The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1915-11-19

bioo VI the Udnk 10 Wrlte MS checK.
The draft was on its way 10 Mr..
James's bank within ten minutes. The
money was In your name. No one
could ever touch cent but you!"
She was on her knees beside nc
"Jim!" she -sobted. felt her soft
arms around my body; saw the won
derful new light in her eyes.
Then l tainted
/ guess that's the story.
Had / ever intended TO rob them Of
the money? Heaven help me. yer,
Mike Garvcn had filed my soul with
cringing fear 1t was not until III"
night l swore the oath that won tic
fight and the sleep cane. That's WHY
! packed my suitcase so could grcb
it and get away before Mike got Vic
That's why stayed at the bank
twenty minutes with Garter. I've said
] did mighty big thing for him once
II saved him from jail. lie did
mighty big thing for me. and he took
big risk, but It ali came out right.
He helped me send the money tho
zone place I knew Mike Garven could
MT get his hands on IT,
While he was perfectly willing 10
show the police all records of my de-
posts, he wouldn't have shown them
the record OF that draft without rails,
ing howl. But they never consider
ed that possibility.
Now you understand why ! was so
anxious to have them go home.
They'd have found the money waiting.
Or IL Mr.. James hadn't come up, he'd
have wired them instantly. But |
know now that the only people in
that bank beside the head of it arc
an old bookkeeper and kid. They
Just let that draft lie in a drawer.
Why didn't tell them about It dur
Ing that interview in the bank? Be
cause even then was afraid of Mike
getting the money. / think that !
believed he was capable of anything
then.
That / didn't tell them afterward
was just the dog in me, I guess;
Just the bitterness because thought
the girl had broken her promise,
while I'd taken as desperate chance
as a man can take to save her money.
When l found that I'd been wrong.
and that she and her father had left
the hotel, after sending all of their
money down 10 the folks at home,
you can understand why 1t hit me so
hard.
Mike Garven? Poor Slivers's
prophecy came true, didn't it? Jami-
son planned the whole game OF break
ing him. The story he told OF how
Mike committed the murder was pure
IL imaginative and based on probable
tiles; but 1t was true almost TO the
dot
Mike had gone to Slivers and pre-
tended to be half dead with fear that
OHagen would keep his threat. He
gave him a thousand dollars, and
while O'Hagen was counting the mon
knitted him.
Then he took back the thousand dol
died it with wads of cotton batting.
I'd never. thought of the possibility of
Mike doing the job himself: but, az
Jamison said, 1t was the only thing for
him to do. Trusting some one else
wouldn't have left him any better off.
I've said before. somewhere in the
story, that Mike Garven knew would
go to Kennedy. He did. One Of the
men sitting and smoking in the back
room was Rat-Face, whom I never
saw.
He .telcphoned description Of that
rsincoat and hat, and Mike took one
just like It SO that he'd be seen.
He didn't believe for a minute that
Jamisons slick work Of getting the
three men before the inquest and
questioning them till he'd put a doubt
In their mind was going to queer the
whole thing for him.
The trick OF throwing the coat over
his shoulders and jamming the hat
down over his eyes was Jamison's
You saw how 1t worked on the men
the lawyer had prepared for It.
don't know how he hypnotized
those town officials, but he certainly
had things all his own way.
Mike never recovered his nerve
again, and he was pretty bad with
brain fever for a month after the
trial.
Most of the newspapers called il
retribution, though one or two high
brow writer's proved it to be psychol.
ogy, or physiology, or something like
that.
The police woke up then, and I
helped them trace down the games
Mike had been working. The extent
Of them amazed even me. He had
more than FIVE million dollars!
It was four months before we'd re-
turned as much Of II as we could to
the victims, and my help got me Inn
munity. The forgery charge was