Produced by Suzanne Shell, Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) AN ARTIST IN CRIME BY RODRIGUES OTTOLENGUI G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK LONDON 27 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET 24 BEDFORD STREET, STRAND THE KNICKERBOCKER PRESS 1903 COPYRIGHT, 1892 BY G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS _Entered at Stationers' Hall, London_ BY G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS The Knickerbocker Press, New Rochelle, N. Y. * * * * * By RODRIGUES OTTOLENGUI +An Artist in Crime.+ 16 oct., $1.00; paper, 50 cts. +A Conflict of Evidence.+ 16 oct., $1.00; paper, 50 cts. +A Modern Wizard.+ 16 oct., $1.00; paper, 50 cts. +The Crime of the Century.+ 16 oct., $1.00; paper, 50 cts. +Final Proof, or, the Value of Evidence.+ 16 oct., $1.00; paper, 50 cts. G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK & LONDON * * * * * CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. A GENTLEMAN THINKS HE CAN COMMIT A CRIME AND ESCAPE DETECTION 1 II. A DARING AND SUCCESSFUL TRAIN ROBBERY 16 III. MR. BARNES DISCOVERS AN ARTISTIC MURDER 30 IV. DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND 46 V. THE SEVENTH BUTTON 56 VI. MR. BARNES'S TRAP 75 VII. MR. RANDOLPH HAS A FIGHT WITH HIS CONSCIENCE 95 VIII. LUCETTE 115 IX. THE DIARY OF A DETECTIVE 129 X. ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES 138 XI. MR. BARNES RECEIVES SEVERAL LETTERS 154 XII. THE HISTORY OF THE RUBY 169 XIII. MR. BARNES GOES SOUTH 189 XIV. AN INTERRUPTED WEDDING 208 XV. MR. MITCHEL EXPLAINS A FEW THINGS 223 XVI. MR. BARNES DISCOVERS A VALUABLE CLUE 239 XVII. A NEW YEAR'S DINNER PARTY 255 XVIII. MR. BARNES'S NARRATIVE 273 AN ARTIST IN CRIME. CHAPTER I. A GENTLEMAN THINKS HE CAN COMMIT A CRIME AND ESCAPE DETECTION. "Jack Barnes never gets left, you bet." "That was a close call, though," replied the Pullman porter who had given Mr. Barnes a helping hand, in his desperate effort to board the midnight express as it rolled out of Boston. "I wouldn't advise you to jump on moving trains often." "Thank you for your good advice, and for your assistance. Here's a quarter for you. Show me to my section, I am nearly dead, I am so tired." "Upper ten, right this way, sir. It is all ready for you to turn in."