Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-05-23
The Blind Mans Eyes

and prosperous properties in America.
Before his gaining control, the prop
| critics had been almost ruined by diff
ferences between the minor men who
tried to run them; only the calling of
Matthew Latron into control saved
those men from themselves; they re-
CURED him to govern them; his TAX
a, ing away would bring chaos and ruin
among them again. They knew that
just before he must go to trial, La
| tron himself became convinced that
he faced confinement for the rest of
his life; then fate effectively inter-
| vened to end all his troubles His
| BODY, charred and almost consumed
by fiames-but nevertheless the iden-
tilted body Of Matthew Latron-was
found in the smoking ruins of his
| shooting lodge, which burned to the
| ground two days before his trial"
Avery was hunched in the seat
watching the blind man with grow
ing conviction and fear.
Santoine went on: "a young man
was shown to have followed Latron
| to the shooting lodge; a witness APP
| peared who had seen this young man
| shoot Latron; second witness had
seen him set fire to the lodge. The
young man-Hugh Overton-was put
| on trial for his life. 1, myself, as
witness at the trial supplied the mo-
tive for the crime; for, though l had
never met Overton, l knew that he
| had lost the whole of q large fortune
through investments recommended to
him by Latron Overton was con-
victed, sentenced to death; he escaped
before the sentence was carried out
| became a fugitive without a name,
who If he ever appeared would be
handed over for execution. For the
| evidence had been perfect-complete ;
he had shot Latron purely for re-
venge, killed him in the most des-
| picable manner. For there was no
| doubt Latron was dead, was there,
| Avery?"
"None," Avery said huskily.
"That was the time you came into
my employ, Avery, recommended to
| me by one of the men who had been
closest to Latron. l was not connect
| ed with the Latron properties except
as an adviser; but many papers re-
| lating to them must go inevitably
| through my hands. / was rather on
| the inside in all that concerned those
| properties. But l could not myself
| see the papers; was blind; therefore
l had to have others serve as eyes for
me. And from the first, Avery, you
| served as my eyes in connection with
| all papers relating to the Latron
properties. If anything ever appeared
| In those papers which might have led
| me to suspect that any injustice had
| been done in the punishment of La
| irons murderer, it could reach me
only through you. Nothing of that
sort ever did reach me, Avery. You
must have made quite a good thing
| out Of it."
"What?"
II say, your position here must
| have been rather profitable to you,
Avery; I have not treated you badly
myself, recognizing that you must
often be tempted by gaining informa-
ton here from which you might make
money; and your other employers
must have overbid me-
81 don't understand; l beg your par
don, Mr.. Santoine, but I do not follow
what you are talking about"
mo? Then we must go a little fur
Their. This last year a minor reor-
| ganization became necessary in some
of the Latron properties. My friend,
Gabriel Warden-who was an honest
man, Avery-had recently greatly in
creased his interest in those proper
ties; it was inevitable the reorganiza-
ton should be largely in his hands.
During his work with the Latron prop
critics, Warden-the honest man,
Avery-discovered tho terrible injus-
tice of which l speak.
II do not need to draw your atten-
ton, Avery. to the very peculiar con-
dition which followed Wardens death.
Warden had certainly had communion
ton with Overton of some sort; Over
tons enemies, therefore, were unable
to rid themselves of him by delivering
him up to the police because they did
not know how much Overton knew.
When 1 found that Warden had made
me his executor and went west and
took charge Of his affairs their diff
culties were intensified, for they did
not dare to let suspicion of what had
been done reach me- There was no
course open to them, therefore, but to
remove Overton before my suspicious
were aroused, even if it could be done
only at desperate risk to themselves.
''What 1 am leading up to, Avery, is
your own connection with these
events. You looked after your own
interests rather carefully, think, up
to a certain point. When-knowing
who Eaton waS-you got him into a
polo game, 1t was so that, If your in
terests were best served by exposing
him, you could do so without reveal
ing the real source Of your knowledge
of him. But an unforeseen event
arose. The drafts and lists relating