Gunnison news-champion., 1923-01-12


OF living completely as he vtshed-hs
but not famous. powerful but not pub
nciy known Al that time an event
bad occurred which had forced the
blind man out unwiliingiy from his
obscurity.
This event had been the murder OF
the great western hnancier. Matthew
Latron- There had beea nothing IN
this AFFAIR which had In any way
shsdowed dishonor upon Ssntoine. So
much as In his role of Q mind without
personality Sanfcine ever fought. he
had fought against Lafron: but his
Z fight had been not against the man
but ngains; methods There had come
then time Of uncertainty and un-
rest: public consciousness was in
2 the process of awakening to the
knoWledKe that ssrsnge things sp-
/ preaching close TO the likeness Of
what men call crime. had been being
done under the unassumIng name OF
{ business. ScADdsl-financial scandal
-hreaihed more strongly against La
7 tron than perhaps against any Of the
/ other western mep He had been
I among their biggest: he had his enc
niles. Of whom lmpersonally SantOIne
might have been counted one. and he
had his friends. both In high places:
I he was a world figure Then. all OF
sudden. the man had been struck
/ down-killed. because ~ some private
| quarrel. men whispered. by m obscure
and TIL then unheard-of man.
The trembling wires and cables.
which should have carried TO the wait
ing world the expected news of La
tron's conviction. carried instead the
news OF Iairon's death: and, disorder
followed. The FIRST public concern
had been. Of ceurse. for the stocks and
bonds Of the great Latron properties;
and TAtron's biEness had seemed only
further evidenced by the stanchness
with which the Latron banks. the La
tron railroads and mines and public
utilities stood nrm even against the
shock of their builders death. A.
sured Of this. public interest had shift.
ed TO the trial. conviction and sen.
tence Of Latrnn.s murderer: and Il
! was during this trial Mat SsntoIne's
nnme had become more publicly
known. Not that the blind man was
suspected Of any knowiedee-much
less Of any complicity-in the crime;
the murder had been because Of q
! purely private matter; but In the en-
| ger questioning into Latron's circum.
stances and surroundings previous to
the crime. Sanroine was summoned
into court as a witness.
The blind man, led into the court.
sitting sightless in the witness chair.
revealing himself by his spoken. and
even more by HIS Withheld. replies as
one Of the unknown guiders OF the
destiny Of the Continent and as coun-
| selor TO the most powerful-himself
| till then hardly heard OF hut plainly
one Of the nations ''uncrowned rulers"
had caught the public sense. The
fate OF the murderss. the crime. even
Latron himself. loss temporarily their
Interest in the public curiosity over
the personality Of Santoine.
II had been reported for some days
that Santoine had come to Seattle d.
rectiy after Warden's death; but
] "hNh this was domltltu. uSrOCl-
ates had always been careful to add
that Santolne, having been close
/ personal friend Of Gabriel Warden,
\ had come purely in q personal capac-
ity, and the impression was given that
Santolne had returned quietly some
/ days before. The mere prolonging Of
his stay in the West was more thar
suggestive that affairs among the
| powerful were truly In such state as
Warden had proclaimed; this attack
upon Santoine. SO similar to that
which had slain Warden and deliv.
cred within eleven days of Warden's
death, must be of the gravest signifi-
canoe.
Connery stood overwhelmed for the
moment with this fuller recognition
Of the seriousness Of the disaster
which had come upon this man In
trusted to his charge: then he turned
to the surgeon.
'Can you do anything for him here.
Doctorr' he asked.
The surgeon glanced down the car
THAT stateroom-is II occupiedr
TITS occupied by his daughter"
swell take him In there, then"
The four men lifted the inert figure
Of Basil Santoine. carried 1t into the
drawing room and laid It on its back
upon the bed.
Il have my instruments" Sinclair
said. "rll get them; but before de
eide to do anything. ought to see
his daughter. Since she In here, her
consent is necessary before any opera
tion on him"
Miss Santoine Is In the observation
car" Avery said. "I'll get her"
The tone was In some way false
Eaton could not tell exactly how.
Avery started down the aisle.
"One moment. please, Mr.. Avery!"
said the conductor. "I'll ask you not