The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-12-20


and was overhauling his whole past ca
reer and imparting his thorough knowl
edge of it as completely and effectively
as if he were uttering it aloud. The sicl
man had faced danger before and did no
blanch; he even answered testify, try
ing all the time to fathom the character
of the Individual opposite, and estimat,
the price of his silence. His hops
chung tenaciously to the mighty influ
ence of dollars, and the danger, when il
its actual presence, did not seem so grea
after all; nor the fearful grasp this mar
Lad upon him one not to be shaken off;
therefore he scorned to be humble, anC
looked his dignity. MY health can b.
nothing to you, sir" "You mistake" dry
ly responded the polite stranger, "youI
health is great deal to me, and have
made it the object of special inquiry fol
several days past, and if 1 had not beer
certain you were beyond escape through
leg bail, you would have been fast in the
trap with Others" "Your language is
offensive. Who are youe" ''Well, sir
the business that brings me here is far
more offensive to the statutes, at any
rate, than any language; the business is
yours, and the language mine" 81 dc
not understand you; neither do care
for further conversation with you
again, ask, who are you?" at does
not matter who am. All I want of you
is that ten dollar counterfeit plate. ]
know it to be in your possession, and ]
must have it.' "Sirr" calculated Mr.. j.,
in tone of insulted pride ooh! that
style wont do" cOolly remarked the de
tective officer, for such he was. "You
must come right down to square talk-no
assumption of offended dignity will
deaden the scent; I've got the sure twist
on you, old fellow. I'm no kid, and this
squeal among the queersman comes
straight home to you. Ihave penetrated
all your DISCUSSES and sifted all your
names. You did it well, and doubled
like fox, but the trap is sprung at last,
and you are fast" "Do you know who
1 am, STRIP Perfectly we'll. You are
Mr.. Theodore j., the Oldest, and heaviest,
and most INSCRIPTIONS dealer in count
erfeit money that this city has ever been
cursed with. For years you have evaded
the law, and by your successful f1nancier-
ing in queer you have amassed a splen
| did fortune. Yon have ruined untold
numbers of men, who, but for you, would
have lived and died honest. You have
brought want and shame and sorrow to
hundred happy homes. You have lured
honest men from honest trade to do your
unlawful work. You have screened your
self behind religion, and assumed the
garb of praiseworthy morality. You
have bought the genius you lacked and
bribed the skill that you were not master
of. Your talent to deceive the public
is admirable, and with my great expert
ence, I have never seen it surpassed.
High in the church, you chanted hymns
and mumbled prayers with your pockets
full of bogus money; and, high in socie-
W, you looked down with contempt on
the vulgar masses and curled your vir-
tuous nose at the mention of crime. You
| have baffled justice and avoided suspic-
ion. Your names and callings are as
numerous as the states you have several
ly operated in. You have scattered coun-
| terfeit money from Maine to Texas, and
you are thorough scoundrel, sir, from
the crown of your head to the soles of
your feet; a complete, dOuble-dyed, per
fectly finished, and unmitigated villain,
sir; and that's my incontrovertible def
milton of you" The quiet delivery of
this hard catalogue of crimes, uttered in
a mildly forcible and positive manner,
greatly cooled his listeners asperity, and
considerably modified his supercilious-
ness. 81 am sick and helpless, as you
see, and unable to refute your charges,
or in any way defend myself, therefore /
am compelled to endure your insults and
false accusations in silence" "Oh! that
dodge won't go. 1t has taken me long
time to unearth you, and l must have
the plate. You were the originator OF
! that dangerous and capital counterfeit
and confident that you, and only you,
know where it is, it must be forthcom-
ing" "What do you know ~ Every
thing. have traced the proof step by
step, and its grapple is on you tight and
undeniable. You are piped down and
had better make clean breast oft. You
have neither trump nor bower; in short,
you are played out, and you cannot hide
away from the evidence against you"
"Who holds this evidence? ?" 81 do" as
it in your possession? 1 will be plain
is my completely already public com.
mcntY' mo; not a whisper has been
divulged beyond my single control" The
questioner breathed sigh of relief. He
might yet escape. "And why were you
silent?" "Oh, because knew you were
sick, and could not run away; and il
danger came too near, feared you would
destroy the plate" Upon my word ]
have not got the plate you wish" "But
you know where it is, and can get it. II
"You are the man 1 have dreaded like
an evil presentiment. You are the CHIEF
! of the government secret service 90 The
officer bowed and fastened his eyes on his
face without wink or a word. The as
pectyof the officer he had so dreaded
was not so relentless as his imagination
had pictured; he gained immensely in
hope and courage, and at once fell back
to the influence of his dollars, as if il
were simple business transaction, and
needed no preliminary introduction.
What will you take to let me off:
Eli? mean, what price do you set
upon your silence:" 1.-THE plate" 81
have bought up the best lawyers; yes,
and judges, too, in the city, and among
the detectives never failed. have al.
ways found them valuable allies. and one
on my side better than a score against
me. All men have their price in differ.
ent ways-name yours and be dumb
The preacher-tone Mr.. J. used to perhaps
the more deeply impress his worldly Wis
itor, provoked smile from the officer
and he said meekly in the same ministe
rial information, "Let us prayl The plate
is my price-its a master-piece-an il
you were several degrees nearer dead
than you are, would have it.n
Failing to make the main-stay effective
Mr.. ]. changed his tactics, and earnestly