The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-11-01


Whitaker made point of hunting him
up. The retired detective received con
frmation Of his surmise without any
amaZement.
you still believe that he's alive"
Implicitly" Ember asserted with
conviction.
Gould you find him. if necessary?'
"Within a day, think Do you wish
me to-"
Ember permitted Whitaker to con-
slider the matter in silence for some
moments. Then. do you want ad-
vice." he inquired.
"Wen?"
"Hunt him down and put him behind
the bars" said Ember instantly.
What's the good Of that2"
your personal safety"
"HOwW
with you out of the way, he could
come back without fear"
Ember permitted another pause to
lengthen, unbroken by Whitaker
"Shall / try to find him for you?" he
said quietly. in the end.
NO" Whitaker decided. mo. Let
him alone-poOr devil ~
Ember disclaimed further RESPONSE
bility with Il movement of his Shout
| ders.
rBut my wife? Could you find her
as readily?"
POSSIBLY" the detective admitted
| cautiously. But | don't mean 10"
"Whv notT'
principally because she doesn't want
me to. Otherwise she'd let you know
where to look for her"
True"
These fragments of dialogue are
| from a conversation that took place in
the month of June, nearly seven weeks
after the farewell performance at the
Theatre Max. Interim, Whitaker had
quietly resumed his place in the life
of the town, regaining old friendships,
renewing old associations. The mild
excitement occasiOned by his reappear-
ance had already subsidized; he was
again an accepted and substantial fac
tor in the society of his kind.
Gradually he began to know more
hours of loneliness than suited his
tastes. His rOomS-the old rooms over
looking Bryant park regained and re
furnished much as they had been six
years befOre-knew his solitary pres
| ence through many long evening,
July came with blistering breath and
| he took to the AdirondackS, meaning
| to be gone month. Within ten days
he was home again. drawn back ire
SiStibly by n strange. Unsuitable cray
| ing of unfOrmulated desire. Town
bored him, yet he could not seem to
rest away from it.
He wandered in and out, up and
down, an unquiet, irreSolute soul, ire
mendously perplexed.
There came one dark and Sultry
night, heavy beneath skies overcast in
| August. Whitaker left q roof garden
in the middle of a stupid performance,
and walked the streets till long after
midnight, counting the fatigue that
alone could bestOW untrOubled sleep.
On his return Il sleepy hall-boy with
| q Wilted collar ran the elevator up to
| his tenth-foor landing and, leaving him
| fumbling at the lock of his door,
! dropped clankingly out of sight. Whit
aker entered and shut himself in with
the pitch-blackneSS of his private hall.
He CROPPED along the wall for the
| electric switch, and found only the
shank of it, the hard rubber button
having disappeared. And then, while
still he was trying to think how this
could have happened, he sustained a
murderous assault.
A miScalculation on the part of the
marauder alone saved him. The black
| jack Cor whatever the weapon waS)
missing his head by the narrowest
shave, descended upon his left shout
der with numbing force. NOtwith-
standing his pain and surprise. Whit
aker rallied and grappled, thus escap-
| ing a second and probably more deadly
| blow.
/ But his shoulder was almost useless
and the pain of it began to Sicken him,
while the man in his grip fought like
Il devil unclaimed.
For some minutes the night was rem
| dered wild and violent with the crashes
of overthrown furniture and the thud
| and thump Of struggling bodies. Then
| Whitaker broke free and plunged in
| what he imagined TO be the direction
| of a dresser in which he kept Il revolv-
er. His foot slipped on the hardwood
floor, the ankle twisted. and he fell
| awkwardly, striking his head against
a table leg with such force that he lay
half stunned. An instant later his as
Sailant emptied five chambers of re-
| volver into the darkness about him.
and then. alarmed by racket of
pounding on the hall door. fed success
fully by way of the fire escape to adj
joining roofs and neighboring back
yards.
BY the time Whitaker was able TO
| pull himself together and hobble to the
door, q brace of intelligent policemen,
| who had been summoned by the hall
! boy. were threatening 70 break it down.
| Admitted, they took his safety into
| their care and. simultaneously. the re-
yolyer which he incautiouSly admitted
possessing. Later they departed OBJ
| viously disgruntled by the unprofes-
Sional conduct of the ''crook" who had
left no clues" with warning to the
householder that he might expect to be