The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-09-22

Now then my friend. sit down and get
your breath
At a glance | knew the prisoner. II
was Edward Briggs. He was frowsy
unkempt. savage looking. somewhat
the worse for drink, and OF lowering
brow and set pugnaciOus lips.
Whats all this" he groWled out.
You have been arrested for deadly
assault upon one certain Vandamann."
observed Marvel.
1T would have been moro certain X
Id had the show" retorted the fell
low
Did you hurt him much?"
Worse luck, no. The next time!
the man glared across his knotted
fist
"On top OF your last exploit" re-
marked Marvel lit may be six months
or a year this time. Unless you have,
left case OF mayhem behind yoUl
down at Vandamann's. l can promise
you chance to get out Of this nix-up
ON conditions"
What conditions?" muttered the
fellow, an evil eye fixed on both OF
us-suspicious and leery.
LAS the Fourteenth Man"
Whats that" calculated Briggs
with a start. and then he shrank back
within himself, the barrier up. like
| man in a trap.
"As the Fourteenth Man. you of
course knew Royal Ludington."
Suppose l did,"
What did you take to his house
| the day of his funeral"
Briggs bored into the Questioner'
| face with his shrewd ferret eyes He'
| shook his head This is some kind
| Of a frame-up," he declared. Il don t.
| say word till l know what's doingt
After some persuasion the man tOld
1t amounted to this: Scoundrel-hearted
| Abel Vandamann had seen an oppor-
tunity In the sudden death OF one OK
his victims to press fictitious claims
| He had utilized the Fourteenth Man
| in his plot This had been to have
Briggs visit the Ludington homer
surreptitiously, place the photographs
in a pocket of Ludington's coat, andt
in his desk a card bearing nOtati0G5'
| of various amounts These, cores.
pended in amounts TO alleged notes OF
the decedent were later presented I,
his widow for payment.
The willy schemer had convinced
Mrs. Ludington that he held notes
they were forgeries-to a large
amount, given him by her husband
He had further persuaded her to be
lieve that the borrowed money they
represented had been squandered IL
gambling and In financing the extrava'
CANT whims of the woman, ldalia.
The notations, the photograph, a..
seemed to verify the foul misrepre,
sensations that brought sorrow and
dread to the wife and daughter OF th9
dead trader Mrs. Ludington was a
proud woman. The fear Of disgrace.
publicity, had made her the easy vic
tim of the arch swindler, Abel Wanda
mann.
The demands Of the broker were SO
extensive that his black-mailed victim
found that after she had sacrificed her
personal belongings to satisfy the
notes, there would be no hope OF
liquidating the Indebtedness at the
bank.
Resilius Marvel held a brief but
productive interview with Abel Wanda
mann the next day. Then he carried
to the bank twelve, forged notes for
$4,000. and like amount in cash al
ready extorted from Mrs. Ludingtcn
on similar forgeries. The bank there
fore, lost nothing, and the Ludngtons
were restored to fortune and lifted
from the shadow Of a great grief.
There is such thing as earthly
retribution," observed Resilius Marvel
to me one day.
A column in daily newspaper was
the basis of the remark. 1t told OF
the murder in cold blood OF Abel
Vandamann A stiletto had dealt him
his death wound, so it might have
been a woman But his strong box
was rifled, so it might have been a
man The police never found out, for
the woman, Idalia, and the Fourteenth
Man had disappeared as completely as
though the earth had opened and swal'
lowed them up.