The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-07-21
CHAPTER XVll-Continued,

All right; if you will persist in
,iokins with NE it's going to cost you
something. How far do you want your
train to rum"
.Ob | don't know; anywhere the
onion prodS me-say to the west end
and hack, with as many stops as |
coo fit to make. and perhaps a run
over the branches"
saw the boss make a few figures
on a pad under his hand.
of would cost anybody else, rough
~ something like five hundred dol
lars On account Of your little joke
rs going to cost you cold thou
sand"
Mr., Van Britt took out his check
hook and fountain pen and solemn
" made out the check.
"Here you are" he said. Tipping the
check over to the boss desk. Nov
she'll out that receipt, so that I'll have
Il TO show if anybody wants to know
| how much you've gOuged me. Since
ou're making the accommodation cost
me a dollar minute, how long have
I got to waltz
Mr.. Norcross said something that
sonnded like "d--n." scribbled men,
orandum of the thousand-dollar pay
mept on a sheet Of the scratch-pad
and handed it over, saying: "The or
i der for the car includes my cook and
porter, and something to eat; we'll
throw these in with the transporta.
e tiOn, and if the car is ditched and
Il YOU sue for damages, we'll file cross
q MN for hotel accommodations. Now
70 away and work off your little at
4 tack of lunacy. I'm busy
The C. 5. K W. strike-as our wires
told us-went into effect promptly on
the stroke of noon, and a train from
1 the west, arriving late in the after
noon. brought Ripley.
"The conditions all along the line
are almost revolutionary was Rip
B ley's summing-up of the situation.
Generally speaking, the public is not
holding us responsible as yet, though
Of course there are croakers who are
saying that it is entirely railroad
move, and predicting that we won't
do anything to interfere with the new
graft
"Cantrell says the public sentiment
d altogether on the side of the c. 5.
L W. strikers" the boss put in.
ut is; angrily so. There Is hot
talk of boycott to be extended to
everything sold or handled by the
Hatch syndicate. l hope there won't
be any effort made to Introduce strike
breakers. In the present state Of az
fairs that would NEAR arson and riot
lug and bloody murder"
II wired you because wanted to
consult you once more about those
ground leases, Ripley. Do you SILL
think you can made them hold?"
III Hatch breaks the conditions
I we'll give him the fight Of his life"
was the confident rejOinder.
but that will mean long contest
In the courts. The Supreme court IS a
full year behind It's docket, and the
delay will inevitably multiply your
few croakers' by many thousands
But That isn't the worst Of IT. hatca
has a better hold on us than the laws
delay" And to this thAd member OF
bis staff Mr. Norcross told the story
Of the political trap into which Col
haywood and the New York stock
jobbers had betrayed the railroad man.
agement.
Ripley comment was a little like
Hcrnack's; less profane, perhaps, but
also less hopeful.
"Good Lord" he CALCULATED. $50
that Is what Hatch has had up his
sleeve? / don't know how you feel
s about IT, but | should say that 1t IS
all over but the shouting. If the Dun
ton crowd had been deliberately try
Ing to wreck the property, they couldn't
have gone about it in any surer way"
'That ~ the way 1t looked to me,
Ripley. at first; but I've had chance
to sleep on it--as you haven't. The
| gun that can't be spiked in some way
has never yet been built. l have the
names Of the eleven men who were
bribed. Hatch was daring enough to
give them to me. Holding the aftl'
davlts which they were foolish enough
to give him, Hatch can make them
swear to anything he pleases. But II
] could get those affidayits I'd 90 to
these men separately and make each
one tell me how much he had been
paid by Bullock for his VOTE
We'll, what them"
"Then l should make every mothers
500 Of them come across with the full
amount Of the bribe, on pain Of an
exposure which the dirtiest politician
IN this state couldn't afford to face.
That would settle it. Hatch couldn't
work the same game second time"
We were closing our desks to 60 to
dinner when Fred May came in to say
that a delegation Of the payroll men
was outside and wanting to have q
word with the big Boss" Mr.. Nor
cross stopped with his desk curtain
half drawn down.
what is ii, Fred?" he asked.
u don't know" said the Pitts
burgher. Il should call 1t a grievance
committee, If it wasn't so big. And
they don't seem to be mad about any