The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-10-17
THE PROVING OF FLNERTY m
CKED

I'm going down there before that niger gets
away. You can him aboard. 1 guess it's the.
morgue for his" said Finerty. motioning to the
huddled heap the sidewalk.
There something in his voice that caused
the two patrolmen to glance at him curiously.
Ffnerty's eyes had a starved look. He seemed to
be fighting with some terrible emotion passion
choking 1t back.
IAN right. I'll go with yeh." said Brady. one
OF the men. as the ambulance ratified up and the
white-coated doctor hoped or
The two made their way down the dark. silent
HILL Finerty, in his unostentatious way, had
learned every square inch OF his beat He knew
where Williams lived. scattered trail OF blood
struggled here and there the sidewalk.
Finerty, his jaws set, assembled the steps of an
evil-looking nat-house. The door was shut, and
no answer was given to his repeated ringing Fin
erty used his nightstick. The Hill had been I'M
naturally quiet, but now a vague hum came from
Amsterdam Avenue. The hum increased windows
were flung up and doorways emitted figures of both
sexes and every age. A shot sounded somewhere
in the night The whites were out for revenge
AS Ffnerty continued to rap on the door some
thing suddenly flashed between him and Brady and
crashed the steps. 1t was a brick from the
roof. window went up over the way and q re-
volver commenced to spit sptefuly, its bullets
hummng about the heads of the bluecoats The
street suddenly seemed to be alive. storm OF
nue., and doorway, roof and window had each their
welcome. Down West End Avenue and the side
streets separate and private engagements were the
rule. A hurry call had been sent In for the re-
serves but q man might well try to stem the
food tide to bring peace and order to that tur-
bulent sea of fighting humanity. Captain Hogan
summed up the situation instantly and teephoned
to neighborng precincts for all their available men,
Meanwhile, Ffnerty. with heave of his
sent he hal ms
from its hinges
Don yeh mix in there, it's deathtrap,"
said Brady, hurriedly laying a hand on Finertys
arm. They'll be waiting f'r yeh at the stop Of tn
stairs Don't go in. Wait FIR tn reserves"
'Yeh can wait I'm goin In" said Ffnerty saw
agey, wiping away the blood where a bullet had
grazed his cheek I'm goin' In he said again.
Even in the excitement Brady noticed the curious
y tense tone Of the voice and the steely glitter in
the eyes.
yer a fool" snarled Brady. as Finerty sprang
into the dark narrow hall. Another moment and
Brady was swinging his night-stick. holding the
stoop against the onooming enemy. Then from
the hall came crash crash and oath oath.
Once he heard q laugh :, laugh that set his teeth
edge. It was Ffnerty's.
The room was not pretty. There was much dirt
and very much blood. Much broken furniture and
dishes and humanity. fat negress huddled in
corner sobbing Historically. A half-starved
the window SILL wheezy gas jet was naring
On the floor lay three men-all big men. One lay
STILL but the other two twisted this way and that
groaning unpleasantly. On . lounge sat Finerty
hands knees, staring fxedly at the three figures
on the floor The reserves found him thus. A
razor scientifically welded, is an excellent flesh
cutting instrument. and Finerty had suffered
"One dead and two most unconscious and not
shot," said the battered Brady in q flushed
voice IT can't believe it. i never such
strenth an'-an'-"
"An blood lust! Say it, say IT," cried F1nerty
hercely. his voice breaking. stretching out his
or-hacked hands. Say it, an yell have the
truth" He rocked back and forth and the blue
coats watched him with white strained faces. H's
been m curse" painted Finerty thickly, clenchins
his hands above his head. "Gawds curse on m
stren'th. Gawd's curse the devil that's in mo
An ye called coward" He laughed-ths
laugh Brady had heard. "Yeh didn't know me-
Yeh didn't know me. could ha' killed tn crowd
of yeh with m naked hands! Yes. was afraid
Afraid of m strenth and tn devil tried to fight
it back. Yeh'n never know how tried. But to
night when / tasted tn blood m cheek and the
sting of pain tn devil in throat and choked
me-choked me. An so-an So" His eye
returned as II fascinated, to the figures on thu
floor. His face whitened beneath the blood
smears 81 thought I'd had a lesson" he whispered
his eyes wide and staring. He was talking to him
self. "Once enemy of mine called q lial
and struck me in the face. An, with M naked
hand broke his spine and twisted him into a tan
gle of knots But I'm murderer for he lived
an I've tried to square It" Finerty suddenly
put his battered face in his big hands and com
menced 10 sob only q strong man can sob.
"He means the twisted he's supportin,'
whispered Craig.
The men looked at each other, then Brown slow
ly arose and going over. laid q hand on F1nertyi
heavng shoulder.
"Yeh only done yer duty tonight, Jawn," b,
said 'sIt was your life theirs An yeh mixes
in where every cop in this precinct would hay,
been AFRAID to 60. Its all right, Jawn!"
Plimmer, eye completely closed, was sittin:
on the remains Of chair His unframed eye wa
fastened In fascination on what had once BEEN thu
negro murderer, Williams.
And / called i'm q coward" he was sayfri
dreamily himself. And was going to bingl
Is head. Ho, yuss, was going to bingie 4
bloomin' 'ead-me!"