Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-19
= -.,.iobt. 1920. Fred A. Kmopt.
4 Copyr'O,no;;O bD tho Public Ledger Co.
s0..n nf GRAY Paper

OuSv onc TO press. There was nothing
then ~, sU recently promoted to a sub.
for n'in; h;r 10 do after he had. passed
edl'Oron'r, ,',n,n for which he was respon-
tne ,' rs matter Of fact he could NAV nave 9
siblc' hn,ne uS before the machines pegan
gon.c, rIItter rIatter. But he generally huns ns
thelr. riding, until 2 O'CLOCK came; ma, on
about, ..,,casion, the morning OF the @.d OIL
this Vir01o. he stopped longer than
June chatting with Hacket, VINO nad
usuu,, usas Of the foreign. news, ana VINO
,aa1 rnasS' telling him about Leiegran' sn,
hegSbb heg;ab had just come through iron.
ra1zo, wnlrn What Hacket had to tell was
plaedIruastiug: Spargo fingered TO near an
la,e,tDit llant Il, and to discuss 1t. Aitoge.net
aOou, a vas " we'll beyond 2;3O when ne Went . !.
u w. "nf nf the Office, uncoonsclously pumhs
ous uroy from him as, he reacneu Iae
aMSs aahMrSessbold the last breath OF tne AZ az
,nbb ,annsnbere in which he had spent ms
iul;dp;rht, In Fleet street the ar was
i.iSb f.n,b almost to sweetness, and the hrst
nsSp L1ar of the coming dawn was breaking n.
tHinitly around the high silence Oh 0''
Paul's :, p,oor,sh,rv q, tho
rOst side of Russell square. Every nlght
.rd every morning he walked to and
s.Om sr% tbe Watchman office by the same
r,Ut oUytte-Southampton Row, kingsway,
,bs Strand, Fleet street. He came TO
trov several faces, especially among
,bs suoT police; he formed the habit of ex-
hanging greetings with various officers
rbom he encountered at regular points
os he went slowly homeward, smoking
his pipe. And on this morning, as he
drew I near to Middle Temple lane, he
saw policeman whom he knew, one
nriscoll, standing at the entrance, look
inc about him. Further away another
policeman appeared, sauntering. Dris-
rcll raised an arm and signaled; then,
iurning, he saw Spargo. He moved n
step or two toward him. Spargo saw
news in his face.
What is it?" asked Spargo.
Driscol jerked thumb over his
shoulder, toward the partly open door
Of the lane. Within, Spargo saw a
man hastily donning a waistcoat aud
Jacket.
"He says" answered Driscoll. "him,
there--thc porter-that there's a man
lying in one of them entries down the
lane, and he thinks he's dead. Like
wise, he thinks he's murdered"
Spargo echoed the word.
But what makes him think that?''
he asked, peeping with curiosity beyond
Driscolls burly form. WHY"
"He says there's blood about him, "
answered Driscoll. He turned and
glanced at the onconing constable, and
then turned again to Spargo. "Y You're
newspaper man, sir?" he suggested,
Il am" replied Spargo.
You'd better walk down with us"
said Driscoll, with a grin. "There II
be something to write pieces in the
naper about. At least, there may be, -
Spargo made no answer.
lie continued to look down the lane.
wondering what. secret it held, until
the other policeman came up. AT the
same moment the porter, now fully
clothed, came out.
show YOU"
Driscoll mUrmurcd word or two
to the newly arrived constable. and
then turned to the porter.
How came you to find him, then %
he asked.
The porter jerked his head at the
door which they were leaving.
Il heard that door SIAM" he replied
lrrltably, as if the fact which he men
Toned caused him offense. II know I
cld' So got up to look around. Then
well, | saw that! -
lie raised hand, pointing down the
Ianr' The three men followed his out
stretched finger. And Spargo then saw
q mans foot, booted, gray socked, pro
lFudIng from an entry on the left hand
=, Sticking out there, just as you see
now, said the porter. 81 amt
touched it. And So"
lie paused and made grimace as il
a. the memory of some unpleasant thing.
Drlscoll nodded comprehendingly.
Il ana SO you went along and looked?"
nG suggested. Just so-iust to see
'kNno it belonged to, as it might be-"
l Just to see-what there was tc
See,' agreed the porter. "Theh / saw
mere was blood. And then-well,
made up the lane to tell one of YOU
chaps. " '0O
Best thing you could have done. -
sa,G "a, Driscoll. well, now then
me little procession came to n halt
Ut the entry. The entry was a cold
ana ana formal thing of itself; not a nice
,I"ce ,H TO lie dead in, having glazed white
.IlcS Tor its walls and concrete for its
noorlng something about its appear
alce IN that gray morning air suggested
~ opargo the idea of mortuary. And
,GI haI tfe man whose foot projected over
. .Ie step was dead he had no doubt
'"g lmpness of his pose certified to it.
r ror moment none ,of the four men
mn"oS movea or spoke. The two policemen
ttb%o!onSclously tbo!o stuck their thumbs in
Sn strr DeitS and made play with their
,h IhnSerS the porter rubbed his chin
ttnousAttully-Snargo remembered af-
tia iamaru the rasping sound of this ac-
noa aoI he himself put his hands in his
pUJAgC5 pUI ana began to Jingle his money
Gnu tbonl nlS Keys: Each man had his own
~ rItOIsnts as he contemplated the piece
him human wreckage which lay before
n, You'll notice" suddenly observed
1DVytScGII' speaking in a hushed voice,
IUu O,, IL notice that he's lying there in
SooHn Hueer w9y-same as if--as if he'd
og,i, gH put there. Sort of proppcd un
dSwn dnSr i;i mat wall, at first, and had slid
yif iHpargo was taking in all the details
i.ot im' a professional eye. He saw at his
foco ,r Iaae oody OF an elderly man; the
in r'g was was turned away from him, crushed
bo asalhst the glaze of the wall. but
of !auged wu the man to be elderly because
Il sotF S,aF nair and whitening whisker
sni," ~ clotped in good, well made
,Sc bo W. gray check loth-tweed-and
Imam ''o,S s. We're good; SO, too, was the
Ir sI,oro clt which projected from the
wos bois way hilng so Imply. One leg
TnPr t%a !, was stretched straight out across
tile wall. '' ''NnN WIS TWISTED 10
oyo;n,t Gret the white glaze of the tiles
%"rI "".I@t which it and the shoulder to-
,Tn.a dTr,a which it had sunk were crushed
Sp5 S1' were We're spots and stains of blood,
bftH priiscoil' Daissil' taking hand out of his
',; ..o pointed finger at them,
"soNS "ecNS TO me-" he said SLOWLY