Woodruff County news. [volume] (McCrory, Ark.) 1901-1910, 1909-04-08
81

was startled by sound that
81 sent its constituent parts tum-
bling out of bed and scamper
ing about as if demented. It was
the report of an explosion, like that
of 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. ITO
with the suddenness of a flash of
lightning. A first-floor window vom-
tied policeman to the sidewalk, the
door flew open disclosing another po-
liceman in the entry, and the nearby
alley emitted a 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.
Man, / tell you l saw him!" con-
tradicted Finnegan. "He banged open
Tony's door and hit the landing in
IWO JuIupS anu uOW IL nS WILL L w as
looking right at him. And I heard
him on the stairs. He was in his
stocking feet, by the sound"
II heard sounds all right and that's
why I 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 thin line of
light ran beneath a 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 young
fellow down whose face the blood
streamed, and a man on his knees in
the middle of the floor praying We
hemantly with uplifted hands.
"7l5ny," he said then to the praying
m Sharply, anybody but him in
90 motioning towards the bed.
s ane-a bud da boy" he answered,
an6 the same breath continued his
sore ming applications.
{" I'd boyi" he said encouragingly.
'Yod e got the right stuff in your in
side. II 1t takes more than 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. Il 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 big roar, and l
came to myself my mother was drag
ging me across the floor"
well, but say!" cried the aston
ished detective, "the window was
closed and locked, wasn't it, as I
found it just now? How could any
body throw a bomb. through it with
out breaking the glass? 1t amt
broken, and it was fastened when l
went to put it up
1T is strange" said the youth. "Be-
sides, father and mother heard some
body hurry across this room, open
the door and shut it, and then run
downstairs
The detective looked inquiringly at
the woman, who nodded.
1--WE heard-a da one" she said, in
the midst of her moaning HE make-a
da foot on da floor, on da floor, an
make-a da door go bang. We hear
for sure"
Detective Birsch started suddenly
into the next room, the sleeping quar-
tiers of the parents, and the living
room of the family as we'll On the
way he raised the praying little Ital-
ian by the collar, and, carrying him
along, deposited him on chair.
Then carefully closing the connecting
door he gazed sternly at the fright
cned countenance of the man who in
the neighborhood was known as Tony
the Barber.
Look here" he said, with all the
weight he could put into his manner,
didn't l say you mustn't let liv-
ing soul know you had received a let
ter from the Black Hand? Yet here
you go and tell it"
Mon, non, no tal-a!" the Italian
interrupted. You tal-a me no tal-a
anybod'. l tal.a nobod', for sure Da
boy he ask for why l clos da wind
sosh da hot night no tal-a da boy.
| tal-a nobod'. non non!"
well, but it's a sure cinch they
were on the lookout for us, or the
thing wouldn't have been pulled off
so slick. They must have been onto
the game for fair, however they got
tt re. Why, here was Murphy at the
foot of the stairs Finnegan almost
right at your keyhole, and l myself
in the alley under your window; yet
this slick gazabo scoots in, bangs the
bomb and slides to cover without any
srouble. The thing is impossible It's |
Impossible any way you look at it.
Now"
The detectives puzzled gaze hap !
pened at this moment to light upon |
Murphy, who was poking around in |