Accordingly, Jesse left the city upon the same day at 4.45 P. M. and arrived two days later, at 9.15 on Monday morning, at New Orleans, where he went directly to the St. Charles Hotel, registered, and was assigned to room Number 547 on the fifth floor.  Somewhere in the hotel Dodge was secreted.  The question was how to find him.  For an hour Jesse sat in the hotel foyer and meditatively watched the visitors come and go, but saw no sign of his quarry.  Then he arose, put on his hat, and hunted out a stationery store where for two cents he bought a bright-red envelope.  He then visited a ticket-scalper’s office, secured the owner’s business card, and wrote a note on its back to Dodge, offering him cheap transportation to any point that he might desire.  Armed with this he returned to the hotel, walked to the desk, glanced casually over a number of telegrams exposed in a rack and, when the clerk turned his back, placed the note, addressed to Charles F. Dodge, unobserved, upon the counter.  The office was a busy one, guests were constantly depositing their keys and receiving their mail, and, even as Jesse stood there watching developments, the clerk turned round, found the note, and promptly placed it in box Number 420.  The very simple scheme had worked, and quite unconsciously the clerk had indicated the number of the room occupied by Dodge.

Jesse lost no time in ascending to the fourth floor, viewed room Number 420, returned to the desk, told the clerk that he was dissatisfied with the room assigned him, and requested that he be given either room Number 421, 423, or 425, one of which he stated that he had occupied on a previous visit.  After some discussion the clerk allotted him room Number 423, which was almost directly opposite that occupied by Dodge, and the detective at once took up his task of watching for the fugitive to appear.

Within the hour the door opened and Dodge and a companion, who subsequently proved to be E. M. Bracken, alias “Bradley,” an agent employed by Howe and Hummel, left the room, went to the elevator, and descended to the dining-room upon the second floor.  Jesse watched until they were safely ensconced at breakfast and then returned to the fourth floor where he tipped the chambermaid, told her that he had left his key at the office, and induced her to unlock the door of room Number 420, which she did under the supposition that Jesse was the person who had left the chamber in Dodge’s company.  The contents of the room convinced Jesse that he had found Dodge, for he discovered there two grips bearing Dodge’s name as well as several letters on the table addressed to him.  The detective returned to the hall and had a little talk with the maid.

“The old gentleman with you has been quite sick,” she said.  “How is he to-day?”

“He is some better,” answered Jesse.

“Yes, he does look better to-day,” she added, “but he sho’ly was powerful sick yesterday.  Why, he hasn’t been out of his room befo’ fo’ five or six days.”