The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-02
On the Trail Of big Finger"

me with yonder rope to the hook in the
ceiling
Had they told you what you must
write?"
Yes. at the outset. I soon was con-
WINGED that I must obey or be brutality
killed. My neck, as you may see is raw
from the stretching they gave it,"
"A brutal job. indeed" assented
Boyd. Il don't much blame you for
having yielded
81 really had no alternative" moaned
Volney Rather than be cruelty muir
dered. / decided to chance that Ham
mond would suspect something wrong.
or that the contemplated knavery
would be in some way prevented.
could, of course, easily conjecture OF
what the rascals' designs consisted.
Did Hammond know your family
was away, and that you were alone
here Tuesday night?''
II so had informed him." bowed Vol
neg: land for that reason 1 hoped n
might distrust the letter"
What occurred after you had writ
ten it?"
THE scoundrels bound me here, just
as you found me. then left the house.
For hours I tried to free myself, that
| ] might summon aid, but the ruffians
| had guarded we'll against that. l have
been here since early yesterday morn
ing, and am nearly dead for want ot
food and water
You soon shall have both, Mr.. Vol
ney,' cried Boyd, abruptly rising. we
will bring the rest of your garments
! from your chamber. and then will
properly care for you. Come, Jimmie,
F, there's no time to be lost. Keep your
nerve Just a little while longer. M
Volnev."
Il required but few minutes 10
prepare Volney for the ride. As they
assisted him out to the cab, ID the in
tense interest of nearly a score of w3it-
ing observers Mr.. Felix Boyd waved
the group aside, crying sharply, while
he did so:
Make a passage for US, you fellows;
there's nothing here for any of you.
That's all, Hersey; be off about your
business. Sit on the farther seat. Mr..
Volney. In with you, Jimmie, and look
after him sharply. or he may give you
the slip. I'll see you later-afte--af.er
I've had another look for some cine 10
these rascals. Away with you, cabb;e.
| to the police headquarters.
| While speaking in tones sufficiently
loud to reach the ears of all, he closed
the cab door with a resounding bang.
1t is putting it mildly to say that Cole
man was surprised at this abrupt and
unexpected turn of affairs. Before he
| fairly could recover himself, however,
the vehicle was whirling rapidly away.
and Felix Boyd had dashed up the
steps and into the Volney house, noisi-
| ly closing the door after him.
| From that moment his every move
was made with decision and dispatch
that evinced not only the very definite
designs by which he from the first had
been actuated, but also the tense men
tai strain under which he had labored.
! First he sprang to the front window,
to glance again between the curtain
and casing at the dispensing crowd out
side. Next he darted to a mirror.
| slipped into a disguise, turned his re-
versible sack coat, changing il frcBl 4
dark stripe to a grayish plaid. and then
he dashed down the rear stairs, out of
the house, and through the alley, from
which he cautiously emerged into
Twenty-eighth street, precisely two
minutes after entering Volney's front
door.
He now was after a slender. dark
| featured man in brown, who was about
crossing Third avenue and heading for
the elevated. He was an entira strang-
| er to Boyd, yet the latter already felt
| tolerably well acquainted with him.
When he went after the brandy, he saw
this fellow sinking behind one o. tine
posts of the elevated, with 4 furtive
but obvious interest in Volney's house.
Next he had seen him in the group on
the sidewalk, where he had remained
! till after Volney's departure, being one
of the last to leave.
With no great difficulty BOYD sha-
dowed this man aboard an elevated
train, and at the end of half an hour
both were nearing that precinct which,
| in the days of the dead line, was known
as the Five Points, than which there
was hardly a more desperate and dis
reputable quarter of the city. Boyd S
quarry, moreover, headed for the very
worst portion of this section, to which
verbal description can scarce do JUS
tice.
Such a crowded aggregation of mis-
cradle buildings and disreputable
dwellings could not be found in these
days. Filthy courts and narrow, wind
1 ing alleys abounded on every side, with
dark passaseways through adjoining
cellars and Easements, with treacher-
Gus wooden stairways and crumbling
brick walls. through and by means of
which fugitive from justice-and
there were hundreds constantly haunt
ing this quarter-cOuld pass from house
to house for block or more without
/ breaking cover. A stranger in this
| labyrinth would have required a guide
For a crook familiar with the locality
it was an ideal field for flight and es-
cape.
Into one of the narrow courts men,
| toned Boyd cautiously followed his
man, and saw him vanish into a d.
vergent alley. Upon reaching the lat
| ter, he detected the closing of a gate
some forty feet away. The man in
brown had crossed a foul back yard
and entered the cellar of one of the
dwellings described.
Sheltered by the wooden fence, Boyd
stole to the gate and peered across the
yard and up at the several windows. al
none of which was any inmate visible
| The cellar was entered through slant
ing bulkhead door, in the last stages OF
decay: and Boyd quickly decided TO
hazard detection and cross the narrow
yard. Listening, he could hear no
| sound from within, and the quietly
| forced the door open and entered
The :ouI-smelling cellar was in
semi-darkness and deserted. From
some quarter above. however. Boyd
now could family hear the sound of
voices. evidently those of men il ami
mated conversation. Mounting a shaky
fight of stairs, he reached a long, dim