Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1912-03-08

him alone, guess"
Why isn't she witness enough
them" asked the district attorney.
We'll, she's mixed up in it in rather
a nasty way. She's afraid she'll suffer
if her part of it is made public"
Il can fix that said Rutherford
coolly enough "A promise of immun-
ity, and"
She won't do it, returned the
chief You can drive these women
just so far, and there you stop. Be-
sides, it amt never goin' to come into
court
What do you mean?' asked Ben
son.
Il mean" said Cornell emphatically,
that Gormly is goin' to give up the
game"
Give up the camel" repeated Hal
dane.
That's what l said. It's goin' to be
put up to him as to whether he wants
this told or whether he withdraws
from the field"
You might back your put up to
him with a warrant for murder, be-
lieve," said the district attorney. If
the evidence is what you say, I'll have
charges preferred against him.
"All right" answered the chief
Mr.. Rutherford and l will fix that up.
Now, gentlemen, you leave this to me
am accustomed to deal with Grim.
inals, and I'll fix Gormly | ought to
have all the reports in my hands the
day after tomorrow
Wouldn't it be we'll to spring it to.
night?"
Hardly. Besides it's too late. Not
even Gormly himself could keep the
stuff out Of the papers now.
Il guess now, Mr.. Haldane," said
Rutherford, as the assembly dissolved
and the two found themselves alone
together, the others being gone, that
you are rather glad than otherwise
that your bride did not work"
Yes, l suppose so. | don't know
answered Haldane brokenly. Il hal
heard some limitations of this, moth
ing definitely. COnnell has been very
close mouthed. | tried to bluff CORN
~ with that. I don't know what eff,
feet the disclosure is going to have
| don't know how true it is. It seems
rather suspicious"
Cornell had better be careful what
he does" returned Rutherford. He'd
better be very sure of his facts"
Why did you leave the handling OF
the affair to him?"
We'll, he'd make a good scapegoat
if anything went wrong" answered
Rutherford with cynical Indifference.
Now, as it happened, Colonel Bill
Hamilton was not SO guileless as he
looked. After the first exclamation
and the FIRST few condolences over the
drinks which he gave to the plain
clothes man who had so adroitly
sought to get his story on that event
full night, Colonel Bill shut up like a
clam. The interest of the stranger in
the story was suspicious. Colonel Bill
knew great many things that he had
not told and did not intend to tell I'm
less 1t was necessary. Therefore, he
weat TO his room to think it over.
He was morally certain that Gormly
and the man whom he had known as a
boy as George Fordyce were one and
the same. Fortunately he had always
| liked Fordyce, and he was not dis
posed to do anything that would in
jure him.
Of course he had heard, as had ev.
eryone else in the United States, oil
the remarkable campaign Of George
Gormly for the mayoralty of New
York. He had not had a great amount
of persona! interest in the matter,
however. But when he identified
Gormly with Fordyce, the affair at
once engaged his keenest attention.
Since the day he had left Kill Devil
Camp, he had never heard one word
of either the man or the woman. He
had supposed, as everyone else had,
that they had persisted in the storm,
and although their bodies had never
been recovered there were plenty OF
reasons to account for that
What was he to do? Was he to SEQ
Cormly, or Fordyce as he called him,
and put him on his guard? Or was
he to wait and be governed by cir.
cumstances? This was not an easy
problem to decide; but Colonel Bill
Hamilton finally came to the conclu-
sion that his best game was the wait
ing one. Besides he liked to play a
lone hand, and he felt every conf
dence that he could do it,
Meanwhile he determined to fortify
himself with such evidence as hs
could secure, and at the proper time.
if the story was ferreted out and an
attempt was made to make use OF it,
he would, as he phrased it, butt into
the camel" He set the telegraph to
work, therefore, and presently receiv~
ed from his partner in Butte by eX'
press tin box full of very private
official documents. Thereafter he
amused himself by following the prog
ress of the campaign and doing some
highly profitable local investigating on
his own account, the result 0f Hh:ch
filled him with joy and satisfaction.