The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-11-22

/ our remote or immediate prOgenl-
tors were. nor what they did, that
counts. In her right mind she is
too big to be concerned with the
snobbery Of birth.
1T is not that we have to
fear" he continued, 1T is the cruelty
of the -than-thou snobs that
infest every rank of society; the
evil-m;nded whispererS, the Sink
ing scandal-mongers.
"Sheila must be protected from
their Slavering tongues; her secret
must remain a secret within the
family circle
Sheridan rose from his chair and
walked back and forth across the
room, his hands clasped back of his
head. the skirt of his dressing gown
| Topping against his knees. AfteZ-
several turns he paused in front of
Smedley's chair
Listen, joe" he said, I'm going
to get that diary if it's the last act
of my life. l have a pretty good
idea of where it is, and what you
have told me tonight helps to cinch
it.
Andy Masters either has seen
and read the diary or he has been
| told of its contents. He knew moth
ing of it prior to the safe-robbery.
You and l and WILDER and the
burglar are the only ones who could
know of its existence.
ssU1,oO NGoefo1-c hoe ham ~ fnIial9
directly or indirectly, with the bur-
glar. It's the only way he could
have obtained the knowledge he mas
passed on to Sheila. Why did he
tell Sheila? That's something I
can't understand.
this, Joe. There's more than one
snake loose in the underbruSh and
we've got to scotch them all. Andy
Masters is one; the burglar, Riley
Morgan. is another; and I believe
Homer Mention is a third
Homer Menton!" Smedley ex-
claimed; that crook"
Yes, Homer Mention, and he's
worse than a crook; he's a vampire
that fattens upon the misery and
fear of the underworld, a blackleg
lawyer who would stood to anything
to feather his own nest.
"Why does society tolerate his
filthy breed, Joe? Why do the bar
association and the courts permit
them to practice? I'll tell you, be-
cause a big percentage of the law
yers practicing today are more or
less tarred with the same stick
| /"
He stopped and smiled down at
Smedley.
mo offenSe. joe" he said. II for
get you and I are lawyers, though
thank God, I don't play at it mucn
The way lawyers. many of them
abuse the law and jerryrig the puo-
lie Is a favorite obsession of mine"
"T know, Frank" said Smedley;
but what has Mention to do with
this case?"
"All the straws point to his being
the king pin in some kind OF
abominable plot against Sheila and
her father" Sheridan replied.
ANDY and Mention are thicker than
thieves; overheard a conversation
between them in which they men
toned Lena's death and spoke OF
giving the old man the big squeeze.
1.-THE only Interpretation Of that is
blackmail. The only logical instru-
ment of blackmail is Mrs. Wilber's
diary. and it follows that they
probably have it in their possession.
1.-TWO facts point strongly to that
conclusion: first, Andy's knowledge
of the secret it contains, and, sec
ond, the equally damning fact !
have uncovered that Riley Morgan
is a client of Homer Mention and
recently has been a frequent visitor
at his office"
Frank. you're a wonder!" Smed-
ley exclaimed. you've got the
whole thing by the tail. You've got
the moose around their necks; all
you've got to do now is to pull the
rope"
Not so fast, Joe: rot so fast"
Sheridan aGmoniShed If this
were an ordinary bit of criminal in
vestigation. the end would be in
sight: the procedure would be plain.
But We can't come out into the
open; We can't lay our cards on the
table.
I'VE cantsfor instance. go to the
police and say. Here's the evidence;
arrest the crooks-that would de-
feat the very end toward which we
are working. Blackmailers. as you
know, thrive on the knowledge that
their victims can not risk the pub
licity an appeal TO the constituted
authorities would almost inevitably
entail
And. another thing. they have
not yet made any open move toward