The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-07
SYNOPSIS

o 4NO1 o1o
 Circle Jim Borden, named from a red birthmark on his hand, has served his third prison term. One in each Bor- den generation, always a criminal, has borne the Red Circle mark. Jim and his son Ted are the only known living of the Bordens. Max Lamar, a detective is detailed to keep an eye on Jim. June Travis and her mother meet Jim as he is released. Jim and Ted are killed Next day Lamar sees the Red Circle on a woman's hand outside curtained automobile. June, marked with the Red Circle, rObs Grant, a loan shark. Mary, June's nurse, discovers her theft and tells her she is Circle Jim's daughter, though Mrs. Travis does not know Mary tricks Lamar, June, dressed as a boy, recovers Mary's coat from the police. Lamar viCts Smiling Sam" Jim's old crime partner. At the sea ! side June steals war invention plans from Todd Drew and sinks them in the sea with her boys clothes. Sent to Surf ton by Smiling Sam, Alma La Sale paints the RIl Circle on her hand and robs the guests at a ball. Mary sees her wash off the mark and points her out to Lamar, who follows her back to town, captures her with the jewels and goes after Smiling sam
 ''Get up!' commanded Eagan, menac. ing him with the revolver. So! Now just you run around that corner, MT. Officer, and run around it double quick! Run, and keep on running!''
 Patroman O'Hara in sudden fright did alleyway.
 Eagan set off in the opposite direction to that taken by Patrolman OHaraI Clearly there was no time to squandel in dreamy idleness. O'Hara, at the al ley's mouth. colIided with a man whe was walking along the street from thu beach. The officer, as he reeled back from the collision, recognized Max La mar-the great crime specialist, who had been pointed out to him one day in thJ city.
 "Quick!' gurgled OHara, pointing uIl the alley, Smiling Sam Eagan's thereI He got my gun and
 Lamar did not wait for the rest of tho sorry confession. At bound he was irI the alley. At it's far end the moonligh showed him the squat body of Eagan van. ishing around a house corner.
 'Halt.' shouted Lamar, drawing hi revolver and pursuing with all the skilled speed of college sprinter.
 Around the alley corner he ran. Eagan bare 30 yards ahead, heard him coming Halting, Sam him himself behind the jut ting edge of house and fired. Tn bullet flew wide.
 Lamar answered with two shots. On bullet grazed Sam's ear. The other flat tened itself against a stone just abov his head.
 Sam, steadying his arm against thu house-edge, fired again. This time hi shot found mark, but not that at whicl he had fired. Patrolman O'Eara, chargini along the alley to reinforce Lamar, wa so unfortunate as to catch the ball iI] the calf of the leg. He sprawed head long.
 Most decidedly this was not O'Hara lucky night.
 Sam, aiming with better judgment pulled the trigger again. The hammer fell with a click upon an exploded cartridgel The pistol was empty. Throwing it away he took to his heels. Lamar followed at racing speed, haltin ! only now and then to fire. Up the alley came a second patrolma and several civilians. They halted al sight of the wounded O'Hara. The latte| raised himself on his hands, stammere out the gst of the story, pointed in th| direction whither Lamar and Eagan hal disappeared, then slumped to earth in | dead faint. Lamar more than once, in the vagu| moonlight and black shadows misse| sight of the man he followed. Once h| completely lost him, and was about III give up the chase, when a glimpse al something black, slhouetted against th| skyline and moving heavily, like wounded bull, set him off in hot chas| again. N By this time they had left the villagI behind them. Sam, running with no sensI of direction, found himself at the shord| ward base of the ridge that culminateN | in the ocean-side cliffs. Up the ridge he scrambled, gruntinN and heaving with fatigue. It was theN l that Lamar, 200 yards behind, caughI sight of the broad, squat body againa | the skyline. l Up the ridge toiled Eagan. seekin some cavern or rift Of rock wherein C worked his way. l Clambering as nimbly as a cat, Lama ! swarmed up the steep slope behind hin | Once only he paused. That was whe& Sam, gaining the summit. halted an l stared dazedly around. Lamar, restin I his pistol barrel on ledge of rock pulleI trigger The revolver was empty. H
 dropped it and continued his swift clim 1 Sam, gradually recovering his breatN heard stone rattle just beneath hinX He wheeled about as Lamar bounded u
 to the flat summit-rock beside him. l No word was spoken. Breath was tC 1 scant and too precious for that. I'll ] two men sprang at each other. 1 Unarmed. forced to rely on nature i
 primal weapons, they came together witI
 a thudding shock that sent them bot 1 to the ground. 1 Gripping each other in murderous fur | they regained their feet, and, on tfI
 slippery edge of the cliff, with a shet 7! drop of 300 feet to the sea that thui| dered below them, they fought
 To and fro they reeleN. on the perilot verge of the precipice-there. on the blacy cliff, in the white moonlight. Hittinl wrestling, struggling. they battled, tirl | specks of living and vibrant hatred 1 pended between the sea and sky. 1 Inch by inch Sam began to dragX lighter foe toward the brink of the preS | pice.