The Alaska citizen., 1911-01-23
George Randolph Chester
 In Saturday Evening Post.
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SSSCScGCSCCScCSGCS average Cf ten good. healthy enc mics a day He scar Adam Win throp out of the political race on- tirely. he made all the Allstyues tear down their tretraps and ersct he'ter-payiHg and consequently more desirable tenements. and h. had De Graf and the other involved bank CTS staggering in circles and hoarse barking" as "BugEs" Roach put f.
 So far, Bobby had been subj ctei 10 many personal anno,anc, $, but on he day after his first attack on the chief of police he began 10 be arrested for br aking the speed laws. and fined the limit. even though he drove his car but eight miles an hour. while his news carriers anu his employgs were "pinChcd' upon he most trivial preteXtS. Libel suits were brought whenever merchant or an Cfiicial had a record clear enough o risk such procedure. and three of
 heso suits were decided against him; Whereupon Bobby. finding the money chain which bound certain of the judges 10 Sam Stone, prompt ly attacked these members of the judiciary and appealed his cases.
 His very name became a rel rag to every member Cf Stones crowd; but up to this point no violence had heen offered him. One night. how ever. as he was driving his car home ward. men on the watch for him stepped out of an alley mouth two L1ny g hHln tho Rrrri+ gi1arfa and strewed the street thiCkly with sharp-pointed coil springs. One of these caught a tire. and Bobby, al ways on the alert for the first sign of such aCcid nts. brought his car 10 a sudden step. reached down for his tire-wrench and jumped out. Jus Is he stopped over to examine his tire. some instinct warned him, and he turn q quickly 10 find three men coming upon him from the alley. the nearest one with an uplifed slung shot. It was with just glance from the corner of his eye as he turned that Bobby caught tn i'm port of the figure towering above him. and then his fine athletic train ing came in good stead. With side wise spring he was out of the spher If the desC ending blow. and. swing ing with his heavy wrench. Caugh
 he fellow a smash upon the temple which laid him unc nsCi1us. Before he two other men had time tC
 hink, he was upon them and gave one broken shoulder-blade. The other escap q. There had been no word from any of the three men iyb ioJ i.,
 this attack. but Bobby noedei no explanation; he diyin at once
 he source from which II came. and in the morning sent for Biff Bates.
 "Biff," said he. 'I spoke once about securing some thugs to act as a count r-irritant against Stone but l have neglected ii. How long will it take to get hold of some?'
 Ten minutes. if l wait till dark ' replied Bin "I can go down to the Blue Star, and for ten iron men apiece can get you as fine a bunch fl vegas as ever beat out cripples brains with his own wooden leg"
 Bobby smiled.
 "I don't want them 10 go that far - he objected, Are they men you can depend upon not to sell out to Stone?"
 Just enc way" replied Biff. "Th choice line of murderers that hang out down around the levee are half of them sore on Stone, anyhow; but they're afraid of him. and the only way you can use them is L" give 'em enough to get 'em out of town. For ten a throw you can buy them body and soul"
 "Ill take about four, to start on duty tonight, and stay on duty till they accomplish what l want done" and Bobby detailed his plan to Bif
 Stone had one peculiarity. Know
 ing that he had enemies, and those among the most reckless class in the world, he seldom allowed himself to be caught alone; but every right he held counsel with some of his fl lowers at a certain respectable beer garden where. in the summer time, long table in quiet, half-screened corner was reserved for him and his followers, and in the winter a back room was given up for the same purpose. Here Stone transact ed all the real business of his local organization, drinking beer, receiV- ing strange callers, and confning his own remarks to a grunted yes or no, or brief direction. Every night at about nine-thirty he rose, yawned and, unattended, walked back through the beer-garGen to the alley, where he stood for some five min utes. This was his retreat for unin- terrupted thought, and when he came back from it he had the days devel- opments summed up and the neces- sary course of action resolved upon.
 On the second nig-t after the attempt6d d assault upon Bobby he had no sooner closed the alley door behind him than a man sprang upon him from either side, heavy hand was placed over his mouth, and he was dragged to the ground, where third brawny thug straddled his chest and showed him long knife.
 See it?" demanded the man as he passed the blade before Stones eyes. It's hungry You let 'em clip my brother in stir fir a three stretch when you could have saved him with grunt, and if l wasn't workin' under orders, in half an hour they'd have you on slab six with ice packed around you and sheet over you. But we're under orders. We're part of the reform committee, we are" and all three of them laughed silently, ''and there's a string of us longer than the Christmas bread line, all crazy for a piece of this getaway coin. And here's the little message I got to give you. This time you're to go free Next time you're to have your head heat off This thugpin' Of