Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-11-02
The Red Terror.
By CHARLES FREDERICK HOLDER,

"'Ihis district is infested with red
terror. name OF Reilly. We need help
What do we pay taxes for;'
This i, the fourth letter I've had be-
sides telephones. Kelly, lock this up
See villa: The red terror OF the ninth
is aud &c; what evidence you cam" said
the captain OF police in a certain city
OF the west.
Kelly was a terror himself, IL the
ganiins OF his beat were to be believed;
tall, gigantic lrishman with vivid red
hair, BIT; with an expression Of good
nature tia; had made him equally ia.
Tou.. Kelly had heard of the terror
te.ore. His beat lay along the infested
district a1', on divers occasions he had
been called beyond his sphere of infiu.
snce 20 investigate some outrage on ,I.
person or property OF citizens, perps.
trated, he was told, by girl who went
by the name of the Red Terror. Win.
dows were broken in winter with snow
balls; digaifed citizens were lombard
ed from alleyways with masses OF snow,
and the change of season only ushcred
in new and fiendish schemes for the
Generalization OF the general public |;
mud balls hats with bricks in them,
and finally reports came in Of mystcr.
ious attacks which Id be produced
only by blow-gun OF colossal dimen-
sion:. Surely Il was TING to stop these
outrage; and Is. .w proposed to do
it,
Reaching the 'csted district he be-
gan house-to-Hyusc canvass, starting
with Mrs, Fogarty, from whom a com.
plant had come.
IT'S glad to see you, am, Mr.. Off
Ger, said the woman. LUX at me
front window, stuffed with papers to
kape cut the air all o that red imp OF
kid. See her do il? Ma, did no,
but who else wad brake windows TO,
the epoort: I'd like to get me hand;
on her, that ! wad.'
Then it's a girl:' said Kelly.
"Of course its a girl, the daughter oil
old Benson, up the alley"
The officer took the report and name
OF the complainant, and went on
OToo!e, the cobbler, had been struck
on the ear with puttyball, 44-caliber
and for weeks thought he was the sub.
ject OF vendetta until he heard tina,
Benson's girl had an air-gun. Old
Mrs. Ramsay made complaint that her
house had been battered with rocks and
a number of windows broken, and sh,
had the rocks lined along the fence tc
prove il.
In an hour Kelly had collected evil
dence sufficient to END man to jai
Tor life in his own estimation; then h,
went up the alley to see old Benson
Il was very hot day in July. The al,
was still, not leaf stirring, and from
roof and sidewalk rose vaporous shape:
boiling air, Kelly called it--tha
made life intolerable. He Rugged the
houses, walking from awning to avn
ing when there were stores, and stand.
ing beneath the shade of cottonwood:
and catalpas here and there, hopping
his head and shifting the air like .
weather prophet for the change thai
never came.
Reaching the end OF the street, h,
turned up the alley and made his wa,
20 Benson's. The house was ram
chack" oil place. II had not beef
painted for two decades and in som
way had taken a lurch over the side
walk so that the flowers in box il
the second story hung like a plumblip
three or four feet clear OF the basemen
where Kelly stood. The old cobbe
sat in the front room, surrounded b.
the implements OF his trade. He look
ed up as the officer entered, took
waxed end out OF his mouth and lifte'
his square silyer-bowed spectacles tina
he might see and speak.
No, said Kelly, Il haven't any job
The truth is, the whole neghborhoo,
is up in arms about a girl OF yours
I've been looking into the matter at tn
orders Of the captain, and from these,
taking out the papers containing tn
complaints, 1T looks to me like il wa
, reform school case"
I've done the best could" reptile,
Benson, but Satan himself seems Il
that child and Pm afraid III have Il
let her CO."
and she's your child?" asked Kell,
who had expected suong protest.
mo, she's my grandchld. Her IA
ther was Bob Reilly" replied the cob
Ikr.