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

What happens2 so to the senator
with my proofs; the senator puts his
foot down on a certain marriage;
you say it is all a blackmailing
lie; the senator says my evidence
looks pretty strong; that you
must prove it lie Then you
have 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 one would be ablo
to swear that the Robbins woman
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.
."On the other hand, give me the
money-and $4,000 is cheap, too, I
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 obediently thought, and
it was not pleasant thinking. He
did not believe that the woman could
win the case with her forged docu-
ments, but this fellow was just the
kind of 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 long delay. Even though his
daughter did not believe the story,
she would euffer. 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 bitter sting left. There
would be many to say that where
there was so much smoke there
must be some fire. Then his politi-
cal aspirations 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 glared at his visitor savage
ly. He hadn't a doubt that he meant
every word that he said. Through
his light, bantering tone there ran
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 $4,000 in
cash and having a big scandal on his
hands.
Suddenly smile flashed across
his face, and then the lips were COM
pressed tightly. The stranger did
not notice the change of expression.
We'll said the judge, 81 must
confess that this is pretty tight
place. Maybe we could discuss it
better over drop of liquor
He rose and opened handsome
mahogany cabinet that fitted snugly
over the low mantel. In another
minute whisky, water, sugar and
glasses were placed Hospitality on
the table,
"Fill your glass, said the lawyer
graciously "Ten thousand dollars
is enough money to deserve somo
consideration before being parted
with. Bring your chair around in
front of the table. 1t must be cold
back there.
Hepulled his chair close up to- the
fire, and the stranger did likewise,
SO that they were sitting right in
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 to blackmail ne out of s1C,-
900, | believer"
Exactly, judge"
And you think you have a pretty
good things'
"Sure of it. %
'If l understand you rightly, you
say must give you this money, Oh
you will go to Senator Holt and tell
him that I have wife living out
west, and then you will go to law to
force me to give money to this wo-
man, but if I give you the $4,000
you promise to turn over the proofs
to me and leave the countryf"
Eyes, that's just it..
"At 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
initials?'
ooh, of course / know all that,
but if you ,et it go to law l wouldn't
hesitate to swear just the opposite,
JOFx 10 0r