Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1909-05-27

X MI MAQfN "a AAA 81 tNaAu udu DtCI
offered for information
of his whereabouts, he
IL believed that he knew
XSA about what had hap.
pened to him and just
AE where to find him,
therefore he FASTENED at once to the
SIady Hotel Northern on the fringes
Of the slums.
King said ne to the night clerk,
a toughlooking individual of 40, with
d hard, flushed face, d~rink-sodden
gray eyes, flashy cheap clothes. and a
aIi, bony form, "how long ago was
IL that Mr., Banning was mere !ast?"
"A week ago tonight" Ring an.
sWered, quickly. why? 1 hope there
amt nothing"
Only missing, that's all. We want
10 md him for his family. If he's
st1Il here, and if you make it quiet
ant easy for me, why, no questions
aaked-that's it. All | want is him
see? And nobody else needn't know
nothing about it,"
Here, come in here a minute" said
me clerk. hastily. He hurried through
the dining-room into the kitchen. and
standing in the middle of the floor
pointed upward to where a door could
he seen, with three steps of a former
stairway depending from it. The stair.
way was sawed short off, the lowest
Sep hanging ten feet up from the
Kitchen floor.
re see them stairs?" said the clerk,
polnting. I'VE cut them down he.
eaus We needed the room here more
man we did them. So help me, l amt
telling a word of lie, but Mr.. Banning
was lodging round up stairs Monday
h'sht, n for some reason or other
ne opened that door that we always
Keep locked, and tumbled down here,
ne thought there was stairs, l D
rae wasn't hurted much, but he could
MT stand, and we would not send him
10 his own home, letting on that is
Was here he was putting in his time,
SO we calls the wagon and
sends him to the Relief sta
Why, isn't he out yet at all?
We thought he'd be all right in the
morning, only a trile shook up, and
fnebbe the head on him from the lit.
tie iamboree."
Nhlle he was speaking the limo.
cent eyes of the detective were search.
ing his face. The clerk wore a guilty
manner, but was it the flag of guilt
an THIS particular case, or was it the
general, all-round guilt which a man
o his calling and stamp is likely to
SNOW when in the presence of the
law? The detective could no saw
Bnt the Relief station would answer
o question, or at least throw enough
Hght on the subject to start with. Mr.
Banning would be found injured. lint
a the injury come innocentIy from
walking through that doorway? The
main point was that the missing man
would be restored to his home and
me restorer would get the reward.
The manner of the injury was a minor
matter, which, however, roperlv
looked into, might serve as a whip of
power to hold over the shady Hotel
Northern.
therefore, after a long look into tho
clerks shifty eyes, he said abrunt1v.
I'll see 0 again about this. mebbe "
II hurried to the hospital. To his
inquiries an attendant answered that
on Monday evening a man had been
Drought in unconscious, suffering from
a fractured skull and bruises on the
legs and arms. Two friends who were
with him said his name was C. q
bannlng They couldn't give his adj.
dress, ID the morning, when thew had
patched him up and he was able IN
a the station, he denied that he
was Banning, though he refused to
give any other name, and went away
growing against somebody who had
thrown him down stairs.
Was he a gentleman" asked Ru.
lgersom.
II he was he was thoroughly dis.
guised, smiled the attendant. "No.
ne was a rough fellow, faded and
dirty, weak-minded, sniveling. a tyne
we often see here"
The detective fastened back to the
Motel. The clerk Ring regarded him
a~nxiously.
Was he hurted bad after alp" he
asked. "'Twould give the house a had
name.''a
Ring" said Rugersom, looking him
IN the eye, 1T wasn't Banning. How
could you make such a bull?"
Wasn't B%anning!" he exclaimed.
Then he laughed cynically. ooh, no.
of course not! Didn't / lift him m
from the floor myself? Don't | know
him better than ! do you? Is he there
yet? Or how is 1t? What are you hand.
ing me-"
Ring said the detective, slowly
and impresslvely, there's something
phony in this, Out with it or 1t will
be the worse for you"
"Jakey! Mike!" called the clerk.
poking his head into the larger room.
Come here, / want you"
Two seedy individuals shufled into
sight. They were the types of young
fellows who always may be seen
around cheap barrooms doing chores
Tor their entertainment, bleary OF eye,
trembling with the weakness Of v
stimulation. When they saw the de.
fective they showed further signs Of
discomfort, but brazcned 1t out, though
dcubtfully, as II ready for flight on the
nrst token Of hostility on his part.
Mike said the clerk, "and you, too,
Jakey. where was 1t you seen Mr..
Banning Monday night--the first time,
I mean,
An.. Nv h..na Nv ~. -. -