I was walking in Central Park with Avery Knight, the great New York burglar, highwayman, and murderer.
"But, my dear Knight," said I, "it sounds incredible.You have undoubtedly performed some of the most wonderful feats in your profession known to modern crime.You have committed some marvellous deeds under the very noses of the police--you have boldly entered the homes of millionaires and held them up with an empty gun while you made free with their silver and jewels; you have sandbagged citizens in the glare of Broadway's electric lights; you have killed and robbed with superb openness and absolute impunity--but when you boast that within forty-eight hours after committing a murder you can run down and actually bring me face to face with the detective assigned to apprehend you, I must beg leave to express my doubts--remember, you are in New York."Avery Knight smiled indulgently.
"You pique my professional pride, doctor," he said in a nettled tone."I will convince you."About twelve yards in advance of us a prosperous-looking citizen was rounding a clump of bushes where the walk curved.Knight suddenly drew a revolver and shot the man in the back.His victim fell and lay without moving.
The great murderer went up to him leisurely and took from his clothes his money, watch, and a valuable ring and cravat pin.He then rejoined me smiling calmly, and we continued our walk.
Ten steps and we met a policeman running toward the spot where the shot had been fired.Avery Knight stopped him.
"I have just killed a man," he announced, seriously, "and robbed him of his possessions.""G'wan," said the policeman, angrily, "or I'll run yez in! Want yer name in the papers, don't yez? I never knew the cranks to come around so quick after a shootin' before.Out of th' park, now, for yours, or I'll fan yez.""What you have done," I said, argumentatively, as Knight and I walked on, "was easy.But when you come to the task of hunting down the detective that they send upon your trail you will find that you have undertaken a difficult feat.""Perhaps so," said Knight, lightly."I will admit that my success depends in a degree upon the sort of man they start after me.If it should be an ordinary plain-clothes man I might fail to gain a sight of him.If they honor me by giving the case to some one of their celebrated sleuths I do not fear to match my cunning and powers of induction against his."On the next afternoon Knight entered my office with a satisfied look on his keen countenance.
"How goes the mysterious murder?" I asked.
"As usual," said Knight, smilingly."I have put in the morning at the police station and at the inquest.It seems that a card case of mine containing cards with my name and address was found near the body.
They have three witnesses who saw the shooting and gave a description of me.The case has been placed in the hands of Shamrock Jolnes, the famous detective.He left Headquarters at 11:30 on the assignment.
I waited at my address until two, thinking he might call there."I laughed, tauntingly.
"You will never see Jolnes," I continued, "until this murder has been forgotten, two or three weeks from now.I had a better opinion of your shrewdness, Knight.During the three hours and a half that you waited he has got out of your ken.He is after you on true induction theories now, and no wrongdoer has yet been known to come upon him while thus engaged.I advise you to give it up.""Doctor," said Knight, with a sudden glint in his keen gray eye and a squaring of his chin, "in spite of the record your city holds of something like a dozen homicides without a subsequent meeting of the perpetrator, and the sleuth in charge of the case, I will undertake to break that record.To-morrow I will take you to Shamrock Jolnes--I will unmask him before you and prove to you that it is not an impossibility for an officer of the law and a manslayer to stand face to face in your city.""Do it," said I, "and you'll have the sincere thanks of the Police Department."On the next day Knight called for me in a cab.
"I've been on one or two false scents, doctor," he admitted."I know something of detectives' methods, and I followed out a few of them, expecting to find Jolnes at the other end.The pistol being a.45-caliber, I thought surely I would find him at work on the clue in Forty-fifth Street.Then, again, I looked for the detective at the Columbia University, as the man's being shot in the back naturally suggested hazing.But I could not find a trace of him.""--Nor will you," I said, emphatically.
