Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-08-21
CHAPTER XVII.

The firm Of Cresswell & Langdon,
attorneys and counselors at law. to
use the diction OF the dramatic papers.
: Opened to good business" In Brent
wood, md its fame spread beyond the
Red Water valley. One thing about 1t
was Objectionable to the junior mem
Der from the start. The Seattle had by
this time Subsidized" Cresswell and
limited the sphere of usefulness Of the
concern. Langdon had no reason to
love the management of either road,
but that of the Seattle was especially
obnoxious. Men with just claims
against that company could not look
to him for legal aid, and he would
have been less than human had he not
cared In such cases to appear rather
! for the plaintiff than the defendant.
The road had Its regular staff, Of
course, and kept 1t busy day and night.
A railroad lawyer may be paid salary
no superintendent can aspire to. but
he earns it and must see to 1t that
local talent along the line is not too
often arrayed against him. "You're
too qulxotic, Langdon," said even his
big hearted, big framed. big voiced
Kentucky friend. you're too much
given to kicking against the pricks.
That's no way to get ahead in lifep'
Langdon was porting over some pa.
pers at the moment and turned In his
revolving chair and looked up with
quizzical smile. Gray hairs were sprout-
! ing at his temples, and two or three
Z appeared in the thick growth of his
mustache; lines and crows feet were
digging underneath his fine, clear eyes.
but he was looking the world in the
face now. He had his start and sought
no favors. You are thinking of which
case now2" he asked, and there were
! two Of Langdon's eccentricities the
2 senior never ceased to twit him about.
One was the celebrated trial of the
United States versus Santley, when
that distinguished officer was brought
to book by an irate colonel Of cavalry
because of sensational stories growing
out Of the rayine episode; the other
Z was the arraignment of n former as
sistant in the NJ. v. office at Brentwood
as accessory In the safe robbery that
had resulted In Langdon's discharge.
. Sankey's trial came off long months
after the occurrence that led to 1t, for
that story at the time was known to
but one woman and half dozen men,
hut with a host Of vivid embellish-
ments was spread broadcast during the
wInter wnen one OF rne -.tougns,- whose
life had been made almost burden to
him when the story gradually made Its
way about the battery, concluded that
desertion was better than persecution
md turned up in Chicago with pitt
full tale of wrong and oppression, abuse
and tyranny in the regular army.
There was something at bottom as
the fellow told it, for Investigation de-
yeloped that they had assaulted Lang
don, that they had provoked his wrath
and that they had insisted that they
were obeying Sankey's orders. They
swore to 1t, in fact, and 1t might have
gone hard with Santley, all things con-
sidered, had not Langdon himself jour
neyed to Pawnee, testified to the exact
manner and language of the pair and
then so aided Santley in his defense
that the slanderers were COMPOUNDED In
open court. 1t was established that
Santley had merely cautioned the mem
bers of the battery that they were to
pay no more attention to Mr.. Langdon
than to any other civilian, and his ac-
cusers broke down when cross exam
ined us to the time, place and circum-
stances under which he had given
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