The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-04-14
A
Camera Click
By JESSIE ETHEL SHERwIN

A gaping crowd stood transfixed as,
coming down the fire escape Of a city
skyscraper, a man fell the length of a
one-story steel ladder Immediately,
two flights higher up a policeman APP
peared. The lowermost man. suggest
ing a refugee, had regained his feet
and continued a rapid descent. The
officer fired. Once. twice, thrice the
short, snappy shots rang out. The flu
gitive staggered, but managed 10 de-
scend TO where the ladder ended.
A woman~in the staring street crowd
screamed. Others turned pale, some
only excited. man stuck his head
out of the open window of an Office
right beside the fugitive. stared blank
~ and for a moment his startled face
was In full view.
He's hit" cried some one, as the
man swung TO the last ladder rung and
dropped to the sidewalk.
why, it's only a movie - announced
a second voice and pointed to where,
ut a window In an opposite structure,
a motion-picture machine and Its OPP
orator were visible.
The man at the window, who must
have been plainly caught in the pic
ture, viewed the dispensing throng cas-
uaIly and drew back into his office. He
was not q preposSessing looking indi-
vidual as to features. His face showed
shrewdness and was hardened and re-
pulsive. Across one cheek, noticeable
even ut q distance, was a splotch, or
scar. The reminder Of a wound or
a birthmark, IL stood out, tale-telling
and prominent. He was dressed with
expensive ostentation and wore a great
diamond scarfpin, and he suggested
the typical broker whose ways are
"easy money" ways and whose methods
are sinuous and obscure.
In a little town three hundred miles
away q man was waiting TO see that
picture, a part OF the chronicle Of a
criminals life. He did not know that
he was waiting, he never anticipated
such a presentation, but fate, circum-
stance were destined to bring about a
situation which was TO mend a broken
life and furnish n clue, the prospect
of which he had long since abandoned.
He was Robert Brill and two years
previous he had been happy, prosper
Gus and getting ready to wed beau
| tiful young girl. The cashier OF
bank at Alton, he had one day been
left In charge by its president, who
was TO be absent for two days visiting
| branch institution at a distance. II
| was less than an hour after the depar-
ture Of that official when a man en-
| tered the bank whom Brill had never
| seen before.
"Mr. Warden about?" he inquired
| airily and with an easy air of familiar
| ity as IL to indicate that he was ac-
| quainted with the president of the in
stitution. Brill explained the absence
Of his chief. The visitor looked vexed.
| He stood chewing the end Of an I'M
lighted cigar, rejecting.
TOO bad" he observed, after a
| pause IT could wait till later in the
| day, but not until tomorrow. 1 have
| an important deal on and few days
| since / deposited some bonds on a
| trust receipt. There were fifty thou
sand dollars of them. Mr.. Warden
was TO hold them. as 1 expected their
sale. NY client has changed his mind,
and I have a new prospect. Just get
them for me, will you? And figure out
| the regular one-eighth of cent COM
mission for your trusteeship."
The speaker drew a receipt from HIS
| pocket signed by the banker and evil
| dencing the deposit he announced.
Brill had heard Mr.. Warden speak of
4 the transaction, but had not been at
hand when the deposit had been made.
4 He went TO the vault and found the
sealed package in question bearing a
card which held a signature. Brill
/ made out q receipt which the man
signed. The young cashier compared
| Il with the signature on the card. The
signatures were apparently identical.
He calculated the commission on the
transactions. This his visitor paid,
tossed Brill a cigar, placed the bonds
/ in his pocket, nodded pleasantly and
went away.
Two days later the man who had
originally deposited the bonds as iden-
tilted by the bank president, appeared
He professed the utmost amazement
at the fraud that had been practiced
on the institution. He had been robbed
of his pocketbook, which contained the
bank receipt, but the bank was re-
sponsible for having delivered the
bonds to the fOrger. 1t paid the large
amount involved and Brill was dis
charged. TO become a wanderer whom
no other bank would employ.
Esther Davies remained true to hin
and they planned to marry when Bril-
had saved up q little surplus and go e
some remote district where the bond
incident would not follow him. On'
evening Brill entered motion-pictur'
PLAYHOUSE. The film under exhibition
DENOTED the career of a noted Grim
inaI. II showed his escape down th'
fire escape OF great city building. j
showed, too. q face at a window, 1
Scared face that Brill instantly recog
Il c0nld scarcely