The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-02-17
The Wreckers
Francis Lynde
CONTINUED From Yesterday,
tospyv<shs. 1889. By charse. scrts-
uerss esn.l

the check over 20 the boss desk
Now shell out that receipt. 80 that
III have II 20 show II anybody wants
TO know how much you've gougcd
me. Since you're making the 40
eommodation cost me a dollar min.
ute. how long have got 10 waitg"
Tho chiefs answer was a puSh at
Fred Mays call button. and when
Frederic OF Plttshurg camo In.
Have Mr.. Perkins order out my
private car for Mr.. Van Britt. with
the Elght.fifteen and Chandler. engi-
neer. Toll MIR. Perkins TO give
Chandler and his conductor orders to
run as Mr.. Van Britt may direct. CIV.
INK tho special right OF way over cv-
erthing except first-class trains In the
opposite direction" Then to Van
Britt: "wtll that dor
Admirably; only I'm waiting for
that receipt"
Mr.. NorcroSs said something that
sounded like damn" scrubbed n
memorandum Of the thousand dollar
payment on a sheet OF scratch. pad
and handed IL over. saying: THE
order for the car includes my cook
and porter. and something 20 eat.
we'll throw these In with the trans.
portation. and n the car Ia ditched
and you sue for damages. wen file
a cross-bill for hotel accommoda ions.
Now so away and work of your lit.
tie attack OF lunaey. I'm busy"
We had an easier day In the office
than | had dared hope for. whatever
the boss thought about IL. tho IL was
an exceedingly busy ono. With the
strike news In the papers. 10 seemed
as II everybody in town wanted 10 In,
terview the general manager OF the
railroad. and 10 ask him what no was
going to do about Il.
Following his hard.and. fast ruie
Mr.. Aorcrosz didn't deny himself 10
anybody. Patiently he told each
fresh batch of callers that the rail.
road company had nothing whatever
TO do with the change In ownership
Of G. 5. a W.: that the railroads at.
utude WAS unal;ered. and that. so far
as j, could be done legally. tho Pho
neer short Lane would stand firmly
between It's patrons and any extor.
ton which might grow out OF the
new conditions.
The Z. ). a w. strtke--as our wire.
told us-weni into effect promptly on
tho stroke OF noon. and a train from
the West. arriving late In the after.
noon. brough, Ripley. For the first
time that day. Mr.. Norcros. told me
TO snap the catch on the Office door
for privacy and then he told Ripley
TO talk. Our neat little general coun
sci was fresh from the actual fight.
ing line. and his news amply confirm.
ed the wire reports which had been
trickilng IN.
The conditions al along the line
arc almost revolutionary. was Rip
ley's suurning.up Of tn. situation.
Generally speaking. the public In
not holding Us responsible as yet,
tho OF course there are croakcrs who
are saying that :, IL entirely a rail.
road move. and predicting that wr
won't do any thing TO interfere with
the new graft
"Cantrsli says that public senti
meut IL ai;owethcr on the side OF the
c. s. q w. strikers.- the boss put IN.
II IL: angriiy 80. There IN hot talk
OF a boycott TO be extended to every.
thing sold or handled By the Hatch
syndicate. hope there won't be any
effort made to introduce strikebr~ak.
erz In the present state OF affairs
that would mean arson and riotinr
and bloody murder. You can starve
dog withou, driving him mad. but
when you have once given him a
bone it's a dangerous thing to take
IL away from him.
II wired you because 7 wanted TO
consult you once more about those
ground leases. Ripley. DO you stu
think You can make them holdr"
IF Hatch breaks the conditions.
wen give him the fight OF his life. .
was the confident rejolnder.
But that win mean a long contest
in the courts Hatch win 1--WE bond
apd go on charging the people any.
thing he pleases. The supreme court
is fun year behind it, docket. and
the delay win inevitably multiply
your few 'croakers' by many thou.
sands. But that isn't the worst OF Il.
Hatch has n better hold on US than
the laws delay" And TO this third
member OF his staff Mr.. Norcross
told the story Of the political trap
into which CoIiingwood and the New
York stock.jobbers had betrayed the
railroad management
Ripley's comment was nth. IKE
Hornack's; less profane. perhaps, but
also less hopeful.
Good Lord-' he CALCULATED. $50
that is what Hatch has had up his
sleeve7 / don't know how you feel
about II, but / should say that IL is
all over but the shouting. II the
Dunton crowd had been deliberately
trying TO wreck the property. they
couldn't have Como about Il In any
surer way. They haven't left us so
much ms a gnawed rat-hols to crawl
cut Of"
THAT r. the way n looked 10 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 I have the
names OF the eleven men who were
bribed- Hatch was daring enough TO
give them 70 me. Holding the aft.
davits which they were foolish
enough TO give him. Hatch can make
them swear 10 anything he pleases.
But IL coudld get hold Of those pa
pers---
You'd destroy them. Of course, .
the lawyer put in
mo. hold on: let me finish. II I
had those affidavits I'd go TO these
men separately and make each one
tell me how much he had been paid
by Bullock for his vote"
"Well, what them"
'-Then ! should make every moth.
er's son Of them come across with the
full amount Of the bride. on pain OF
an exposure which the dirtiest poll