Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1925-02-20

| KNEW neT LOT Ills uedu lVNc' WIN ho'u
broken his life and changed it utterly
-Estelle
Lee did not shoot. InStinctively he
Obeyed that unwritten law of the po-
lice tradition not to take life save In
| the last extremity.
But the sight of this sinister figure,
the wholly incredible presence there
of Estelle, the woman who had
wrecked his life, and the girl lying un-
conscious on the bed in this mans
power, aroused in Lees heart sleep
ing devil of whose existence he had
hardly been aware at any time in his
! life before
He was conscious only of mad de-
sire to kill but to kill with natures
own weapons, in obedience to mans
instructive law.
Clubbing his automatic, Lee leaped
to meet pathways charge, and breasi
to breast they met, rebounding like
balls of rubber. Railways hand shot
out and graSped Lees wrist before the
weapon descended. Then, interlocked,
they stood almost motionless, matched
so evenly that neither budged an inch
before the other for full minute.
Railways sneering face was up
| turned to Lees. Malice and hate
cleaned from his bloodshOt eyes. Be
side them stood Estelle, with her hands
still clasped in the gesture that she
had made at the moment of Lees inter
vention, struck dumb and mOtionless
with terror and amaZement
| Railway was proving himself the
stronger Malice and hate became tri~
umph, derision. Lees pistol hand was
being bent back Lee adapted himself
| with quick instinct to the discovery
that he was the weaker in arm and
| shoulder muscles. AS Railways body
slowly assumed forward tilt, shifting
his center of gravity, Lee suddenly
drove his knee into the back of Rath-
! way, causing the man to stumble for
ward. The ~impetus of the body pro-
jected against him sent the pistol fly
ing out of Lees hand but Lee. in the
moment Of Railways loss of equipose
drove his fist home into his face, split
ting his lips and sending him reeling.
In an instant they were together
again, delivering and receiving a sue
| cession of pile-driver blows that fell
like fails upon each others faces and
bodies. They clinched, rebounded,
clinched again; then of sudden Rath
way got home a furious kick to the
groin that sent Lee stumbling.
For the first time Estelle screamed.
| and that aroused Lee to the conscious
ness that he must finish his enemy
almost Immediately, before aid arrived.
He shook away the.film that was creep
ing over his eyes, and, sick and nau-
seated from the kick, he closed with
Railway again. They went to the floor
of the hut together, and struggled
there like two dogs in khe dirt
There was no longer any attempt at
fiSticuffS. The primitive instinct to
rend and tear possessed both of them
equally. They scrambled about the
floor of the hut, clawing at each 9th.
ers throats. Lee got Railways beard
| in his right hand, and with his left
began smashing at his nose and lips
Railway beloved his hands closed ON
Lees throat, clung there, worrying
him like bulldog. Lee felt that he
was fainting. He was slowly forced
over; Railways fingers closed on his
neck.
The two tightened and the walls of
the hut began to waver. Lees trachea
hattened, his lungs felt as if they
would burst. Railway grinned da-
bolically into his face; his beard like
some foul fungus swept it. Lee flung
his arms out instinctively to breathe.
One of his hands encountered some
thing. 1t was the pistol.
Lees fingers closed on it, And, as
If he concentrated all that was left of
himself in his left hand, he raised the
weapon and brought it crashing down
upon Railways skull
Instantly Railways clutch relaxed.
his eyes glazed, as chickens eyes glaze
at the moment of death. The mans
head dropped foolishly forward on
Lees breast. stream of curses was
cut off in foolish mutterings.
Lee struggled to his feet and stood
gasping for breath, while Railway.
mumbling stupidity, swayed to and fro
upon his knees on the floor of the hut
Suddenly Estelle appeared to be
galvanized into life. With 2 low CT!
she ran TO Railways side, knelt down
by him, and put her arms about him
She drew his head down an hor knees
and began chatting his hands. She
| 7 tn hof
Haven't you done me wrong enough
in the past, that you should come here
to kill my MANI" she cried. DO you
think you can arrest him? You
couldn't get a mile from here before
you would be captured"
But Lee, without paying any atten-
tion to her. hurried to the bedside, and
looked down at the captured girl. She
lay there, an unconscious, huddled
heap, one knee bent under her. Her
face was deathly white, and there was
a scalp wound at the back of her head
| ho