The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-16
SYNOPSIS

Max Lamar, Crime SpeclallSt, re ceives a note from Chief of Police Al lon, informing him of the release or Circle" Jim Borden, q notorious crim- inal, and asking him to keep look out for the man and his future ac- tivities. The name Circle" comes from the hereditary Red Circle" which ap pears on the right hand of one in each generation of the Bordens. 1 June Travis and her mother, inter ested in the reform of eX-convicts, are awaiting Bordens release. Borden re- fuses their aid and is about to strike the persistent June, when Lamar comes up and Ceters him.
 (Bordens son, Ted, a good for-noth- ing, loses his position, and, desperate for want of money, is about to steal a mans watch when his father comes upon him and pulls him away; the man raising a cry of thief.
 Pursued by a large crowd, Lamar amongst them Borden and his son reach secret passageway to his rooms. La mar learns from a boy playing nearby its exact location and sending the lad for aid, starts through the subterranean way.
 Old Borden. breeding over the deSra- dation of his son, seals the room in which the boy is asleep an dturns on the gas. Lamar reaches the room, but his revolver is wrested from him py Borden, who tells Lamar he will an nihilate the Borden family after he has killed the detective. He was playing for time. And he knew how morbidly willing the other man could be at times to talk about his strange birthmark.
 Red circle" repeated Borden, duly. Yes. The Red circle. It is still there on my hand. Always there And it has always marked one member in every generation of my family. And the person it marked has always been q criminal a noble heritage." he scoffed, bitterly '"The decoration of the curse of heaven, have meard it called.'
 tOne in every generation!" exclaimed Lamar; seeking by show of interest to make the man keep on talking; that is remarkable A sort of heredity, eh? Like red hair or bad taste in ties or"
 Tn every generation" rumbled on the deep voice. unheedng. Until now. Here the curse ends.''
 Ends? But you have a son, haven't you?"
 Here it ends,' said Borden again; 'I am going to wipe out the curse by wping out my family. My son is in that bed- room-dying. I shall go next. With this gun l am going to shoot myself after I have squared an old score by killing you.'
 His deep eyes glowed now with fanatic fire Lamar, despite his gay courage, felt the cold chill of fear that assails most normal men at contact with the insane"
 If you have a God" went on the terrible, slow voice, make ready to meet him!'
 Borden, as he spoke, raised the re- volver a few inches, and his finger frightened on the trigger. Lamar, gathering all his strength, lunged sud- denly forward, clutching Jims wrist and twisting it to one side The bullet went wild In another instant, the ta ble was overturned, and the two men, locked in furious embrace, were fight ing for possession of the weapon. Up and down the little room they reeled and 1urched; now smashing a chair under their trampling feet: now sending a shower of plaster from the molding wall as they fell against it. Jim fought like a crazed wildcat; Lamar with all the cool science of a trained athlete. Max could not wrench away the weapon, try as he would. Twice more, in the fierce struggle, it exploded. But each time the ball flew harmless into floor or wall Presently, in the deathlock, Lamar's fingers found the catch that held the pistols cylinder in place. One sharp pressure and he had "broken" the re- NOlNtT, StIulilS lut ItIIdlIllhS Sdi ridges pattering harmless to the floor.
 Jim released his hold on the useless weapon and snatched With both hands for Lamar's throat. But before the grip could be gained or guarded, he recoiled a step: his eyes glassy and staring; his wild gaze fixed on some thing behind Max.
 Up through the trapdoor two police men were climbing-summone by SYdsv theV had stood chatting to- gether on street corner.
 With roar of fury, Borden snatched up the overturned table and hurled it with all his force at the charging po- licemen; then followed up that brief advantage by making a dash for the unguarded trapdoor.
 The foremost policeman caught the flung table glancingly on his upraised arm, staggered under the impact, then drew his pistol and turned to help his comrade, who had gra npled Borden at the very entrance to the trap.
 Lamar did not join in the triple fight. His keen nostrils had caught the smell of escaping gas He remembered all at once what Borden had said: My son is in that bedroom-dying!" And he ran to the bedroom door, opened it and entered.
 The two policemen, stalwart as they were, found "Circle" Jim unexpectedly hard to subdue The old man was fight ing like a beast at bay. Nor was ne fighting to escape. For he made no move to tear himself free from ms opponents.
 Instead, he seemed to be trying to Se' hold of the pistol that one of the two policemen still held. He did not succeed in tearing the gun away from the police man. But he did manage to catch the latter's pistol hand in both of his own.
 Then-while the double weight of ms foes was upon him and while both men battled sturdily to force him to the ground-Jim Borden called on every ounce of his great strength for one final ef- fort
 Like Sampson of old, he put forth ms power of muscle. And, before his captors could so much as guess his intent, he had twisted the policeman's hand toward him, so that the pistol muzzle pressed against his own body just above the heart.
 The same wrench enabled Jim to Iorce aside the policeman's trigger finger. Ills own foretinger slipped inside the trigger guard.
 One pressure of the finger and the shot was fred
 The policemen relaxed their hold, as Jhn Borden spasmodically leaped in air and staggered backward, A caliber bullet through his heart.