The Barrel MysteryFlynn, William J. (William James)
General
The Barrel Mystery
Flynn, William J. (William James)
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction
"About noon Cina came. Caterina said she did not want to be left alone
with two strange men, and asked to be taken to Cina's family until I
returned. This was agreed to and Cina left her at his house and took
me to the Poughkeepsie station. I arrived in New York at 5 P. M. and
met Cecala at the station; he feigned surprise at seeing me. He
excused himself for not sending me the fare and explained that he had
no money.
"Cecala conducted me to Thirty-ninth Street and First Avenue where he
introduced me to a certain Giovanni Pecoraro, a wine merchant. He
invited me to eat some salame cheese and fruit. We drank some wine,
and then Pecoraro told me to return to this store and get two bottles
of liquor, which I was to take to Highland on my way back to the
plant.
"Coming out of the store, Cecala led me to a house in the same street
near Avenue A where there were six men in a room playing cards. Cecala
called one of them aside--a young man about thirty, and requested him
to give five dollars to me. This young man, whom Cecala called
Salvatore, responded readily and gave me the money as I was leaving.
Cecala now accompanied me to the meeting room of the Foresters of
America. He told me that at 11 P. M. he would call for me and
accompany me to the station, and that I was not to stop over night nor
see any of my relatives.
"After the meeting I found Cecala and Pecoraro waiting outside for me.
They made me get on a car and go to Pecoraro's store, where I was
given three bottles of liquor and some salame wrapped in one package.
They accompanied me to Hoboken where, at 3 A. M. on January 6, 1909,
I boarded the train for Highland. Arriving there, I found Cina's
brother, Peppino, waiting with a carriage. I got into the vehicle and
he brought me to the stone house, that is, the counterfeiting plant.
The reader will observe that I was shadowed by the 'Black-Handers'
every step of the way. It would have been impossible for me to make a
break-away without courting death. During the month of January, 1909,
the work of counterfeiting at the farmhouse proceeded without
interruption. From time to time Cina would show up with potatoes and
flour. He would examine the work, help for an hour or so spreading the
money on the floor to dry, and then return to his farm."
CHAPTER VIII
THE COW THAT CAUSED A DOUBLE MURDER
"One day while we were at work on the counterfeit money, Uncle Vincent
told me that he had been a cattle raiser in his home town. He was out
on a farm where he saw a yoke of oxen, which he wanted to purchase.
One of the men who owned the oxen, while arguing about the price, said
something offensive to Uncle. Without saying a word Uncle aimed his
rifle and shot the man in the chest, killing him instantly. The other
man ran away. He was overtaken by a rifle shot and knocked dead about
fifty paces away from the first man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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