Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 January 1912 — The RING and the MAN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The RING and the MAN

WITH SOME INCIDENTAL RELATION HIDE WOMAN

BY CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY

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SYNOPSIS. A foolish young tenderfoot becomes fascinated with the bold, artful wife of a drunken prospector in a western mining town. They prepare to elope in a blinding blizzard nut are confronted by the maudlin husband. He is shot by the wife, but the chivalrous boy pins a note to the body taking the crime upon himself. In their flight to the railroad station the woman’s horse falls exhausted; the youth puts her on his own and follows hanging to the stirrup strap. Seeing he is an impediment, the woman thrusts her escort into a snbw drift and rides on. Half-frozen « he stumbles into the railroad station just U the train bears the woman away. Twenty-five years later, this man, George Gormly, is a multf-milllonaire in New York. He meets Eleanor Haldane, a beautiful and wealthy settlement worker, and co-operates with her in her WO J* C - Gormly becomes owner of a steamsnip nne and finds himself frustrated In pier and track extension plans by grafting aidermen, backed by the Gotham Traction companv. An automobile accident brings the Haldanes to his country home. Gormly announces that he will be mayor of New York and redeem the city from corruption. The political declaration of_ the merchant prince produced a tremendous sensation. The whole machinery of the city’s detective force is to be used to dig Up Something damaging to Gormly. ine press heretofore unanimously favorable to the merchant candidate, under pressure, divides and the campaign waxes Warm. A resolution is introduced granting a gratuitous renewal of the traction franchise. Gormly offers ten million dollars for the franchise. Miss Haldane con " gratulates Gormly on what she terms a new Declaration of Independence, and he makes an unexpected declaration of love. He is shocked by the confirmation of his suspicions that her father is the head and backbone of the notorious traction company which he is attempting to overthrow. Young Haldane (11 ’ c0V ®T a .. father's connection with the Gotham Traction company, and Is incensed, m an interview. between Gormly and , Haldane the latter practically offers his daughter’s hand as a bribe for Gormly to withdraw. Gormly refuses. In an interview with Gormly Miss Haldane learns of her father’s baseness though Gormly Vainly tries to hide it, Members of the Blind the woman for whose zake ly declared himself a murderer and s to force him to withdraw under threat of prosecution.

CHAPTER XVI. The Chief of Police Visits Mr. Gormly. ' 'On the evening of the second day before the election Connell, dressed In plain clothes and entirely unaccompanied, presented himself very late at night at Gormly’s apartment and deaired to see him. It was Somes who admitted the official. Gormly’s establishment was a simple one, and theother servants had gone home for the night Somes knew very well who he was, and while he had some 1 of the English awe of the police he had all the hatred of a zealous and devoted partisan of his master, which he certainly was, for the enemy. Therefore he requested the functionary to take a seat while lie carried the request for an interview to the library. Somes entered the library without knocking, a most unusual course for him. He also took occasion to turn the key of the door behind him. Then he stood at attention In his respectful English way. Gormly had looked up Instantly the door was opened, and bad stopped hiS” dictation. He was greatly surprised at Jtlje valet's entrance, and more surprised when he locked the door; but he realized that something unusual was up and said nothing. "Beg pardon, sir,” began Somes deprecatingly, “but there’s a party out In the hall wants to see you.” "Who is,it?” “He didn’t give any name, sir, but I recognized him as the chief of po- \ lice.” "Yes, sir." “What does he want?" "He didn’t say, Sir." “What was his message?" "Just to tell you that a gentleman—that’s what he called himself, sirwanted to see you.” "Where is he now.” "I left him bitting out in the hall, but I wouldn’t be too sure as to where he is, sir. He seemed to want to come right In here without permission, and that’s why' s ! locked the door, sir." ‘1 see," answered Gormly, a twinkle of amusement in his eye. "I wonder What the chief of police can have to gay to me? Well, I suppose rd better see him. Chaloner, will you go into the dining room and wait until I cell for you. Tell the chief to come in, Somes.” While Chaloner gathered up his notebooks, pencils, and letters and / withdrew into the dining room across the hall, Somes unlocked the door, ; stepped out into the hall and presentreturned. He threw the door of the brary open in great style, drew himself up and announced as if-it had been a reigning prince : "The chief of police of the city of New York!” “To what," asked Gormly suavely, «Wm T Indebted tor the honor of this visit at this late hour?" He glanced at the dock as he spoke apd observed that it was halfafter eleven. » ZuH ‘Tve got something to say to you, - BormiyV’ began Connell bruskly. "I am not aware of any intimacy between you and me, Mr. Connell, which warrants you in your familiar mode of address. Address me with w decency and respect, dr ITI have you put out of the house!” “Mel” roared Connell. "You’d lay hands on me.an officer of the law,in the discharge of his—” Z ; "Are you come here as an officer of Che law in the discharge of your duty?

If so, will you please tell me without further delay what you want, where is your warrant and incidentally inform me why you com® .in plain clothes?” “Never mind how I come or why I come!” said Connell wrathfully. "As I said, I’ve got something to say to you,”—he paused for a moment—‘Mr. Gormly, if that's your name. I’m going to say it, and you’re going to listen!" “Am I?" said Gormly. “You see that bell?” He pointed to one of the buttons in the big desk in the library. "I have only to press that to have two men here instantly. The three of us are quite equal to throwing you out of the apartment, and two of us, I know, would be more than willing to do it. I think I have had about enough of you, anyway.” "Well, I don’t leave till I’ve had my say, George Fordyce!” was the answer. In spite of himself Gormly started. He controlled himself Instantly, however. “You seem,” he said coolly enough, "to have discovered my middle name, which I dropped for reasons that seemed goq£ to me when I cams to New York." "For reasons that seemed good to you!" sneered the big officer. “I guess they were good to you!” "What do you know about them?” asked Gormly quietly. “I know what-they were.” “And it is to tell me what you know that you came here tonight?" “Not by any means. It’s to tell you what you’ve got to do that I’m here." “And what have I got to do?"

“You've got to withdraw from this campaign now, tonight.” "And how do you propose that I should withdraw?” “Set down there and write that for business reasons you've concluded to withdraw from the campaign; that you advise your friends to vote for Pete Warren, the best mayor New York ever had; that you’re convinced that you wqre wrong in the charges you've made; that investigation has showed you that the Gotham Freight Traction company is all right and that the Sachem society is equally honorable and virtuous. You'll know how to put it I give you the substanceFancy it up in your own language. You can sling words good and plenty as has been proved in this campaign. That's all you got to do.” - “And if I do this,” asked Gormly, “what do I get?” ~\7' “You’ll get silence as to your doings twenty-five years ago.” “Would you mind telling me what my doings were twenty-five years ago?” “Certainly not,” said the chief. “Nd reason for concealment between you and me, that I can see. You ran away with a miner's wife out at Camp Kill Devil, Wyo., in the midst of a bowlin' blizzard. With the wife you took the man’s pile, product of his hard-work-in’, toilsome life for a worthless woman and you.' And before you left, you put a bullet into the man's breast. There's three counts against you;

’dultery, murder. You’ll-make a I hell of a reform mayor, won’t ypu? Mow'd the people enjoy that?" ■ "Way are you offering me anything, if yoi, possess this power and are confiden t - as- to your -Information? Why don't you publish this stuff and knock me out without giving me any chance to withdraw?" L. “See here, Gormly, it ain’t for you to question! It’s for you to do what you’re told. We’ve decided that this is .the way this scheme is goln’ to be wfwkofl thafa all there fat to It. H we have our reasons for not pubiishin’ the fetuff, why they’re ours; they're not yours. "Why, man, all I’ve got to do Is to go down to the district attorney and swear out a warrant to have you arrested for murder. We’ve got our fingers on the woman you run away with —and a pretty lookin’ old hag she is now, tdb. She don’t want to be mixed up in it; but we’ve got hold of her, and if necessary she’ll swear that you done it. We’ve located several people that used’to live in Camp Kill Devil who remember the circumstances. One of ’em said, and the woman corroborates it, that you wrote an acknowledgment with your own hand, sayin’ that you shot up the man, and you left it in the cabin. Maybe we can turn that up, too. It’s all as clear as day. I don’t really know why I stay here talkin’ about it any longer, except I rather enjoy seein’ you squirm.” “Have you seen me squirm any yet, chief?” ‘ “No, not yet; but I can imagine how you’re feelln’ beneath that Iron com-, posure of yours. I’ve had to deal with too many blackguards and criminals not to know that. Well,” the man threw up his hands, laid down his cigar and yawned prodigiously, “it’s gittin’ late. I’ll take that withdrawal and go.” .. “Wouldn’t it be better for me to have my secretary here?” said Gormly, “and dictate what I have to say? Let him make a number of carbon copies of It, so that we could send it to all the papers.” “Well, if you want to let your secretary in on this game, I don’t see that I’ve got any objections," said the chief. Gormly stepped to the door.

/‘Mr. Chaloner,” he said, “will you bring your notebook and pencils here? Mr. Chaloner, this is the chief of police, Mr. Cornell,” he continued, aa the young man entered the room. “Pleased to know you,” said Connell grimly. “Will you be seated, Mr. Chaloner, and take a statement from my dicta/ tion? By the way,” he pushed a button on the desk, aid the door into the' hall opened Instantly, with suspicious promptness, it might have been thought, had any of the party given It any attention, “Somes,” said Gormly, “I want you.” The servant stepped into the room. “Lock the door, please, so that I may be sure we are not interrupted.” “Now,” said Gormly, “this gentleman, as you know, is the chief of police." ' ♦ “Yes, sir,” said Somes. —* - “He has asked me to dictate a certain statement to the people of the city of New York, and I’d like to have you hear what I have to say and witness all that occurs.” 'Yes, sir.” "Are you ready, Mr. Chaloner?" “Quite ready, sir-” “Tonight at half after eleven o’clock," began Gormly, "the chief of police of the.city of New York—” “You needn’t bring me into it!” roared Connell, sitting up. r “Will you have the goodness to be silent, sir?" cried Gormly. *T am dictating this statement, not you!” “Well, you're going to dictate what

I say," thundered the chief, atamwriny his big hand down on the desk, “or rn— * “Keep back there, Somes,” said Gormly sharply as the man stepped forward, bis., face,, .aflame.,, .*.T..cfln..deal with the man. Connell," be continued, "you are going to sit right there until I’ve finished with you. Now, Sbmee;” he said, "you stand right behind him, and if he attempts to get out of his chair keep him down.” “You’re assaulting an officer of the law!” roared the chief, snapping hie fingers. “You ought to be man enough to know that the game’s against you so far,” said Gormly, “and keep quiet until I get through. Then I’ll give you a chance to talk. Are you ready now, Mr. Chaloner?" "Quite ready, sir,” was the imperturbable answer of that most excellent young man. “I’ll begin again:

"Tonight at half after eleven o’clock Ben Connell, the chief of police of the city of New York, called at my apartment He came unaccompanied and wearing plain clothes. The object of ’his visit was to demand of, me that I should withdraw as a candidate for the mayor of New York; that I should request the people who had honored me with their support to vote for Warren; that I should declare my belief in the integrity of the Gotham Freight Traction company and the purity of the Sachem society, of which he is an honored member. The means by which fife sought to Induce me.to take this course were a promise of silence as to certain episodes In my past career, and a threat of Instant publicity, including a possible arrest if I refused. In the presence of my private secretary, Philip Chaloner, of my friend and servant, William Somes, and of the chief of police, Connell himself, I am dictating this statement.

“Twenty-five years ago I came to New York. Since that time my career has been thoroughly exploited. The detective force of the city, supplemented by whatever talent could be procured or suborned, has had me under investigation. To not one act have they been able to point df which I am ashamed, or upon which they could fix an attacJ. “When I came to New York I was nineteen years of age. I was born in Vermont I received a common school education, graduating from the high school when I was sixteen. My father died before I was born, my mother at my birth. Some small property accruing to me was turned over to me by my guardian" on my graduation from the high school. I spent two years at sea as a cabin boy, and then drifted west, finally bringing up at Kill Devil Camp in Wyoming

“There I came under the influence of a woman older than I, who thought it not unbecoming to her to beguile and entrap the young eastern tenderfoot who was just entering upon his nineteenth, year. I was young, inexperienced. impressionable; I fell completely under her influence. There is something to be said for her, poor woman. She was married to a drunken brute of a husband, a miner, a gambler, who was pot only unfaithful to her, but who abused her frightfully. I think my sympathies more than my affections were engaged. I had a chlvalric desire to help her, a boy’s reverence for womankind abused and suffering, a quixotic spirit of knight errantry, of which even now I am not ashamed.

"I had still some little money left, and resolved to take her away from her intolerable life. Ido not tvish to shelter myself behind a woman; but I have always told the people of New York the exact truth, and I am fining it now. We had planned to leave the camp on a certain night and ride south to the Union , Pacific. That night was the night of the great blizzard of 1882, which is still remembered in the west. It was very late when I reached her cabin with the horses. The woman was ready for me, waiting eagerly In fact Her husband had recently won a small sum of money by gambling. That money she took with her. * "We had turned to the door to go out, although it was almost certain death to be abroad in such a storm, when her husband entered the mom How he knew, or whether he knew, what we were going to do, I cannot say. At any rate, he was there. He covered me with a- gun; I was entirely helpless.

"I worked in a desperate hurry, and at last got my hand on the butt of my pistol. I saw from the look/rf hie, eye that, I would have little time to draw it, I realised that unless I could I was a doomed man. At that instant there was a flash and a report in the room. Immediately after the man pulled the trigger of his own pistol, but the bullet went wild. He sank down on his knees, and fell back dying. I dropped my own weapon and bent over him. There, was a hole in bis breast through which the blood was oozing.” “Who shot him?” growled the chief, who had been listening with the greatest absorption to tire narrative. “The woman shot him," answered Gormly. “But you need not, put that in, Chaloner. Let it go as I have dictated IL” He resumed to his sta nographer: “There was nothing that I could do for the: man. It was more than ever necessary that we get away. In pity for the woman, I tore a blank leaf from a book and wrote upon it that I had shot this man. We left that nota on the body and plunged into the_ storm. Words cannot convey the frightful nature of the tempest We became separated in the storm through no fault of mine.” .■ (TO BB COMTDfUBIM &' A -

“And If I Do This, Asked Gormly, What Do I Get"