Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1919-05-29
A
Camera Click
BY JESSIE ETHEL SHERwIN
Copyright. 1919. by Western Newspaper Union

one-story steel ladder. Immediately.
two flights higher up a policeman APP
peared. The lowermost man, suggest
ing refugee, had reganed his feet
and continued a rapid descent. The
officer fred Once twice, thrice the
short, snappy shots rang out. The flu
gitlve staggered, but managed to de-
scend to where the ladder ended.
A woman in the staring street crowd
screamed. Others turned pale, some
only excited A man stuck his head
out of the open window of an office
tight beside the fugitive, stared blank
iy and for moment his startled face
was In full view
He's hitw cried some one, as the
man swung TO the last ladder rung and
dropped TO the sidewalk.
why, it's only movie y announced
a second voice and pointed to where,
at a window in an opposite structure,
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-
ually and drew back into his office. He
was not a preposSessing looking indi-
vidual as to features. His face showed
shrewdness and was hardened and re-
pulsive. Across one cheek, noticeable
even at n distance, was a splotch, or
scar The reminder of a wound or
a birthmark, ii 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 little town three hundred miles
away man was waiting to see that
picture, part Of the chronicle of a
criminals life He did not know that
ne was waiting, he never anticipated
such a presentation, but fate. circum-
stance were destined to bring about q
situation which was to mend q broken
life and furnish 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 10 we'd a beau
tiful young girl. The cashier of n
bank at Alton, he had one day been
left In charge by irs president, who
was to be absent fol two days visiting
n branch institution "a "a distance. 1t
was less than an hour a,te the depar
ture of that Official when a man en-
tered the bank whom brill had never
seen before.
"Mr. Warden about?n he inquired
airily and with an ca,y air of familiar
ity as if to indicate hat he was &C
quainted with the president of the in
stituton. Brill explained the absence
of his chief, The visitor looked vexed.
lie stood chewing the end of an I'M
lighted cigar, rejecting.
"Too badl" he observed, after
pause. Il could wait til later in the
day, but not until tomorrow. / 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 10 hold them, as | expected their
sale My client has changed his mind,
and | have a new prospect. Just get
them for me, will you? And figure out
the regular one-eighth Of a 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
the transaction, but had not been at
hand when the deposit had been made.
He went to the vault and found the
sealed package in question bearing a
card which held a signature. Brill
made out a receipt which the man
signed. The young cashier compared
IT 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
nj 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-
sponslble 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 MN
and they planned to marry when Brili
had saved up little surplus and 90 10
some remote district where the bond
incident would not follow him. one
evening Brill entered a motion-picture
nIayhouse. The film under exhibition
DENOTED the career Of a noted Grim
inal II showed his escape down the
FIRE escape Of a great city building II
showed. too, a face at window o
Scared face that Brill instantly recog'
nized. He could scarcely suppress
great shout as he hurriedly left me
show. filed with the most uncontroila
BILE excitement
Within one week Robert Brill had 70