Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-02-14

Thank you, nla'am." Geoff as
cended the three flights and knocked
at the door facing him. A quick
nervous step sounded within and the
door opened, disclosin. an erect lit
tie old man in Immediately white
shirt sleeves, with gold-rimmed
spectac,es, which had slipped far
down upon his nose; a newspaper
was in his hand.
You must have the wrong door
-" he began in dignified accents,
but Geoff shook his head.
mot If you're Mr.. Robbins.
come all the way in from Sunny
Beach to see you on Mr.. Ashes ac-
count"
Mr.. Ashe.'" The paper Cell to
the floor from a suddenly nerveless
hand as the old gentleman stepped
back. DO you mean-is there any
thing wrong at the bank?'
"Not\as I've heard tell Of" Geoff
advanced across the threshold. ITS
young Mr.. Rupert Ashe I'm speak
in bout. Mebbe it Amt got to be
known round yet, but he's goin' to
marry the niece o that rich Wall
Street man who was murdered
tother night. down there, and natter
ally ne > IitIpIl uS Will tue SsiSC oiA
he kin. I'm workin' on it with our
, medical examiner, DIR. Hood, and
when we wanted some information
bout this here Benkard's speckila-
lions durin' the last few years,
young Rupert told me to come to
YOU, Mr.. Robbins. He said you knew
more bout that crowd and the hull
Stock Exchange than anybuddy else
in New York."
The little man grew even more
erect, and the ghost of smile
fitted across his lined. aging face.
That is the eXaggeration OF youth,
sir. \ fine lad, Rupert. I-ahem.-
| was at one time. previous to my
connection with the bank. consider
ed quite an authority on matters of
finance. although in the end my
knowledge cost me dear-very dear.
Il have been out of the game for
so long that | doubt if l can be of
much assistance TO you, but come
in, Mr."
Peters, sir Geoff seated him.
self awkwardly in the chair indicat-
ed, and twirled the unaccGstomed
straw hat between his knees. The
room was small but scrupulously
neat, and its bare dcsolation was
SolIteN I'LL uouSlS ny
few fine old pictures and bronze
group or two, evidently saved from
the wreckage of past afiiuence. 1T
was bout Joseph Bernhard we want
ed to know particular: him and his
friend named Stoneham Lane"
Robbins frowned and pushed his
spectacleS back on the bridge of
his nose.
Lane is nobody, q mere upstart
who began trading on shoestring
fourteen or fifteen years ago and had
phenomenal luck until Joe Bernhard
caught him in tight place and
squeezed MIN hard. He came back,
though, and ever since then--it'S
been a matter OF seven years-thcy
have been out TO knife each other
until last autumn"
I'VE heard tell o. that" Geoff re-
marked. "Nobuddy seems to know
what brunS 'em together. though
ut was Il mystery that all Wall
Street has puzzled over agreed his
host. Neither needed the other,
for they were equally strong. and 1t
wasn't a case of mutual protection;
nothing threatened them from out
, side, for Lane is conservative, and
no one knew what sort of coup
Bernhard was planning until he
brought 1t to pass
From all accounts, he didn't care,
| neither, what happened to the folks
who'd trusted him and who he used
! and then sold out when he didn't
,, need 'em any longer" Geoff was
watching the old man narrowly. and
he saw quick flash come into the
faded eyes. There was a Mr. Wy
ckoff give DR.. Hood considerable in
fn,,rofinn 'hnuf TnSnf1h I1anl<0 rI 9
way o putin over deal. He
ruined Lang Il Lacey. too"
And my partner and me-" Rob
bins interrupted quietly. You heard
that also, of course, but there We're
still others. Take Lawrence Shirley.
for instance That was ten years
ago when Bernhard was just begin
ming to attract the attention of the
larger spectators, and Shirley II
mere boy with too much money and
the gambling fever strong within
him. The older man made sort of
protcge of him, and the boy thought
he was a god until the crash came
Bernhard had come out away ahead
by secretly playing the other side
of the market. but Shirley was WHIP
ed out and he had trusted him so
blindly that he used other funds
besides his own. He went to Benk-
ards rooms on New Years Day and
killed himself"
The straw hat slipped from be-
tween Geoff's gnarled fingers and
rolled UNDECIDED across the floor.
Ion Now Years Day. he re-
reated. You think likely. Mr.. Rob-
bins. that the young teller went TO
Joseph Bernhard for help in gittin'
out o the hole he was in and then
L 81 l,s,ne11f
fused?"
What else can we think? The
boys honor was at stake. and he
had managd to stave off the final
reckoning for two or three months.
but he knew that the first of the
year would bring exposure and
disgrace that he could not face.
Bernhard claimed that Shirley had
come to him with some wild out
burst about being an embezzfer and
a thief and had shot himself before
he could ask for an explanation or
offer aid, and he bemoaned the fact
that so promising n young man
should have proved to be dis
mil thless chuckle. We believed
him. we who trusted him as that
poor young fool had done; but later
when we had learned our own lesson
too late, we realized that If he did
not actually know of the lads con-
version of funds, he must have
deliberately played on his passion
for speculation. led him into a
temptation too great for him to re-
sist. Another man committed sui
eide only year or two ago, blam-
ing Bernhard for his failure. but
think the case OF young Lawrence
Shirley was far more sad, for 1t left
g. stain Upon his name"
You say he made out 10 hide
what he'd done for two or three