The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-03
The Wine SWindlerS

ioSStsS q +IASF',eNa" - i'm eNo I'm
aandlnB general ASKING you 70 come
| Ii Goesh mean tfdt you are 10 eSII
On MN WReh you set 5"ou ana fGduN'
but that you are 10 dfop every INNS
else ana hustie INTO the august Pfes-
en,e. 30 huslIed' fiji 49,
AItcr close dSSoGlauoh with the
gene an LeI sever al mon I"s' vi
aefstooa niin YER Well. coula al
most InNartdpiN Ten JUST mat HlOGu
the Ola man was IN py Ihe way ne
an" efed my h'och; .,----- ,.,,-.---
nus ViH.e l ueatu d SHARP eo me
ia ana at once knew something
was WronE' nut dldht Tor moment
connect IL %lth me vine rui3oIS.
inc provost hlaiShdi is the Sit
mana "t the comma hdlng general IN
t4e en- 0FeeiaeH oil or0erS ana dls-
. pine, nut on lhe Qlher Haho' ne Is
me goat Wleh lhlngS go wrong
win me oIa NAN, Mhatever nap
mems Us aiWaE '9ehu LOT the pro-
Nosl ma stld4.
IouHa the general surrounded by
some OIL our Wttiare workers.
sure eheusn' me general was an
AI'set "Ne, SUN 1iihE II VAS quite
eYiaent that ms visitors mad heen
SiNihS me Olu Nan d Trying halt
HetH ana ne was just LOOKING lor
some one TO take II Gut on-and
~" "a otSe htole was aeieGue,'
-NN' s7+''Ni - N'tNA ~ iiAAiii'i
Tor Knew mat pehlnd all ms gruii
ness ana l<lster ne was klndly
man ana that' even whlle Gaining me
down loF erect ne TOOK Tor
Granted that would Know ne ana
not mean quite an ne sad.
MAJOR he deinanqea. what is all
nus near ap0ut ttordCh buying
thousands OF gallons OF vine You
Know very Wei we do not issue VINE
10 our soldlers! ny DO You allow
saeh rnmors 10 circulate And as
ne was wont 70 &C Wheh ne was eN-
elled, the oId Man pu ed out nus
cheeks, and swelled UP his chest so
far that was afraid he would burst,
GenefaI' repdled, am work
ing on or, the case now, and $ soon as
Possiple VIII report TO you the re
suits of my Investigations
Pounding the desk, the general
said: Il do not want reports, I want
action. And it's up to you to get ac-
ton -- quick and the "Old
Man" looked out of the corner of
his eye ut the feminines present to
see if they observed how he could
"sqHelch" the provost marshal.
Although I realized that he was
not in reasonable frame of mind.
l felt that he had gone a bit toe far
in blaming me for all those idle ru-
mors. | did not start them, and the
Lord knows that I could no more stop
them than could the old woman stop
the tide with her broom and | wanted
to answer back, but ] had been in the
army long enough To know that
might get courtmartialed for insub-
ordination If l did, so l merely re
pcatcd that | had started an inVesti-
cation to determine who was re
sponsible for starting this rumor
The first thing l want You 10 do"
said the general, lis to place Captain
Gordon under arrest"
Here, again, if the general was
merely talking for effeCt-that was
one thing. But If, by chance, he had
allowed his temper to master his
Judgment and to please these reform
ers was actually ordering the arrest
of this efficient officer-that was
something else again.
q have already heard Captain Cor
don's story and ] am absolutely CON
WINGED that he is innocent. Right
now he is in my office ami we were
planning to find out the truth about
this rumar when Vol tnt for me.
Captain Gordon has asked be to help
him run il down. Before taking any
further action, 1 would suggest that
be permitted to interview the
shipped the wine-I have already
sent for him"
Get busy again snapped the gen.
eral. u am not interested in your
IhtefNleNS- yet the guilty man and
bring him here at once"
II was much easier for the gen
eral to give the order than 1t was for
me to execute IT, But ] considered
the "Old Man had troubles of his
own Saluung, l left the office.
The chauffeur had carried out his
mission. | found both my friend,
LaBlanc and Levy In the waiting
room and Gordon still in the pri-
Nate Cffiee. Now, l thought, 81
VIII soon settle this. 7 will confront
Levy with Gordon, and If Gordon is
the one who placed the order, | will
know it,"