John McKeene, Criminologist

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 12008, 10 December 1924, Page 10 (Supplement)

John McKeene, Criminologist

The Three Brass Bound Boxes

Christmas Might in an Opium Den

Behind the simple legend, “Johti de Ville McKeene, Criminolo; ■ gist,” engraved on a brass plate, in the Adelphi, London, lived the most mysterious and baffling personality of the present age. A flying spy in the British Secret Service during the war, the , strange, unerring genius of this super-sleuth, at times so nearly d allied to roadpess, has, since the war, been employed in unravelling ' some of those tangled skeins of mystery which so frequently baffle ■ ' the authorities. W —I

'“To-night, Kenworthy, I shall pay, i visit to Chinatown,” observed John' McKeene. ‘‘Olio!” X exclaimed 1 , looking up. "So the wind sots in that quarter, does'it?” The criminologist nodded. “It’s a sordid spot, McKeene,” 1 observed, hoping for soma hint of the coming adventure. "All the human derelicts from the great city drift down there ultimately. And very few of them ever return.” The mystery man was not to be drawn, however. He continued smoking fitfully, his gaxo intent'‘upon•the fire. Then he remarked: "Chinatown is the gateway U» ‘the; Land of Dreams, Kemvortliy. To many ( a modem De Quincey,. it is the scented pathway to the Gardens, <jf ; Araby, where for a while at least htmian misery ends in the rainbow hue* of delight,,•!. go to smoke the pipe ‘ of Spiu hi with my Oriental friend. Dr Fu Chang, the proprietor of the ‘Celestial Lounge,”’ “Snakes alive, McKeene, do you mean it?” I gasped, for my eccentric friend, whose hip pocket showed a .significant bulge, ,wo» already struggling into his coat. . "Yes; why"fiot?” "Then, let me come ; too. I have a craving to see the inside of an opium, dsn.”- . .... . , “Not this time, Kenworthy. ' The opium pipe is not for little hoys.” And, with this little quip, John do Villa Mc-.s Keene stole fortli. "FROM THE CHINA SEAS.” Later that evening the criminologist, disguised as a simple seamen, newly arrived from the China Seas, sauntered carelessly down one of the tortuous streets behind Limehouse Chirr oh, and entered a mean-looking-eating house close to the Seven Bells Tavern. Within a motley crowd, of seamen of all nations jostled with each other as they fed. Through several rooms, winding passages and up steep narrow stairways, McKeene. passed, almost unnoticed. Once he was challenged on a dark land-

ing. But he had not crime: crn this perilous-quest unprepared. ..." ... . ‘‘Keei-Chcml”„w,bdspered the English-. man, and the bluish-tinted blade was returned to its. carved, ivory sheath; while Wang-Su, tbp faithful henchman of the Chinese Medicine Man, taking the customary fee, salaamed almost to the floor, and led the Englishman into the jealously guarded sanotum, the ‘‘Celestial Lounge.” The air was heavy with thick perfume and laden with narcotic odour. The room was sumptuously furnished, yet silent as death, save for the tick of a quaint Chinese clook, hearing the face of the Sun God. J McKeene took the proffered pipe, and Joined other dreamers on the conch, for an hour he smoked, not .opium, but a fragrant, scented tobacco .which could easily deceive. Ho had need justnow of all his faetulties, for peril would, soon arrive. Soon the lastajmfef, filT appearances, had entered tfee.-uortals of dreamland. * , > i ■* - It was then that two other dreamqm suddenly awoke and tip-toed quietly, to" the Englishman’s oouchl ‘ “By all the saints, Pierre, it is he!” exclaimed the first man, excitedly, “Tonerre! So it is, Denis. Wake him up.” _ “Impossible; he will sleep for hours yet. Let’s move him into the other room, before the others begin to stir,”" advised Black Denis, whose exultation that his enemy had walked, into the trap laid for him knew, no bounds. . Tqgether, the two criminals dragged a ? d xFw ■ th ® iim T> n “l«gjsy»S,fs!S». of McKeene into an <. adjoining There emetics and antidotes- svere sm plied and within another hour the pseudo victim of the subtle Chinese weed opened his eyee and looked wearily around him. ‘ ‘Where; am -I ?” he moaned feebly. “Amongst friends,” replied ‘ Black Denis, in jeering, sardonic tones. ‘‘Look' at me, Drable" jlfaKeenel” ’ The victim looked, at the speaker started slightly, "and held his-throbbing temples with his hand,. ~-„.,.: “YOUR ARE MY PRISONER.” "Ah, you have recogifised me, m'sieur?” eaid Denis. “Yap have seen me before. But this time . file tables are turned. You are my- prisoner, capitaine.” " 1 "Your prisoner, Black Pettis?” echoed the Englishman, appearing. -to regain a fuller measure of consciousness; “Yes, why not. But db.ndt bd afraid, tnon ami. I have need of yon.” : “Need of me? 1 ’ • ft-.. “Certainement; but that' can wait until you are better, m’sieur. I did notjrnow until yesterday that you were a victim of the opium pipe. -It is-a pity. You are so clever,'Si> ingenious'.” “How did you know that I came here occasionally, m’sieur?” asked'McKeeho, with a stammer that might have mount confusion or shame. "Ha, it Was it leetle bird that told mo; so I waited, capitaine, until you came back,” and Black.;Dejiis lailghed in the late of his victihf. The next instant, with a Sftudden bound, McKeene had leapt to his feet, and made a dash for the doorway. But bis enemies were too quick- for him. They hurled themselves upon hiro ( and drageed’him "down.' ' V “Quick, Piej-re—the cord !” The next instant tho Englishman was triced and hound hand and foot, and

made fast to the heavy chair in which : he had ■ been- placed. “Aha, not yet, mon capitaine 1” said Denis, in biting tones. . . “Dog!” hissed the prisoner. “Do ycur worst. I know your intentions, and I am not afraid.” < Black Denis chuckled, and rubbed his hands gleefully. When he spoke again, however, his manner was bland and courteous. , . “What is.it that le capitaine McKeono knows, then?” he said. “.That you have entrapped me to avenge the .death of Jean Rache, the leader of your- infernal brotherhood," replied the'Englishman. “Thirty,you are wrong, m’sieur.” ;' MeKijeno arched his..eyebrows in-ttell-Feigntll surpriso, and looked fixedly first at DeUfs, then, at Pierre, five Feet away, holding McKeeneV own pis tol in his hand. ' ’"“I do not understand,”' said'the prisoner. “Is it not your intention to kill me, now yon have me at your mercy?” “No, unless vou provoke us to it,” came the bland reply, this time from Pierre, who cocked his weapon threateningly: "Then tell me, Black Denis, why you have loin in wait for me here? You sent-hie the “black domino,’ which is ”y6ur signal for death, after I had landed your leader in the not.” “Precisely,” chuckled Denis. ‘‘That was' otir intention) at that time. - Yon had a yery narrow escape. But the—er—brotherhood of the Black Hand has brokferf up.” “Quarrelled, ehf” queried the prisoner, With a faint smile playing about his firm lips. “Yes; and Pierre, along with myself and Jules, have seized the treasury,” continued Denis,; in quiet tones', watching keenly to see how his victim would take the news. “The difficulty is, mon capitaine, that the hoard, comprising the pick of the loot from a score of successful coups, is hidden in three boxes, in a quiet, secluded spot across

the tejanUel. It is carefully 'guarded night! an d day by the faithful' Jules—- ■ Who. awaits your coming.” “My coming?” echoed McKeene. "Yes, mon capitaine. .We nave ' spent weeks in searching for you. Weremember ‘The . Night Hawk that Swoops’ and your capture of Jean 'Rache. We know also that once you? word is. .given it can be trusted. Whqther you leave this opium den alive-■to-night, m’sieur, depends upon your Sromise to fetch that loot by air.” As . lack Denis spoke his face became sinister and cruel once again. “Dog!”’rasped out McKeene. “I am •the hawk that swoops, not stoops. Do you think I would. .. K .” 'THE IRON COLLAR, ■ “fitay—you havo said enough!” : flashed the- bandit, his face' dark with rising angtr. “Bring the iron collar ,and screw, Pierre!” 1 ' MjjKecna winced a s the instrument of torture was produced. Yet he had ■ known of such things done in tho name iff the brotherhood. And of his own free will he had walked into the hornet’s nest. Tho next moment the garrotting instruiftent, so common even in England until a century ago, was fixed about his neck. Pierre, with hellish glee; was already twisting the screw, and McKeene’s veins, were standing out about his nook and face. “‘Do you consent?” .asked- Black Denis, holding up his hand for the tor;tnxa.te,Btop. . . „. ...... t- ; -There' followed one brief space . of. -silonee,-: during' Which the victim Btrug-' gled for breath. Then, with death staring him in the face, and consciousness almost-passing, McKeene gave the required signal. ■ “Loose tho dollar!” ordered Denis. Bui; the victim, though he recovered ■ quickly, was etilLbound hand and foot.. “Promise this thing that L demand, m’eieur, and nob-only shall you go free, but you shall share in the plunder. Ma foi—there is enough to make us all rich for life!” .... - “I promise,” began McKeene, still breathing hard. “I promise that, within two days, I will fetch these three boxes, and set them in your possession, ut the appointed place!” “And meanwhile, until we receive the treasure, you will speak of it to no one?” . “Set him - free, Pierre, hut keep. his pistol. I can trust the” word of Le Capitaine,. Keene. I -will take the consequences!” said Black Denis. McKeene, free- to depart, remained to ohat with his enemies, and even to sup with them. He even talked with theip of Hie trays heaped with pearls, ‘rubies, and turquoises, and the aigrettes of priceless diamonds, whioh he knew (prated part of. the spoil. It was Hie., * ‘giad, ous tviy -of ‘doing things'.•' He was inimitable and clever, Lejond' all men I have."ever met, this diable McKeene. He’even enthused his listeners with an aosollnt of ‘the great 'Persian diamond, the. Dayy-i-Noor,. “The Ocean of Light,” and the Camiam Crown set with a ruby as large as a hen’s egg, which he knew to ho amongst the treaj.iire. ..- ... ■ r -'“Tonerre, but your share'shall bo a handful of the choicest jewels in the whole collection, m’sieur le capitaine 1” I exclaimed Denis, warming generously |

towards his victim, .as they, supped .together. - . _ . “And the treasure, M eieur Denis, where is it hidden?”-asked McKeene, preparing to depart. "Seeing that neither of jtau Will accompany me,. you must tell in© the exact spot—the-slight-est mistake will land-me also in the Donjon de Vincennes,” and the Englishman laughed.: . “M’sieur, you know the secret barn, near the village of S ,in Picardy. P You went there once with Jean Raclie." "I remember 1 And Jules will await me, giving the secret landing signals?-’. “Yes; ho has been waiting for seven days.”“That will do,” replied the Englishman. ’■ “But the aeroplane, capitaine: we have not Black. Denis. “Bah; I will steal one. It is nothing,” eaid McKeene. "Remember, midnight, Thursday; on the Essex Marshes,, at the agreed point. Two red flashes and a green.” “Heavens, what fools they arel” muttered the criminologist, as he caught an oUter circle train citywards. “And I' thought 'they were really clever men. Bah; it was Jean Racha who was the brains of the banditti. Since he went they have gone to pieces. Great scott; those three boxes must be wotth a cool million at the very least 1” . it was towards evening of the second day that John <2© Ville McKeene com - mitted an act of felony, by stealing a double-seater aeroplane of, the' fastest pattern, belonging to Colonel Tempest, Chief or the British Aerial Police. Explanations, if any such were needed, could follow later. He had given his word not to speak of the matter; until the three boxes had .been handed over to tho bandits. THE DOUBLE FLIGHT, That promise was fulfilled to the letter, after an exciting and not uneventful double flight across the English* Channel—ran unauthorised .flight, in; defiance of the aerial navigation laws, which set both Paris and-London - on! the qui vivo. . ■ , .; - ... Landing after dusk in a remote earner of the Romney Levels, the airman jettisoned the contents of the three heavy boxes into two large sacks at’the bottom of the gunner’s cockpit. Refilling them with stones and turf, prepared the: previous day, he 1 taxied Off onoe more across the level,> and‘leapt injfo. the air, just as a little'crowd-of rustics came upon the scene. Exactly at the appointed time the “mad airman” with engines cut ' out' was nosing down towards the .'Essex marshes eastward of London, his keen eyes having already picked up ’the flashes from the ground party, Feverishly now, the remnant of the “Black Brotherhood” fraternity awaited his arrival below, : in one of tho loneliest patches of those dismal marshes. “Bravo —hero he comes?” exclaimed Black Denis. “Mon Dieu, hut he is a man of his word, this Diablo McKeene. We are both rieh men, Pierre!” The next'instant the aeroplane touched ground lightly, and taxied up, stopped dead with the propeller just ticking over, in the centre of the marshes. Two shadows stole up out of the Burrounding darkness. “Denis! Pierre!” . called the airman softly, leaning over the fuselage. “Here, here, Capitaine.!”. came the immediate response. THE BOXES RETURNED. “Then, quick; here are the three boxes. Take them before the police arrive! They have heard the machine,, and wilt be elosing in Upon us.' I have kept my promise,’’ said the pilot. ‘‘Voi.la—-one, two, three 1 All right,Capitaine,' we have them. Give us a couple of minutes to get away—you shall have your share of the spoil, >ve have a conveyance handy,” whispered Pierre. s : “Two minutes—not a second more!” insisted the airman. “I must return the machine. To-leave it here would'betray US all. Get away quickly 1” The, two men had already disappeared with the loot and dumped it into a conveyance some yards away. They had. already forgotten their new ally, and their promise to hand him a share of the plunder. ‘ ; Two minutes later MoKeene opened out, tSxied off, and sailed away westward, over the lights of London: Later that night, when Black Denis and his companion, in a secret den within the confines of Seven Dials, opened the brassi-bound boxes; they were Badly disappointed. “The canaille!” exclaimed Pierre, his fury getting the better of him. “Why did we not kill the dog when we had him at our mercy?” “Sacre bleu I” snarled his companion. “The treasure is gone—it is rubbish, stones and earth he has brought us.” “And, a letter! Voila, une lettrel” cried Pierre, as they opened the third box. His hand greedily snatched at the scribbled note which was pinned to a turf of grass. It,ran as follows: "To Black Denis and Pierre,—rHerewith the three brassbouhd' boxes as promised. To deliver the boxes was all I promised: The stolen and it is great, even beyond my expectations—l am handing over to the authorities. I/e Diahle -McKeene never submits to threats. Nor dees he readily forget his enemies.—l remain, "JOHN DE VILLE McKEENE.” “Black Denis,” sneered Pierre, scowling at his companion’. "Eh bien?” "He is wonderful, this ‘mad airman’ friend of yours.” Then, recalling the other’s words, when the aeroplane hove in sight, he added iu biting, acrid tones, I “We are both rich men, Black Denis, | rich for life!”. I