Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-04-29

that part of the country, and the en-
tire state Is taking sides In the mat
ter.
Naturally we do not wish to send
troops to Versailles unless 1t Is alb
solutely necessary. 1t would only
lead to additional bloodshed and dis
order. What we need Is someone
who has the nerve to go out there,
investigate the case from every pos
sible angle and make report as to
the persons responsible for the lynch
ings. That's why I sent for YOU"
The man on the other side of the
desk smiled and tapped thoughtfully
with the foreinger Of hand which
indicated strength and determination
of character.
"Of course" continued the secre-
tary, IT must warn you that the case
Is one that Is apt to prove dangerous.
More so, In fact, than anything you
have ever attempted. Compared to
it, the roundup of a gang of moon
sinners Is child's play--for here you
will have to work entirely In the dark,
one man against practically an entire
state. A single slip would mean your
death, and would force the govern
ment TO take steps which might lead
to protracied bioodshed.'
SIN which case" replied the other,
at would be well for me to get out
to Versailles as soon as I can. The
longer we wait the less chance there
Is of success. Don't make any at
tempt to hear from me or to locate me
for at ieast a morsth. II. at the end
of that time. you haven't received
some kind OF q report, Won will know
that they've got me. But, somehow,
rye got bunch that they won't
II was two days later that the train
which stepped at Versailles. Ind,
halted just long enough to permit q
single passenger 10 allght--a man
who was short and rather plump and
with a ruddy complexion. man who
registered Mt the local hotel as James
M. Beck" and who allowed 1t to be-
come known that ne was an insur
ance agent. representing one OF the
best-known companies in the country.
But Versailles, ns Beck soon discov.
cred, was poor field for life insur-
ance at that time. There was only
one topic Of conversation In which
the natives were interested; the lynch
ing of the five prisoners who had
been taken from jail and murdered by
mn Infatuated mob. This. coupled with
open threats Of defiance against the
governors edict frat the guilty men
must be punished. kept the town In
continual state Of slmmering. seethlng
unrest--punctuated by frequent state
merits that any state nr government
official who tried to find ont the names
OF the men implicated In the lynchlng
would be shot on sight.
Beck. apparently. wasn't In the least
interested in the local turmoil. He
had been sent TO Versailles to sell In
surance, and he was determined to
sell 1t, no matter how many people
he had to interview. The fact that
he was stranger led, Of course, to
immediate suspicion OF his motives,
and some two weeks passed before he
was able to allay this.
About the end of the third week
matters were brought to head by
reason of wire which Beck sent to
New York, dispatch which was in
code and which caused the operator
to spread the report that the "life
insurance agent" was detective In
disguise. Getting wind Of this and
realizing that he must take some rad
icaI step to offset suspicion, Beck APP
preached the man who appeared to be
the leader Of the trouble-faction. The
agent explained to him that he was
getting tired Of the quarters at the
hotel, and wondered II 1t would be
possible to secure lodgings In some
private house where he would be q
little more comfortable.
Certainly" said the native. Il
reckon we can put you up all right
And he smiled at the thought Of this
man whom he suspected placing him.
self entirely in his power. That. how.
ever, was precisely what Beck wished.
and It only took n couple Of days Of
clever acting to convince the local
leader that he was only what he ap.
ceared to be--a slow, plodding and
conscientious insurance agent. II was
I'm the house of the most dangerous
citizen OF Versailles, under the very
eyes of his associates, that the stran-
ger secured the information he wanted
and put II together, piece by piece,
until he had the entire story.
II was precisely a month to the day
after the conversation In the Office OF
the secretary Of the treasury, when
that Official received a wire from Chi
cago stating that ''all facts about YER
sailles lynching now In hand. Com
plete list of men implicated follows
by mail"
The name signed to the wire was
civilian ]. Burns, chief Of the United
States secret service"