The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-04-29

| folly You nave entangled yourself
/ with a young fellow whose fate if he
be caught, one would rather not con-
| template. You may even be called as a
/ witness against him, If last nights in
| terview leaked out. And il you told
| jury all you have told me, about the
| address and all that, l am afraid it
would hang him if nothing else did"
Hang Tom"
"WelI, Claire, it looks to me very
| like a hanging matter. 1t would need
very clever and probably a very
costly defense to give him the ghost
of a chance of having it brought in
anything less"
..Then he must have itv' cried Claire.
"Oh, he never could have done it
willfully, He must have the very best
defense that can be got, but, oh, who
will pay for it?''
Il am thinking of doing SO myself"
replied Mr.. Harding quietly. Il don't
say / will, but | may"
Your
And the girl was sobbing upon his
breast, with her arms about his thick
red neck, as they had not been for
many year now. He removed them,
but almost gently, and told her not to
jump at conclusions. as he had by no
means made up his mind. Indeed. let
them first catch their man. But as the
lads father had been his constituent
as well as his enemy, on whom he had
perhaps been a little hard, he thought
that on the whole it might prove the
right and proper thing to do. Claire
was overwhelmed. not only with graf
itude for first CLEAN of comfort. but
also with shame. All these years she
had misjudged that magnanimous man.
her own father, and what Goals Of fire
was he heaping on her undutiful headi
She cried herself to sleep with shame
and hope, and that was when Tom
Erickson was flying south from West
bourne park. with the police In full
cry at his heels.
Thomas Erickson had been appre-
hended at Kew on the Saturday even
ing and lodged for that night in the
local lookup. The bare fact was read
by Mr.. Harding in next days Dispatch
and by Claire in her fathers face be-
fore she heard it from his lips at TWEEN
~ minutes to II in the morning. On
the Monday morning she gave him his
breakfast early and alone, and he then
assured her that he was going to see |
what could be done.
Mr. Harding did not consult his own |
lawyer. but he went on foot to the pur-
lieus of the Old Bailey and there
mounted to noisome den, with his |
shoulders up and his hat we'll over his |
eyes. He departed as furtively some |
minutes later and was followed down |
the breakneck stairs by an unclean |
vulture of a man with snuffy beak and |
grimy talons, who skipped into cabri- |
olet and was driven at speed to the I
N1arylebone office.
There was a dense crowd outside, !
but with the free use of his own ell
bows and Mr.. Harding's money the
Old Bailey lawyer fought and bought
his way in. He was in time to witness
the formal remand of Thomas Erich
sen and to draw his own conclusion
from the bold fixed eyes and tremu-
lousy scornful lips behind the iron
railing Of the dock. That look was
less for the magistrate than for the
opera glasses of the noble lord whom
the magistrate had allowed upon the
bench. But the Old Bailey lawyer read
1t his own way. Here was a glaringly
guilty man putting a face of brass up
on heart of putty, the very type with
which he was best accustomed and
most competent to deal. So the vul-
ture took a pinch of snuff that resound
ed through the court and, on the pris-
oner's removal, squeezed out himself
to make inquiries. 1t was as he ex-
pected. The prisoner would be convey
ed Immediately to the new prison at
Clerkenwell. But the attorney man
aged to get away first through the
swelling crowd now on tiptoe for the
prison van, and In a neighboring tav-
ern he had his heartiest meal that year,
also with Mr.. Harding's money.
Between 3 and he presented him
self. well primed, at Clerkenwell and
sent in a greasy card to the prisoner.
He is much obliged, but he doesn't
want to see you.'' said the turnkey on
his temperance.
Tell him 1 am commissioned by his
friends to get up his defense. No ex-
pense to be spared. Tell him that
The turnkey was gone longer, but
came back shaking his head
He says 1T is impossible. He has no
friends. and you mention no name"
THAT is true, but my clients name
Is the one thing my client will not
give
This did it, The ambassador return
I'd, beckoning, and conducted the visi-
tor to narrow, dark cell, at the end Of
which glowered the prisoner on his
bed. Two more tufnkeys joined them
at the door.
do you want to be alone with himT'
laid they.
1T IL absolutely necessary"
Very we'll. We wait outside"
And the three officials withdrew
lcross the corridor and chatted a lit
le but kept an eve on the open door
They saw the lawyer seat himself up
N the chair at a gesture from the
prisoner. who restrained him with an
'ther as he edged ii nearer and nearer
be bed. They heard the lawyers whis-
Ter, low and rapid. and saw his dirty.
.esticulating fingers. but not his face.
MY that of the prisoner. calm and
old. Suddenly it fared up, and next