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26 - Black Stars Campaign by Johnston McCulley · Black Stars Campaign

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  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty six of Black Star's campaign by Johnston McCully.
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  Speaker 1: This Liberal Wox recording is in the public domain. Read
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  Speaker 1: by yoganand Black Star's campaign, Chapter twenty six, The Big
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  Speaker 1: Blow Reduced to a state of unconsciousness by means of
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  Speaker 1: a vapor gun, Mux was moved sometime during the night
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  Speaker 1: to the new headquarters. When he regained consciousness, he found
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  Speaker 1: himself in a room similar to the old one, except
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  Speaker 1: that it was somewhat smaller. Max did not know in
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  Speaker 1: what section of the city he was. The Black Star
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  Speaker 1: was speaking over the telephone, and as Max sat upon
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  Speaker 1: the couch, he hung up the receiver and turned around. Well, Max,
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  Speaker 1: we have at a bit of excitement, the master crook said.
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  Speaker 1: Erbeck risked his life to get to the roof of
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  Speaker 1: a certain hotel, and he managed to get a telephone
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  Speaker 1: number that caused us considerable trouble. I've just received a
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  Speaker 1: report from one of my men. He tells me that
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  Speaker 1: Erbeck and a square of police and deputies have surrounded
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  Speaker 1: the old house and are creeping upon it as if
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  Speaker 1: it contained a crowd of desperate characters. They'll have some
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  Speaker 1: excitement too, Mus and then we'll discover nothing but an
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  Speaker 1: empty nest. Yeah, Max asked, they'll discover you too one
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  Speaker 1: of these days, and then I hope they give you
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  Speaker 1: life inclined toward violence again, Max, When I have been
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  Speaker 1: treating you so nicely, I'm really ashamed of you as
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  Speaker 1: if I cared. Max coughed, I'm thinking of taking you
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  Speaker 1: along tonight, mus when we call upon missus Richard Branneton
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  Speaker 1: at a guess. But if you're not a good boy,
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  Speaker 1: I shall leave you at home. The Black Star chuckled
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  Speaker 1: and turned toward the end of the table. The bell
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  Speaker 1: and the wall tinkled, and a robed and masked man
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  Speaker 1: entered and went to the blackboarder, which here was installed
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  Speaker 1: on one side of the room. Number three, he wrote,
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  Speaker 1: countersign Colorado report wrote the Black Star, Lord Sambury and
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  Speaker 1: Sir Burton Banks arrived on time and now are at
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  Speaker 1: the Branitton house. Any new developments, none have been learned.
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  Speaker 1: We are watching closely, wrote Number three. I've decided to
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  Speaker 1: seize Brannett to himself to night with the other two
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  Speaker 1: and hold him for ransom. The Black Star wrote, you
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  Speaker 1: will have your squad attend to it, and be sure
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  Speaker 1: that they do not fail. The man who prosecuted me
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  Speaker 1: must be punished. I shall attend to it and warn
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  Speaker 1: the men that they must not fail. There have been
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  Speaker 1: no changes in transportation, means none waterware, that's all. Retire,
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  Speaker 1: a black Star wrote. The man backed through the door
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  Speaker 1: and closed it after him. You're going to run against
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  Speaker 1: a snag. Mus told the black Star. You're biding off
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  Speaker 1: more than you can chew, and it is likely to
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  Speaker 1: choke you. I scarcely think so, Mus. This little affair
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  Speaker 1: is so well planned that there can be no failure.
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  Speaker 1: It's a master stroke of my career. It will add
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  Speaker 1: to my fame, and at the same time it will
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  Speaker 1: be highly profitable. When the news gets out, the country
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  Speaker 1: will be shocked. You go to monkeying with the government
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  Speaker 1: and you'll get yours. Max told him again. Them gents
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  Speaker 1: are guests of the government, ain't they. I should think
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  Speaker 1: they were MUCKs. They are here on very important international business.
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  Speaker 1: I may mention that it is so important that I
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  Speaker 1: expect to collect the ransom within forty eight hours. I
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  Speaker 1: understand that a certain negotiation spending and that there can
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  Speaker 1: be no delay. The Blackstar sat down at the end
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  Speaker 1: of the table and began consulting his member and a book,
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  Speaker 1: again completely ignoring Muks, who remained sitting on the couch.
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  Speaker 1: Muck's hands were lashed together, and he knew that he
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  Speaker 1: was being washed continually, and yet he felt that he
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  Speaker 1: had a duty to perform. I ain't helping the boss
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  Speaker 1: at all, Max mused. I tried to once, and I've
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  Speaker 1: fell down. If this big crook puts that over to night,
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  Speaker 1: it'll make the Boss a bigger loughing stock than before. Gee,
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  Speaker 1: I wish I could do something. Werbeck was wishing the
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  Speaker 1: same thing. Late that afternoon, when it came to locating
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  Speaker 1: the new headquarters of the Master Crook, the police and
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  Speaker 1: deputies admitted that they did not know which way to turn. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: the city was in terror. The Blackstar had said that
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  Speaker 1: he would strike to night and strike hard. Banks and
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  Speaker 1: financial institutions were sending in frantic demands that they be
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  Speaker 1: given adequate police protection. Jewelry establishments were doing the same.
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  Speaker 1: Private detective agencies were swarmed with orders for operatives from
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  Speaker 1: one end of the city to the other. Men and
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  Speaker 1: women asked the question, whay would the Black Star strike?
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  Speaker 1: Missus Richard Branniton was not thinking of the Master Rogue.
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  Speaker 1: She was busy entertaining a distinguished guests. Luncheon had been
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  Speaker 1: served and they were being shown the city. Then they
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  Speaker 1: returned to the Branitton residence and sought their suites to
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  Speaker 1: get some rest. Before the reception of the evening Branitton
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  Speaker 1: had engaged four more private detectives, making eight in all,
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  Speaker 1: and had planned to have them scattered about the house.
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  Speaker 1: But that was the ordinary safeguard against ordinary jewel thieves
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  Speaker 1: and had nothing to do with the Black Star. Branitton
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  Speaker 1: was not thinking of the master crook either. His mind
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  Speaker 1: was upon the fact that he was gathering political influence
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  Speaker 1: by entertaining the two famous diplomats. Late that afternoon, Roger
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  Speaker 1: Werberg went to the police headquarters for a conference with
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  Speaker 1: the Chief and Sheriff Cohen. We can't do anything except
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  Speaker 1: to have our men waiting and ready, the Chief said,
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  Speaker 1: I have received about a thousand reports from my men,
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  Speaker 1: and there isn't one of them worth the paper WIT's
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  Speaker 1: written on. They seem to think they've got to report
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  Speaker 1: something or get into trouble with me. The papers are right,
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  Speaker 1: the police are a gang of fools, and court justus. Well,
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  Speaker 1: what can we do? Cohen complained, Did we get credit
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  Speaker 1: for getting on the crook's trail. We did not. The
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  Speaker 1: evening papers are roasting us because we didn't nab him.
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  Speaker 1: I'm getting pretty sick of this business. We wouldn't be
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  Speaker 1: in this business if we hadn't been asleep and let
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  Speaker 1: the gang get the Black Star out of the jail.
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  Speaker 1: The chief reminded him. Wait, Werbert commanded, are we going
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  Speaker 1: to fight among ourselves? Is that a way to cast
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  Speaker 1: a black Star? What's the matter with Mux, the chief demanded.
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  Speaker 1: The chances are that Max is not able to do anything,
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  Speaker 1: Werberg replied. I can imagine that he is being washed
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  Speaker 1: closely since he gave me that little tip over the telephone,
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  Speaker 1: and I'm hoping that nothing worse has happened to him. Max,
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  Speaker 1: you may be sure will help us if he gets
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  Speaker 1: a chance. Nightfall formed them. Still at police headquarters. They
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  Speaker 1: had sent out for something to eat. The police reserves
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  Speaker 1: had been gathered. Cowan and his deputies ready. The Black Star,
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  Speaker 1: they knew might strike at eight in the evening at
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  Speaker 1: midnight at three in the morning, they had to be ready.
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  Speaker 1: Their one hope was to get a quick alarm to
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  Speaker 1: reach the scene in time to capture the Master. Rogue,
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  Speaker 1: or at least important members of his band. The residence
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  Speaker 1: of Richard Branniton was a blaze of light. Guests were arriving,
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  Speaker 1: prominent men, beautiful women, visual leaders of the city's society.
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  Speaker 1: An orchestra was playing in the ball room. Men and
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  Speaker 1: women were greeting one another, laughing and chatting. The Branniton
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  Speaker 1: residents were surrounded by wide lawns studded with big maple trees.
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  Speaker 1: Here and there were dark spaces not reached by the
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  Speaker 1: light from either the house or the street. Two blocks
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  Speaker 1: away was a small park. At nine thirty o'clock, several
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  Speaker 1: men approached the spark singly, each acting as if he
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  Speaker 1: was going about his business or hurrying to his home.
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  Speaker 1: They followed the walk and now and then they passed
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  Speaker 1: and whispered a few words to one another. More men
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  Speaker 1: happened to walk through the alley in the rear of
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  Speaker 1: the Branitton house. Some of these men had bundles beneath
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  Speaker 1: their arms. There was a door in the alley wall,
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  Speaker 1: and before it was a caterer's wagon. Men were carrying
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  Speaker 1: refreshments into the house. At one of the corners of
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  Speaker 1: the residence. In the rear there was a small verandah
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  Speaker 1: that was shrouded in darkness. While the caterer's men were
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  Speaker 1: carrying in the provisions, several of the other men who
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  Speaker 1: had been in the alley slipped through the door and
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  Speaker 1: sought the dark verandah. Crouched there. They waited here and there.
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  Speaker 1: A shadow flitted across a lawn from dark spot to
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  Speaker 1: dark spot, but the shadows were men. A big limousine
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  Speaker 1: stopped on a side street half a block away. The
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  Speaker 1: shades were drawn at all its windows. A truck stalled
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  Speaker 1: on the other side of the street, apparently, and four
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  Speaker 1: men in it worked at the engine. Finally one left,
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  Speaker 1: saying he would telephone for help. Across the avenue from
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  Speaker 1: the Branitton residence, a crowd had gathered towards the guests arrived,
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  Speaker 1: muttering when two police officers urged them to move on
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  Speaker 1: the crowd, where several men were gave one another knowing
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  Speaker 1: looks now and then the last guests arrived. The hour
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  Speaker 1: of ten struck Inside the Braniton house. The orchestra was
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  Speaker 1: playing and couples were dancing. Missus Richard Branneton was beaming
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  Speaker 1: upon her guest, and her husband was seeking to make
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  Speaker 1: an impression upon Sir Burton Banks and Lord Sambury Braneton
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  Speaker 1: had hopes of receiving an important diplomatic post abroad. As
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  Speaker 1: the hour of ten struck, the men beside the dark
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  Speaker 1: rear verandah unfastened the bundles they had been carrying and
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  Speaker 1: put on black robes and masks. More men approached the
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  Speaker 1: house from the other side, keeping in the shadows, and
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  Speaker 1: when they reached the darkness near the wall, put on
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  Speaker 1: robes and masks. At ten minutes after the hour of ten,
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  Speaker 1: thirteen men had gathered beside the dark verandah and fifteen
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  Speaker 1: more were scattered near the house. On guard of these
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  Speaker 1: thirty men, the Black Star suddenly appeared. I want no mistakes,
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  Speaker 1: he whispered, Is every man in his proper place? Yes, sir,
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  Speaker 1: One of them replied. One of the waiters is a
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  Speaker 1: man of ass as, he reported, not yet, sir. They
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  Speaker 1: waited for a few minutes, and another man slipped around
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  Speaker 1: the corner of the house. Everything is ready, sir. He reported,
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  Speaker 1: he was a waiter. How soon can you do your part?
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  Speaker 1: The Black Star asked, in about five minutes, off about
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  Speaker 1: three minutes, and then on again. Yes, sir, said the waiter,
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  Speaker 1: and he slipped away and re entered the house. The
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  Speaker 1: black Star whispered a command, and the men scattered, keeping
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  Speaker 1: well in the darkness, but gradually surrounding the house, except
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  Speaker 1: in front, where it was brilliantly lighted. And suddenly the
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  Speaker 1: lights in the house went out. Feminine shrieks, boisterous laughter,
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  Speaker 1: chests came from dose with him to them it was
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  Speaker 1: a joke. A fuse burned out at a critical time.
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  Speaker 1: Granitan called upon a servants to ascertain the course of
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  Speaker 1: the truck will immediately and remedy it. Then, as suddenly
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  Speaker 1: as they had been extinguished, the lights came on again.
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  Speaker 1: The waiter had manipulated the switch in the basement, as
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  Speaker 1: a black Star had instructed. Missus. Richard Bruneton's guest shrieked
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  Speaker 1: in alarm. Now the doors had been closed, the shades
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  Speaker 1: had been drawn at the windows, and before each door
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  Speaker 1: and window stood a man dressed in a black robe
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  Speaker 1: with a black mask over his face. Each one's sword
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  Speaker 1: dressed held a weapon menacingly. Before then a voice from
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  Speaker 1: the hallway caused them to turn. They saw a tall
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  Speaker 1: man dressed in a robe, his face covered with a mask,
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  Speaker 1: and on the hood of his robe was a flaming
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  Speaker 1: star of chet. Do not make a move, ladies and gentlemen,
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  Speaker 1: he cried. I am the Black Star, and these are
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  Speaker 1: mine men. We will use violence if we are forced
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  Speaker 1: to do so, though we'd rather not. I may mention
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  Speaker 1: that the few detectives who are in the house have
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  Speaker 1: been taken care of, and you are absolutely at our Muzzy,
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  Speaker 1: the telephone viser cut too. We are here to make
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  Speaker 1: a collection of red jewelts and ornaments, and to carry
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  Speaker 1: away with us three men. You crook, Granitan cried, rushing
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  Speaker 1: toward him. The Blackstar raised his arm a wayp agun exploded.
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  Speaker 1: Richard Branitton crashed to the floor. Women screamed, he is
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  Speaker 1: not injured, merely rendered unconscious. The Blackstar called out, if
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  Speaker 1: you're faint, ladies, I'm afraid that nobody will be able
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  Speaker 1: to take care of you, so please don't do it.
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  Speaker 1: Line up against that bold ladies, and the gentlemen against
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  Speaker 1: this one. Remember, my men will fire at the first
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  Speaker 1: move any of you make. The end of chapter twenty
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  Speaker 1: six