The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-08-10

"No, we do not. The name upon the
stub Of the transfer book has been
scratched out"
Captain Elisha looked the speaker In
the face, then slowly turned his look
upon the other two faces.
Scratched out?' he repeated. "Who
scratched it out?"
Graves shrugged his shoulders.
eyes, yes" said the captain. ''You
don't know, but we're all entitled to
guess, hey? Humphl''
IF this person is living" began Syl-
vester, ''it follows that
Hold on a minute! I don't know
much about corporations, Of course.
That's more in your line than it's In
mine. But I want to ask one question.
You say this, what dye call it--this
Akrae thingamajig-was sold out, hull,
canvas and riggin', to crowd in Bra
zil? It's gone out Of business. then
it's dead?"
Eyes, but
"Wait! Amt 1t customary when a
sale like this is made to turn over all
the stock, certificates and all? Some
times you get stock in the new COM
pany in exchange. I know that. But
to complete the trade wouldn't this ex-
try hundred shares be turned in or
some sharp questionin' done II
'twa'n't"
He addressed the query to Sylvester.
The latter seemed more troubled than
before.
THAT" he said, with some hesita-
ton, sig one of the delicate points in
this talk Of ours, Captain Warren. A
certificate for the missing hundred
shares was turned in. It was dated
at the time of the original issue, made
out in the name of one Edward Brad
ley and transferred on the back by
him to your brother-that is, it was
presumably so transferred"
presumably - presumably? You
mean
"I mean that this certificate is-well,
let us say, rather queer. To begin
with, no one knows who this Bradley
is, or was, and the-well, hate to say
it, Captain Warren, but the handwrit-
ing on that Bradley signature resem-
bles very closely that Of your brother"
At length the captain raised his head.
well" he said slowly, I'VE amt
children. We might as well call things
by their right names. Bile forged that
certificate
I'm afraid there is no doubt of it."
Dear, dear, dear! Why, they put
folks in states prison for thatp'
Eyes. But a dead man is beyond
prisons"
"That's so. Then l don't see''-
"You will. You don't grasp the full
meaning Of this affair even yet. II the
Bradley certificate is forgery, fraud
from beginning to end, then the pre-
sumption is that there was never any
such person as Bradley. But some one
paid $4,000 for 100 Akrae shares when
the company was formed. That certif'
cate has never been turned in. Some
person or persons somewhere hold 400
shares of Akrae Rubber company
stock. Think, now! Suppose that some
Gne taERs up demo 3 { 81 :. ~ v
has been cheated out of for the Past
seventeen years! Think of thati''
"Well, l am thinlin' of 1t. Igot the
scent of what you was drivin' at five
minutes ago. And don't see that we
need to be afraid. He could have put
Bile in Jail, but Bile is already servin
a longer sentence than he could give
him. So that disgrace amt bearin
down on US. And, If 1 understand
about such things, his claim is against
the Akrae company, and that's dead
dead as the man that started it. May
be he could put in keeper or receiv
err or some such critter, but there's
nothin' left to keep or receive. AIM
/ right?"
"You are or you would be but fol
one thing, the really inexplicable thing
in this whole miserable affair. YOU
brother, Captain Warren, was dishon
est. He took money that didn't belong
to him, and he forged that certificate
But he must have intended to make
restitution. He was always optimistic
and always plunging in desperate anC
sometimes rather shady speculations
which he was sure would turn out ia
vorably. If they had-if, for instance
the South Shore trolley combine hat
been put through. You knew of that
did your
1--WE been told somethin' about it
Go onw
well, it was not put thrtdgh, so hi
hopes there were frustrated. And tina
was but one of his schemes. How
ever, when the sale of the company
was consummated he did an extraor
binary thing. He made out and sign
ed his personal note, payable to tn,
Akrae company, for every cent he ha(
Incorporated. And we found tina
note In his safe after his death. Tha
was what first aroused our suspicious
Now, Captain Warren, do you under
stand"
Captain Elisha did not understand
that was evident.
"A motel" he repeated Bile put
his note in the safe? A note promisin
to pay all he'd stole. And left it there
where it could be found? Why, that's
pretty nigh unbelievable. Mr.. SYlYes