The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1912-01-23

NoNdVt WOulu Db VI
to let him roll to the road. He was
shocked mentally as well as physical
ly, therefore, when his fall was stopped
with a jerk, and the back of his head
struck with cruel force against the
carriage step. Just for a seconds
| flight, reinforced steel and rubber
though he was, he lost consciousness.
When his senses returned, he was in
the same position-head dangling,
shoulders resting against the rods OF
the step, back bent painfully over the
steel-shod threshold of the carriage
floor, legs inside, gripped in a hold
not all his struggles could break His
ankles still were bound. So, for that
matter, were his wrists, with his
! hands behind him. The scarf bandag-
ing his eyes had slipped partly to his
forehead, so that he could see a little;
but, in his upside.down position, he
could not see the sidewalk; only the
treetops and the dusk line of the
Palisades we're in his line of vision.
The gag was fixed as firmly as ever.
He tried to call for help, but the cry
was smothered in his throat.
Then began as strange a struggle
as any in which Britz had engaged in
all his exciting career. The men in
the cab strove to pull him inside; he
battled against their efforts. Bound
though his hands we're, his fingers
were twined tightly about the step
rods. He had grip on the rods as
powerful as that with which one of
his captors held his ankles. The
crossing of his hands to bind his
wrists had made his hold only the
firmer. All the leverage of each
sinewy wrist strengthened the other.
The rods were so small they hurt his
hands, but unless they broke his grip
could not be loosened. Britt clutched
them with an iron resolve not to be
drawn into the brougham again. Safe
though his life might have been at the
outset he was not certain 1t would be
secure after his daring defiance of the
odds against him. He still knew moth
ing of his captors. Even their nation
ality was problematical, to say moth.
ing of their purpose. He felt that his
grip on the rods might be his last
hOiu Oll tAloltANt- anu iDIllLs III any
stage of his career, would have said
he was tolerably satisfied with life,
thank you!
This" said Britt to his inner con-
sciousness, with a touch of the grim
humor his colleagues often found dis.
concerting, lis hill-climbing under dif-
flculties." For the coachman, In spite
| of-narhapu hacauea nf-tha sfiep
struggle going on furiously at the door
Of the cab, had whipped his horses to
a galSp, and was speeding them up
a slope. Over the edge of the scarf
| that had slipped from his eyes, Britt
! got a glimpse of the Soldiers and
| Sailors monument. lie knew exactly
! where he was then. Next moment his
eyes fastened themselves on the faces
In the carriage, and he tried with
all his might to make out the darh
features of the three in the gloom oi
the cab but their features still were
shadowy. He would not have liked tC
pick them out of a line in a police
station. 1t was a point of honor with
the lieutenant always to be sure OF
his man before making an identified
ton. In part, that accounted for the
failure Of almost every defendant IN
any of his cases to establish an alibi
4 Lean hands stretched forth from
the dark interior and caught him
about the middle. Other hands seized
his legs, while the pair clutching his
ankle tightened their grasp, but he
only twined his fingers the more firm
i ly around their slight circumference.
BY now the carriage was rolling and
i pitching like seagolng tug. Had he
not been held so stoutly by the six
lean hands above and his own iron
clutch below. the motion might have
4 swung his head against the step
again with force to crack 1t in a dozen
places, The very fury OF the battle
made for his safety.
The horses struck slope that took
them out of the Drive. Britz guessed
they could not go far without encoun-
tering a policeman. If they did not
meet a mounted patrolman or bicy-
Gle bluecoat In the avenue, II was al
most certain they would strike an
ordinary policeman in one of the by
streets. Britz chewed the gag savage
ly in the hope of freeing his voice.
Finding the bandage too tight to force
1t out OF his mouth, he tried to swal-
low the silken ball inside his teeth.
Gulp as he might his reversed posi-
ton distressed him so he could not
get tho bali behind his tongue, And,
owing to the elusive texture Of the
gag, not all the biting and grinding OF
his strong teeth could shred 1t.
Abrupt as its beginning was the end
of the struggle. Britt. his eyes still
boring into the inner murk, saw one
of the long, lean hands slip forth
again. This time the hand clutched
something between thumb and fore
finger. The arm extended until the
hand was close TO the detectives s
wrist Suddenly the sleuth felt a
frightful burning pain In the back OF
his hand. The agony was duplicated
in the knuckles of the other. Strive
though he did with all his grit and
| strength 10 ratain his grin his fingers