The War Terror | Page 5

drawn as though he were gasping for breath or his heart had
suddenly failed him. So far, I believe, the coroner has no clue and isn't
advertising the case."
"Take me there, then," decided Craig quickly. "Walter, I must trust
Miss Lowe to you on the journey. We must all go. That must be our
starting point, if we are to run this thing down."
I caught his significant look to me and interpreted it to mean that he
wanted me to watch Miss Lowe especially. I gathered that taking her
was in the nature of a third degree and as a result he expected to derive
some information from her. Her face was pale and drawn as we four
piled into a taxicab for a quick run downtown to the laboratory of
Fortescue from which Burke had come directly to us with his story.
"What do you know of these anarchists?" asked Kennedy of Burke as
we sped along. "Why do you suspect them?"
It was evident that he was discussing the case so that Paula could
overhear, for a purpose.
"Why, we received a tip from abroad--I won't say where," replied
Burke guardedly, taking his cue. "They call themselves the 'Group,' I

believe, which is a common enough term among anarchists. It seems
they are composed of terrorists of all nations."
"The leader?" inquired Kennedy, leading him on.
"There is one, I believe, a little florid, stout German. I think he is a
paranoiac who believes there has fallen on himself a divine mission to
end all warfare. Quite likely he is one of those who have fled to
America to avoid military service. Perhaps, why certainly, you must
know him--Annenberg, an instructor in economics now at the
University?"
Craig nodded and raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. We had indeed
heard of Annenberg and some of his radical theories which had
sometimes quite alarmed the conservative faculty. I felt that this was
getting pretty close home to us now.
"How about Mrs. Annenberg?" Craig asked, recalling the clever young
wife of the middle-aged professor.
At the mere mention of the name, I felt a sort of start in Miss Lowe,
who was seated next to me in the taxicab. She had quickly recovered
herself, but not before I saw that Kennedy's plan of breaking down the
last barrier of her reserve was working.
"She is one of them, too," Burke nodded. "I have had my men out
shadowing them and their friends. They tell me that the Annenbergs
hold salons--I suppose you would call them that--attended by numbers
of men and women of high social and intellectual position who dabble
in radicalism and all sorts of things." "Who are the other leaders?"
asked Craig. "Have you any idea?"
"Some idea," returned Burke. "There seems to be a Frenchman, a tall,
wiry man of forty-five or fifty with a black mustache which once had a
military twist. There are a couple of Englishmen. Then there are five or
six Americans who seem to be active. One, I believe, is a young
woman."

Kennedy checked him with a covert glance, but did not betray by a
movement of a muscle to Miss Lowe that either Burke or himself
suspected her of being the young woman in question.
"There are three Russians," continued Burke, "all of whom have
escaped from Siberia. Then there is at least one Austrian, a Spaniard
from the Ferrer school, and Tomasso and Enrico, two Italians, rather
heavily built, swarthy, bearded. They look the part. Of course there are
others. But these in the main, I think, compose what might be called
'the inner circle' of the 'Group.'"
It was indeed an alarming, terrifying revelation, as we began to realize
that Miss Lowe had undoubtedly been telling the truth. Not alone was
there this American group, evidently, but all over Europe the lines of
the conspiracy had apparently spread. It was not a casual gathering of
ordinary malcontents. It went deeper than that. It included many who in
their disgust at war secretly were not unwilling to wink at violence to
end the curse. I could not but reflect on the dangerous ground on which
most of them were treading, shaking the basis of all civilization in
order to cut out one modern excrescence.
The big fact to us, just at present, was that this group had made
America its headquarters, that plans had been studiously matured and
even reduced to writing, if Paula were to be believed. Everything had
been carefully staged for a great simultaneous blow or series of blows
that would rouse the whole world.
As I watched I could not escape observing that Miss Lowe followed
Burke furtively now, as though he had some uncanny power.
Fortescue's laboratory was in an old building on