Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1924-09-26
The "Squealer"
Who Made Good
Just for Nora
BY HAROLD CARTER

I
20. 1924. Western Newspaper uniOn.)
II OGAN "squealed."
- There could not be any great
er crime in the pollceman's decalogue
And nobody had thought 1t possible
Of Hogan. He was just the kind Of
man who would occupy a sergeant'i
desk some day. And now he haC
"squealed."
1t was at the inquiry about Pal
Grady, who had been given the third
degree" In the station house. The
other policemen had denied all knowl
edge Of 1t, but Hogan had corroborated
Grady's testimony word for word.
"What did you do 1t for, Hoganf
they asked him afterward. And Ho.
gan answered that he had never told
lie and was not going to begin.
That was the beginning of the boy
colt. Hogan could never be sure,
when he went to his cot in the sta
ton house. that he would not wake
to find himself on the floor, with the
bed legs sawed through. Or that his
locker would not have been broken
into. Or that his uniform would not
be a mass Of tattered rags. Or some
thing worse.
He meant to stick 1t out for Nora's
sake. Nora was to arrive from Ire
land the following month, and they
were to be married at once.
Tap-tap-tap-tapl
1t was the sound of James night
stick upon the sidewalk. There is no
mistaking that sound, and the signal
is never given except In desperate
emergency
Hogan spun around and began run
ming along the avenue toward his fell
low patrolman. At the further end
was gathering mob Of men.
what is itT he beloved.
Man murdered his wife! Crazed
with dopew he heard somebody say.
Upon the bottom step James lay.
There was a bullet wound somewhere
in his body, and he was drenched with
blood. And at the top stood the drug
crazed mailman, shouting defiance to
all who dared try to take him.
Hogan did not pause "just an In
slant" That Is not the way Of the
police. Up the stairs he ran, three at
a time, and as he reached the middle
Of the flight he felt an odd twinge in
his leg and heard the crack of the re-
volver Another bullet spun past his
shoulder. A third struck the wall,
and again Hogan felt that sudden
twinge-in his right arm this time.
The night-stlck dropped from his hand
and he caught 1t In his left.
Another bound and he was upon the
madman, who was fighting like fury.
He swung the empty revolver down
upon Hogan's head with a thud that
felled the patrolman to the floor.
Then, with YELL the maniac had
darted up the stairs.
Hogan looked down. He saw the
frightened mob around the door. He
tried to rise, but his limbs failed him.
A yell broke from thousand
Threats below. Hes fired the
house !"
A thin wisp of smoke crept down
the stairs. Then fiery tongue be-
gan to lick the wall above him, and
Hogan could hear the madman yell
ing as he watched the conhagratiOn.
Below him he saw James huddled up
at the foot Of the stairs.
The sight of him seemed to give
Hogan new vigor.
He never knew how he reached the
upper floor But when he got there
the mailman was too busy to notice
him, for he was standing over wom-
ans body and chuckling as he watched
the spreading flames. With his last
reserve of strength Hogan leaped at
the man and brought the night-stick
down upon his head, He fell like a
stricken OK.
Hogan picked up the body of the
woman and staggered down the stairs
with her. He saw that she was still
living.
A roar of cheering greeted him as
he carried the woman to the street.
Up Wy hN NNhAs AAAA'hEh
clouds of smoke and scorchlng fire.
Now he was on the upper floor and
had picked up the body of the drug
crazed man. He swung him in his
arms, but the weight was too heavy
and Hogan pulled him down the stairs
after him. wrapped in his own tunic.
He laid the body on the sidewalk
Just as an ambulance came hurrylng
up. A surgeon leaped from the
vehicle.
"Wnl he liveY" asked Hogan
Hes dead" the surgeon answered,
giving the body cursory survey.
Hogan almost swore-only he re-
membered that he was policeman.
mot him." he said, and pointed to
the body of his friend.
ooh, l beg pardon" said the sur
geon. Eyes, it's only flesh wound.
He's coming to now. Why, what's
this on your coatf'
"Never mind me-" gasped Hogan
and fell into the surgeons arms.
And 1t was odd, but the first
thought that came into his mind after
that was the fear that somebody had
sawed through the legs Of his bed.
The man at his beside must have
understood, for he stretched out his
hand and took Hogan's in his.
"Glory be, my lad, you're coming
to-" he said No there won't be
any more bed-sawlng, Hogan. Say,
lad, you've got to get well as quick
as you can, because the boys are walt
ing to give you another sort of re-