The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-04-25
The PlOtterS
Ch0Ckrndted
WhaS Happened When
Captain Winsted
Oversight
By HOWARD FIELDING

IN his native clty, WIS sun " so""S
man but it appeared that he would
mover he older His short experience
of civil life had not weaned him from
the military traditions. He had come
n the brink of irretrievable disgrace,
and he believed that only one course
| of action was open to him as an otlcer
and n gentleman,
Rctwpen midnight and 2 O'Clock III
the morning he wrote six letters. rive
of them we're very brief. He glanced
them through and was satisfied. The
sixth was quite long and had cost NM
| rruch effort and some rather sharp
main, After all, it did not please him.
INT ho knew that be would go crazy If
he tried to write it over again. Toward
the close of his military service he had
suffered something like sunstroke on
| the isthmus Of Panama, where he was
| n member Of a board Of engineers, and
an occasional racking headache would
| remind him of this experience. lie
| had never had a worse one than on
| this particular night.
The long letter was addressed to his
best friend, DR.. Sydney Benham. and
ran thus:
Dear Sydney-Here is a record of
| the whole matter boiled down as fine
as can get it. Some of the facts are
| already well known to you, but have
put them all In for the sake of com
pleteness. As to the truth Of it, my
| bare word will be enough for you.
| thank God
Il do not care for any public de.
Tense, and of course I would have no
hand in any attack upon Clifford Law
renee. You know my sentiments to
ward his niece | am taking out of
| the world with me, verify believe,
the greatest love that was ever In 1t,
| and there is no hereafter where can
exist as conscious being without
that love as an elemental part of my
soul. have written Miss Lawrence
a brief note. stating the simple fact
that my present situation is intolera-
bile to my sense Of honor. No excul.
patton of myself was possible in the
circumstances.
Il have written also to my counsel,
TO my chief assistant in the depart
ment, to DR. Caravan. coroner for this
| district, and to some undertaking fell
low whose name have often seen In
the papers. My fortunate lack Of any
near kin enables me to bestow my
worldly goods upon you. The will liz
In my lawyers hands Should Miss
| Lawrence ever stand in need you will
help her. The idea seems fanciful In
view of the luxury by which she is
| now surrounded. but | cannot permit
| myself to believe that she would nc
| cept her uncle's bounty if she should
ever come TO understand the sources
| of bis wealth But that is improba-
ble. The best women In the world
| seem blind to abstract dishonesty.
They require to see the individual who
| is defrauded and to feel his loss as a
| personal grievance before they can
comprehend the wrong.
TT Is a painful thing to believe, but
can no longer doubt that Lawrence
counted upon my love for Emily as an
Influence by which he could control
me In my present Office. He knew
| that | resigned from the service be-
cause of my love for her and my am
| bition to be rich In order that / might
surround her with the extravagances
to which she has become accustomed.
was absolutely a child In my ideas
of political methods No doubt | spoke
| to Lawrence In such way as to give
| him every right to think me open to
| corruption babbled to him of the
value of his advice. ! thought him an
honest lawyer, an able and fearless
district attorney, and 1t never even oc-
Cured to me to inquire how he had
come to be so rich.
| Il have got my deserts Fools and
knaves are always punished In this
world. says Stevenson. but the fools
| first.
eFor little more than year ]
have been commissioner of public
works. As an engineer | have accom-.
plIshed something. but not very much.
As an executive officer and watchdog
of the public interests / have been a
| farcical failure. Lawrence and the
great boss. Martin ]. Minot, have
beaten me at every turn. Favored
contractors have got everything. just
as they did before. In each million
dollars expended there Is at least 80
per cent of pure graft. The only thing
that could stop 1t is the criminal law.
and Lawrence as district attorney
controls its administration. II the
governor would remove Lawrence and
appoint my friend Stuart In his place
could accomplish such reform as.
would astound the public. But that
dream is over
The occurrences Of this evening are
the last straw. aud am broken.
Lawrence and Minot called upon me
about 10 o'clock. After a brief pre-.
amble they laid before me a letter ap.
parently in my own handwriting. I
assure Yen that It was the neatesi
forgery ever executed | could not
pretend to Distinguish it from my own