The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-10

Into the Night,R by Frances Nimmo Greene. Crhomas '. Croweh & Col Miss Frances Nimmo Greene, whom ev- erybody in Birmingham knows or knows of so pleasingly, has written a first-elass tale of mystery, love and revenge with the scene of the story in New Orleans. And strange as il may seem there is not q S'death nor a I-have-you-Villian, not even flreman-saVe-my- (you re- call that time when the child turned ont to be larger than the fireman. ehD in all its pleasing pages.
 Another thing please note, in fact yon must read, mark and inwardly digest the book-that not a master appears, nor a carnival parade: Rex is honest as is his queen for a change. There isn't even the suggestion of a yellow fever epidemic. Now some reader up in Maine or Minnesota will instantly insist that Miss Greene never could have visited New Orleans. much less write of that charming old Crescent City.
 But the fact is there happens in New Orleans much more than the Comus. Momus, Proteus and Rex balls to Say nothing of the Friday night carnival german during the year and Miss Greene has caught what one would like to if he dared. designate ss atmosphere: out of reach of q pile of bricks, you understand
 There are atmospheres and atmos- pheres but only one New orleans zephyr Miss Greene has frightened up that gen. tie air for us In this way:
 Mir. Lawrence. a cultivated wealthy gentleman of New Orleans a widower, whose sister-in-law kept house for him. lived with his family. that is his ehil- dren. Helen Zoe and Frank Lawrence. up Camp and Prytanis streets. Do VOL know Camp and Prytania streets? Those two thoroughfares Camp beginning at Canal street runs into. really changes it's name to Prytania), are practically paral- Tel to St Charles avenue.
 Helen Lawrence. the eldest of the chil- dren. now a grown woman as Frank Is a full grown man or thinks he is, with Zoe Lawrence the real heroine of the story about whom the mystery, or a DOT tion of it. reNo4ves. seems to be yerN happy when the book. Into the Night. opens.
 This was on March IA. 1891, and AIr. Lawrence is found in the first chapter of the book very much interested in his morning newspaper. which carried in great head lines this notice:
 All good citizens are invited to atttnl mass meeting on Saturday, March II. at 10 o'clock a. m. at Clay statue to take steps to remedy the failure of jus tice in the Hennessey case. Come pre-
 
 pared for action"
 Tor years.'' to quote further the Maha. a secret and dangerous society of Italians had fourished in New Or leans yet it was little fault of the city government that it had not been rooted out It's members preyed mainly upon each other but so strong were the vows that bound them together that it had al- ways been found impossible to get them to testify even against their bitterest enemies Murders had been committed in broad daylight in the open streets but there was never a witness to be found who would say he saw. So assas- sination after assassination had gone un- punished till the chief of police, by correspondence with the authorities at Rome and Palermo and by the assist ance of an Italian priest. found that there was a branch of the Mafia in New Orleans consisting of 36O members, 80 of whom were escaped convicts from Italian prisons. No sooner had Chief Hennessey come into possession of these facts than the Mafa, by some mysterious black art of spying. learned by his dis ooveries. The chiefs life paid the for felt. but the city was at last aroused
 Nineteen suspects were arrested and nine tried for the crime. 'rhe charge had been murder the evidence damning, the verdict, not guilty as to six, includ- ing the man against whom the evidence was strongest and 'mistrial' as to the others, among whom was the wretch that had made a full confession
 Then New Orleans woke up. Those who can remember back as far as 1S years will recall what New Orleans did when 1t did awaken. A great mob met at Clay statue In Canal street, or ganized with leaders. marched on the nd xvfn oi1i oners in the jail.
 In this way, through a splendid de- scription of that ''mob," that exciting day in New Orleans. are we started into the book, Into the Night"
 One of the leaders of the "mob' was Herbert Girard, Helen Lawrence's flancee, young lawyer, promising, Mir. Law rence's personal counsel. The wiping out of the Italians in the prison was too much for Helen's nerves; she could not con- tinue the engagement to marry Girard al- though she loved him-she was beginning to find herself. as she would have called it. and did so. Zoe Lawrence the heroine of the story proper, had been, as a baby. left on MT. Lawrence's doorstep and adopted by that fine old gentleman and grew up to be lovely girl, whom Frank Lawrence was beginning to love. MT. Lawrence objected to that love affair and was only able to break 1t up by telling his son Frank what he knew of zoe's birth: that Is. his belief that she was not white.
 It seems that Zoe had habit of listen ing al doors. she heard this conversation between father and son and the excite nent, the swift movement of the book, dating after the mob of March 14 1891, then really begins MT. Lawrence, start ing to his plantation disappears. He does not return home; he never reached the plantation; searching parties the sheriff's force and detectives are unable to find any trace of him. It is around Zoe Law renee, her birth. MT. Lawrence's disap- pearance. Herbert Girards love affair with Helen Lawrence, the trying disap- pointments of the Lawrence family over the head of the household disappearing, Frank Lawrences still loving Zoe but be- lieving her a quadroon or worse, that this real good thriller revolves.
 It would be too much to tell you how the book turns out. You must read 1t yourself to discover that. It is well worth a reading if only to discover that a gifted writer can send forth a detective tale or one in which a detective enters oft and anon. and at the same time permit the detective to be just human, make mistakes like other people.
 Miss Greene has done good piece of