Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1917-05-16

Of you didn't size the situation mp
/ long ago-before it got into It's pres
/ ent desperate shape. You are at the
beginning OF the end now. They've
caught YOU with an empty treasury.
and those stock sales you speak of
prove that they have already begun
/ 70 swallow you by Titles. Timanyonf
comuon-I suppose you haven't any
prefefrcd-at tbirty-nine Is an excel
lent gamble for any group Of men who
can see their way clear to buying TIE
control. With an eager market for the
water-ond they can sell the water to
rou people even If they don't put
/ Their own Esc8lante project through
the stock can be pushed TO par and
beyond. as It viii be after you folks
ara at safely frozen out. More than
hat, they can charge you enough, for
he water you've got to have, TO finance
he EScalante scheme and pay all the
bills; and their investment, at the
present market, will be only thirty
nine cents in the dollar. It's a neat
little play
Williams was by this time far past
remembering that his adviser WINS q
nan with possible alias and presum-
ably ii fugitive from Justice.
Cunt something be done. Smith,
You've had experience in these things:
your talk shows It, Have we get to
stand sdll and be shot to piecesT'
1.-THE necessity remains to be DEM
anstrated. But YOU will be shot to
pieces. TO dead moral certainty, II
You don't put somebody on deck with
the necessary brains, and do it quick
Is, said Smith with frank bluntness.
'TIald on" protested the engineer.
Every man 10 his trade. When said
that We had nobody but the neighbors
md our friends in the company. /
didn't mean 10 give the impression
that they were either dolts or chnckle-
heads As q matter Of fact. we have
a pretty level-headed bunch OF men in
|Timanyonl Ditch-though I'll admit
that some of them are nervous enough,
Just now. 20 want 10 get out on almost
any terms, What / meant TO say was
that they don happen to be up In all
the crooks and turnings Of the high
finance buccaneers
81 didn't mean to reflect upon
Colonel Baldwin and his friends" re-
Joined the ex-cashier gOod-naturedly.
II is nothing especially discrediting
to lHen that they are not up in all the
l'ic of trade which is not theirs.
The financing Of scheme like this has
come 80 be q business by itself. Mr..
Williams, aud it is hardly to be ex-
pected that group OF inexperienced
men could do it successfully"
The construction chief turned Bb.
ruptlY upon his cost-cutter.
excepting in mind what you said
few minutes ago about back numbers.
would it be climbing over the fence toe
far for NE to ask if your experience
has beeu such as would warrant you
IN taebiing a job Of this kind?"
"That is a fair question. and | can
answer it straight" said the man un.
der fire I've had the experience"
Il thought so. II the colonel should
ask Won 10. would you consider as
possibility the taking OF the doctors
lab ON this sick project Of oursT'
"No,t was HE brief rcjoinder.
"Whv not"
Smith looked away out of the one
Square window in the shack ut the
}uSy scene on lie dam stagings.
because Im not exactly born sim
1lctoH. Mr.. Williams There are
luobcr OF reasons which are purely
4ersonnl 10 me. and at least one which
ats ice on your side Of the pond. Your
inancial doctor as YOU call him.
would have to be trusted absolutely In
he handling of the company's money
nd its negotiable securities. You
aoud. and should. put him under
/ .airly heavy bond. III not go into II
any deeper than to say that / cant
give bond"
Williams took his defeat. If it could
be called defeat, without further
protest.
81 thought It might not be ainiss tc
talk fl over with you" he said. "You
say 1t is impossible, and perhaps it IS
But il won't do any harm for. you T.
think it over, and If I were you, ]
shouldn't burn all the bridges behind
me"
Smith went back 10 his work In tho
quarry with troubled mind. The
little heart-to-heart talk with Williams
had heeu sharply Oppressive. II had
shown him, as nothing else could. how
[ limited for ali the remainder OF his life
his chances must be. That he would
be pursued, that descriptions and pho
tographs Of the ex-cashier of the Law.
renceylIe Bank aud Trust company
were already circulating from hand to
hand among tho paid man-catchers. he
I did not doubt for moment. While ne
could remain as a workman unit In an
Isolated construction camp, there Was
some little hope that he might be over
looked. But to become the public char
acter OF Williams suggestion In
+ peopled city was to run to meet his
I fate