The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1921-07-01
CHAPTER XIII
What the Pilot Engine Found

For a time after the suicide or the
k-dispatcher the wreck epidemic
paused. Acting upon Mr.. Norcross'
suggestion, Mr.. Van Britt called his
trainmen in, crew at a time, and
gave them the straight tip; and after
that the hoodoo died natural death,
and a good many pairs of eyes all
along the Short Line were keeping
sharp lookout for the trouble-makers.
In the meantime, Tarbell, still dig
ging faithfully, managed to turn up
few facts that were worth some
thing. In the Petrolite case he found
q lone prospector living in a shack
high up on the farther side of the
canyon who told him that late in the
evening of the day preceding the
wreck he had seen two men climbing
the slope from which the boulder had
been dislodged, and that one of them
+. was carrying a pick. Also, further in
vestigation seemed to prove that the
rail which the blow of the rock was
supposed to have knocked loose had
been previously weakened, either by
drawing some Of the spikes, or by
unscrewing the nuts on the bolts at
the joints.
In another field, and this time under
Ripley's Instructions, our ex-cow-
punch had been able to set and bait
a trap. By diligent search he had
found the man Murphy, the Clanahan
henchman, who, under pressure, had
given away the Timber Mountain plot
which had climaxed in the kidnapping
of the boss. This man had been de-
liberately shot in a bar-room brawl
and left for dead. But he had crawled
away and had got out of town to live
and recover at distant cattle ranch
in the Limberton hills.
When Tarbell discovered him he had
cut out the booze, had grown beard,
and was thirsting for vengeance. Tar
bell brought him back to Portal City,
and presently there began to be de-
yelopments. Murphy knew all the
rones. In little time, Ripley. with
Wafbelrs help, was loaded for bear.
One chilly October afternoon the law
yer came down to our office to tell
Mr.. Norcross that the game was cor
nered.
"All you have to do now is to give
the word" was the way Ripley wound
up. 'You refused to do it on former
occasion, because we couldn't get the
men higher up This time we can
nail Clanahan, and good few of the
political gangsters and bosses In the
other towns along the line. What do
you say?"
The boss looked up with the little
horseshoe frown wrinkling between
his eyes.
"Can we get Hatch and HenckelT
mo; not yet"
"very we'll; then you may lock those
papers up in your safe and We'll wait
When you can see your way clear to
criminal trial. with Rufus Hatch
and Gustave Henckel in the prisoners
dock, we'll start the legal machinery:
but not before"
BY now we were right on the eve
of the state election. AS far as any
A. .DOUy COulu see, llic TtlilOlu iiuu say Gu
free and clear of the political fight.
The boss had kept his promise to main
tain neutrality and was still keep
ing it.
At the appointed time the big day
dawned, and the political wind-up held
the center of the stage. So far as we
were concerned, 1t passed off very quiet
ly. Along in the afternoon the newspa-
per offices began to put out bulletins,
and by evening the result was no long
er doubtful. For the first time in years
the power of the political machine
had been smashed decisively at the
polls. and on the following morning
the Mountaineer announced the cleo
tion of Governor Burrell, with safe
working majority in both houses of
the legislature for the Independents
1t was on the third day after the