Chapter XX: How Nick Won Out

Arthur Mannion, splendidly disguised as he was, utterly collapsed at Nick Carter's denunciation, and he said not a word as he was led away, handcuffed, to the police-station.

Jackson Feversham, who had been kept in the dark regarding the identity of the one-armed man, could not believe that the murderer of Playfair was the soldierly person who had represented himself to be the murderer's uncle.

"Why, he's one-armed, there's no sham there, his hair is light, his features are different, and he speaks in a different voice. I remember Arthur Mannion well, and this man bears no resemblance to him."

"All the same," said Nick stoutly, "I can prove that he is Arthur Mannion, and before twenty-four hours he will confess that he is!"

Playfair's friend and executor was now in Nick's rooms. The other persons present were Chick and Patsy.

The detective spoke with such conviction that Feversham was impressed.

"How did you get at the secret?" he asked.

"By work, by using the powers which nature gave me and which experience has sharpened, and by the invaluable assistance of Chick and Patsy. I suspected the uncle when I heard of his visit to the hospital, my suspicions were deepened when I first met the man at Craven's house. He had but one arm, that is true, but it struck me as a singular circumstance that the missing member should be the left one, the arm to which, upon Arthur Mannion, when I had last seen him, was attached a hand with half a finger missing. An accident would account for the amputation, and if an accident to Mannion had occurred within a radius of one or even two hundred miles, the fact could be easily ascertained, both through telegraphic and private inquiry. I tried the private way first, and within a week Chick lit upon the surgeon who amputated Arthur Mannion's arm. While on his way, traveling mainly by night, from Alexandria to Baltimore, Mannion fell under a freight-train. He was stealing a ride with some hoboes, and, being awkward at brake-beam work, slipped and fell. The accident happened near a station--I had looked for the very thing--and a railway surgeon removed the arm and had the patient, who gave an assumed name, removed to St. Luke's Hospital, Baltimore. In the hospital Mannion met Knocker Jilson, a tramp he had struck up an acquaintance with while both were on the road. Do you begin to see, Mr. Feversham?"

"Yes, light is breaking fast. You are a very shrewd man, Mr. Carter. Hereafter I shall take whatever you say as the law and gospel."

"Before leaving the hospital Mannion arranged his deal with Jilson. The fellow was booked for an early death, and as he grew weaker he thought of his mother, whom for years he had shamefully neglected. Mannion saw his chance. He offered to send Mrs. Jilson money, and to provide for the few years she has yet to live, if Jilson, on his part, would consent to a harmless deception. Jilson listened and consented. He would have done more, if it had been necessary, than was asked of him, for the promise to relieve his mother's necessities was an inducement that would have made him swallow any kind of bait.

"After Mannion was discharged as cured, he proceeded to make the next move in the game. I suppose you know, Mr. Feversham, that there are now many surgeons, professionals and quacks, who make a specialty of changing facial appearance. Twenty years ago the thing was almost unheard of. Now there have been so many demonstrations that the practise is carried on to an extent that would amaze you were you to be furnished with the statistics. There is one of these practitioners in Baltimore. I sent Chick to investigate. He proved the correctness of my theory, and he brought back these."

The detective from his pocketbook took two small photographs and handed them to Feversham. One was a counterfeit full-length presentment of Arthur Mannion as he appeared before the disguise, but after the amputation, and, facially, as Nick had seen him at the house on L Street; the other was a reproduction of the person of the so-called Peter Mannion.

"'Before taking,' and 'After taking,'" said Nick, with a smile. "Do you understand? And do you notice that each picture is of a one-armed man?"

"Yes. One was taken when the patient arrived; the other when the operation had been performed. If I used slang I should say it is a dead give-away." said Feversham.

"It is nothing else. Surgery fixed the features and changed the workings of the vocal chords, while chlorine or peroxide of hydrogen altered the color of the hair and eyebrows. Besides all this, I have other evidence of a minor nature which goes to cement the case against Arthur Mannion."

"What you have offered is sufficient, Mr. Carter. It is evidence overwhelming in its nature. Confront your prisoner with it and he must confess."

That is what Nick did. The next day he called at the jail, had an interview with Mannion, told him what proofs had been gathered, both of the impersonation and of the murder, and the result was that the wicked stepson of James Playfair threw up his hands and made full confession.

He had, as the great detective supposed, robbed Playfair's house in order to obtain the key to the bank deposit box. He found the key, and he found something more--the money and a package of his mother's letters in the locked drawer. The letters were used as a lure for the appointment by the river, and the murder was committed with deliberate intent, Goloff assisting by holding Playfair's arms while Mannion choked the old man to death.

The scheme of the bogus will had been concocted in St. Louis, where Mannion had, by previous arrangement, met Goloff, who had left San Francisco a week before the departure of Mannion and his wife from that city. The forgery had not been a difficult task, for Mannion was an expert in that line, and he had some of Playfair's old letters as a guide.

Asked about the notes taken from the body of Cora Reesey, Mannion answered: "I might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb, so I'll say that I robbed the body. I was the first to discover it. I was rowing along the shore when I spotted it. There was no one in sight, and so I took all the valuables I could find. Goloff was with me, and I whacked up with him.

"And now," said Mannion, when he had finished his confession, "it's up to you to do a little explaining. How in the name of Satan did you get out of that trunk?"

Nick Carter smiled. He could afford to. "I wasn't in that trunk more than two minutes," he said. "But it was lucky for me that help came when it did, else I should have suffocated. Do you suppose that I was such a ninny as to run blindfold into the trap you had set for me? You spoke rather sneeringly of my boy Patsy, while you had me at a disadvantage in the room. Let me tell you now that you owe Patsy an apology, for he is responsible for my presence in the court to-day and your arrest. When I sent him out in the daytime, it was not for the purpose of taking a train out of the city, but to pipe you. Now you begin to see? He bought a ticket for New York, but he rode only a few blocks, then jumped off the train and carried out my other instructions. He saw you go up the stairs--he was concealed across the street--and he saw me go up. Then he followed suit. With ear at the keyhole he overheard every word you said to me. He was too shrewd to go out and procure assistance, for he saw that the only way to block your game would be to let you fancy that you had really sent me to the bottom of the Potomac. You did send something--a trunk that cost sixty dollars, and a couple of pillows and a lot of bricks that I threw in to give the proper weight."

Mannion bit his lips till the blood came. But he soon assumed a devil-may-care expression.

"I was too anterior: I see it now. And I suppose that telegram from Chick was a plant?"

"Of course. Chick was only a few miles away, I had him at the phone before eight o'clock, and his part was soon arranged. I presume you thought the boy who gave you the telegram was a regular employee of the company?"

"Wasn't he?"

"Oh, no. He was only Patsy."

"Patsy!" And what the checkmated villain said about Patsy would not look well in print.

Arthur Mannion was never tried for his crime. Pneumonia carried him off within a fortnight after his arrest. His widow still mourns for him, but Nick Carter believes that her eyes will soon brighten, and that there are happy days in store for her.

The three detectives left Washington showered with congratulations.

Jackson Feversham's last words were: "Nick, I can't tell you what I think about your work in this case, but I can say one thing. I wouldn't have believed any man could have done what you have done. I don't know how you've done it, but it's great, and so are you!"

THE END.

With thrills from the first page to the last is told No. 1232, of the NEW MAGNET SERIES, entitled, "A Voice from the Past," by Nicholas Carter.

BOOKS FOR YOUNG MEN

MERRIWELL SERIES

ALL BY BURT L. STANDISH

Stories of Frank and Dick Merriwell

Fascinating Stories of Athletics

A half million enthusiastic followers of the Merriwell brothers will attest the unfailing interest and wholesomeness of these adventures of two lads of high ideals, who play fair with themselves, as well as with the rest of the world.

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_ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_

1--Frank Merriwell's School Days
2--Frank Merriwell's Chums
3--Frank Merriwell's Foes
4--Frank Merriwell's Trip West
5--Frank Merriwell Down South
6--Frank Merriwell's Bravery
7--Frank Merriwell's Hunting Tour
8--Frank Merriwell in Europe
9--Frank Merriwell at Yale
10--Frank Merriwell's Sports Afield
11--Frank Merriwell's Races
12--Frank Merriwell's Party
13--Frank Merriwell's Bicycle Tour
14--Frank Merriwell's Courage
15--Frank Merriwell's Daring
16--Frank Merriwell's Alarm
17--Frank Merriwell's Athletes
18--Frank Merriwell's Skill
19--Frank Merriwell's Champions
20--Frank Merriwell's Return to Yale
21--Frank Merriwell's Secret
22--Frank Merriwell's Danger
23--Frank Merriwell's Loyalty
24--Frank Merriwell in Camp
25--Frank Merriwell's Vacation
26--Frank Merriwell's Cruise
27--Frank Merriwell's Chase
28--Frank Merriwell in Maine
29--Frank Merriwell's Struggle
30--Frank Merriwell's First Job
31--Frank Merriwell's Opportunity
32--Frank Merriwell's Hard Luck
33--Frank Merriwell's Protégé
34--Frank Merriwell on the Road
35--Frank Merriwell's Own Company
36--Frank Merriwell's Fame
37--Frank Merriwell's College Chums
38--Frank Merriwell's Problem
39--Frank Merriwell's Fortune
40--Frank Merriwell's New Comedian
41--Frank Merriwell's Prosperity
42--Frank Merriwell's Stage Hit
43--Frank Merriwell's Great Scheme
44--Frank Merriwell in England
45--Frank Merriwell on the Boulevards
46--Frank Merriwell's Duel
47--Frank Merriwell's Double Shot
48--Frank Merriwell's Baseball Victories
49--Frank Merriwell's Confidence
50--Frank Merriwell's Auto
51--Frank Merriwell's Fun
52--Frank Merriwell's Generosity
53--Frank Merriwell's Tricks
54--Frank Merriwell's Temptation
55--Frank Merriwell on Top
56--Frank Merriwell's Luck
57--Frank Merriwell's Mascot
58--Frank Merriwell's Reward
59--Frank Merriwell's Phantom
60--Frank Merriwell's Faith
61--Frank Merriwell's Victories
62--Frank Merriwell's Iron Nerve
63--Frank Merriwell in Kentucky
64--Frank Merriwell's Power
65--Frank Merriwell's Shrewdness
66--Frank Merriwell's Setback
67--Frank Merriwell's Search
68--Frank Merriwell's Club
69--Frank Merriwell's Trust
70--Frank Merriwell's False Friend
71--Frank Merriwell's Strong Arm
72--Frank Merriwell as Coach
73--Frank Merriwell's Brother
74--Frank Merriwell's Marvel
75--Frank Merriwell's Support
76--Dick Merriwell at Fardale
77--Dick Merriwell's Glory
78--Dick Merriwell's Promise
79--Dick Merriwell's Rescue
80--Dick Merriwell's Narrow Escape
81--Dick Merriwell's Racket
82--Dick Merriwell's Revenge
83--Dick Merriwell's Ruse
84--Dick Merriwell's Delivery
85--Dick Merriwell's Wonders
86--Frank Merriwell's Honor
87--Dick Merriwell's Diamond
88--Frank Merriwell's Winners
89--Dick Merriwell's Dash
90--Dick Merriwell's Ability
91--Dick Merriwell's Trap
92--Dick Merriwell's Defense
93--Dick Merriwell's Model
94--Dick Merriwell's Mystery
95--Frank Merriwell's Backers
96--Dick Merriwell's Backstop
97--Dick Merriwell's Western Mission
98--Frank Merriwell's Rescue
99--Frank Merriwell's Encounter
100--Dick Merriwell's Marked Money
101--Frank Merriwell's Nomads
102--Dick Merriwell on the Gridiron
103--Dick Merriwell's Disguise
104--Dick Merriwell's Test
105--Frank Merriwell's Trump Card
106--Frank Merriwell's Strategy
107--Frank Merriwell's Triumph
108--Dick Merriwell's Grit
109--Dick Merriwell's Assurance
110--Dick Merriwell's Long Slide
111--Frank Merriwell's Rough Deal
112--Dick Merriwell's Threat
113--Dick Merriwell's Persistence
114--Dick Merriwell's Day
115--Frank Merriwell's Peril
116--Dick Merriwell's Downfall
117--Frank Merriwell's Pursuit
118--Dick Merriwell Abroad
119--Frank Merriwell in the Rockies
120--Dick Merriwell's Pranks
121--Frank Merriwell's Pride
122--Frank Merriwell's Challengers
123--Frank Merriwell's Endurance
124--Dick Merriwell's Cleverness
125--Frank Merriwell's Marriage
126--Dick Merriwell, the Wizard
127--Dick Merriwell's Stroke
128--Dick Merriwell's Return
129--Dick Merriwell's Resource
130--Dick Merriwell's Five
131--Frank Merriwell's Tigers
132--Dick Merriwell's Polo Team
133--Frank Merriwell's Pupils
134--Frank Merriwell's New Boy
135--Dick Merriwell's Home Run
136--Dick Merriwell's Dare
137--Frank Merriwell's Son
138--Dick Merriwell's Team Mate
139--Frank Merriwell's Leaguers
140--Frank Merriwell's Happy Camp
141--Dick Merriwell's Influence
142--Dick Merriwell, Freshman
143--Dick Merriwell's Staying Power
144--Dick Merriwell's Joke
145--Frank Merriwell's Talisman
146--Frank Merriwell's Horse
147--Dick Merriwell's Regret
148--Dick Merriwell's Magnetism
149--Dick Merriwell's Backers
150--Dick Merriwell's Best Work
151--Dick Merriwell's Distrust
152--Dick Merriwell's Debt
153--Dick Merriwell's Mastery
154--Dick Merriwell Adrift
155--Frank Merriwell's Worst Boy
156--Dick Merriwell's Close Call
157--Frank Merriwell's Air Voyage
158--Dick Merriwell's Black Star
159--Frank Merriwell in Wall Street
160--Frank Merriwell Facing His Foes
161--Dick Merriwell's Stanchness
162--Frank Merriwell's Hard Case
163--Dick Merriwell's Stand
164--Dick Merriwell Doubted
165--Frank Merriwell's Steadying Hand
166--Dick Merriwell's Example
167--Dick Merriwell in the Wilds
168--Frank Merriwell's Ranch
169--Dick Merriwell's Way
170--Frank Merriwell's Lesson
171--Dick Merriwell's Reputation
172--Frank Merriwell's Encouragement
173--Dick Merriwell's Honors
174--Frank Merriwell's Wizard
175--Dick Merriwell's Race
176--Dick Merriwell's Star Play
177--Frank Merriwell at Phantom Lake
178--Dick Merriwell a Winner
179--Dick Merriwell at the County Fair
180--Frank Merriwell's Grit
181--Dick Merriwell's Power
182--Frank Merriwell in Peru

In order that there may be no confusion, we desire to say that the books listed below will be issued during the respective months in New York City and vicinity. They may not reach the readers at a distance promptly, on account of delays in transportation.

To be published in January, 1928.

183--Frank Merriwell's Long Chance
184--Frank Merriwell's Old Form

To be published in February, 1928.

185--Frank Merriwell's Treasure Hunt
186--Dick Merriwell Game to the Last

To be published in March, 1928.

187--Dick Merriwell, Motor King
188--Dick Merriwell's Tussle
189--Dick Merriwell's Aero Dash

To be published in April, 1928.

190--Dick Merriwell's Intuition
191--Dick Merriwell's Placer Find

To be published in May, 1928.

192--Dick Merriwell's Fighting Chance
193--Frank Merriwell's Tact

To be published in June, 1928.

194--Frank Merriwell's Puzzle
195--Prank Merriwell's Mystery

RATTLING GOOD ADVENTURE

SPORT STORIES

_Stories of the Big Outdoors_

There has been a big demand for outdoor stories, and a very considerable portion of it has been for the Maxwell Stevens stories about Jack Lightfoot, the athlete.

These stories are not, strictly speaking, stories for boys, but boys everywhere will find a great deal in them to interest them.

_ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_

1--Jack Lightfoot, the Athlete
2--Jack Lightfoot's Crack Nine
3--Jack Lightfoot Trapped
4--Jack Lightfoot's Rival
5--Jack Lightfoot In Camp
6--Jack Lightfoot's Canoe Trip
7--Jack Lightfoot's Iron Arm
8--Jack Lightfoot's Hoodoo
9--Jack Lightfoot's Decision
10--Jack Lightfoot's Gun Club
11--Jack Lightfoot's Blind
12--Jack Lightfoot's Capture
13--Jack Lightfoot's Head Work
14--Jack Lightfoot's Wisdom

BOOKS THAT NEVER GROW OLD

Alger Series

Clean Adventure Stories for Boys

The Most Complete List Published

The following list does not contain all the books that Horatio Alger wrote, but it contains most of them, and certainly the best.

Horatio Alger is to boys what Charles Dickens is to grown-ups. His work is just as popular to-day as it was years ago. The books have a quality, the value of which is beyond computation.

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In this list will be included certain books by Edward Stratemeyer, Oliver Optic, and other authors who wrote the Alger type of stories, which are equal in interest and wholesomeness with those written by the famous author after which this great line of books for boys is named.

_ALL TITLES ALWAYS IN PRINT_

By HORATIO ALGER, Jr.

12--Chester Rand
13--Grit, the Young Boatman of Pine Point
14--Joe's Luck
15--From Farm Boy to Senator
16--The Young Outlaw
17--Jack's Ward
18--Dean Dunham
19--In a New World
20--Both Sides of the Continent
22--Brave and Bold
24--Bob Burton
26--Julius, the Street Boy
28--Tom Brace
29--Struggling Upward
31--Tom Tracy
32--The Young Acrobat
33--Bound to Rise
34--Hector's Inheritance
35--Do and Dare
36--The Tin Box
37--Tom, the Bootblack
38--Risen from the Ranks
39--Shifting for Himself
40--Wait and Hope
41--Sam's Chance
42--Striving for Fortune
43--Phil, the Fiddler
44--Slow and Sure
45--Walter Sherwood's Probation
47--The Young Salesman
48--Andy Grant's Pluck
49--Facing the World
50--Luke Walton
51--Strive and Succeed
52--From Canal Boy to President
53--The Erie Train Boy
54--Paul, the Peddler
55--The Young Miner
56--Charlie Codman's Cruise
57--A Debt of Honor
58--The Young Explorer
59--Ben's Nugget
62--Frank Hunter's Peril
64--Tom Thatcher's Fortune
65--Tom Turner's Legacy
66--Dan, the Newsboy
67--Digging for Gold
69--In Search of Treasure
70--Frank's Campaign
71--Bernard Brook's Adventures
73--Paul Prescott's Charge
74--Mark Manning's Mission
76--Sink or Swim
77--The Backwoods Boy
78--Tom Temple's Career
79--Ben Bruce
80--The Young Musician
81--The Telegraph Boy
82--Work and Win
84--The Cash Boy
85--Herbert Carter's Legacy
86--Strong and Steady
87--Lost at Sea
89--Young Captain Jack
90--Joe, the Hotel Boy
91--Out for Business
92--Falling in with Fortune
93--Nelson, the Newsboy
94--Randy of the River
96--Ben Logan's Triumph
97--The Young Book Agent
168--Luck and Pluck
169--Ragged Dick
170--Fame and Fortune
171--Mark, the Match Boy
172--Rough and Ready
173--Ben, the Luggage Boy
174--Rufus and Rose

By EDWARD STRATEMEYER

98--The Last Cruise of _The Spitfire_
99--Reuben Stone's Discovery
100--True to Himself
101--Richard Dare's Venture
102--Oliver Bright's Search
103--To Alaska for Gold
104--The Young Auctioneer
105--Bound to Be an Electrician
106--Shorthand Tom
108--Joe, the Surveyor
109--Larry, the Wanderer
110--The Young Ranchman
111--The Young Lumberman
112--The Young Explorers
113--Boys of the Wilderness
114--Boys of the Great Northwest
115--Boys of the Gold Field
116--For His Country
117--Comrades in Peril
118--The Young Pearl Hunters
119--The Young Bandmaster
121--On Fortune's Trail
122--Lost in the Land of Ice
123--Bob, the Photographer

By OLIVER OPTIC

124--Among the Missing
125--His Own Helper
126--Honest Kit Dunstable
127--Every Inch a Boy
128--The Young Pilot
129--Always in Luck
130--Rich and Humble
131--In School and Out
133--Work and Win
135--Haste and Waste
136--Royal Tarr's Pluck
137--The Prisoners of the Cave
138--Louis Chiswick's Mission
139--The Professor's Son
140--The Young Hermit
141--The Cruise of _The Dandy_
142--Building Himself Up
143--Lyon Hart's Heroism
144--Three Young Silver Kings
145--Making a Man of Himself
146--Striding for His Own
147--Through by Daylight
148--Lightning Express
149--On Time
150--Switch Off
151--Brake Up
152--Bear and Forbear
153--The "Starry Flag"
154--Breaking Away
155--Seek and Find
156--Freaks of Fortune
157--Make or Break
158--Down the River
159--The Boat Club
160--All Aboard
161--Now or Never
162--Try Again
163--Poor and Proud
164--Little by Little
165--The Sailor Boy
166--The Yankee Middy
167--Brave Old Salt

Transcriber's Notes:

1. Spelling has been retained as in the original book.

2. Punctuation has been standardized.

3. Italics is given as _italics_.

End of Project Gutenberg's Out of Death's Shadow, by Nicholas Carter