The Carlisle independent., 1917-08-30

Now then, my friend, sit down and get your breath"
 At a glance I knew the prisoner It 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
 Tt would have been more certain if I'd had the show" retorted the fel- low.
 Did you hurt him much?"
 Worse luck, no. The next timei'
 the man glared across his knotted fist
 On top of your last exploit" re- marked Marvel, "it may be six months or a year this time. Unless you have left a case of mayhem behind you down at Vandamann's, I can promise you chance to get out Of this mix-up -on conditions"
 What conditions?" muttered the fellow, an evil eye fixed on both of us-suspicious and leery.
 .As the Fourteenth Man"
 Whats that,' calculated Briggs with start, and then he shrank back within himself, the barrier up, like a man in trap.
 As the Fourteenth Man, you of course knew Royal Ludington."
 Suppose I did?"
 What did you take to his house the day of his funeral?"
 Briggs bored into the questioner's face with his shrewd ferret eyes. He shook his head. This is some kind of frame-up,' he declared. T don't say word till I know what's doingA
 After some persuasion the man told. It amounted to this: Scoundrelhearted Abel Vandamann had seen an oppor- tunity in the sudden death of one of his victims to press fictitious claims. He had utilized the Fourteenth Man in his plot. This had been to have Briggs visit the Ludington home surreptitiousIy, place the photograph in a pocket of Ludington's coat, and in his desk a card bearing notations of various amounts. These. corresi bonded in amounts to alleged notes of the decedent, were later presented to his widow for payment
 The willy schemer had convinced Mrs. Ludington that he held notes they were forgeries-to large amount, given him by her husband. He had further persuaded her to be- lieve that the borrowed money they represented had been squandered in gambling and in financing the extrava- gant whims of the woman, IdaIia.
 The notations, the photographs, all seemed to verify the foul misrepre- sentations that brought sorrow and dread to the wife and daughter of the dead trader. Mrs. Ludington was 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 thC lhdOOtNauCoo dt tAc bank.
 Resilius Marvel held a brief but productive interview with Abel Wanda mann the next day. Then ke carried to the bank twelve forged notes for $50.000, and like amount in cash al ready extorted from Mrs. Ludington on similar forgeries. The bank there fore, lost nothing, and the Ludingtons were restored to fortune and lifted from the shadow of a great grief
 There is such thing as earthly retribution." observed ResiIius Marvel to me one day
 A column in daily newspaper was the basis of the remark. It told of the murder in cold blood of Abel Vandamann. A stiletto had dealt him his death wound, so 1t might have been a woman. But his strong box was rifed, 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.