River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-07-09

key.
A small electric plant was installed
to provide power for his shop and
lighting.
Built against one side of the castle
was a cement garage. i'm which was
kept a motor of powerful build and fin
est engines. 1t had been constructed
especially to stand the strain of broken
mountain roads M carried a huge
gasoline tank and a place for provi-
sions.
The garage could be entered from the
castle by means of Il door of masked
design, which showed neither casing
nor knob. A hidden spring opened and
closed it.
AS if seeking to get all the sunlight
possible, the house that John Nelson
built was of many windows. and each
was in the deep French style. Every
window was, in fact. a door. 1t was a
house of many exits,
In a separate clearing Nelson built a
house for his servants and installed in
ii a negro. his wife and his strapping
black son He gave this family a piece
of land to till and provided them with
light and fuel and wages.
Furniture. bedding. equipment in
abundance for his workshop and stores
were taken within the castle, and the
asst of the workmen departed.
Employing the mountain people as
laborers. Nelson patched the roads
,,R,kiI ~, c,IA 1I,A A. -A,,I 49,, H. f1lI
power of his heavy motor in travers-
ing them If it became necessary to
TAX its speed He had promised Mr..
Bryan TO remain in an advisory ca
pacity as the vice president Of his
mills, and to keep this promise he
stretched from pine to pine a private
telephone wire between his castle and
the Office and home of the mill presi-
dent.
He started his hermit life with two
things before him besides his work
us a mechanical inventor. One was to
wait the coming Of Bill Hawkins, TO
whom he would intruSt the task of
seeking in the underworld the muir
derer Of the Waterman of the Yves
E4IlI DuIlh III new lOIh. Dc OlnCI
was to prepare himself to face the
day, should it ever come. when a man
from Mulberry street would confront
him and charge him with being James
Montgomery.
He told himself that he would lever
be taken back to it alive. His good,
capable. well ordered brain had
p, mad out a napnfuI nourua Should
the blOodh0unds Of the law come
upon him in this place he had built for
final refuge be would make his fight
to pass them.
During his visits to Greenville he
cashed checks paid him for royalties
on his inventions until he secured
$4,000 III certificates Of denominations
he could use anywhere.
Each morning he passed through the
door to the attic stairs and locked it
behind him. For an hour he worked
with the weights and bars. changing
his measurements slowly, but surely.
The fraction of an inch in the length
Of arm or leg would diSCredit the Der
tillon record made Of him and filed in
the bureau of Identification ut police
headquarters In New York He gave
many an hour Of agony to achieve this.
md his face was chalky white when
he left the attic and locked it's door
behind him each day.
With the anxiety and the hard work
in his laboratory a touch Of gray came
to his hair and beard. He looked a
man Of forty-ive, save when he
smiled. but the purity and goodness Of
his nature shone forth in his Oun
tenance.
More money came to him as the for
eign rights Of his inventions were dis
posed Of, and he cast about him for an
opportunity to put 1t in use for others.
He employed as many Of the sturdy
mountaineers as he could in road work.
paying them good wages. He patched
their cabins. provided medicines for
their sick, and blankets and stout
clothes for the women and the chill
dren.
The scattered families of these poor
people looked up to him with mingled
wonder and gratitude. When time rid
IueUu OI lDelT CUlIuIlhc LlIululJy Iucy
came to know him and to love him.
There is no statute Of limitations
for an escaped convict. He is always
legitimate quarry.
Nearly ten years had passed since
James Montgomery vas brought be
fore the desk of Inspector Ranscombe
at police headquarters in Mulberry
street. There had been changes at
headquarters in that time. The adj
ministration of the city was in other
hands The police department had
gone through the throes of more than
one shakeup. and there had been sew.
eral police commissioners.
Ranscombe had been relieved Of his
important post as the chief Of the
city's little army of plain clothes men.
but he had played the game Of depart
ment politics well and had won his