THE BLACK PILGRIM

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20726, 9 February 1939, Page 14

THE BLACK PILGRIM

(6) ! The Black Pilgrim is a strange adj venturer, who puzzles both Scotland Yard and many criminals. He beats crooked people at their own game, preparing the stage for their downfall, and then communicating particulars to Scotland Yard, leavj ing it to the latter officials to make '■ effective arrests. Make the acquaintance of the mysterious Black Pilgrim, and j watch him carry out his daring and ; amazing plans, in a new adventure i of — THE MISSING HEIRESS “If you can believe statistics at all, | you would be surprised, no doubt, to ! learn that according to recent ligures i the number of women of sixteen and ; over convicted of criminal olTences i was nearly seven thousand last year, j Five years ago the figure was under ; six thousand. This increase in crime among the feminine section of the community is largely due to certain women who actually train girls to become criminals. One of the worst of these is a certain woman, widow of a Belgian -Count, who has her rendezvous in the West End of London. “What do you thing of that, my Georges?” asked the blonde -haired woman, reclining upon the settee, of her companion. “These reporters make good publicity agents. Ir things go on like this, I shall be get-

By George Stanley

A story of a modern Robin Hood.

ting an offer to go on the films. “Don't be a fool, Marie,” answered the man, his black eye-brows almost meeting, as he frowned down upon her. “If .you get too much limelight focussed on you, then you will be deported as an undesirable alien. If you ever get back to Belgium vou know what will happen to you. Les-

ehapps has never forgotten how you fooled him over the plans of the Chamur forts. It nearly ruined him. That man would see you die by inches, with great satisfaction.”

In spite of her assumed air, the blonde woman shuddered as her thoughts followed the direction of her companion's remarks.

“Bah!" she cried. “What matter! I am in England and nobody can fasten anything upon me. But 1 did not ask you here to make me miserable. 1 have a scheme in hand for which I require your assistance — of course—-at a price. How does twenty thousand pounds tempt you !

“I would kill anyone for that,” replied the man. “1 killed for nothing in the war.”

“Then this little afTair should come easy to you. I have obtained information that a certain American worth millions of dollars, who died recently, left his whole fortune of about two million English pounds to a niece of his. This niece, who is only twentytwo, does not know of the fortune which is awaiting for her, because she cannot be found. 1 know where that girl is working as a typist at this very moment. One of my assistants is keeping watch upon her. She used to work for one of those trim people and, as the girl is extremely attractive, he got as you say •fresh'* with her. I know the man and he is not so good. Anyway, she struck him upon the head with a ruler and left at once. She has the spirit, this little one. But the cunning film man he reports to the police that she has stolen money which he has marked. The . police they search her room and, under the mattress of her bed—they find all the money, because our film man had hired someone to put it there.” “What's all this got to do with us?” asked her companion.

“You will see, my Georges,” answered the woman. “Luckily for the girl, a man was seen coming from her room, and there were other circumstances, and she was finally discharged. But the newspapers they print all the unpleasant details. In order to make the complete disappearance, the little one, she decided to change her name. She does this, moves away from her lodgings, and gets some work a long way from the place. Thus she is vanished when the men from America start the search for the missing heiress. But Marie Gouchatt—she hears a whisper; she sets the brain to work and thus—-

the missing heiress is discovered.” “Well, what do you propose to do about it?" asked the man. “This is what we shall do." explained Marie Gouchatt. “You will discover' the girl and bring her here. You must be careful not to scare her. We can then question her—you can tell her that you are acting as agent for the American solicitors. When we have her in our net, you and i j will go along with her to the lawyers ! —after you have seen them. We i can get her to sign an agreement .for I you to act for her. Then the busi- j ness can proceed. We will get her to engage another firm of solicitors--we know a good one, don't we, my Georges? Then, when things are m our hands, we can deal with her. I am not greedy—from two millions she could spare one half-a-million. surely. When 1 have that.—perhaps, my Georges, she might be so thankful she will want to marry you?” “What a scheme!” exclaimed her companion. “It looks guod. I'm in on it. you bet. I'll want to know a lot more details, though, before I start.” “You shall.” answered the woman. “Now, we shall have some lunch, and while we eat I will give you the facts. You must get to work at onec. because at any moment she might see some advertisement which may give her the information that she is being looked for.” She rose languidly from her seat, and the two passed into the adjoining room where a table was laid for two. As they continued their meal, Marie Gouchatt explained the full details of her scheme to collect half-a-million pounds. • * * • Mary Mandens pulled on her tiny hat over her thick dark curls and, dropping her light raincoat over her arm prepared to leave the offices of the electrical firm for whicn she worked. She walked slowly from the building, reflecting upon the misfortunes which seemed to follow her. Boarding a bus she dropped from it almost at the entrance to the house where she occupied what her landlady called a “comfortable bed-sitting room.” She hurried into the house, entered her room, and the cry which rose to her lips at the sight of the tall powerfully built man who was sitting there, was stilled by the sight of the ugly looking automatic which he held in his hand. The brown eyes of the man smiled at her fr'ght. “Don't be alarmed, Miss Mary Manders—or should I call you Marne? I am a friend, although this weapon may not make you think so. 1 was ready in case it. should not have been you who entered.” “Who are you?” demanded the girl. “What are you doing in my room ?” “My name would not interest you,” replied the stranger, “but l want to convince you that I am a friend, for you are in grave danger.” “Danger?” answered the girl. “Don't he sMly. Who is going to do anything to me? All I have in the world is not worth twenty pounds.” “That may be so at the moment,” said her companion, gravely. “Now sit down and listen to me for a few moments. You can hold this gun if you still feel scared of me.” “I’m not scared,” replied the girl, her grey eyes smiling. “I was, at the start; one doesn't expect to find a strange man with a pistol waiting in one’s bed-sitting room. Go on, and tell me what the reason is for all this mystery.” “Right,” answered the stranger. “Your correct name is Mary Marne and you changed it to Manders, which was your mother’s name, owing to the unfortunate publicity shed upon you through a trumped-up charge of theft. Your mother and father are dead and, so far as you know, you have no living relatives. There you would have proved to be wrong a few months ago. Your mother’s brother—Albert David Manders —was alive until fairly recently. He quarrelled with your father and went abroad to America, in fact some years back. This is the vital point—your uncle, Albert David Manders, as a result of lucky speculation in oil, died worth over two million pounds in English money and — he has left this immense fortune to his sister or her heirs, which means that you—Mary Manders —are the sole heir.”

He smiled at the astonished face of the attractive girl before him, then he continued:

“Great wealth brings danger with it. and that is why lam here. lam a rather foolish person, and I step in and interfere in matters which interest me. Your case is one. You have not seen the newspapers lately or you would have seen a notice asking* for the heirs of your mother, Mrs Jane Marne, to come forward. I can show you a cutting from a paper, and you can, if you wish, call upon the solicitors and see them for yourself.” “Why have you taken the trouble to come to me?” asked the girl, “Because there is a charming lady, who is the head of a criminal gang, who proposes to get you into her net, and then collect half-a-million pounds from you. When she has done this you will be handed over to a dirty rascal of an accomplice who thinks that you will be glad to marry him, when* the gang has finished with you. That little scheme I propose to spoil. The only thing is, there might be danger in it for you. You can, if you wish, go straight to the solicitors who are in charge of your uncle's estate, and refuse to have anything to do with me. You know nothing about me, 1 admit, and I might be after your money, too.”

“I don't think that you are the type of man who would be interested in money.” answered Mary Marne, look like the champion of lost causes somehow. What is your name?" “You can call me The Black Pilgrim." said the man, softly. “It's a name as good as any other.” “Why—you’re the man the newspapers 'talk about!’' exclaimed the girl. “That is so,” replied The Black Pilgrim. with a smile. “Now, will you take a chance with me in this busi-

•Yes I will!” answered the girl. “It makes me mad when I think of this thing happening. While I've been in trouble and everything has been going wrong. Eve had no friends. Now. when there is a possibility of things improving—this gang calmly propose to gel hold of me and take a lot of my money, just as if I didn t exist. It's not the money: it's—it's the impudence of the whole thing!" “That's the spirit!” answered The Black Pilgrim. admiringly. “Now. this is what's going to happen, will probably get a caller this evening from the queen of the gang—her name is Marie, incidentally. This caller will be one Georges Rernntl. who is a charming scoundrel. He will break the news to you of your

good luck, and will a>k you to |el him act as your agent. Yn.i will visil Ihr beautiful Marir. wiio will bn most kind and will ask >mi to stay at her house. You would be wise to ru-ree —because if you don't, they'll get ,

you there somehow. Then the next slop—alter >*.u have presented your papers for identifh ation. will l»e to get \.iu to s gn a power of attorney for Georges to act as your representative, j Alter that the rest would be easy for

them.” "The cold-blooded scoundrels!“ i broke in the girl. “How did you discover all this?” Be Continued.)

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