Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-25
THE PED RIITTON By WILL IRWIN
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(copyrisht BY Bobbs-Merr4n Company

| your dutyl Yes, 1 forgot that.
You always do your duty. When a
cops involved. for instance. When
Leroy went blind drunk and beat in
| the head of that boy-you did your
| duty in his case, like a little man.
That's how it comes Leroy's livin'
on Staten Island this day, without
once SEEM the inside of a States
| prison. Talk to me about dutyl''
Look here" said MCGEE, You
can't bluff me-"
Il know l can't" said Rosalie,
IAN you can't me, either
Come, out with it, then--what
have you done and why did you do
| it?"
"As for what I've done" said Ros-
| sale, "tellin' you would be spoilin'
1t. Why did I do it? I've answered
that. 1 couldn't trust you or any
man alive to let that poor boy off.
Apoplexy? You snorted when his
sister said it, an you'd be snortin'
now If you had him here in front of
YOU They'd laugh him out of court
on such plea. They'd laugh him to
the chair. I've saved you the neces-
sity of KILN an innocent man. An
ought to be thanked, not kicked"
you'll get worse" said Martin
MCGEE; you'll go up--that's what
will happen to you'll
"Now, will II" Knocked Rosare.
breaking out her dimples, full-blazon.
for the first time in two days. What
an awful trick on lady! Especially
when you'll have to do 1t yourself
You're the only witness-the only per-
son who knows that promised to de-
liver Estrilla. You're the only per-
son that's heard me confess let
him get away. So you'll be put
on the witness stand, an then
I'll be put on the stand. An I'll
testify how the New York police were
baffled with the real criminals pass
in right under their noses twenty
times day. an how a poor boardins
house keeper that used to be a me.
dium-just a plain, good old soul.
took a hairpin an a thimbleful OF
common sense an. got a con-
fession an made you all fools.
My lawer'n get 1t in, an If he don't
the papers will. because I'll tell 'em.
I'll be at home In my cell to every
reporter in New York. There's a lot
of 'em would like 1t right now. But,
of course she added, flashing her
dimples, II won't try to bluff you.
No, indeed. You can't be bluffed.
Marty McGee," she added, lets
git down to cases. You can't do a
thing to me that'll help your position
at all. I'll go to Jail for life an never
tell where Juan Perez has gone. But
if you'll listen I'll show you just
how to fix this without trouble for
anybody
Inspector MCGEE was now playing
with flexible paper knife, his down.
cast eyes fixed upon it as he twisted
it back and forth.
How" he asked in a voice from
which the buster had gone. Nothing
could have better proved the logic in
Rosalie's combination of woman wit
and common sense.
Rosalie established herself comfor-
tably in her chair
"Well, it's a funny thing for us to
do-you an me-tell the truth. Not
quite the truth, either; the truth
fixed up a little, which is the best
kind of a lie that is. Give out what
happened-but say your own smart
ness cleared up the case, not mine.
Get DIR. Cleary to certify that he
found apoplexy at a more careful au-
topsy, made after the coroner's in
quest, but that he suppressed the re-
port at the request of the police. You
can force him to do that to save his
skin; his work Is gittin' careless
enough SOS one more slip would
make his political hackers drop him.
Say the theory that a man died of
apoplexy, just when knife was held
at his breast ready for him to fall on
1t, was so strange and unusual that
you couldn't believe 1t in the begir-
min. So you held Lawrence Waldo
until you made sure. Say you sus-
pected Miss Estrilla-Miss Perez
from the first, an learnin' that she
was superstitious, had her worked
by police stool-pigeon who played
at being a professional medium. Say
your men listened to the seances an
broke in at the end and pulled the
whole story out of her. An If that
amt awful near the truth, l never
made up lie that was"
II fail to see how that excuses us
for letting Estrilla-Perez, CO." said
Inspector MCGEE, with stir of sar-
casm.
THAT point" said Rosalie. lis the
best thing I've thought out-the very
best. Up to the confession-that's
our story-you hadn't the least idea
but Miss Estrilla done it all herself.
We'd never thought about their
changin' clothes. An when you got
the, confession you sent out to ar
rest him, but he was gone-probably
tipped off somehow. How, search
mel I haven't thought out a good
lie there. Maybe you'll have to in
vent that yourself. Otherwise it'll
just be one of the mysteries of the
New York police department. Repri-
mand you? Why, they'll give you a.
medal!'
MCGEE still looked down at the
paper knife.
"That amt ALL" he said, you
fooled me. that's what you did. You
made a fool out of me-"
Ito BE Continued Tomorrow.)