The evening world., 1911-03-11

I'm sorry Trant spologized. 81
have been going over the files OF the
papers just before and after the muir
der. And ] must admit, Captain Crow
ley,' Trant conceded. that Kanlan haA
as strong a reason as any 'ur want M
Brosnan out of the way. But ! found
one remarkably significant thing. You
have seen it?" He pulled n folded news
paper from his pocket and handed it 10
them. II mean this paragraph at the
bottom OF the front page"
The captain read it eagerly. then
leaned back and laughed. Sure. l saw
It," he der!ded. IT'S that old JONAH
son fake, S~weeny-and he thought II
was a clew." The inspector took the
paper.
"Threatener of Bronson Breaks Jail
was the heading. and under II was this
short paragraph:
James Johnson, the notorious Stock
yards murderer. whom City Attorney
Bronson sent up for life three years ago,
! escaped from the penitentiary early this
I morning and Is thought by the officials
to be making his a to this city. His
trial VIII be remembered for tho dra-
matte and spectacular denunciation of
the Prosecuting Attorney by the con-
victed man upon his condemnation. and
his threat to free himself and d 70.
Bronson"
You see the date OF the paper?" said
Trant. 1t Is the five o'clock edition of
the evening before Bronson was muir
dered' Johanson Is reported escaped
and at once Bronson Is killed"
Crowley sn!ckered patronlzlngly. $50
you thought. before your palmistry,
you could string us with that?' he
jeered, You might better have kept
us waiting a little longer. young man,
and you'd have found out that johann
son couldn't have done II. for he never
escaped. 1t was a slip OF a sneak thief,
Johnson, that escaped, and he was on
bis way back to Joliet before light
The News got the name wrong, that's
all. SON"
II vas quite able to md that out,
too, before coming here, Capt, Crow
ley" Trant said quietly. both that
Johanson never escaped and that all
evening papers except the News hun
the name correctly. Even the News
corrected its account m It's later edition.
And | did not say that Johanson him
self had anything TO 90 with It. But
either you must claim II a strange ro-
incidence that. within eight hours after
a repor was current In the city that
Johanson had broken out and was com
ing TO murder Bronson, Bronson was
actually murdered. or else you must
admit the practical certainty that the
man waiting to murder Bronson saw
this account, and, not knowing It was
incorrect, chose that night to XIII tho
attorney, so as 10 lay II TO Johanson."
lie picked up his suit case, But come,
let us test Kanlan,"
II haven't told Jake what you're 60
ing to do TO him" Walker volunteered.
as he led the three 10 the cells below.
Sweeny, at Crowley's nod. had brought
with him a satchel from the upper
office.
Trant had trained himself to avoid
definite expectation; Yet as he faced
the man within he fclt q momentary
surprise, For 81 first he could see IN Kan
Ian only a portly, quiet man, careless'y
dressed In clothes a knowing tailor had
cut.
The galyanometer consisted merely
OF a little dial with a needle arranged
to register on a scale an electric cur
rent down 20 hundrolths Of a MILAN
pere. Trant attached two wires 70 the
binding posts Of the instrument, the cir
cult including Il single cell battery. Each
wire connected with a simple steel cyl