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About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 1914)
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1914: PLATT8M0UTH SEMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL. PACE S. WITHIN TME L ilk ' 'X ' h Si; j Vi-" 1 VI M.-Bu. MARVIN. DANA f L 1 Ljh. FROM, THE FLAY. OF 0 Lg BAYARD VE1LLER f te'-si '' -Lc7 - . , l,, ' ''MMMIMMH HMHi;lWl1BliMIk"i''i refill llf W- ' J' J ' - - : Copyright. 1913, f3 j I PROLOGUE. I This is a story of a brave girl who suffered a great wrong. She went to prison for three years for a crime that she did not commit, and when she left prison her rec ord stood between her and a liv ing earned honestly. She gained ' j t . .-j more man a living, unu snv gvi it legally. She met bad men and good men, and she pitted her wits against those of men trained in the intricacies of the law and in the plans of criminals. Mary Turner is good or bad according to the way you look at her. The police and the repre sentatives of law and order that had condemned her to a felon's cell called her bad. One young man believed her to be good, and he stood by her through storm and stress, through circumstances that tried his soul. j This story gives an accurate if fleeting view of. the methods of work of the police and the crimi nals, and it shows the finish of a brave crook who followed unde viatingly the course he had map ped out. ' 1 ' . , CHAPTER I. i The Panel of Light. THE lids of the girl's eyes lifted slowly, and she stared at the lanel of light in the walL Just I at the outset the act of seeing made not the least impression on her numbed brain. For a long time she continued to regard the dim illumina tion in the wall with the same passive fixity of gaze. Apathy still lay upon her crushed spirit. In a vapue way she realized her own inertness and rest ed in it gratefully, subtly fearful lest phe apain arouse to the full horror of her plight. In a curious subconscious fashion she was striving to hold on to this deaduess of sensation, thus to win a little respite from the torture that had exhausted her soul. Of a sudden her eyes noted the black lines that lay across the panel of light, and in that instant her spirit was quickened once again. The clouds lift ed from her brain. Vision was clear now. Understanding seized the full import of this hideous thing on which she looked. For the panel of lightjvas a window sot high within a wall of Ftone. The rigid lines of black that crossed it were bars prison bars. It was still true, then. She was in a cell of the Tombs. ' Crouching miserably on the narrow bed, she maintained her fixed watching of the window that window which was a symbol of her utter despair. Agaia agony wrenched within her. The girl was appalled by the inerci lessness of a destiny that had so out raged right. She was wholly Innocent of having done any wrong. She had struggled through years of privation to keep herself clean and wholesome, wor thy of those gentlefolk from whom she drew her blood. And earnest effort had ended at last under an overwhelm ing accusation, false, yet none the less fatal to her. This accusation after soul wearying delays had culminated today In conviction. The sentence of the ourt had been imposed upon her that for "three years Bhe should be impris oned. There had been nothing in the life of Mary Turner before the catastrophe came to distinguish it from many an other. Its most signilicant details were of a sordid kind, familiar to poverty. Her father had been an unsuccessful man as success is esteemed by this gen eration of Mammon worshipers. He was a gentleman, but the trivial fact Is of small avail today. He was of good birth, and he was the possessor of an Inherited competence. He had as well Intelligence, but It was not of a finan cial sort. So, little by little, his fortune be came shrunken toward nothingness by rea.son of Injudicious investments, lie married a charming woman, who. after a brief period of wedded happi ness, gave her life to the birth of the sincle child of the vnion, Mary. As the years passed the daughter grew by the II. K. Fly company. toward maturity in an experience of ever increasing penury. The girl was in the high school when her father finally gave over his rather feeble ef fort of living. At his death the father left her a character well instructed in the excellent principles that had been his own. Of worldly goods, not the value of a pin. Yet, measured according to the stern standards of adversity, Mary was for tunate. Almost at once she procured a humble employment in the Empori um, the great department store own ed by Edward Gilder. To be sure, the wage was infinitesmal, while the toil was body breaking, soul breaking. Mary nevertheless nvoided'the worst peiTIs-onierTol. 'Slie Tria;nul HIucli under, privation, but went her way through it, if not serenely, at least It Was True, She Was In a Cell In the Tombs. without ever a thought of yielding to those temptations that beset a girl who is at once poor and charming. Among her fellows were some like herself, others unlike. Of her own sort in this tingle particular were the two girls with whom she shared a cheap room. Their common decency in attitude toward the other sex was the unique bond of union. In their as sociation she found no real compan ionship. Nevertheless they were whole some enough. Otherwise they were illiterate, altogether uncongenial. In such wise, through five dreary years, Mary Turner lived. Nine hours daily she stood behind a counter. She spent her other waking hours in oblig atory menial labors, cooking her own scant meals over the gas, washing and ironing, for the sake of that neat ai Iearauce which was required of her by those in authority at the Emporium, yet more especially necessary for her own self respect. With a mind keen and earnest she contrived some solace from reading and studying since the free library gave her this opportunity. 15y candid comparison of herself with others about her she realized the fact that she possessed an Intelligence beyond the average. The training by her fa ther, too, had been of a superior kind. There was as well, at the back vague ly, the feeling of particular self re spect that belongs inevitably to the possessor of good blood. Finally she iemurely enjoyed a modest apprecia tion of her own physical advantages. In short, she had leauty, brains and breeding, three things of chief impor tance to any woman. There had been thefts in the stor. They had been traced eventually to a certain department, that in which Mary worked. The detective was alert. Some valuable silks were miss ed. Search followed immediately. The goods were . found in Mary's locker. That was enough. She was charged with the theft She protested inno cence, only to be laughed at in deri sion by her accusers. Every thief de clares innocence. Mr. Gilder himself was emphatic against her. The thiev ing had been long continued. An ex ample must be made. The girl was ar rested. The crowded condition of the court calendar kept her for three months In '. AW the Tombs awaiting trial. She was quite friendless. To the world she was only a thief in duress. At the last the trial was very short. Her lawyer was merely an unfledged practitioner as signed to her defense as a formality of the court. At the end twelve good men and true rendered a verdict of guilty against the shuddering girl in the prisoner's dock. That which was the supreme tragedy to the broken girl in the cell merely afforded rather agreeable entertain ment to her former fellows of the de partment store. Mary Turner through out her term of service there had been without real Intimates, so that now none was ready to mourn over her f atv Evea the two, roommates had felt some slight offense, since they sensed the superiority of her, though vaguely. Now, they found a smug satisfaction in the fact of her disaster as emphasizing very pleasurablr their own continuance in respectability. On the day of Mary Turner's tria! there was a subtle gayety of gossipings to and fro through the store. The girl's plight was like a shuttlecock driven hither and yon by the battle dores cf many tongues. It was the first time in many years that one of the employees had been thus accused of theft. Shoplifters were so common as to be a stale topic. There was a re freshing novelty in this case, where one of themselves was the culprit. Her fellow workers chatted desultorily of her as they had opportunity, and com placently thanked their gods that they were not as she with reason. Smithson, a member of the executive staff, did not hesitate to speak his mind, though none too forcibly. Yet his comment, meager as it was, stood wholly in Mary's favor. And he sjol;e with a certain authority, since he had given official attention to the girl. Smithson stopped Sarah Edwards, Mr. Gilder's private secretary, as she was passing through one of the de partments that morning to ask her if the owner had yet reached his office. "Been and gone," was the secretary's answer. "lie went downtown to the court of general sessions. The judge sent for him about the Mary Turner case." "Oh, yes, I remember now," Smith son exclaimed. "I hoie the poor girl gets off. She was a nice girl quite the lady, you know, Miss Edwards. Will you please let me know when Mr. iv ' - & - 7 mmm-MBA - t i 1 tHSai "Hello, dadl" Glider arrives? There are one or two little matters I wish to discuss with him." "All right." Sarah agreed briskly, and she hurried'ou toward the private office. The secretary was barely seated at her desk when the violent opening .f the door startled her. and as she look ed up a cheery voice cried out: "Hello, dad!" At the same moment a young man entered with an air of care free assur ance, his face radiant. I:ut as his glance went to the empty armchair nt the desk he halted abruptly, and his expression changed to one of disap pointment. "Not here."' he grumbled. Then once again the smile was on his lips as his yes fell on the secretary, who had ' now rlen to her feet in a flutter of ex citement. "Why, Mr. Dick!" Sarah gasped. "Hello, Sadie!'' catue the genial salu tation. The young man advanced and shook hands with her warmly. "I'm home again. Where's dad?" Even as he asked the question the quick sobering of his face bore wit ness to his disappointment over not finding his father in the office. And In the patent chagrin under which the son now labored was to be found a cer tain indication of character not to be disregarded. Unlike many a child, he really loved Lis father. The death of the mother years before had left him without other oprtortuiutyXojLafrectiou in the home, since he had neither brother nor sister. In that simple and sincere regard which he bore for his father, the boy revealed a heart ready for love, willing to give of itself its best for the one be loved. Beyond that as yet there was little to be said of him with exactness. He was a spoiled child of fortune, if you wish to have it so. Certainly, he was only a drone in the world's hive. Thus far he had enjoyed the good thiuga of life without ever doing aught to deserve them by contributing in re turn, save by his smiles and Lis genial air of happiness. In the twenty-three years of his life every gift that money could lavish had been his. If the sum total of benefit was small, at least there remained the consoling fact that the harm was even less. Luxury had not sapped the strength of him. He had not grown vicious, as have so many of his fellows among the sons of the rich. Sarah explained that Mr. Gilder had been called to the court of general ses sions by the judge. "But what is dad doing in court?" Sarah explained the matter with her usual conciseness: "One of the girls was arrested for stealing." "And dad went to court to get her out of the scrape. That's just like the old man." "She was tried today and convicted. The judge sent for Mr. Gilder to come down this morning and . have a talk with him about the sentence." There was no lessening of the ex pression of certainty on the young man's face. He loved his father, and he trusted where he loved. "It will be all right," he declared In a tone of entire conviction. "Dad's heart is as big as a barrel, ne'll get her off." Then of a sudden Dick gave a vio lent start. He leaned toward the sec retary's desk and spoke with a new seriousness of manner: "Sadie, have you any money? I'm broke. My taxi has been waiting out side all this time." "Why, yes," the secretary said cheer fully. Dick eagerly seized the banknote of fered him. "Mighty much obliged. Sadie." he said enthusiastically. "liut I must run. Otherwise this wouldn't be enough for the fare." And he darted ont of the room. (To be Continued) VERY BUSY SESSION OF GUY COUNCIL (Continued From First rare.) hydrant was located was in a hole ind that the hydrant should real y have been located on the other side of the street. Councilman Hallstrom thought that if snm radinir was done on the street that it would be possible to use (he hydrant and that t ho water onipany would not be compelled o raise the hydrant, but in the present condition the hydrant should be. raised five or six inches. Councilman Johnson said that the water committee ac knowledged that the hydrant was loo low and he did not favor the lcccplance of the hydrant or the illowance of the 5. City Al omey Tidd stated for the benefit f the council that the granting' if the 5 fr the hydrant would in itself constitute an acceptance f the hvdrant. The motion of Vroman to grant the ?5 balance ilue on the hydrant rental was lefealed by a vote of 5 to i. The light committee, through the chairman, Mr. Irallstrom, re ported that. they, in company with the city attorney, had visited the iflice of ttie Nebraska Lighting' ompanv in regard to the loll of that, company for street lighting oT SI 30, and hail been unable to secure any satisfaction in regard o the service, and they recom mended that L'O per cent of the ill, amounting to some $20, be leduefed and the rest of the bill, amounting to $107, including the library and city hall light bills, be allowed, and this report was accepted and the warrants order ed drawn. City Attorney Tidd reported that the case of T. II. Pollock vs. tie City of lMaltsmouth had been decided by the district court against the city, and he stated that he did not believe, it would do any good to appeal the case, as the supreme court had held in several case? that land so situat ed should be declared out of the city. (ConaioLg to J-L J k tx& JUL S2J J mmrtf Southern horses and mares 4 to 8 years old, 900 to 1100. 20 hi and little Fat Plugs buy them blemished 5 to 30 years old. 20 Mules from 4 to 8 years old, sound, any size, FAT. All stock must be FAT, as we ship to 5 different markets. We come to buy not to visit. Can pay more than anybody. Plattsmouth, Wednesday, Feb. 4th (At Sage's Barn) Pacific Junction, Thursday (Morning Only) February 5th We want drafters, drivers, chunks, southern farm mares and some plus. We buy any kind, fat. We are the buyers for the tarmers as we buy the best horses, and also, give you prices for the bad ones. Leave your thin-lrggy horses at home. EELLY B Councilman Path-rson of the census committee staled that the committee had had an informal meeting at the ..re of Mr. Streii:ht and had apreed to pay a certain per cent if the city's population ran over y.ooo, and so much if they faib-d to reach ttiat tipure. Councilman I'.uttery. a inemher of 1 tit committee. Mated lie hud received Tlo notice of the committee meeting, and while he had been placed on the committee by the mayor without any solici tation on his part and not carin for the honor, he thought thai he should have received a notice of the meeting from the oilier mem bers. Councilman Streipht pour ed oil on ttie troubled wafers by stating that tie was to blame for the meeting, as Messrs. Patterson and Uichey are members of ttie judiciary committee of the coun cil, and while that committee was in session h" sutrpested that the two members of the census committee- try and settle that ques tion, and the result wa the agreement as to the payment f the j-ecurinp of names. Ttie llnance committee of the council reported the following bill npain.-t 1 1n city and recoin mended that the amounts be paid, and on motion the bills were al lowed: Mike Lutz, streef com missioner. $ir..TO; Charles Me-Ib-ide, street work, $7.00; Mural I'arniele, same, $1.00; Ah in Jones, same, $1.00; Jesse Creen, same, $1.00; A. L Illue, same. Si.OO; J. II. MeMaken, cinders to city, $12.r0; Omaha I'rinlin Co., treasurer's book, $17.r0; I. N. Cumminps, burying one d"P, foc, claims committee; C. V. Hahr. coal and labor at library, $li.7, claims committee. The claims committee of the council reported back the follow ing claims wilii a recommenda tion that they be paid: Kroehler IU-os., furnace at library, $110; Krothler Urns., tools and sup plies, $17.30; '. O. Fiicke & Co., merchandise, $.5o; War pa A. Ceci1, repairs at city hall, $7; Iirute it Slaneven, enpineerinp work on Sixth street eurbinp and putlerinp. soo; J. K. Kalirh. cleaninp road, $J. Mr. Hallstrom, one of the committee, refused Jo ipn the report of the claim- committee on account of the I5ruce & Standeven claim. Coun cilman Patterson, in reply to a number of inquirios ;s to wheth er or not the claim for the fur nace at the library should be ie-i ULIC 100 Fat Market Horses and Mules Only We especially want draft horses, full age and sound, 1109 to 1800 pounds. G to 12 years old, and farm mares. 20 draft hordes 1400 to 1800 pounds. 5 to 12 years old. 20 ferred to ttie libtary l...ard. staled that the e-timo'e made f..r the library Iey coNered the , -n-es onlv and the furnace had teen ordered before the levy made. The Ilruee A. Handeen claim wa discused and liua.Iy the re...rt of file committee rej.-i ted. and then, on motion of strei-ht. the bi!l. with the exception of that of Itruce A. Standeen. were adopted. The major called the attention of the council to the fact tti.it the NeJua-ka I.iht;r-T company w. strinuimr copper wire that ua iiof irwdated. through trie l.ui ness and residence .-"cfioji of the city, and he thought it .-demld be slopped at once, a- it was .-ry dangerous and would ti f be rI lowed in any other place, and he favored hainir the htit com mittee and ttie c;ty aftoI;ey Joo up ttie franchise ,,f tie cotupar . and if it proided for irioIa!d wire ttiat the company be in - M' il'M III f lo- ill.- , i - vi O ' li'MII III' I PI. I III l .illlM"!.''! in a motion I u-hin-ky in ti ie the j'ommittee and city att..rne look up the mutter. Mayor Saltier a-ke.J win th r or ind the city could take up llo-ir r.. t .....: i t . ; .. i . .. I own warrants and met jn I hem. as they weri compelled fn pa . per cent on them when carried b the bank-, ami placet ,e .".oi,n Ol'defed ilixe-ted Jy tile fnt.neil n this manner, and tie a-!v.d ft: ! ttie eily attorney ...k the maler up b tlo next meej;j-f The fire departmeid of th.- citv ..i. ill., r M ... :. .. . . r M l II I ' l I .11 I I 0 H 1 ,I I I ttie nHieels lor the e;i-t!P-r j.ar for ttie connrmaliori of the coun cil, and Hoy were accepted: Ple-idenf, V. C. 4lrde; . e presi dent. (ii'Mi:-!' Ilrak;. : irr-:;ir. J. C. Itrittaiu: lr-aurrr. Marrv Knieper; chief. A. !". Itraiim: a - -si-taut diief, 4iu- P.arl-ou; Wideawake Carl la.ios Ki.' sack, foreioan; IIarr ;ei' hen- our. a-.-i-tant; U. W. T""- !. cai.tain. While Cart W. li. Ma son, foreman; C. M. !"or!.e. a--si-tanl; .!-- I. York. captum. Carl No. 2 Henry l.ahoda. f.. re man; Hoy I'o. a--i-lai I: c. !'.. Cir ll.ur'. cnpta:n. 'e-l Ma if' Slree Carl flri-J. foreman: Va 1'rif chme er. a--i-Iard; l'r.i:. i i .i ii i ..it .. ; .eori:e llra-.v. f.r.:i..f : .1 , ep!i Ilra-y. a--.l -a:;! : O. a -:. Br,wd Nw ss- ? In! I C";iCt-"'r cap' ; in. Councilman f.i:-!t: i-l.yi '"rT t - - J - '- a-ked 'il.lf HI the f ar. ' Ct. CU-Lr-a.-i. t iti: At one de-irr.-- b secure t-.., .... , 00r? GO home ft atinQ the use of the city should g--t .jj CIDNTVISIT TMu GAYETY viyl ! f.rd.-r f-.-n ti- v . - ! A l;,.: ce 1.. !.,,! rlo'i".! 1-e p'.i; !-; ! j J- i: n a I. Af.'T a ' I c. ir a : , order- f ' -r -! i e.-t k ; t, u.ij..iir:i"l. 110 DIFFERENCE The Proof Is Here the Same as Eery he-e. I'.-r lii1'' v. i e. re;., f f . ; kldliey hi I.l-"e. W . t k ! " . b!ad..er I'o.i'.'. K. I i' mT.- te pe ,.f j..;;,f a 1 f ..- 5 , i- fo re in J'l.j t !i. t ! - i a- r her, pi..!: j - !! have j.-e.i 1 1. ..:.'- i d p:.i -- r:."-.!h j j :e .-ee- - ;:: ! I i '-. the k r ; i... 1 i A ri ie ri' i f l!y ;.--. V. j ' , ( ' r . ( 'i-r-.-l.t' .1.. - - . mouth pr-.r. t - ,:.. . Jonathan II -ttt. - - - keeper. Jli M ,r! - f i -- re. ,!!. "I r. I lSl Kid..e Pi;! .1 '" r- i i' i!v f. .r h . a ! . ; .j.,,." r... ' 4 . pro en ! !i. : r a '. . t : of r v f i , ' y I. i e . i ; l".iii'4 K .! - p r i ..-!'- .v, :." - Ihir.k j'.-t as r . .- ti -f t1. do." I 'or -a!- ! v a! I ' --. T,n 1 v ; I J . ( ,y ( j ... ' ' v for (J... I r ... -Ker: !.. r 1' and t ! '.. o I ' The Wischicr Qu".c'.le" anj It's Work. I.rh - ir th- v -h .-r f ary i;n" ie-rs j! . ; -. - f . :. , f'c::i m i' eer; .i. !.. l r Ch;ti ar..J t re-;-;..- ; s. "I : pro-i-pt i; f I 1 '- !;. .-v a- ; Tar Compound w ;! ! S !; ;- t of a i . Id l p i . j r- e;-1 th.- i. i ' r i or,. ,. jot; -..r I s i. K- ; . o:, !,:,:,.!. i . 1 . a: d--.-- WHEN IN OJV'.AHA VISIT THE Fun TCxS--p t-(r''