Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1915-01-21

II anything now. But the little whorls.
islands" parabolas and breaks"
showing in the finger prints in that
record forever tagged their man. He
might grow old and feeble and so
change his appearance that even his
own brother would know him not. but
the finger prints would never change.
and no other human born on earth
would have the same little circles In
the skin which nature so wonderfully
and strangely twists In separate de-
signs for each OF the human species.
The police record of James Mont
gomery went into the files and his pic
lures into the gallery of rogues.
Kearney took his man back to the
wheezy elevator and below to the main
floor. A short flight OF winding stairs
took them to the basement and little
prison known as 1.-The barrel" This
cramped and dark place would hold
Montgomery until he was arraigned
before magistrate and the slow proc
ess OF marching through the courts to
prison or liberty was begun. Here. be-
meath the level OF the street, he could
sand no word to lawyer or friend, and
he was as far removed from the saw
| ing benefits OF the habeas corpus as II
he were existing before the signing Of
Magma Charta.
Pending his arraignment In court
this citizen Of the United States was
without one single trace Of considera-
ton by the law which was written for
his protection.
1t was noon the next morning when
Montgomery CROPPED about his little
black cell and found an iron shelf
hinged to one Of its walls. He threw
himself on dirty, twisted blanket, his
body worn out and his mind a blank.
His stomach called for food. but he
dared not ask for any. The lunch
hour tramping of feet above lulled him
into oblivion. His tired eyes closed.
and he slept
A voice. sounding very family at
first, but gathering volume until his
ears ached, awakened him.
II thought you was dead" he heard
the turnkey say Here, take this"
The prisoner dropped his legs over
the iron pallets edge and held out his
hands.
The turnkey had brought him large
lineup filled with beef stew. and the
SAVIOR of it made the boys brain reel
with the delights of anticipation. He
lifted the cup TO his lips and drank
from it eagerly. The turnkey handed
him piece of bread. He clutched it,
stuck II into the stew and ate of 1t
with little grunts of animal satisfac-
ton.
Montgomery heard the cell door slam
and the key turn in the lock. AS the
welcome process of digestion started
the starved. tired lad forgot his sor-
rows and remembered his miseries no
more in dreamless and refreshing
slumber.
Simple as was the food, and only too
slight for famished youth. it started
the blood coursing healthily through
his veins once more. This second
sleep brought back his strength. and
the fog that had come to his brain
while he was undergoing the strange
hardships of Identification began to
lift. When he Weakened again he found
that nature, replenished with fuel. had
cast off the dread load of despair that
had settled upon him.
He knew not whether il was day or
night. He rubbed his face briskly, TAX
ing a dry bath and equalizing the sur
face circulation OF his blood He threw
out his arms and legs vigorously. re.
moving the kinks in his muscles.
Through the bars of the cell be saw
the yellow smear of light and the turn
key sitting beneath ii smoking a pipe.
He was debating the ACCESSIBILITY of
asking the day and hour when the
door of the barrel" ratified and his
keeper bestirred himself
man in uniform was admitted
The turnkey placed his pipe in his
chair and came to Montgomery's cell
Get your hat he ordered as he
unlocked the door.
Montgomery CROPPED about for his
cloth cap. found it and stepped out of
the cell.
Its time for the lineup" he was in
formed. "They want you upstairs"
In charge of the uniformed man he
made his way up the winding stair
way and stepped into the binding
sunlight which flooded the assembly
room of the detective bureau. The
room was large and wainscoted high
with racks of pictures-the old rogues'
gallery. In the center OF the room was
a clump of fifteen men and three wo-
men. They made up the police crop
of the night before Yeggmen bur-
glars, pickpockets. confidence men and
a black browed Sicilian bomb thrower
were included in the group. The wo-
men. blowsy, frowsy and insolent
were common thieves.
Montgomery was put in this herd
and told to wait there. Half dozen
uniformed policemen were doing duty
as doormen.