The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-11-10


said the older man.. "As soon as we
can get together coroner's jury we'll
straighten everything cut"
Eyes" agreed the clubman lifelessly
1t was running through his mind al.
ready that IL 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 Whltford with
the story OF his attempt to hire the
gang leader to smlrch Lindsay's rep1-
tation.
1t must be admitted that when Brom
field made up his mind to clear Lindsay
he did II 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
q 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 n bolt down.
stairs and got away by back alley.
His instinct had been TO escape from
the raid and from the consequences of
what he Ind 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 Bromfeld,
well-known man about town, had con
fessed to having killed slim" Collins
and had completely exonerated Lind
say. 1t was expected that the latter
would be released Immediately.
He was. That evening he dined at
the home of the Whltfords. The mine
owner had wanted to 90 on the bond
Of Bromfeld, but his offer had been
rejected.
sven hear what the cotoner's jury
has to say" the man behind the desk
at headquarters had decided. It'll
not hurt him to rest day or two in
the cooler"
After dinner the committee of de-
Tense 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 Muldoon arrived with
Annie Milikan, both Of them some
what awed by the atmosphere of the
big house adjoining the Drive. Each
Of them brought piece of informa-
ton 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 gambiing-house raid, an
automatic gun with two chambers dis
charged had been taken and turned in
| by those who searched him. 1t 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 a sly dog He wanted to
| make sure on which side his bread was
| buttered before he became communi-
| cative. At first he had been willing
TO tell exactly nothing. He had al
ready been seen by Durand, and he
had very pronounced respect for that
| parsonage. 1t was not until he had
| become convinced that Jerry's star was
| on the wane that he had "come
through" with wha: Muldoon wanted.
| Then he admitted that he had picked
the automatic up from the floor where
Collins had dropped 1t when he fell.
His story further corroborated that Of
the defense. He had seen "Sllm' fire
twice before he was struck by the
chair.
Clay summed up In sentence the
result of all The evidence they had
collected. ATS not any longer a ques-
ton of whether BrOmfeld goes to pris-
on, but Of Durand. The fellow has
sure overplayed his hand"
| Before twelve hours more had
| passed Durand discovered this Nm-
self. He had been too careless, too
sure that he was outside of and be-
| You'd the law. At first he had laughed
CONTEMPORARY ut the advice of his
hcnchmen TO get to cover before II
was too late.
"They can't touch me-" he Dragged
"'rhey daren't.",
But it came to him with sickenng
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
is going strong, friends mt court who
are under obligations to him are a
bulwark of strength, but when ones
power Is shaken politicians prefer to
take no risks. No news spreads more
rapidly than that Of the impending
fail of a chieftain. The word was
passing among the wise that jerry
Durand was to he thrown overheard.
Durand tried to make an appoint
mcnt with Whitford. That gentleman
| declined to see him. Jerry persisted.
He offered to meet him at one Of his
clubs. He teleploned to the house,
but could not get any result more sat