Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-11-10

you suppose you can blackmail mems
i'm this way? I'll have you arrested
y -
His wrath. and his fears, too, as his
face plainly showed, choked his words
l quietly took chair.
.'Td advise you to take it cool, sir!
You'll remember we've done talking
about nv claim; we are on another
subject now. I merely say to you that
have the evidence that you burned
your own property to realize large
insurance on it. / shall go from here
to magistrate and make complaint.
If you know of any reason why should
not you had better state it."
He sat down and stared hard at me.
He tried hard to conceal his thoughts;
but / saw plainly that his mind was
hating between fear and bluster.
s'Preposterousr' he muttered.
/ said nothing.
"Who do you expect to believe this
silly story?"
81 refuse to discuss that. 1t will be
time to talk about that when my proofs
are presented"
"What are your proofs?"
you'll know in due time"
He hesitated, then said, with an ef-
fort:
''You haven't any proof. I'll talk
with you no more about it"
thought the game was lost, but
resolved to play it to the end.
Every WELL" said. You defy me
to make a criminal complaint against
you. / will do it at once"
/ turned and walked out of the
house. A window was raised, and
heard the deacon's voice calling me
back
had triumphed!
When was again alone with him he
locked the door.
This is all very ahsHrd and foolish, ;"
he said. "Of course 1 never set fire to
my barn, and if you know anything
about it. you know that 1 did not. But
I don't court trouble. / haven't been
over my accounts with you; possibly I
do owe you something. Suppose pay
you the five hundred dollars you claim,
will you tell me what evidence you
have that burned the barn?"
eyes"
"What will there be then to prevent
you from making your foolish COM
Plaint?"
''There will be nothing, Deacon Hal
leck. Understand me. | know what
compounding felony is, and I'm doing
nothing of the kind. l make no bar
gains. But you'll probably agree that
my evidence against you in a criminal
case would not be worth much if it
was shown that l had just been max
ing an amicable settlement with you,
and that l had received from you the
full amount claimed against you as
guardian"
You're n keen one," he said. "Do
You mean to stay here?"
mo. I am going south very soon. 1
may never return here"
He turned to his desk and wrote off
a receipt for five hundred dollars, in
full of all claims against him as
guardian. / signed it. From drawer
of his desk he took package of bills,
and counted out the amount. He
watched me till l had counted it and
put it away.
"What was your proof?" he de-
manded.
"Your own guilty conscience, Mr.
Halleck! l have heard it whispered
twenty times, since that night, that
you burned your property to get high
rate of insurance. | have suspected
you, as well as others; but kne1o no
more than they, which was just moth
ing. But as soon as ] charged you
with it, conscious guilt looked out of
your face. You were made to be a
small rascal, deacon; you can't conceal
a crime. predict that you'll betray
yourself after have gone"
The anger with which he heard the
beginning of my declaration changed
to abject terror as | went on. lie
wept, wrung his hands, almost grow
elled at my feet.
80 Dorr, don't betray me" he whined.
'::Think of my family, think of my
good name, think of my position in So
ciety and the church,
assured him that 1 would not men
ton the accusation, and left him in his
terror and misery.
The next morning the village was
Mortified to hear that Deacon Halleck
had committed suicide. He was found
hanging by the neck to the rafters in
the garret. Fear, think, not con-
science, had destroyed him.