The Holbrook news., 1922-09-08

holes was In 1t. And the driver has confessed that he and a carpenter, whose name he had given, changed the partition for Durand."
 Whitford gave subdued whoop. We win. That lets you out, Claren- don. The question now isn't whether you or Clay will go to the penitentiary, but whether Durand will. We can show he's been trying to stand in the way of justice. that he's been cooking up false evidence"
 Let's hurry! Let's get to the police right away!" the girl cried, her eyes shining with excitement. "We ought not to lose minute. We can get Clay out In time to go home to dinner with us."
 Bromfield smiled wanly. He came to time as gallantly as .he could. "All right. I'm elected to take his place, l see."
 "Only for day or two, Clarendon" said the older man. AS soon as we can get together coroner's jury we'll straighten everything out"
 "Yes," agreed the clubman lifelessly.
 It was running through his mind al- ready that If he should be freed of the murder charge, he would only have escaped Scylla to go to wreck on Cha rybdis. For 1t was twenty-tO-one bet that Jerry would go to WhitfOrd with the story of his attempt to hire the gang leader to smirch Lindsay's repu. tation.
 It must be admitted that when BrOm- field made up his mind to clear Lindsay he did It thoroughly. His confession to the police was quiet and business like. He admitted responsibility for the presence of the westerner at the Omnium club. He explained that his guest had neither gambled nor taken any liquors, that he had come only as a spectator out of curiosity. The story of the killing was told by him simply and clearly. After he had struck down the gunman, he had done bolt down. stairs and got away by back alley. His instinct had been to escape from the raid and from the consequences O. what he had done, but of course he could not let anybody else suffer in his place. So he had come to give him. self up.
 The late afternoon papers carried the story that Clarendon Bromfield, well-known man about town, had con fessed to having killed "Slim" Collins and had completely exonerated Lind say. It was expected that the latter would be released immediately. He was. That evening he dined at the home of the Whitfords. The mine owner had wanted to go on the bond of Bromfield, but his offer had been rejected.
 "We'll hear what the coroner's jury has to say" the man behind the desk at headquarters had decided. "It'1l not hurt him to rest a day or two in the cooler"
 After dinner the committee of de- fense met in the Red room and dis cussed ways and means. Johnnie and his bride were present because 1t would have been cruel to exclude them, but for the most part they were silent members Tim Muldotn arrived with Annie Millikan, both Df them some what awed by the atm oSphere of the big house adjoining the Drive. Each of them brought a piece of informa- tion valuable to the cause. The man in charge of the blotter at the station had told Tim that from q dip called Fog Coney, one of those ar rested in the gambling-house raid, an automatic gun with two chambers dis charged had been taken and turned in by those who searched him. It had re- quired some maneuvering for Tim to get permission to see Fog alone, but he had used his influence on the force and managed this.
 Fox was sly dog. He wanted to make sure on which side his bread was buttered before he became communi- to tell exactly nothing. He had al- ready been seen by Durand, and te had very pronounced respect for that parsonage. It was not until he bad become convinced that Jerry's star was on the wane that he had "come through" with what Muldoon wanted Then he admitted that he had picked the automatic up from the floor where Collins had dropped it when he fell. His story further corrobOrated that of the defense. He had seen "Slim" fire twice before he was struck by the chair.
 Clay summed up in a sentence the af h, collected. Its not any longer a ques- tion of whether Bromfield goes to pris- on, but of Durand. The fellow has sure overplayed his hand"
 Before twelve hours more had passed Durand discovered this him. self. He had been too careless, too sure that he was outside of and be- yond the law. At first he had laughed contemptuously at the advice of his henchmen to get to cover before it was too late.
 "They can't touch me-" he bragged. "They daren't."
 But It came to him with sickening realization that the district attorney meant business. He was going after him just as though he were an ordinary crook.
 Jerry began to use his pull" There reached him presently that same sink ing at the pit of the stomach he had known when Clay had thrashed him. He learned that when a lawbreaker