River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-04-08


81 sent its constituent parts tum-
bling out of bed and scamper-
ing about as if demented. 1t was
the report of an explosion, like that
Of a gun discharged suddenly in
the silence of the night. While women
in nightclothes ran wildly here and
there, squalling babies in arms, and
men nearly naked vociferated excit-
eddy and rushed for weapons, three
things happened in front of No. 40
with the suddenness Of flash or
lightning. A first-foor window vom-
tied a policeman to the sidewalk, the
door few open disclosing another po-
liceman in the entry, and the nearby
alley emitted GREATNESS third.
Meeting at the foot of the stairway,
these three officers regarded. each
other blankly.
"He took the stairs-where is he,
Murphy" gasped the one who had
come by way Of the window.
What" cried Murphy. you must
be bughouse / was right here all the
time. He couldn't slide by me-what
do you mean?"
you don't say you've let him slip,
after all the fine plant we put up?"
The third officer, who was in plain
clothes, peered at his colleagues in be-
wilderment chagrin and condemna-
ton all struggling for expression in
his face.
"We!" exclaimed the two in a
breath. And Murphy continued, &C
cusingly: where was you, Mr..
Birsch? He must have climbed in
your way, for he didn't mine, and here
was Finnegan right on the landing.
A mouse couldn't squeak by us. Did
you hear anything, Finnegan?"
"Not a zip, till the thing went off"
F'innegan responded, regarding the de-
tectfve with disfavor. He said no
more, but it was evident that he had
placed the blame for the miscarriage
of their plans. The plain-clothes man
saw this and answered with heat:
well / wasn't asleep either, II
that's what you're getting at. | was
right under the fire-escape and not
cat could purr in the whole alley with
out my hearing it. It's somebody
from inside that's turned the trick,
that's what. But" he added, as he
hurried to the first floor, followed
closely by the others, what did you
tumble out for, Finnegan, instead of
getting into Tony's? We don't know
even what has happened yet"
why" said Finnegan, ''as soon as
the door of Tony's room opened and @
man waltzed out on the fly and down
the stairs l sscooted through the win
dow to head him off"
"But you knew Murphy was in the
lower hall"
MY orders was to nab the Black
Hand" Finnegan interrupted CURLY.
Il didn't figger that l could put up
any brilliant service finding out what
the damage was while the murderer
was doing the vanishing act down the
stairs"
But there was no one on the
stairs, and he didn't come down."
cried Murphy
Man, l tell you l saw him!" con-
tradicted Finnegan. He banged open
Tony's door and hit the landing in
two jumps and down he went. l was
looking right at him. And l heard
him on the stairs. He was in his
stocking feet, by the sound
Il heard sounds all right, and that's
why l opened the door-to let the light
in from the street lamp so could see.
But nobody showed up"
Detective Birsch said nothing, but If
the darkness had been less dense they
would have seen that his face was set
and grim. In the hall a thin line Of
light ran beneath door, from behind
which came sounds of sobbing and
moaning, and entering without cere-
mony they beheld, through little
wreaths of smoke, a woman sitting on
a bed holding in her arms a young
fellow down whose face the blood
streamed, and a man on his knees in
the middle of the floor praying We
hemently with uplifted hands.
Tony" he said then to the praying
man sharply, anybody but him in
jured?" motioning towards the bed.
''None-a bud da boy" he answered,
and in the same breath continued his
screaming supplications.
While the two policemen gave their
attention to the apartment, which con-
tanned only two rooms, Detective
Birsch leaned over the bed The vic
tim was one of those very handsome
youths so often seen Towering the soil
Of our Little Italys," about 10 years
of age, with nothing in the way of
clothing on but an undershirt, blood
streaming down his face. The mother
looked up appealingly as Birsch ap-
preached, holding the limp form still
closer, as if to protect it from further
harm. But the youth, though he ap-
peared half swooning, smiled, nodded
and put out his hand. The detective
shook it warmly.
Good boy!" he said encouragingly.
You've got the right stuff in your in
side. 1t takes more than a little
thing like this to knock you out, hey!
Now, tell us about it."
81 don't think l know much" the
boy returned in a weak voice, but in
good English. II woke up and saw
somebody outside my room on the
fire-escape, and l asked who was
there. Then something struck me on
the head, l heard a big roar, and
suppose I fell out of bed, for when
came IN myself NV mother was dra o.