Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 January 1903 — The Iron-Worker's Daughter [ARTICLE]

The Iron-Worker's Daughter

BY HOWARD FORRESTER.

1 CHAPTER XXlV.— (Continued.) f He recalled the sharp, fierce struggle, taow ahe clutched his throat while he '.grasped her*. How he struck her in the .face brutally twice, thrice; still gripping s|ber slender throat fiercely. ’ How, with {her last stifled cry, she grasped his hair, •nd tore out a handful. Then he bore her back unresistingly, Iknelt upon her, and crushed the life (•lowly but. surely out of her. Gripp shiv<ered. The memory of that awful scene Overcame him. He wiped the moisture Ifrom his brow. AH the events succeeding were recallfad. How he had planned tq mislead the (police. First, he sat down and considered well. Then he rose, got the broom, land swept the hearth. After that he (devised a way to lock the door when he (went out in a manner that led people to (think she had locked the door. Then he (drew the body np, put the cord around lit, and hung it in such a way as to give Ithe impression she had. hanged herself. |Then he went out, turned the'key with Mhe wire he had taken from the broom, land stole noiselessly down the stairs, out out into the free air once more, and |away. He was free. Free! . g And now, out there was the boy and a naan —a ’man he had seen somewhere. Somewhere! Why—he had observed tliis ■nan at the City Hall. He was a detecfeve— and on Gripp’s track. No! That (was not where he had rtiet the man. | The man’s hand came up with the head. (The hand made a sign. The sign was If or some one Gripp could not see. A |«oid chill ran down Gripp’s back. • He put his books away, put everything (In order, stepped outside, first glancing jat his money, and locked the door carefully after,him. He walked quickly, enitered a car. and rode to a railroad depot. , At the depot he looked keenly about thim. approached the ticket office, purIchased a ticket for New York, and walkto the gate, looking about him careFiessly. All the while his hands trembled. There rwas a succession of chills coursing up •nd down- his back. He had passed •hrough the gate. Had seated himself in • coach, and pulled his hat down over bis face. Tlie locomotive wns never so slow. Certainly they were behind time. Then the train started. It was half way out of the depot; the engine was beginning to move fast, when a hand was laid upon ■Gripp’s shoulder. At the same instant the train stopped, •nd a voice said: “Come, Mr. Gripp. you're wanted." Then Gripp knew that his sin had found him out. CHAPTER XXV. When Gripp stepped out of the railway coach in a dazed way, shivering with terror, two men came up to his companion. One put a hand out as if to dutch Gripp, but the man who walked at his •ide suddenly whirled Gripp around, and confronted the newcomers. “He is in my charge, Mr. Buck.” “Show your authority!” said the second man.

A paper—not very large—was thrust •ut under Mr. Berry’s nose. Mr. Berry nodded. “That’s strong enough for me,” said Berry. “I guess we’re through,” said Buck. “No,” said Dunn. “I will be obliged •o you both, and will make it worth your time to follow us to the station." At the station Gripp was seated, trembling like a man seized with ague, in a ehair. Directly Mr. Nickerson came in from the corridor. The attorney looked at Gripp in silence. Gripp strove to prevent his voice from shaking as he addressed the officer in charge. “Oan I send a message to—to an attorsey?’ “Certainly.” Gripp wrote hurriedly on a scrap of paper the address of a well-known criminal lawyer. As he was handing the paper to an officer, with a dollar for his trouble, Parker entered. On seeing Gripp Parker started. He did not speak to Gripp: he averted, his gaze immediately, a thing that struck Gripp as a bad omen. “Is this Mr. Gripp?” demanded the officer, as he proceeded to enter the name in his book. Dunn answered promptly: “This is Jackson Gripp. He is in your charge.” A man entered quietly, nodded to the Tegular policeman, to Dunn, and the captain. He glanced at Gripp. Then at Parker. Then he took Dunn aside. Gripp recognized in the manner, in the sethod of the-'newcomer, a reporter. In imagination he beheld the account of his crime and arrest filling a column in the ■Ktrning papers. Should he give up without a struggle? Why not make an effort? The reporter approached him. “They have a pretty strong case against you, Mr. Gripp.” “What do they say?’ “Well, they assume—l don’t know the grounds—that you killed Mrs. Knox, hung her to the"hook, then locked the door after you, leaving the key on the inside.” “How could a man do that?’ “That’s for the commonwealth to show. I don’t know. They say you visited uumher street.” “1 dare say dozens of others called there. Milkmen, neighbors, relations, ncqaaintanc** of .he tenants. They say there are a number of tenants in the Wilding." The door opened again, and Mr. Mead eotered. He looked curiously at Gripp, advanced quickly, and said: “Is it you who sent for me?” "I? No; I did not dream of sending for you, Mr. Mead. lam very much obliged —greatly indebted to you—for coming. This is a ridiculous matter. I am arrest-»fr-actually charged with murder, Mr. Mead." Gripp smiled a ghastly smile. Mr. Mead recoiled. , “Murder! Yon!” j “It sounds absurd.” •ft sounds awful to me.” An attendant entering, looked at Mr. Mead. “Mr. Atherton wants to see you at “Atherton,” said Gripp. “Is he here.

“Arrested for murder,” said Dunn, coldly. “ with murder." Mr. Mead looked from one to the other. “I am not surprised at it,” said Gripp. “The truth about Bob.Peters’ death had, to come out.” “Atherton is charged with the murder of Mrs. Cole,” said Nickerson, suddenly. Gripp looked his amazement. Mr. Mead hastened into the corridor, and soon was talking with Atherton. Gripp’s ears caught the sound of a carriage next. Then the door opened again, and Mayberry assisted Irene Atherton into the office. She started upon seeing Mr. Gripp there. There was a whispered conference between the lovers—lovers they plainly were now to everybody—and then Irene and Mayberry were ushered into the corridor, Irene leaning heavily on her lover’s arm. Again the chills ran up and down Gripp’s back. Neither had noticed him. He fancied Irene’s eyes took pn an expression of horror as she glanced at him. A hand was on his arm. He shuddered as he turned. It was the lawyer he sent for. The attorney shook hands with him. Then he passed on to the captain, and talked with him. Then the lawyer talked to Dunn. Then he sat down beside Gripp. “What is the outlook?” Gripp nsked. “Can you manage to get me out to-night? Mr. Mead, who is here, will go on my bond. I have evidence here —in my pocketbook—that I have ten thousand in one bank, three in another, and my stock is worth as much more. I can guarantee Mr. Mead in $20,000 at least.” “In that case —of course it is worth trying. But it musj be done In a regular way, or the papers will go for us.” Atherton, accompanied by his daughter, Mr. Mead, Parker, Jack Jones ard Mayberry, entered the office from the corridor. Last of all Nickerson entered. Not one of them looked at Gripp. Again the chills caused Gripp’s blood to run cold. The door opened again, and Mrs. Cole and Bobby Walters came in. Bobby kept well in the rear. Mrs. Cole looked steadily at Gripp. She did' rot take her eyes from his face an instant. There was some business at the desk. A paper was signed; Nickerson talked to' the captain. "This is the regular form. Judge Capon's instructions, obtained half an hour ago, are my only guide.” He handed a slip of paper to the captain. “Suppose you leave this with me, too,” said the ca'ptain. “I gave it to you with that intention,” said Nickerson. “Come,” he added. “You are free now, Atherton; let us go.” “He is not free,” said Gripp, quickly. “I saw Peters die. I will tell the truth. Mr. Mead, you are not going? You said you would go on my bond. I am not as guilty as Atherton.” Mr. Mead drew away from him. “Atherton here ought to be arrested—held for killing Peters.” “Will you swear he killed him?” said Nickerson. “Yes.” “Then I will swear you lie,” said Tarker. "What do you know about it?” demanded Gripp. angrily. “I witnessed—heard all that passed.” “You!” “Yes. But Mr. Meekpr thought it was not necessary to go into details.” Gripp’s face grew deathly pale as Parker looked him steadily in the eye, and added: “A man as near the scaffold as you are for the murder of Mrs. Knox—Mrs. Cole for a time—ought to be making his peace with heaven, instead of bearing false’ witness,»Gripp.” Then they all turned away—all—<jnd left the office to Mr. Gripp and his lawyer. “The case against you is serious, Gripp. Noshing can be done to-night. 1 will call in early to-morrow morning. I need not caution you not to speak to a soul.” ”No need,” said Gripp. “What is the story —what do they say?” “Well, then, they Claim to be able to bring witnesses who met you in the house—who met you in it that evening. Mayberry tells the captain a story of a shadow on the window curtain —a man’s hands seizing or striking very ugly story., He was in Allegheny that evening. Then the man who arrested you—for a big reward—is ambitious to shine as a detective. He claims he can produce the very hair the woman plucked out of your head. Nickerson, who is Atherton’s lawyer, and Mayberr/ and others have examined the hair Dunn fpund among the ashes.” “What trifles,” said Gripp, with paling face. , .“Yes. They seem trifles —but men have lost their case through less.” He shook hands with his client, and left the office. "Come.” .said the captain. An assistant stood near Gripp. He walked into the corridor, and entering the cell opened for him. was locked in; then the captain and assistant withdrew. Two hours later the captain looked in at Gripp as he sat on his bench with head between his hands. He wns in the same position at four in the morning. Half an hour later the assistant rushed into the office, crying: "Quick! Gripp’s hanged himself.” They made haste to cut him down. His body was cold. He had tied his cravat in a loop around his neck, made the other end fast to a bar in his cell, drew his knees nearly up to his chin, and hanged —strangled himself. His face was so horrible nobody could look at it. He was covered, as something too horrible for human eyes, until the inquest was held; then all that was left of Jackson Gripp was quickly coffined aqd buried. \ , The murderer survived his victim a very few days. The newspapers had columns on the arrest, the suicide, and the tragedy that caused both. • • • • • • • Six months later Mr. Mead, Dan Atherton, Arthur Mayberry, Ralph Parker and Irene were standing upon a vacant field near the bank of the Monongahela, a few miles above the great bustling city. “Well, what do you think?" said Mr.

Mead, turning to Irene. “Wa have air had our say, to use a common phrase. What do you think of the site for the Columbia mill?" . “Yes —and you, Parker—what is your opinion? The bargain’s closed— contract signed for building. The mill will be up in three months from to-day.” ~ This was Mayberry’s question. “I leave that for you business men to decide. I am discussing a more important subject with Mr. Parker, who, although a shareholder in the mill that is to be, has some time to give to Mrs. Parker and me.” - “And pray what is it that Mrs. Parker and you are so deeply interested in?” asked Mr. Mead, pleasantly. “Weil, then, if you must know,” said Mrs. Mayberry, with a bright sffille, “wo are settling the details of our housewarming. Since our new houses are both alike, with no absurd fences or walls between them, we have concluded •*~Mrs. Parker and I—that we will use the same list of invitations and-hold the warmings in common.” “A double house-warming,” said Mr. Mead. “That is a novel—a capital idea. I am included?" “Of course,”’ eaid Irene. “You wilfbe served in my house—the dancing and music will be in Mrs. Parker’s.” “Capital, that,” said Mayberry. *“I ike the way she puts it, Ralph—my house and Mrs. Parker’s —that lets you and me out; we’ll have no trouble- at all.” . Then everybody laughed. Columbia Mill is a very lively reality to-day. The new process bids fair to make at least half as much money as Mr. Gripp figured on. Bobby Walters is one of. the s-teady workers in the mill. He earns more than sufficient to maintain himself and his mother, and bids fair to make a go-ahead man. Nickerson, who availed himself of the chance to buy a share in the mill, says he has lost the incentive necessary to make a man chief justice of the United States. A man who has more money than he can use, Nickerson argues, is not as ambitious as a poor young lawyer. Jack Jones is manager of the new mill, and a model manager he has proved himself. (The end.)