The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-07-21
''TheCreViCe"
Bv VIM. J. Burns and Isabel Ostrander

ooh, no, sir I'm quite ready for
another job" The operatives eyes
sparkled eagerly as he spoke, and his
long, slim, nervous fingers clasped and
unclasped the arms of his chair spas
medically, What is It? Something
new come up?"
only that disappearance, two days
ago, of the young lawyer to whom
Miss Lawton is engaged, Ramon Ham
iton. I want you to go out on that at
once, and see what you can do I've
got half dozen of the best men on
it already but they haven't accom-
plished anything. | can't give you a
single clue to go upon, except that
when he walked out Of this office at
eleven o'clock in the morning, he
wore a black suit, black shoes, black
tie, a black derby and gray overcoat
with mourning band on the sleeve
for Mr.. Lawton, of course. Outside
the door there he vanished as If a
trap had opened and dropped him
through into space. No one has seen
him; no one knows where he went.
That's all the help | can offer you.
He's not in Jail or the morgue or any
of the hospitals, as yet. That isn't
much. but it's something. Here's a
personal description of him which the
police issued yesterday. It's as good
as any | could give you, and here are
two photographs of him which | got
from his mother yesterday afternoon.
Take a good look at him, Suraci, fix his
face in your mind, and then If you
should manage, or happen, to locate
him, you can't 60 wrong. I know your
memory for faces"
The shadow departed eagerly
upon his quest, and Blaine settled
held the threads of the major con-
spiracy in his hands, but as yet he
could not connect them, at least in
any tangible way to present at court
of socalled justice, where everyone,
from the judge to the policeman at
the door could, and inevitably would,
be bought over, in advance, to the
side of the criminals. 1t was a one
man fight, backed only with the slen-
der means provided by a young girls
insignificant financial ventures,
against the press, the public, cor
rupt political machine Of great power,
the desperate ingenuity OF three
clever, INSCRIPTIONS minds brought to
bay, and the overwhelming influence
of colossal wealth. Henry Blaine felt
that the supreme struggle of his whole
career was confronting him,
The unheard-of intrepidity of con-
ception, the very daring of the con-
spiracy, combined with the promi-
nence of the men involved, would
brand any accusation, even from
man of Henry Blaines celebrated in
ternational reputation, as totally pre-
posterous, unless substantiated. And
what actual proof had he of their Grim
inal connection with the alleged bank
ruptcy Of Pennington Lawton?
He had established, to his own salts
faction, at least, that the mortgage on
tie family home on Bellaire Avenue
had been forged, and by Jimmy Bru-
nell The signature on the note held
by Moore, the banker, and the entire
letter asking Mallowe to negotiate the
loan had been also fraudulent, and
manufactured by the same hand. Pad
dington. the private detective with
perhaps the most unsavory record of
any operating in the city, was in close
and constant communication with the
three men Blaine held under suspic-
ion. and probably also with Jimmy
Brunell Lastly. Brunell himself was
known to be still in possession of his
paraphernalia for the pursuit of his
old nefarious calling. Paddington, on
Margaret Hefferman's testimony, had
assuredly succeeded in mulcting the
promoter, Rockamore, of a large sum
In clear case of black mail, but on
the face of it there was no proof that
il was connected with the matter of
Pennington Lawtons insolvency.
The mysterious nocturnal visitor, on
TIE night the magnate met his death,
was still to be accounted for, as was
the disappearance of Ramon Hamil-
ton; and in spite of his utmost efforts,
Henry Blaine was forced to admit to
himself that he was scarcely nearer
q solution. or rather, a confirmation
Of his steadfast convictions, than
when he started upon his investiga-
ticn
Un0uestionably. the man Padding
ION held the key TO the situation. But
how could Paddington be approached?
How could he be made TO speak?
Bribery had sealed his lips, and only
greed would open them. He was
ehrewd enough to realize that the
man who has purchased his services
would pay him far more to remain
silent than any client of Blaine's
could, to betray them Moreover, he