corridor or
chamber, and the way was lit by candles held by soldiers who accompanied
them. The scoria crunched under foot as they walked, and in the chamber
itself great heaps of dust, sand and plaster, all pulverized into minute
particles, lay in the corners of the room, piled up on one side higher
than a man's head. There seemed to be tons of this _debris_, and, as
Jennie looked up at the arched ceiling, resembling the roof of a vaulted
dungeon, she saw that the stone itself had been ground to fine dust with
the tremendous force of the blast.
"Where are the remnants of the treasure chest?" she asked.
The Director shook his head. "There are no remnants; not a vestige of it
is to be found."
"Of what was it made?"
"We used to have an old treasure chest here made of oak, bound with
iron; but some years ago, a new receptacle being needed, one was
especially built of hardened steel, constructed on the modern principles
of those burglar-proof and fire-proof safes."
"And do you mean to say that there is nothing left of this?"
"Nothing that we have been able to discover."
"Well, I have seen places where dynamite explosions have occurred, but
I know of nothing to compare with this. I am sure that if dynamite has
been used, or any explosive now generally obtainable, there would have
been left, at least, some remnant of the safe. Hasn't this pile of
rubbish been disturbed since the explosion?"
"Yes, it has been turned over; we made a search for the two men, but we
found no trace of them."
"And you found no particles of iron or steel?"
"The heap throughout is just as you see it on the surface--a fine,
almost impalpable dust. We had to exercise the greatest care in
searching through it, for the moment it was disturbed with a shovel
it filled the air with suffocating clouds. Of course we shall have it
removed by-and-by, and carted away, but I considered it better to allow
it to remain here until we had penetrated somewhat further into the
mystery than we have already done."
Jennie stooped and picked up a handful from the heap, her action caused
a mist to rise in the air that made them both choke and cough, and
yet she was instantly struck by the fact that her handful seemed
inordinately heavy for its bulk.
"May I take some of this with me?" she asked.
"Of course," replied the Director. "I will have a packet of it put up
for you."
"I would like to take it with me now," said Jennie. "I have curiosity to
know exactly of what it is composed. Who is the Government analyst? or
have you such an official?"
"Herr Feltz, in the Graubenstrasse, is a famous analytical chemist; you
cannot do better than go to him."
"Do you think he knows anything about explosives?"
"I should suppose so, but if not, he will certainly be able to tell you
who the best man is in that line."
The Director ordered one of the soldiers who accompanied him to find a
small paper bag, and fill it with some dust from the treasure chamber.
When this was done, he handed the package to Jennie, who said, "I
shall go at once and see Herr Feltz."
"My carriage is at your disposal, madame."
"Oh, no, thank you, I do not wish to trouble you further. I am very much
obliged to you for devoting so much time to me already. I shall take a
fiacre."
"My carriage is at the door," persisted the Director, "and I will
instruct the driver to take you directly to the shop of Herr Feltz; then
no time will be lost, and I think if I am with you, you will be more
sure of attention from the chemist, who is a very busy man."
Jennie saw the Director did not wish to let her out of his sight, and
although she smiled at his suspicion, she answered politely,--
"It is very kind of you to take so much trouble and devote so much
of your time to me. I shall be glad of your company if you are quite
certain I am not keeping you from something more important."
"There is nothing more important than the investigation we have on
hand," replied the Chief grimly.
CHAPTER XV.
JENNIE BESTOWS INFORMATION UPON THE CHIEF OF POLICE.
A few minutes after leaving the Treasury building the carriage of
the Chief stopped in front of the shop of Herr Feltz in the wide
Graubenstrasse. The great chemist himself waited upon them and conducted
them to an inner and private room.
"I should be obliged to you if you would tell me the component parts
of the mixture in this package," said Jennie, as she handed the filled
paper bag to the chemist.
"How soon do you wish to know the result?" asked the man of chemicals.
"As soon as possible," replied Jennie.
"Could you give me until this hour to-morrow?"
"That will do very nicely," replied Jennie, looking up at the Director
of Police, who nodded his head.
With that the two took their leave, and once more the Director of Police
politely handed the girl into his carriage, and they drove to the Palace
Steinheimer. Here she again thanked him cordially for his attentions
during the day. The Director answered, with equal suavity, that his duty
had on this occasion been a pleasure, and asked her permission to call
at the same hour the next afternoon and take her to the chemist. To this
Jennie assented, and cheerily bade him good-evening. The Princess was
waiting for her, wild with curiosity to know what had happened.
"Oh, Jennie!" she cried, "who fired the mine, and who robbed the
Government?"
Jennie laughed merrily as she replied,--
"Dear Princess, what a compliment you are paying me! Do you think that
in one afternoon I am able to solve a mystery that has defied the
combined talents of all the best detectives in Austria? I wish the
Director of Police had such faith in me as you have."
"And hasn't he, Jennie?"
"Indeed he has not. He watched me every moment he was with me, as if he
feared I would disappear into thin air, as the treasure had done."
"The horrid man. I shall have my husband speak to him, and rid you of
this annoyance."
"Oh, no, Princess, you mustn't do anything of the kind. I don't mind it
in the least; in fact, it rather amuses me. One would think he had some
suspicion that I stole the money myself."
"A single word from the Prince will stop all that, you know."
"Yes, I know. But I really want to help the Director; he is so utterly
stupid."
"Now, Jennie, take off your hat and sit down here, and tell me every
incident of the afternoon. Don't you see I am just consumed with
curiosity? I know you have discovered something. What is it?"
"I will not take off my hat, because I am going out again directly; but,
if you love me, get me a cup of that delicious tea of yours."
"I shall order it at once, but dinner will be served shortly. You are
surely not going out alone to-night?"
"I really must. Do not forget that I have been used to taking care of
myself in a bigger city than Vienna is, and I shall be quite safe. You
will please excuse my absence from the dinner-table to-night."
"Nonsense, Jennie! You cannot be allowed to roam round Vienna in that
Bohemian way."
"Then, Princess, I must go to an hotel, for this roaming round is
strictly necessary, and I don't want to bring the Palace Steinheimer
into disrepute."
"Jennie, I'll tell you what we will do; we'll both bring it into
disrepute. The Prince is dining at his club to-night with some friends,
so I shall order the carriage, and you and I will roam round together.
You will let me come, won't you? Where are you going?"
"I am going to the Graubenstrasse to see Herr Feltz."
"Oh, I know Herr Feltz, and a dear old man he is; he will do anything
for me. If you want a favour from Herr Feltz, you had better take me
with you."
"I shall be delighted. Ah, here comes the tea! But what is the use of
ordering the carriage? we can walk there in a very few minutes."
"I think we had better have the carriage. The Prince would be wild if he
heard that we two went walking about the streets of Vienna at night. So,
Jennie, we must pay some respect to conventionality, and we will take
the carriage. Now, tell me where you have been, and what you have seen,
and all about it." Over their belated decoction of tea Jennie related
everything that had happened.
"And what do you expect to learn from the analysis at the chemist's,
Jennie?"
"I expect to learn something that will startle the Director of Police."
"And what is that? Jennie, don't keep me on tenterhooks in this
provoking way. How can you act so? I shall write to Lord Donal and tell
him that you are here in Vienna, if you don't mind."
"Well, under such a terrible threat as that, I suppose I must divulge
all my suspicions. But I really don't know anything yet; I merely
suspect. The weight of that dust, when I picked up a handful of it,
seemed to indicate that the gold is still there in the rubbish heap."
"You don't mean to say so! Then there has been no robbery at all?"
"There may have been a robbery planned, but I do not think any thief got
a portion of the gold. The chances are that they entirely underestimated
the force of the explosive they were using, for, unless I am very much
mistaken, they were dealing with something a hundred times more powerful
than dynamite."
"And will the chemical analysis show what explosive was used?"
"No; it will only show of what the _debris_ is composed. It will settle
the question whether or not the gold is in that dust-heap. If it is,
then I think the Government will owe me some thanks, because the
Director of Police talked of carting the rubbish away and dumping it out
of sight somewhere. If the Government gets back its gold, I suppose the
question of who fired the mine is merely of academic interest."
"The carriage is waiting, your Highness," was the announcement made to
the Princess, who at once jumped up, and said,--
"I'll be ready in five minutes. I'm as anxious now as you are to hear
what the chemist has to say; but I thought you told me he wouldn't have
the analysis ready until four o'clock to-morrow. What is the use of
going there to-night?".
"Because I am reasonably certain that the Director of Police will see
him early to-morrow morning, and I want to get the first copy of the
analysis myself."
With that the Princess ran away and presently reappeared with her wraps
on. The two drove to the shop of Herr Feltz in the Graubenstrasse, and
were told that the chemist could not be seen in any circumstances. He
had left orders that he was not to be disturbed.
"Disobey those orders and take in my card," said the Princess.
A glance at the card dissolved the man's doubts, and he departed to seek
his master.
"He is working at the analysis now, I'll warrant," whispered the
Princess to her companion. In a short time Herr Feltz himself appeared.
He greeted the Princess with most deferential respect, but seemed
astonished to find in her company the young woman who had called on him
a few hours previously with the Director of the Police.
"I wanted to ask you," said Jennie, "to finish your analysis somewhat
earlier than four o'clock to-morrow. I suppose it can be done?"
The man of science smiled and looked at her for a moment, but did not
reply. "You will oblige my friend, I hope," said the Princess.
"I should be delighted to oblige any friend of your Highness," answered
the chemist slowly, "but, unfortunately, in this instance I have orders
from an authority not to be disputed."
"What orders?" demanded the Princess.
"I promised the analysis at four o'clock to-morrow, and at that hour it
will be ready for the young lady. I am ordered not to show the analysis
to anyone before that time."
"Those orders came from the Director of Police, I suppose?" The chemist
bowed low, but did not speak.
"I understand how it is, Jennie; he came here immediately after seeing
you home. I suppose he visited you again within the hour after he left
with this young lady--is that the case, Herr Feltz?"
"Your Highness distresses me by asking questions that I am under pledge
not to answer."
"Is the analysis completed?"
"That is another question which I sincerely hope your Highness will not
press."
"Very well, Herr Feltz, I shall ask you a question or two of which you
will not be so frightened. I have told my friend here that you would do
anything for me, but I see I have been mistaken."
The chemist made a deprecatory motion of his hands, spreading them out
and bowing. It was plainly apparent that his seeming discourtesy
caused him deep regret. He was about to speak, but the Princess went
impetuously on.
"Is the Director of Police a friend of yours, Herr Feltz? I don't mean
merely an official friend, but a personal friend?"
"I am under many obligations to him, your Highness, and besides that,
like any other citizen of Vienna, I am compelled to obey him when he
commands."
"What I want to learn," continued the Princess, her anger visibly rising
at this unexpected opposition, "is whether you wish the man well or
not?"
"I certainly wish him well, your Highness."
"In that case know that if my friend leaves this shop without seeing the
analysis of the material she brought to you, the Director of Police will
be dismissed from his office to-morrow. If you doubt my influence with
my husband to have that done, just try the experiment of sending us away
unsatisfied."
The old man bowed his white head.
"Your Highness," he said, "I shall take the responsibility of refusing to
obey the orders of the Director of Police. Excuse me for a moment."
He retired into his den, and presently emerged with a sheet of paper in
his hand.
"It must be understood," he said, addressing Jennie, "that the analysis
is but roughly made. I intended to devote the night to a more minute
scrutiny."
"All I want at the present moment," said Jennie, "is a rough analysis."
"There it is," said the chemist, handing her the paper. She read,----
Calcium 29
Iron 4
Quartz ]
Feldspar ] 27
Mica ]
Gold 36-1/2
Traces of other substances 3-1/2
-------
Total 100
Jennie's eyes sparkled as she looked at the figures before her. She
handed the paper to the Princess saying,--
"You see, I was right in my surmise. More than one-third of that heap is
pure gold."
"I should explain," said the chemist, "that I have grouped the quartz,
feldspar, and mica together, without giving the respective portions of
each, because it is evident that the combination represents granite."
"I understand," said Jennie; "the walls and the roof are of granite."
"I would further add," continued the chemist, "that I have never met
gold so finely divided as this is."
"Have you the gold and other ingredients separated?"
"Yes, madame."
"I shall take them with me, if you please."
The chemist shortly after brought her the components, in little glass
vials, labelled.
"Have you any idea, Herr Feltz, what explosive would reduce gold to such
fine powder as this?"
"I have only a theoretical knowledge of explosives, and I know of
nothing that would produce such results as we have here. Perhaps
Professor Carl Seigfried could give you some information on that point.
The science of detonation has been his life study, and he stands head
and shoulders above his fellows in that department."
"Can you give me his address?"
The chemist wrote the address on a sheet of paper and handed it to the
young woman.
"Do you happen to know whether Professor Seigfried or his assistants
have been called in during this investigation?"
"What investigation, madame?"
"The investigation of the recent terrible explosion."
"I have heard of no explosion," replied the chemist, evidently
bewildered.
Then Jennie remembered that, while the particulars of the disaster in
the Treasury were known to the world at large outside of Austria, no
knowledge of the catastrophe had got abroad in Vienna.
"The Professor," continued the chemist, noticing Jennie's hesitation,
"is not a very practical man. He is deeply learned, and has made some
great discoveries in pure science, but he has done little towards
applying his knowledge to any everyday useful purpose. If you meet him,
you will find him a dreamer and a theorist. But if you once succeed in
interesting him in any matter, he will prosecute it to the very end,
quite regardless of the time he spends or the calls of duty elsewhere."
"Then he is just the man I wish to see," said Jennie decisively, and
with that they took leave of the chemist and once more entered the
carriage.
"I want to drive to another place," said Jennie, "before it gets too
late."
"Good gracious!" cried the Princess, "you surely do not intend to call
on Professor Seigfried to-night?"
"No; but I want to drive to the office of the Director of Police."
"Oh, that won't take us long," said the Princess, giving the necessary
order. The coachman took them to the night entrance of the central
police station by the Hohenstaufengasse, and, leaving the Princess in
the carriage, Jennie went in alone to speak with the officer in charge.
"I wish to see the Director of Police," she said.
"He will not be here until to-morrow morning. He is at home. Is it
anything important?"
"Yes. Where is his residence?"
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