The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-23
The Case of the Bankers Double

century Of exposure TO wind and
weather. One room only was lighted, at
the window OF which Boyd had for some
ume been crouching. peering through AZ
small rent in the sciled and faded cur
tain. Through the loose window frame
the sound of the voices within plainly
cached his ears
The room was dimly lighted by the
rays OF a smoky oil lamp In a bracket
on the wall A square deal table with
out cover occupied the middle of the
room, which plainly was the dining
room OF dwelling then unoccupied by
any tenant.
There were three men seated there.
While fourth stood leaning on the ia
bic. upon which he had tossed an I'M
kempt RED wig and beard. evidently
discarded disguise. His SLOUGH hat vas
pushed back from his brow, disclosing
a long. dark bruise which seemed to
lose itself in his disordered hair.
Ben Smith--the chief clerk at the Of
fee of Hersey & Co.
OF the three men the clerk had come
there to meet one was a stranger to
Felix Boyd. The other two Boyd had
not seen for some weeks. on which oc-
Casion he had stood face 10 face with
them i'm the secret subterranean cham
Der of this gang Of malefactors, and
bluffed half score of them into suf-
ering him TO escape.
OF the two men recognized by Boyd
one was a fellow named Busby, prob
ably the scamp closest to the chief OF
the gang And the second. seated in a
chair near the dingy wall was none
other than the chief himself that OBJ
scure and crafty criminal genius 80
long sought by Felix Boyd and known
among his cOnfedeIates as the Big Fin
gor.
Yet the strong. malevolent face Of
| thl; archcriminaI then was far less
stern and hard than that Of the man
watching him from outside. and who
then was listening 10 what Smith was
saying.
Kelley yet to come. en-? Damn him.
| ought 10 have il i'm for him. There
was no need of his laying me out with
so hard "A crack. A less brutal blow
would have served
Ignoring the sly grin that rose to
Busby's face, the chief drew forward
in his chair and replied. with a deliber-
alton that accentuated his vicious
meaning:
mo purpose of ours. Mr.. Smith. is
served by any half-hearted measure.
We never do things by halves. II you
resent the blow which Kelley dealt you,
learn now that it was delivered under
my instructions and therefore you
may eXpend your wrath upon me-"
The voice of the speaker carried 4
subtle threat, and Smith drew in mis-
horns and laughed uneasily.
'Ah, 1 am not deeply cut over IT,,
since il was necessary" he replied.
Yet had 1 not come round before l was
discovered I might possibly have split
the whole business while regaining con-
| seriousness"
since you did not, Why speculate
upon it?" querried the chief acidly.
Furthermore. though the blow hurt,
! you have very soothing balm for the
wound. Fifty thousand dollars is a rich
remuneration for single Knockout
blow. That was to be your part of the
stake, l believe"
! ''Yes Nor is 1t any too much, TO my
I way OF thinking"
! Nor any too little, TO mine retort-
ed the chief with subtle austerity I'm
derstand me. MI. Smith. But for US
and the craft and cunning we are able
to employ you could have played no
such game as that now so successfully
/ terminated despite the readiness with
which you accepted out invitation 10
become a partner therein. We did most
of the work, and faced most of the dan
ger. At no time during the game were
you in peril for had Kelley been dis
/ Continued on Page 7.