The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-11-16

yourself liable to prison term. You
may be able to help yourself some
what by giving me this informa-
/ ton"
UNEXPECTEDLY, Jeckers leaned
~ forward confldentially and
tapped Larry on the knee Listen"
he said, grinning sardorically, Il
been around here long, long time,
and know lot of birds that're so
hard they make you little govern
ment men look like Sunday school
boys. And if you think that you
can make me turn copper"
He leaned back and his grin be-
came bitterer. Come again, Whis-
kers," he said ut just won't work.
This's bum rap you're giving me
with that little warrant of yours.
but I can take it. I-don't talk.
| See?"
He thrust his scanned, dried-out
face up; the face that seemed to be
a record on which life had pitileSs-
ly written all the degradation and
shame and evil that can come to a
man of talent and culture who elects
the downhill road and follows it to
the uttermost depths.
"Okay," said Larry calmly. Can
we let him cool a while?" He turned
to Matthews, who opened the door
to a small waiting room which
opened off his office. The room was
almost bare, having for furniture
only g plain table and two straight
backed chairs. One window looked
cut into an inner court; a second
door opened into the inner hallway
of the suite of Offices.
Matthews crossed the room,
locked the door leading into the
hall, put the key in his pocket, and
beckoned to Gunderson to bring
Jeckers into the room.
"Sit down." he snapped, when
JeckerS came in. "Gunderson, you
better sit here, too-he might take
it into his head to go out the WIN
dow"
Gunderson sat down, tilted his
chair back against the wall, and lit
a cigaret.
JeckerS looked about him irreSo-
lutely, sank into chair, and fixed
his gaze on Gunderson's capacious
boots. The other three returned to
Matthews office, closing the door
behind them.
We'll, it may be long wait" said
Larry. But it'll work in the end.
Especially since that man has been
using the coke so long that he needs
about four times as much as the
ordinary cokey. He does, anyhow,
if I'm any good at spotting cokey
by sight-and I've seen quite few. -
Matthews agreed.
There's this, too" he pointed out
Unless I misread the signs also, he
hadn't had time for his morning
snifter vet. Along toward lunch
time he ought to be getting toler-
ably restless"
r AIRY suggested that Matthews
IL park the three men from Dover
in another office, so that he could
go about his own routine work I'M
interrupted, and the Chicagoan in
stalled them in room a few doors
down the corridor. There they
grouped themselves about q table,
tabulating and comparing their dis
coverieS-meager enough, as far as
their immediate purposes we're con-
cerned-which they had made that
morning in JeckerS' Office.
We'll, we've done our good deed
for the day, whatever happens" said
Larry at last, leaning back in his
chair. We've landed old Doc
Jeckers-and if we should fail to
make this rap stick, the Chicago
police undoubtedly will have plenty
to hang on the old bird to put him
away for good stretch. And that's
really a good deed"
He put his hands behind his head
and looked absently out of the win
dow.
It's a long, long CHAIN" he said
meditatively. THE chain that keeps
organized crime going. The ban
dts are the smallest part of it. It's
the crooks down along the line who
make it possible for the gunner to
operate that really do the damage.
The crooked lawyers, renegade doc
tors, SINISTER financiers who'll han
ole hot bonds, INSCRIPTIONS hotel
owners who harbor them, politicians
who'll protect them-getting them
is just as important as getting the
men VINO carry the guns.
We'll, we've snapped one link in
the chain here this morning. And
when we get back to Dover we're
going to snap few more. And
meanwhile"
He left the sentence unfinished
and looked out at blue Lake Mich
lgan, with a plume of smoke living
in long, blue-gray slant against
the clear horizon
Lunch time came and went, and
the afternoon wore along. At last
Matthews tapped on their door.
Come along" he said. Hes
cracking"
They hurried to Matthews office.
Through the door where Gunder-
son was keeping his weary vigil they
heard a pleading voice-a voice
whose utter lack of self-control and
complete, shameless abasement were
somehow unspeakebly horrible to
hear.
For the love of God" came a
hoarse cry, give me that little box!
I'm dying! See-I can't stand still!
It's killing me! Please, please, man
-God!"
Larry looked at Matthews with
narrowed eyes.
This isn't a pleasant trick" he
said, but there's no lodging it."
He opened the door. Jeckers was