The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-25


lured to the Lone Pine to be drugged
and robbed? The work was easy.
Dead easy" said Heiny to himself
with increasing satisfaction, and he
had money enough to shoot craps with
the best of the Grand street experts
now. All that he was expected to do
for his pay was 10 bear an occasional
Notwithstanding message to some
obscure person or other. generally to
be found in the back room Of q saloon.
such as:
THE fireworks are off for the night"
or Look for a cold spell the rest of
the week"
BY and by came his admission to the
full fellowship of the gang. Dutch Gus
was his sponsor.
"Heiny," said he, ''you know what is
a peter-player?'
NAH" said the boy innocently. do
they have it in the orchestral"
II am a peter-player," said Gus. cit
is my business"
Heiny waited In silence.
You understand that? The Lone
Pine business?"
Nah. 1 amt on" lied ,Heiny smooth
ly.
All t'ose fellers an tie girls, Fey
are part of IL. T'ey are tie gang. You
know what t'ey do?"
They're bakers" said Heiny. He
had heard Dolph tell a stranger that
once. Dutch Gus smiled.
when a man comes in with money,
too much money, he gets a little some-
ding in his drink. Like tbs" He
showed the boy a small vial concealed
in the palm of his muscular hand and
made a swift motion as Of cmptying
it. Ten he goes asleep an we carry
him out"
'Oh, that's her. is it?" said Heiny
calmly.
Gus nodded. Tat is peter. I tell
you tbs because you are in re game
now. We need you. Seer"
Heiny permitted himself his first and
last question as to the ethics Of the
profession. What you got ag'in' the
guys you give the stuff tor
Gus stared at him. I'VE need tie
money" he said softly. Then, with a
swift, savage change of tone: Don't
you get any fool t'oughts in tie head.
You stick by tie gang. T'at's all you
hat to do. You be on tie square with
tie gang. and tie gang ia on tie square
with you. Not-and YOU get killed.
Seer"
Heiny saw. He became a ready pu-
pill in the mysteries of peter" He
how to deal at certain obscure drug
stores deep in the heart Of the east
side, and what formulate to use in so
dealing, and how TO cell q ely cop"
by his feet and many another lesson
in this school of crime. ny virtue Of
V hich he became duly accredited mes
senger to the peter gang of the Lone
Pine pool room.
He acquired also a new article in his
code of ethics-to be ION the square
with the gang. Hitherto he had been
loyal to individuals; now he began
dimly to see that there was principle
involved. That which in all Of US
reaches out toward some higher course
of conduct than mere personal con-
venience and expediency twined itself
from Heiny's growing spirit around
this new standard. That the pursuit
he abetted was unlawful weighed moth
ing. To him it was a natural lvelt-
hood. He preyed as preyed the scav-
enger insects that follow the feast of
the slayer. And yet he had his occa-
sional misgivings, such as he expressed
in one question to Dutch Gus. Some
of the victims of the peter players
were pleaSant-faced. kindly seeming
fellows. Why should they suffer the
loss of their rolls? he vaguely won
and senseless, upon the mercies Of the
authorities? Not infrequently he felt
uneasiIy sorry for them But in evil
case and good he was stanch with a
waxing loyalty to the Lone Pine fell
lowship.
Evil case and good varied with the
peter players. For a time came many
fish to their net. Then, some three
months after Heiny Joined the gang,
the powers that mete out destiny 70
the police department and through that
medium to the criminal industry of tho
mighty city sent a straight man" to
rule over that precinct which gathers
rich tribute from Chatham square,
And the straight mans orders were to
knock out the Knockout industry
Captain Cortright was not in the busi-
ness to collect tribute. Within a week
after his advent business was woefully
slack in the Lone Pine. Within two
weeks half Of the bakers" were un-
| der arrest. Within a month hard
times were pressing sorely upon the
remainder, the girls came out seldom
the peter itself was hard to come at
and Dutch Gus, driven by q desperate
need, was avid for a killing" Early
one evening he called Heiny out OF his
coZy corner.
| L girls put lil- OillO a lei
! low for tbs evening" he said. 1--WE
must have tie stuff here in hour"
| "Schilpen's is out. The cops arr
watching Rosenstein's and the new guy
at Schenck's won't touch the bust
ness" said the wise Heiny.
''TeufelsP' cried Gus savagely. Don
know? Take tbs dollar. Go to thu
address on tie paper. Come back IL
hour or l skin your hide"
| 1t was a silver dollar. Heiny had
no reliable pocket. So he looked a.
the address, wrapped the coin in the
paper. clenched it in his right hanC
and plunged out of the warm, brillian
room into the whirl of a savage, snow
| bearing southeaster. Up Division
street he went at a trot, and at tn,
corner Of Allen ran into two boys, on,
Of his own size, the other a nttl,
larger. The smaller boy he knew not
the other he knew as Skinny-ant
nothing further. But they were no
OF the gang and they were two to one
who yer buntin'?" demanded
Skinny. advancing in an unmistakabl,
manner.
'Lemme be. I'm goin' for a doc
tor" whined Heiny, Using the pie,
which avails where all else fails oil
the east side. Here it fell on ston.
ground.