Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-11-09


For a week the panic held the finan-
cial world in the grip of death doz
en- banks had closed their doors and a |
score Of men who had long boosted |
their courage among men had died the /
death Of towards when put to the test |
One of the most curious results Of !
the panic was the revulsion of pop |
ular feeling against the daring and |
honest young officer of the law who |
had rendered the greatest service to the |
people wrought by any public servant |
in a generation He was hailed as the
arch traitor of the people, the man who
had used his high office TO produce
panic and carve a fortune out OF the
ruin of millions whose deposits were
tied up in banks that might never again
open their doors.
Stuart. stung to desperation by their
infamous charges. attempted at first
to repel them. He stopped at last In
disgust and maintained afterward a
dignified silence.
From the first day of the run Bivens
had laughed in the face Of the crowd
that besieged the door Of his big Broad
way bank. He stood on top of the
granite steps and shouted in their
faces:
Come on. you dirty towards! I've
got your money inside waiting for you.
every dollar of it-1O0 cents on the dol
larr'
The crowd made no reply. They
merely moved up In line in stolid 81
lence little closer to the door. Each
day this line had grown longer Biv-
ems was not worrying. The king had
spoken. The folly Of these people in
| their insane efforts to wreck Biven's
bank was making impossible a return
| to normal business.
Stuart determined to face this crowd
and have it out with them. He be-
Iieved that bold appeal to their rea-
son would silence his critics and allay
their insane fears. He told Bivens of
his purpose over the telephone. and the
fnancier protested vigorously:
Don't do it. Jim. beg OF you" ne
pleaded. 1t will be waste of breath
Besides. you risk your life.''
I'm be there when the bank opens at
| 10 o'clock tomorrow morning" was the
firm answer
When Stuart appeared the next morn
ing roar of rage swept the crowd.
| Howls, curses. catcalls. Kisses. boots
and yells were hurled into his face 1t
was a new experience In Stuart's life
He flushed red. stood for a moment
surveying the mob with growing anger
and lifted his hand for silence
The answer was n storm Of Kisses.
Apparently he hadn't friend in all the
swaying mass of bowling maniacs. He
drew his heavy brows down over his
eyes and the square jaws ground to-
gether with sullen determination.
With sudden impulse be threw his
right hand high above his head and his
voice doomed over the crowd in Il peal
of command. The effect was electrical.
A painful hush followed
Gentlemen
He paused and his next words were
spoken in intense silence
My answer to the extraordinary
greeting you have given me this
morning is simple. am not working
for your approval. work for my
own approval. because | must In ODE
dience to the call within me. Long
ago in my life | gave up ambition and
ceased to ask anything for myself.
You cannot destroy my career be-
cause | cherish none. The scene you
are enactinG here this morning is a
disgrace to humanity. You have sur
rendered TO the unmeaning fear that
drives u herd OF swine over a
precipice. You have. by an act or
will. joined i'll a movement to paralyze
the motive power of the world-faith
There is but one thing that runs this
earth of ours for single day-fa!th
in one another.
You are scrambling here for few
dollars in this bank. What can you
do with IT when you draw ii ont:
There is not enough cash in the world
to transact a single days business
Business is run on credit-faith. The
business of a bank Is to keep money
moving and make 1t do the worlds
work You are attempting to stol
the work by the destruction OF Its
faith"
Suddenly a man who had quietly
pushed his way through the GROVE
spranG on the step before the speaker
and thrust a revolver into his face.
A cry of horror swept the crowd
as Stuart paused, turned pale anC
looked steadily down the flashing bar
rel into the madmaDs eyes.
who started this work of destruc
tion?'' the man cried. "You-you-dt
you hear me: And I've been com
! manded by God Almighty to end thii
trouble by ending your
AS Stuart held the glittering ewes
levelled at him across the blue blacl
! barrel he could see the mans nervous
and uncertain finger twitching at tn
trigger With a sudden panther likt
spring he leaped across the five fee
which separated him from the nal
who held the revolver His left hant
gripped the weapon and threw 1t int
the air as II was fred. while his RICH
hand closed on the throat Of his assail
ant With his knee against the man
breast he hurled him GOWN the steps
wrenched the revolver from his hanC
and with single blow knocked hin
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