The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-12-03

OF the winter day, headed up into San
Pablo bay, running close to the south
shore to avoid the chop Of the waves In
this shallow expanse OF water. They
ran without lights
While the course they had taken
would seem to Indicate a desire to run
up Carquinez straits to the Sacra-
mento or the San Joaquin rivers land
and escape In waiting automobile
into central California. the warden
realized that his quarry was not lack
Ing In intelligence; that, fast as they
fled. they would realize that the tele-
phone Is faster; that the roar of their
motor must betray them a mile away.
He had, therefore, taken the precau-
tion to notify the chiefs OF police OF
Pittsburg, Martinez. Sausalito. Rich
mond, Berkeley, Oakland and San
Francisco, leaving to these the task
OF notifying intermediate points, The
warden had suspicion the fugltives
would double back to San Francisco
particularly since the girl was wounded
aAu AAusA NC Hiuucu III UIucA W lESCiVc
medical attention
And here she is," Dan Mcnamara
muttered "Crlpes, what woman
Lord. how | love woman with brains
and courage. Just a-llttle simple mat
ter of taking pains and taking risks.
She didn't 60 In to the dining hall for
dinner with the other prisoners. Smart
Knew she couldn't make a fast swim
on full stomach. Smart enough to
notice the warden's oversight In fall
Ing to fill In with barbed wire topping
that eighteen-inch space at the top Of
his gate. OF course they figured they
needn't bother with that. because no
woman could climb sixteen-foot wire
mesh fence anyhow, and II she did
she'd only drop down into the walt
Ing arms OF the guard, who Is never
absent night or day. But Nance Bel
den knew she could climb that fence
barefoot; she knew she had thirty
seconds to do It and drop on the
other side from the top OF the gate.
Her Job was to induce the guard to
turn his back-and her friends In the
boat did that
She knew she'd been seen from the
watch-toWer on the hill and the guard
at the gates notified by telephone; as
he returned from the edge OF the
beach, around the south side of his
kiosk, Nance slipped by him on the
north side and was In the water as
the guard took up the phone Smart
She knew no guard will stick under
machne-gun fire at fifty yards merely
to stop woman convict escaping from
prison. Smart Sank and swan un-
der water-and then the zigzag course
between the boats OF the other fisher
men, after they picked her up. Fine
psychologist engineered 1t all-and
to Lanny for medical attention
straight to the one human being she
knew she could trust-no, I'll not send
her back. And | don't particularly
want to catch her friends either. III
say they're friends Wish | had a
couple OF friends that'd come on
through machine-gun fire for me
hind thought the world was selfish and
cruel and thieying and lying-but
there's nobility left In 1t after all"
Stephen Burt came out of the bed
room and sat down and stared at the
chief Of police with grave interest
We'll, my good Javert," he said pres
emily.
"Yonr good what?"
II called you Javert. Don't you
know who Javert was?"
Dan Mcnamara shook his head. II
never picked him up, Doc"
You wouldn't. He was a character
In Les Miserables,' novel by Victor
Hugo. He was tly-cop In Paris, and
he pursued an ex-convict named Jean
Vatican for twenty years, because he
believed the man was a crook. Once
crook, always a crook was Javerts
philosophy. And when he discovered
at last he had the goods on Jean Val
Jean and II was his duty to arrest
him, he discovered simultaneously that
Jean Vatican was also a good and
noble man, which proved extremely
embarrassing to Javert."
II understand how that could be, all
right. Doc. What did Jayert do Them
He climbed up on the railing of
bridge over the Seine. unplnned his
shield. threw 1t into the river and
jumped In after it.
He committed suicide In order to
give his man the breaks"
Exactly"
"Well," Dan Mcnamara decided
after pondcring this d half minute,
Il wouldn't be boob enough to do that.
He should have made stool pigeon
out Of Jean Vatican and maybe he'd
have gotten somewhere In his job"
Stephen smiled He liked this
heavy man, with the Celtic face as In
scrutable as a Chlnaman's. AS spe-
ciallst In mental diseases he knew the
part heredity plays In the formation
OF character. and one did not have to
look at the chief twice to know that he
came OF courageous ancestry. No
vague fears or anxieties In this fellow,
Stephen thought. Courageous men are
usually honest men, even when they