The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-04-13

Where would you go to find q single
man whom you knew there seven
years ago2 Now listen to me. SIM
pose you don't give me the $40, 6OCf
What happens2 I go to the senator
with my proofs; the senator puts his
foot down on q certain marriage;
you say it is all q Matchmaking
lie; the senator says my evidence
looks pretty strong; that you
must prove it a lie. Then you
have a nice job on your hands. You
have got to hunt up a lot Of people
that you have not heard OF for years,
and if you should happen to find
some of them not n would be able
to swear that the Robbins IN
was married to Roberts or was not
married to you. All of that would
take time and money and accom-.
plish nothing in the end.
ION the other hand, give me the
money and $4,000 is cheap, too, :
tell you-and in "a hours all the
documents are in your possession,
and / am out of the way. If you
don't, think what my little story
to the senator means for you"
The judge o~bediently thought, and
* was not pleasant thinking. He
did not believe tEat the woman could
win the case with her forged docu-
ments, but this fellow was just the
kind of a daredevil TO go to the SEN
ator with his story and then to law.
The senator would certainly post
pone the wedding, and there would
be a long delay. Even though his
daughter did not believe the story,
she would suffer. OF course there
would be endless talk and gossip.
The story would be in the papers,
old pranks of his younger days
would be raked up, and even though
he cleared himself finally there
would be a bitter sting left. There
would be many to say that where
there was 81 much smoke there
must be some fire. Then his politi-
cal aspirationsi The election was to
come off in six months. Nice cam
paign material this scandal would
make for his opponentsl
These thoughts and many moro
flashed through the judges mind,
and he glaT4d at his visitor savage
ly. He hadn't q doubt that he meant
every word that he said. Through
his light, bantering tone there ran n
vein of earnestness and confidence
that was more dangerous than any
loud clustering would have been.
He was confident that he had a
good thing" whether the Judge
paid up now or not.
The judges "good thing" seemed
to lie between paying out $40, 600 in
cash and having 81 big scandal on his
hands.
Suddenly a smile flashed across
his face, and then the lips we're COM
pressed tightly. The stranger did
not notice the change of expression.
Well" said the judge, II must
confess that this is a pretty tight
place. Maybe we could discuss it
better I'VE a drop of liquor"
He rose and opened a handsome
mahogany cabinet that fitted snugly
I've the low mantel. In another
minute whisky, water, sugar and
glasses were placed Hospitality on
the table.
Fill your glass;" said the luwyer
graciously. Ten thousand dollars
is enough money to deserve sc1ne
consideration before being parted
with. Bring your chair around III
front of the table. 1t must be cold
back there"
Hepulled his chair close up tothe
fire. and the stranger did likewise,
SO that they were sitting right ia
front Of the CRATE, with. their faces
not four feet from the smoldering
flames.
Any one looking in would have
thought that they were two old
friends taking social evening toddy
together.
"Now, then, sir, your scheme is
simply 20 blackmail ne out of S1O,-
900, l believer"
Exactly, judge"
And you think you have a pretty
good thing2"
"Sure of it."
IF l understand you rightly, you
say l must give you this money, OF
you will go TO Senator Holt and tell
him that I have q wife living out
west, and then you will 60 to law to
force me to give money to this wo-
man. but if I give you the $40. DOC
you promise to turn over the proofs
to ms and leave the countrya"
Eyes, that's just it."
Eat the same time you admit that
all these documents of yours are
forgeries and that that letter you
have of mine was written for anoth-
er man who happened to have my