Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-22
By
REX
BEACH
THE IRON TR ALL

His own denials and explanations
seemed powcrIess to affect the public
mind. and as he looked back he dated
his decline from the appearance of her
first article. 1t had done all the mis-
chief lie had feared. Not only were
his old stockholders dissatisfied but
wherever he went for aid he found 4
disconcerting lack of response. half
yelled skepticism that was maddeninG-
Yet his immediate business worries
were not all nor the worst of his
troubles. His physical powers were
waning. To all appearances he was
as strong as ever, but a strange bodily
lassitude hampered him. He tired
easily. and against this handicap he
was forced to struggle continually. He
had never rightly valued his amazing
equipment of energy until now, when
some subtle ailment had begun to sap
il. The change was less in his mus
Cular strength than in his nerves and
his mental vigor. He found himself
growing peculiarly irritable. His fail
ures excited spasms of blind fury
which left him weak and spent. He
began to suffer the depressing fortunes
OF insomnia. At times the nerves in
his face and neck twitched unaccount-
ably, and this distressing affection
spread.
A week or two OF disappointments
should have shown him the futility of
further effort; at any other time it
would have set him to putting his
house in order for the final crash, but
now it merely enraged him. He re-
doubled his activity, launching a new
campaign of publicity so extravagant
and i'll timed as to repel the assistance
he needed. He had lost his fnesse:
his nicely adjusted financial sense had
gone.
The outcome was not long delayed; it
came in the form of a newspaper dis
patch TO the effect that his Cortez bank
had suspended payment because of
run started by the dissatisfied employ
ees of the railroad. Through GOrdon's
famboyant advertising his enterprises
were so well known by this time that
the story was featured despite his eff
forts TO kill it. His frantic cables TO
Cortez for q denial only brought as
surances that the report was true and
that conditions would not mend unless
shipment of currency was immedi-
ately forthcoming.
Harassed by reporters. driven on by
the need for Il show of action. he set
out to raise the money but the support
he had hoped for failed him when it
transpired that his banks assets con-
sisted mainly of real estate at boom
prices and stock in his various cOmpa-
MES which had been inflated to the
bursting point. Days passed, Il week
or more: then he was compelled to re-
linquish his option on the steamship
line he had partly purchased and TO
sacrifice all that had been paid in on
the enterprise. This. too. made a big
story for the newspapers. for it pune
tured one of the most imposing cOrpO-
rations in the famous Gordon sys-
tenn 1t likewise threatened TO in
volve the others in the general crash.
Hope Consolidated. indeed. still re
manned, and GOrdon's declaration that
the value of its shares was more than
sufficient to protect his bank met with
some credence until. swift upon the
heels of the other disasters. came an
application for a receiver by the stock
holders. coupled with the promise of
a rigorous investigation into his va
rious financial manipulations. Then
at last Gordon acknowledged defeat
Bewildered as he was half crazed
with anxiety, Gordon knew that the
avalanche had not only wrecked his
fortunes, but was bearing him swiftly
toward the penitentiary. Its gates
yawned to welcome him. and he felt
n chilling terror such as he had never
known