The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-02-21
Mr. CORAN'S ELECTION

Ten o'clock! Big Ben left no doubt
about It; for the giant clock in the
tower OF the house of parliament is a
noisy neighbor. The last stroke thun-
dered out as climbed the stairs that
led to the modest lodging of Inspector
Addington Peace, and silence had
fallen as knocked at his door. / was
alone that night and In the mood
when a man escapes from himself to
seek friend.
/ found the little detective at his
open window, staring across the tum-
bled roofs to where the abbey towers
rose under the summer moon. The
evening breeze that came creeping up
with the tide blew gratefully after
the heat OF the July day. He glanced
lat me over his shoulder with a short
mod Of welcome.
'Even the police grow sentimental
lon such night" I suggested.
"Or philosophic."
"'The reflections of Diogenes the
detective, or the Aristotle of Scotland
Yard" laughed. MAY inquire as
to the cause of such profound
thought"
He held out slip OF paper, which
took and carried to the central lamp.
1t was an old newspaper clipping,
stained and blurred, relating In six
lines how James Coran, described as
student, had been charged at the
Bow street police court with drunken
ness, followed by an aggravated as
sault on the constable who arrested
him. He was fined three pounds or
seven days. That was all.
''Not a subject of earth-shaking i'm
portance," said.
mo; but it has proved sufficient
excuse for blackmail."
'Then the victim is a fool" I an
swered holly. why, from the look OF
the paper the affair must have taken
place dozen years ago."
'Thirty-two years this month"
(which means that the riotous stu
/ dent is now man of over fifty. IL
James Coran has gone down the hill,
the past can't hurt him now; II he has
/ led a respectable life, surely he can
! afford to neglect the scamp who
threatens to rake up so mild a scan
dab Blackmail for a spree back in
the seventies--it's ridiculous, inspec.
tor"
The little man stood with his hands
behind him and his head on one side,
watching me with benevolent amuse-
ment. When he spoke 1t was in the
ponderous manner which he some
times assumed, q manner that always
reminded me Of university profes.
sor explaining their deplorable errors
to his class.
Mr.. James Coran is a respectable
middle-class widower who lives with
his sister Rebecca and two daughters
in the little town of Brendon, twenty
four miles from London. He arrives
at the Fashionable Clothing company
his London establishment in Oxford
street-at ten o'clock in the morning,
leaving for home by the 5:1S. In his
spare time he performs a variety OF
public duties at Brendon. He is a
recognized authority on drains, and
has produced a pamphlet on dust
carts. AS a temperance orator his 10.
cal reputation is great, and his Iabors
in the cause of various benevolent as
.sociations have been suitably commem-
Grated by a presentation clock, three
inkstands, and a silver tankard. His
interests are limited to Brendon and
Oxford street; of world movements he
thinks no more than the caterpillar on
a leaf considers the general welfare
OF the cabbage patch. Please remem-
Der the facts, Mr.. Phillips, in consid-
Grafton Of his case.
"Six months ago an envelope ar
rived at his house with two Enclosures.
One was the newspaper clipping you
hold; the other letter denouncing
him as O hypocrite, and warning him
that unless the sum OF twenty pounds
was placed In the locker of little
summer house at the end OF his gar
den the writer would expose him to
all Brendon In his true character as
a convicted drunkard.
"Coran was in despair. He had ina.
gined his unfortunate spree long for
gotten. Not even his own relatives
were aware Of 1t. He was trying for
a seat on the county council; the cleo
ton was due in month, and he re-
lied for his success on the support OF
the temperance party. AS an election
weapon the old scandal could be used
with striking effect. SO he paid-as
many a better man has been fool
enough to do under like circumstan-
ces.
I'm three days-on Saturday, that is
the election takes place. This
morning he received letter similar
to the first, save that the demand was
for a hundred pounds. He had just
sense enough to see that IL he al
lowed himself to be blackmailed again
II would merely encourage further at
tempt at extortion. So when he ar
rived in town, he took a cab to Scot
land Yard. l heard his story, and
caught the next train down to Bren-
don. I did not call at the house, but
gathered a few details concerning