The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1915-01-28
(COncluded)

evening might bring. The middle aged
woman who had come back to the
hurry of the old town. and who, push
ed back into an eddy Of the food dis
trict, could only watch the activity and
the life from behind a Rooms to Let"
sign. did not concern her much. Nor
should she have.
Mr.. Howell came soon after. He
asked for her. and. going back to tn.
dining room. kissed her quietly. He
had an air of resolve. sort of griIu
determination, that was relief from
the half frantic look he had worn be-
fore. He asked to have Mr.. Holc0mbe
! brought down. and SO behold rs all.
four of us. sitting around the table
Mr.. Holcombe with his notebook.
with my mending and the boy with
one OF I.ida's hands frankly under hia
on the red tablecloth.
II want to tell all of you the whole
story" he began. Tomorrow I shall
60 to the district attorney and con-
fess, butt want you all to have 1t
first can't sleep again until / get
it OF my chest. Mrs. Pitman has suf-
fered through me. and Mr.. Holcombe
here has spent money and time
Ida did not speak. but she drew her
chair closer and put her other hand
over his.
II want to get it straight. II can.
Let me see.' 1t was on Sunday, the
18th, that the river came up. wasn't It?
Yes. Well. on the Thursday before
that ! met you, Mr.. HOlcombe, In a
restaurant In Pittsburgh. Do you re-
MEMBER
Mr.. Holcombe nodded.
I'VE were talking Of crime, and l
said no man should be hanged on pure
ly circumstantial evidence. You af-
frmed that well linked chain Of cir
cumstantial evidence could properly
hang a man. We had a long argument,
In which I was worsted. There was a
third man at the table-BronsOn, the
business manager of the Liberty the
ater." 4a
"Who sided with you" put in Mr..
Holcombe. land whose views refused
to entertain because as publicity man
for theater he dealt in fiction rather
than In fact"
Precisely. You may recall. Mr.. Hol-
combe. that you offered to hang any
man we would name given a proper
chain of circumstantial evidence
against him?'
"Yes."
AFTER you left Bronson spoke to me.
He said business at the theater was
bad and complained Of the way the
papers used, or would not use. his stun.
He said the Liberty theater had not
had a proper deal and that he was
tempted to go over and bang one of
the company on the head. and SO get
q little free advertising.
II said he ought to be able to fake
a good story. but he maintained that a
newspaper could smell faxed story a
mile away. and that. anyhow, all the
good stunts had been pulled OF. l
agreed with him. l remember saying
that nothing but a railroad wreck or
a murder hit the public very hard these
days and that didn't feel like wreck
ing the Pennsylvania limited.
He leaned over the table and looked
at me. We'll, how about murder.
thenp he said You get the story for
your paper and l get some advertising
| for the theater. We need 1t. that's
| sure
II laughed It of. and we separated.
But at 2 o'clock Bronson called me up
again. ! met him in his Office at the
theater. and he told me that Jennie
Brice. who was out Of the cast that
week, had asked for a weeks vacation.
She had heard Of farm at a town
called HOrner, and she wanted to 90
there to rest.
SNOW the idea is this he said.
She's living with her husband. and
he has threatened her life more than
once. 1t would be easy enough to
frame up something to look as II he'd
made away with her. We'd get q
week Of excitement, more advertising
than we'd ordinarily get In a year.
You get corking news story and find
Jennie Brice at the end. getting the
credit for that. Jennie gets 500 and
q rest, and Ladley. her husband. gets,
say. $780,
"Mr. Bronson offered to put up the
money, and agreed. The food came
just then and was considerable help.
1t made good setting. l went to my
city editor and got an assignment to
interview Ladley about this play Of
his. Then Bronson and went togeth-
er to see the Ladleys on Sunday morn.
ing. and as they needed money they
agreed. But Ladley insisted on $50 q
week extra IL he had to go to jail. We
promised 1t. but we did not intend to
let things go SO far AZ that.
I'm the Ladleys' room that Sunday
morning we worked 1t all out The
hardest thing was to get Jennie Brice's
consent. but she agreed finally. We
arranged a list Of clews to be left
around, and Ladley was to 60 out In
the night and to be heard coming back.
told him to quarrel with his wifs
that afternoon. although ! don't b.