The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-06-29
CONTINUED from Last issue)

BrOmfeld smiled Wanly. he came TO
time as calamity as he could. "All
right. I'm elected to take his place, I
see"
"Only for a day or two, Clarendon"
said the older man. LAS 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 it was twenty-to-one bet
that Jerry would 60 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 Of
whit 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 60 on the bond
of Bromfleld, 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'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 N1illikan, both Of them some
what awed by the atmosphere Of the
big house adjoining the Drive. Each
of them brought n piece Of infOrma-
ton valuable to the cause.
The man in charge of the blotter Mt
the station had told Tim that from
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. 1t had re-
ouired 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 commune
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 what 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 "Slim" fire
twice before he was struck by the
chair.
Clay summed up in sentence the
result Of all the evidence they had
collected. Its not any longer a ques-
ton of whether Bromtield goes to prs-
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.
You'd the law. At first he had laughed
contemptuously at the advice Of his
henchmen to get to cover before 1t
was too late.
"They can't touch me-" he Dragged.
''They daren't."
But 1t 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 lawbreaker
is going strong, friends at court who
are under obligations to him are a
bulwark of strength, but when ones
mower is shaken politicians prefer to
take no risks. No news spreads more
rapidly than that Of the impending
fall Of "a chieftain. The word was
passing among the wise that Jerry
nurSnd was 70 he throWn overheard.