The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-03-15
Mn.
IL Nh AvENGER.

task tnan Lem faWleLt dlQ 10 MS pursuit
of the unknown lawyer. The weather
~ exceedingly hot in the city, and be,
accustomed to breathing the pure fresh
breezes of the sea-shore, felt it terribly
oppressive. The pavements were very
hard to his feet, used to the soft earth and
sand OF the country, and he was actually
lame most of the time. The intermina-
BILE istreets and the multitude of people
confused him and gave him q horrible
sense OF isolation among them all. Then
he very much missed little Ruth's adec-
tionate despotism. and her practical good
sense and encouragement for he had so
many disappointmsnts and discourage
ments to encounter that he was fairly
hsart-sick almost all the while. Still the
good fellow did not give up his chase. He
had come to town for a purpose, he said
10 himself, and he would succeed in il or
die trying. Day after day he haunted the
courts and the streets where there were
most lawyers offices. and il was not long
esfore be became actually a terror to all
the little elderly gentlemen who practiced
law in New York, and there were a great
ing one who. it seemed to him, might
come within the somewhat wide specifica-
tiOns ne alone lad for his guidance. OF be-
ing small and past middle age, it was his
habit TO button-hole the suspected person
and put to him directly the question:
''DO you know the Van Deusts of Last
hampton"
They al said No" \ verv few of
them. at first, had curiosity enough to add
"why2" But upon his commencing his
story which from his manner promised to
be long. they would always exclaim, All
One moment-exeuse me. l see q man"
and would dart away. Generally they
did not even ask why" but darted away
about their own business all the same.
His frequent repetitions of the same
question were overheard by other men,
6ers of the bar than those to whom 1t was
addressed, and II was observed that the
interrogation was a.wavs directed to little,
elderly gentlemen. so very speedily il
became a stock joke among the profession
for wageish counsellors to ask OF his Sc
lected class Of victims, at the most mop
perfume Zines and unexpected places, do
you know the Van Deusts Of Easthsmp-
TOM until they were almost maddened
by the iteration.
One jocose attorney christened Lem
was soon generally known. The poor fell
low was much puzzled to account for the
hiiGrity that his appearance In court
sometimes seemed TO occasion; for the
general interest that appeared 10 be awak-
ened among the lawyers when he ap-
preached one of whom he thought he
should ask his question; and for the an
gry haste with which the person so APP
preached would reply, Outlines before he
said mora than DO you" with an en-
phstic NO. Never heard of them in my
life Sometimes be asked the same per-
son twice or thrice even, on different days,
for be could not be expected to remember
them al.
There are always haunting the courts a
few poor, harmless mad peoDle-wrecks
whose hearts and minds have been at
some time crushed by the Juggernaut of
the law. The mercy OF forgetfulness has
wiped away the memory Of ruinous defeat
and made place for ever-springing hope in
their breasts. They imagine always that
their cases are coming on very soon-tO-
morrow, perhaps" for the bitter, heart
sickening lesson of legal prOcrastiD alton is
deepest craven, and survives all else in
lheir blighted brains. Lem got to be re-
garded as one of those unfortunate beings
And then, even if he had got an oppOr-
V
chances are that it would have been taken
Tor fiction OF his imagination. Still he
plOdded on indefaugably. with his eyes
always open for the wanted witness. and
his one question ever trembling on his
lips. His manner of operation was GER
tsin!y not the best-not the one that q
skilinl detective would have adopted-but
it was the best he knew, and sooner or
later Providence is pretty certain TO help
those who endeavOr for themselves as
earnestly and we'll as they know how
Once only he sought 10 make a diver
gence from the path upon which he had
set out. He went to the police, thinking
20 ask their aid. The superintendent re-
ceived him brusquely demanding as soon
as he put bis foot over the threshold of
the office:
We'll, nv man. what do you want?"
Il have come, sir, to ask some help here
in finding OUT about the murder Of Jacob
Van Deust of Essthampton, Long Island"
The superintendent referred 70 a book
at mis- elbow, and replied CURLY:
Man on that case now"
Yes, 4 know there is" answered Lem,
"but II seems to me that he's on the
wrong track. and"
The superintendent did not trouble
himself to hide his contempt Tor the critI-
N4D~@ "a - NhPAOtO6oAOuhAs duQ country
man at that. upon one of his force of de-
tectives. and interrupted with the abrupt
retoTt:
Very probably. But / guess you are
not likely 10 teach him his business.
Martin Turning to his messenger
Tel the captain I'll see him now"
Lem accepted this discourteous dis
missal, and found his way into the street
without anybody seeming to have noticed
that be said, "GOod-day, sir"
SingHlarly enough as il might appear.
IN view OF the notoriety that LENS ques-
ton had obtained among the LAWYERS. but
for very excellent reason, nevertheless.
the ono man of all Of them who could
have responded yes" the one man of
whom he was in search, had not in all this
time heard that anybody was hunting an
acquaintance of the Van Deusts and
though he was the only person in New
York who had any direct business inter-
est in the Van Deusts, knew anything
about them or would have been likely to
know OF any important event happening
to them, he not even heard that Jacob
Van Deust had been murdered. That one
man was Mr.. Pelatiah Holden OF late
years he had practiced very little in the
courts. He had smasssd q considerable
fortune-one 80 regarded in those days, ut
least-by the exercise of his profession ::
and as he grew older and attained high
and deserved FeDutation NV hia ahilitv