The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-04-24
AARON DROVDOWSKI.

6uulu Lave gwen uuCu W kOS AAN y
Drowdowski, but the opportunity to d.
80 never presented itself.
For months every thing had been cha
otto in tho office OF tue Telegram Herald
A bitter fight was going on in the court
for the possession Of the paper. 1t wa
charged that Mr.. Jansen, the Presiden
OF the company, and managing editor o
the paper as we'll, had over.issued tht
stock, mortgaged the property, and 9th
erwise mismanaged affairs to such an ex
rent that his absolute removal was nee
essary for the future OF the paper.
Those were trying times indeed. No
day passed without half a dozen Of
more removals.
Finally the case was decided against
Mr.. Jansen and In favor Of the clique
represented by Mr.. Newhall. A genera
shaking up took place immediately
Mr.. Newhall assumed control, and, when
the smoke had cleared away, 1t waE
found that Drowdowski was the only
man on the local staff who had been re-
tanned. He had remained neutral dur.
ing the fight and this was his reward.
Harry ECkert had been removed by
Mr.. Jansen, but was reipstated by Mr.
Newhall. And, although his hatred fol
Drowdowski was known TO all he was
powerless to prevent his Encouragement
by the new management. The reason
for this was that Drowdowski was most
valuable man. Not only was he great
on descriptive work." but he was mar
vel on detail.
He had a hne nose for news, too, and
never failed to ferret out sn item when
once started after it. Ia addition Ia
all these accomplishments, he was an
excellent all.round newspaper man, and
could cover any assignment from a po'
lice court trial to bank robbery. he
was also the emergency man, and when
either the city editor or the writing edi
tor were Ill he could be relied upon Il
fill either position creditably. Indeed
his work on the deck was always Of the
highest character.
In appearance he was not the sort OF {
man one would warm to. Short o.
stature, stoop.shouldered, with hooked
nose, pointed beard OF iron gray, hair o.
the same description, unkept and long
and restless eye, the expression o.
which was always sinister, sometimes
cruel, Aaron Drowdowski was being
whose every action repealed rather than
attracted. But for all that he had rep
utation for honesty, sobriety and CON
scientiousness that might have been the
envy Of all had It not been for his repul.
sive personality.
One night in December, as the stat
was about to- be dismissed, word was
received from police headquarters that 9
murder had been committed in that
quarter Of the city populated by the
poorer or working classes.
A young girl, by name Margaret schell,
had been found dead in her room in the
Belyidere apartment house. She had
been atabbed'to the heart, and the muir
dereI had evidently made good hil
escape. Very little was known OF the
girl beyond the fact that she was ar
orphan, and had come to the city two
years before from little town in New
York State. At the time Of her death
she was employed as typewriter In The
wholesale grocery establishment o.
Koenig, Wells & Go.
AS soon as he had received intelli
gence OF the murder City Editor Ecker
sent Fred Beck, one Of the shrewdes
men en- the staff, to the scene Of TIT
tragedy. At the same timo he dis
patched Harry Englehart to watch thu
Police Court, and ordered Drowdowsk
to hold himself in readiness for late
assignment. At II o'clock Beck re
turned breathleBs with excitement.
Entering the city editors room, h
closed the door, and rushing to the deal
said:
"Most Important discovery only cleV
10 the murderer; a copy Of the Telegram
Herald tightly clutched in the dead girl
hand; on the margin the name of"-
The sentence was finished In whii
per. Whatever 1t was 1t had Q peculia
effect on City Editor Eckert. Hestartet
as though he had been shot. Then
cruel look OF triumph o'erspreGd hi
countenance, and bis only comment wa
satisfied and emphatic:
"Goodw
For fully two minutes the men gaze
at each other. Their faces were study
The one hard and cold, the othe
anxious and excited, for Fred Beck ha
the newspaper instinct strongly de
yeloped.
aroused. He waa q bloodhound tbs
would never fstten on the trail. Non
knew this better than Harry Eckert.
"That is all for the present" he sale
"Send DrowdoWsG to me, and do ne
leave the Office until you have hear
from me further. In the meantime d
not write line Of the story, and 50
nothing to the boys OF your suspicious.
Beck retired, and the next momer
the door opened and the Jew entered.
"You sent for me?"
"what do you know Of the sche
murder2"
"As he spoke Eckert kept bis eyt
upon Drowdoweki's face, very much
the same manner as q cat might watC
q mouse 1t is about to devour. No
muscle moved and:
Nothing" was the answer.
"Go TO police headquarters, see VIII
you can learn there. and II possible a
the authorities In locating the crlminA
It will be q big scoop for the Telegram
Herald II We can catch him. You a
derstand?"
t'Perfectly, and without q word Drov
doWski left the room.
Dingl dingl dingl rang the little o.
yer bell on the city editors desk.
"Tell Mr.. Beck TO come here at once
was the order received by the OH
boy.
sFollow Drowdowski, and do not !
him escape you for an instant" SUI
was the order given 10 Beck.
Left alone, Eckert sat for long tin
in deep meditation. It was evidel
something very pleasant had tranepire
His eyes glistened with new light IL
he rubbed his hands together as thou
in high glee.
= "He'lE never have the courage 70
n it." he murmured. "He'll never ha
: the courage TO doit."
Meanwhile DfoWdowski, pale as
ghost, and with lines Of anguish In
lace, was vending his way diteci
homeward. He lived in the central pI