The possibilities of night crime when electricity lacks have already been
touched upon.
To meet unusual conditions the people individually and collectively rose
to heights of forgotten ingenuity. The physical life of a city is so well
established that the average city dweller grows out of the pioneer virtue
of adaptability. Now once more these people were forced to meet new and
untried conditions, to guard against new dangers, new opposing forces. In
an incredibly short space of time they grew out of aimless panic. They
learned to sit tight; to guard adequately their lives, their treasure, and
even to a certain extent their time against undue loss.
In the meantime the moneyed powers had been prompt to act. They did not
intend to stand idly while their pockets were being picked by untoward
circumstances; nor did they intend to continue indefinitely the unusual
expenditures necessary to guard themselves against even a greater loss. As
there seemed to be two men to find, they employed the best of detectives
to search for McCarthy; and professor Eldridge, as the greatest living
expert, to hunt down the Unknown. Thus unexpectedly Eldridge found himself
with definite backing in his strange duel with Darrow.
It is now desirable to place before the reader samples of the messages
sent by Monsieur X and received in the wireless office of the Atlas
Building, after which we can proceed once more to follow out the sequence
of events.
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