The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1921-04-22

y
1--WE Must Stand by Him and Defend
Him."
and thresh 1t out with Juneman, or
Bnloughby, or Mr.. Ripley. From these
private talks / found out that there
was still some doubt in the minds OF
all four Of them about the boss drop
out-as 60 whether it was voluntary
or not.
Also, / found out what had been
done during the four days We had
no company detective" at that time,
and Mr.. Eornack had borrowed Il man
named Grimmer from his old com
rauy, the Overland Central, wiring for
him and getting him on the ground
within twenty-four hours of the time
OF Mr.. Norcross' disappearance.
Grimmer had gone to work at once,
but everything he had turned up, so
far, favored the voluntary runaway
theory. Mr.. N0rcross' trunks were
slill in his rooms at the Billiard; but
his two grips were gone. And the
night clerk ut the hotel, when he was
pushed 10 1t, remembered That the
boss had paid his bill up to date that
night, before going up to his rooms
Past that, the trace was completely
lost. The conductor on the Fast Mail
eastbound, on the night in question
swore By all chat was good and great
tlat Mr.. Nocioss hadn't been q
passenger on his train. And he would
certainly have known it if he had been
carrying his general manager.
over in the other field there was
absolutely nothing to incrimmate the
Batch people. SO far from it, Hatch
had turned up Mt the railroad Office,
bright and early the morning after
Mr. Norcross had gone He had asked
for The boss. and failing to find him.
he had hunted up Mr.. Van Britt. What
he wanted, il seemed, was chance
to reopen the proposition that had
been made to him the day before
the offer Of the new Citizens Storage
& Warehouse company to purchase the
various Red Tower equipments and
plants.
MIR. Van Britt had referred him tn
MI Ripley, and to our lawyer Hatch
had made what purpurted to be an
open confession, admitting that he had
gone to Mr.. Norcross the night be
fore, determined TO fight the new com
pany TO 4 finish, and that there had
been good many things said that
would better he forgotten. Now, how
ever, he was willing to talk straight
business and a compromise He had
called his board Of directors together
ana they had voted to sell their track,
bordering plants to Citizens Storage
& Warehouse if price could be ami
cably agreed upon.
With Mr.. Norcross gone and a new
general manager coming, Mr.. Ripley
was afraid to make move, and Hatch
was pressing him to get busy on the
bargain and sale proposition; was ap-
parently as anxious now to sell ana
withdraw as. he had Mt first been to
hght everything in sight.
By the morning l came ON the scene
the man Grimmer had, as they say,
lust about done his do. He was only
Il sort of journeyman detective, and
had run out of clues When he came
in and talked to Mr.. Van Britt and
Mr.. Ripley, l could see that he fully
believed In the drop-out theory, and
even the lawyer aud Mr.. Van Britt
had to admit that the facts were With
him. The boss had written Il letter
saving definitely that he was Quitting:
he had paid his hotel bill, and his
grips were gone: and two days later
President Dunton had appointed a
new general manager, which was proof
positive, you'd say, that the boss had
resigned and had so notified the New
York Office.
When the noon hour came along.
Fred May took me out to luncheon
and we went to the Billiard cafe. II
was pretty rich for our blood at two
dollars per- but guess Fred thought
his job was gone, anyway, and felt
reckless Over the good things at on,
corner table we did n little rhreshius
on our own accountant got a lot
more chaif and no grain.
Fred didn't want TO agree wish
Grimmer and the facts, but there
,.dn't seem to be any help for it. And
Is for me- had other things in mind
all the time-the big scary fear that
somebody had got 10 the boss after