The Radio Detectives

by A. Hyatt Verrill

“However, they got six and found enough contraband liquor in the trucks and in a secret room under the floor to stock a dozen saloons. Most of it was in this hidden room or cell under the floor, and very cleverly hidden, too. Had a door formed by a false bottom to a repair pit and all they had to do was to run a truck over the pit as if being repaired and pass up the goods from below. There were other things in that room, too. About twenty-five thousands dollars’ worth of furs and jewelry—all stolen here or hereabouts; opium to the value of a hundred thousand or so, to say nothing of morphine, cocaine and other drugs. In addition, there were several thousand copies of red propaganda circulars and pamphlets, a neat little engraving and printing plant and a second

trapdoor that opened into the old sewer. And the radio set was there also. A receiving set—made in Germany by the way—and the transmission outfit. That was the cleverest thing yet—according to Henderson who knows more about it than I do. He tells me the what-do-you-call-it—aërial—was a folding affair stretched across the inside of the roof and so arranged that it could be drawn back between the girders entirely out of sight. Now I don’t know any of the technical part of this and I’ll let Henderson explain it all to you boys later if you wish. But the main thing, as I understand it, was that they could send several thousand miles with the outfit on one kind of a wave or could talk to a person a few blocks away with another sort. At any rate, we never would have found that if we hadn’t found the secret cell and the machine and a man at it. I’m not surprised Henderson’s men never located it.

“That’s all about the garage. It was the headquarters and clearing house of a dangerous gang of international cutthroats and rogues. They had been robbing right and left, carrying their loot in motor cars and trucks to the garage and hiding it

in the secret room. Then from there it had been carried in watertight containers, like miniature submarines, through the old sewer to the submarine by the divers. Each time the submarine came in she brought a cargo of liquor, drugs, cigars, plumes, and other contraband and took away all the valuables and receipts from sales. The conversations you overheard were between those in the garage and other members of the gang, and the reason you boys did not hear the other speaker was because he used a radio telegraph instrument—that’s right, isn’t it, Henderson—and a very weak or short wave—let’s see, a ‘buzzer set’ you called it, wasn’t it? Well, you can get all that from Henderson, anyway.”

“But how on earth did you find all that out?” asked Rawlins, as Mr. Pauling ceased speaking to light a cigar.

“Well, it took a little urging,” replied Mr. Pauling. “Murphy and his men hinted to their prisoners that they’d been given the tip by the men on the submarine and so, of course, they told all they knew in the hope of getting lighter sentences and Henderson had the Russian up at his office with

Ivan and let him think we knew all about him and the submarine through tips given by the other crowd. As a result, we got pretty complete information from both sides. But”—here Mr. Pauling lowered his voice and signaled for Murphy to stand guard at the door—“we couldn’t get what we wanted from either the Russian or any of the gang at the garage. They’d tell us certain things—give us details and facts about matters of which we already knew—such as the means of communication, the submarine, etc., but beyond that they would not go.

“Short of torture I don’t believe they’d let out a word. And we knew—we were positive—that back of it all was something deeper—a stupendous plot aimed at the very heart and life—the very existence of the United States and England. And we felt equally positive that back of this was an arch criminal or rather arch fiend—a man with a tremendous brain, almost unlimited power and marvelous resources. We could see many things which linked this petty smuggling, the hold-ups and burglaries, the rum-running and drug-importing with events of far greater importance.

But we had no proof, no evidence to go on.

“Some of our men thought they knew who this head—this nucleus of the whole affair was but they could not be sure—they would not even dare mention his name—and so we were handicapped, working in the dark. But now we do know. We know far more than I dare tell any one, than I dare think. The injured man has placed it all in our hands. It was the most astounding revelation I have ever known or ever expect to hear. I cannot tell you all—I did not even permit Murphy or the doctor to be by the man’s bedside while he spoke and as soon as I knew he could speak and understand English I sent Ivan off, too. Only Henderson and I heard what he said. This man was—yes, I say ‘was,’ because he is dead—was one of those misguided men who plotted against England and became a tool of the Germans. He betrayed his cause and his leaders, and, despised, hunted for the traitor and coward that he was, not safe either in England, Ireland or Germany, he became a man without a country, an enemy of all organized governments, a fanatical ‘red’ and a trusted emissary of this arch criminal I referred to.