Then, on Saturday, one week after the enigmatical happenings at the oak tree, the case once more presented itself with weird and baffling additions. Toward noon, Humphrey telephoned that he had important information and would come out to "Woodmere" after business hours. Forrester extended him an invitation to dinner, coupled with an admonition against mentioning a word regarding the matter before his mother and sister. So it was not until after dinner, when Forrester had summoned Green and the three men had shut themselves in the library, that Humphrey disclosed his startling information.
Forrester placed cigars on the library table, inviting the others to help themselves, while he filled and lighted his pipe. "Now," he said, "what is it?"
"The detectives have caught the Italians!" divulged Humphrey.
"Always them Italians," sneered Green. "Well, what then?"
"Yes," requested Forrester, "tell us the whole story—right from the start."
"It begins with the photo I made last Saturday," began Humphrey. "I took the negative and a print to the detective bureau as I promised, and turned them over to Cahill and O'Connor. It was a wonder, too; take it from me! At the moment the flash went off both the detectives and the two Italians looked straight at the camera. O'Connor immediately spotted one of the men as Dominick Campanelli, a suspect the police have taken in half a dozen times but never could actually fasten anything on. That picture of mine settled him! I showed the detective bureau this time that it was worth while letting reporters on the inside of their cases."
"Leave out the interpolations," interrupted Forrester. "Green and I want the facts that concern us."
"Oh, you gotta let them reporters blow off a little steam," declared Green.
Humphrey glared at Green. "You detectives haven't any extra steam to blow off," he retorted. "Well, as I was about to say, Cahill and O'Connor started out to hunt for those two men in the photo. They picked up Campanelli out in Hammond on Thursday. He had a man with him named Luigi Licansi, who turned out to be the man that drove their car. The detectives kept this capture quiet until, on Friday, along in the afternoon, they found the other man in the picture—Frank Tanuzzio—hanging around the very garage where the car with the bullet holes was discovered. Cahill considered that a conclusive piece of evidence.
"At the detective bureau the men were sullen and refused to talk. The detectives put them through the third-degree all night without results. This morning the men were taken to the office of the State's Attorney. When he informed them that they were to be charged with being members of the 'Friends of the Poor,' and would probably pay the penalty for the murders committed by that band of money-gougers, these Italians were scared stiff and immediately offered to make a full confession."