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Show TELEGRAPHIC BRIEFS Mm A CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE STOR to 'A A Two hotels and seven houses at I.ong Branch, N. J., were destroyed by Are, causing a loss of (100,000. A strike In every city and town in Oklahoma in support of the eight-hou- r law, involving 30,000 laborers, is pre dieted. twenty workmen were killed and a Urge number Injured at St Petersburg by the collapse of a building in course of construction. William C. Herron, brother-in-laof President Taft, Is to be the candidate for the Democratic nomination for vice mayor of Cincinnati, on the ticket headed by Alfred M, Cohen. Colonel Roosevelt and his son Ker-m-lt arrived at Nairobi, on April 24, from Naivasha, thereby bringing to a close a successful ten days' hunting lour on the soutn shore oi Lake from Captain Attenborough'a ranch. The arbitration board that has been seeking to settle the Osage county, Kansas, strike, adjourned wtthout reaching an agreement and the strike will continue. The strike, which baa been In effect for nearly a year, affects several hundred men. Announcement of a proposed line of freight and passenger steamers between Havana and Philadelphia, Is made by General Carlos Garcia Velez. Cuban minister to the United States. Charles M. Schwab is understood to be among the Americans interested. Survivors of the explosion on the gasoline sclluoner Charles Hansen, which blew up off the Mexican coast June 26, have arrived at San Francisco. The crew existed for ten days on stiell hsh and st a weed, the cooK, Harry Knordeck, dying of starvation. Because she had jilted him. Private Charles O'Nell, of the Thirteenth car-airstationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., shot and killed Minnie Schar-bor- a, aged 3 years, a French maid. O'Nell called the girl to t'.ie door, and without a word of warning, shot her. Advices were brought by the Empress of China that Dr. Sakow, former president of the Nippon Sugar company, who committed suicide after lite grd.t trials at Toklo, left a pathetic will. In which he stated that his soul would still loyally serve Ja-pan. an over unexploded Standing charge of dynamite to see why it had failed to go off, J. W. Carter, aged SO, one of the wealthiest residents of the El Cajon valley, California, was blown fifty feet Into the air, receiving injuries from which be died an hour Nal-vas- . 5 We haven't done anything to him lately. If we don't stir him up he will for-jhe's living." club Then the went Into executive session and plotted the undoing of "The Pawn." . "The Pawn" at this time was giving little thought to anything save the whims of and caprices AUTHOR'S NOTE. black-eye- d Calf Skin club a good story Judge Adams, when his turn upon the list, member was In his seat around the long table. It was with further satisfaction that they watched him take from his pocket a manuscript. That meant careful preparation and that full Justice would be done to the story. When the pipes were all going well Judge I Adams arose in his place and took up the sheets before him; and EH. here Is what they contained: ill! et The material facta In this atory of circumstantial evidence are drawn from an actual re' corded caae, only such change of names and local color being made as to remove them from the classification of legal re ports to that of fiction. All the essential points of evidence, however, are retained. ft "the state's attorney has deputized me to try this case, as he is out of town and it seems to be the wish of all the parties to avoid publicity as much as Mary Asbton. Mary was the soul of fickleand having ness, broken every Mouthful heart in the town except that of "The Pawn," she possible." "Who is for the defense?" inquired ff-- McCurdy. be- thought herself of him and she found in him a willing, yet a determined sub"The Pawn" ject. loved deeply as he could hate deeply. He was not one who tl . The tale that I shall tell you this evening Is one own experience. that occurred In my For reasons that will appear, It never became a cause celebre, yet I think It offers sufficient of the unusual to be entitled to a place among these records of the club. As did many of our members I made my first acquaintance with the law In a small town. Almost every member of the company of young men with which I was raised was either a lawyer, the son of a lawyer or a student of the law. Our loafing place In the day time and our meeting place" In the evening was always some one pr the other of the many law offices. We grew up in fact amid an atmosphere of law calf and briefs. It was a fantastic crowd, full of quaint conceits and odd fancies. One of these resulted In the formation of an organization the like of which I have not known before or, since. They called It "The Gentleman's Club " but had It been named the "Practical Joker's Club" the title would have been more fitting. Its members well, to enumerate them by their bizaare titles will give you the best Idea of the vagaries of our Idle brains. There .was the Governor of the Cigar Islands In the person of Davies, a brilliant student who had already made his mark as a stump speaker. There was Garrlty, otherwise the Duke . of Vermillion, who could cite by sec-ttoand chapter a parallel to any case you might mention in the Illinois reort8 up to tho one hundred and thirty-fourtvolume; he quit at Vol. 134 and went back to Blackstone. There was little Torn Childress, digni fied by tho title of Lord Mayor of Conlogue, who used to amuse himself by turning Cooley's Constitutional Law Into Latin blank verse. And there was Diaz, a ranting Irishman with a Spanish' name, who claimed to be tho sole surviving member of the Patriotic Order of Sons of Shay's Rebellion, who loved a Joke as lie did the smoky distillations of his ancestors native Isle and who gloried in the title of Lord High Admiral of the noyne, which, all history to the contrary, he declared to be the scene of a great Irish victory. there were leBser lights with lesser titles and lastly there was "The Pawn." "The Pawn" was too handsome to be popular. He was also too quiet He certainly thought a great deul, but ho seldom said anything. Ho was admitted to the club only on Btiffrance and only In the capacity of a pawn. His two consuming ambitions were to try a caso before a Jury and to be a full fledged member of the "Gentleman's Club." with a title. If England's queen had offered him the ribbon of the bath he would have declined it for these. His name, which Is unimportant, as he was never known otherwise than as "Tho Pawn," was Chester Buster. v The club was in session in the office of Diaz. "The Pawn" was not j present. "I think," said Diaz, solemnly, "it Is bouUme 'The Pawn' was Initiated. n h Walter Linton, a brilliant young attorney, went over to "The Pawn" and held a whispered conversation. Then he announced that he would defend the prisoner. "Will the defendant have a Jury?" "We elect to try the case before the ' court," said Linton. for Davies opened the state at.d In words of fire he painted the awful f "The Pawn" who, too treachery cowardly to battle in his own behalf, had 'waited Until his rival was engaged In a "friendly scuffle" with another and then had slipped In and delivered the poltroon's blow. He trusted that the real cause of the rivalry might not be made apparent. It was no wish of the state to drag in the mire the name of one of its most love' ly daughters if the ends of Justice could be subserved without It But the state would be able to show a motive, a powerful, compelling motive. While he was a friend of the accused he had still his duty to perform, and he felt that he must put friendship out of his heart and do that duty with all the power that lay within him. And where was Tom Childress? Why was he not there to ask the vengeance of the law upon his assailant? The state would seek to show why. If the accused had any special knowledge of the whereabouts of his victim the state would be very likely to discover it But he had no charges to make; the present charge was serious enough, and he was willing to let what might come out in the evidence. Linton then outlined the defense and said he would seek to show that not Chester Easter but Tom Garrlty had struck the blow. Hut this hope for "The Pawn" was dashed when Garrlty went on the stand and swore that he had no knife, and was fully corroborated by all the rest . They swore with equal positive-nes-s that "The Pawn" did have a knife. All had seen it as he stood brandishing it at the top of the stair Diaz had seen It when he reway. turned to the office. Diaz also heard the threat against the life of Childress. He did not know what had become of Childress. He lived near him, and his family knew nothing of his whereabouts. He believed that Easter could tell where he was if he wanted to. This objected to by defendant's counsel, and objection sustained. Through it all "The Pawn" sat with bloodless face and with eyes far, far away. He seemed to take no interest In the proceedings until Linton said: "I will now put the defendant on the stand In his own behalf. Be sworn, . would give up easily an object he had set out to win. especially if that object had flashing black eyes, shining jet hair and cheeks and lips that would set the blood coursing through colder veins than his. To accomplish the plan which the "Gentleman's Club" Bad fixed upon it was necessary that "The Pawn" should be enticed to one of the nightly meetings. .This at last was brought about by Diaz, arch diplomat of the crowd. The club was gathered in the paternal Diaz' law office when "The Pawn" slipped in, took his seat and Bat in discreet silence. "I Bee," said Davies, addressing Tom Childress, "that you and Mary Ash-to- n have made it up. "The Pawn" shifted uneasily In his chair and his checks flamed. His persecutors had no Idea of the consuming joalousy of Chfldress that had long obsessed him. Before ho could decide which course to pursue a diversion occurred. Garrlty Jumped to his feet, strode over to Childress, and shaking his fist in his face shouted; "Tom Childress, you're an infernal liar. I'm going to that dance with Mary Ashton. She promised me this afternoon." "I'm a liar, am I." said Childress slowly rising to the full limit of his Ave feet five and squaring off for bat tie. "You've got to prove those words, Garrlty." "I'll prove them on you, you lying "You can't pup," shouted Garrlty. com up here and talk lightly of the girl I love. There, take that!" The blow fell" and InBtantly was returned. Then somebody put out the light In the fitful light from the windows the robm seethed with the confusion of crashing chairs, the thud-thuof rapidly exchanged blows and the labored breathing of the combatants. Then the door opened lotting lo a flood of cool air. There was a rush of struggling bodies and, "The Pawn," still clasping an open knife, felt him. self borne along with tho crowd. Childress was In the fore and under the rays of the electric light on the, corner his face showed red and bloody. He seemed to be dripping with gore. He was. It took a whole bottle of red Ink. He saw "The Pawn" and started up the stairway shouting: "There he Is! He cut me! See, fellows; he's got a knife!" The conspirators slipped quietly away while Diaz went back to lock up the office and, perchance, manufacture additional evidence. , When he entered "The Pawn" was still standing in the middle of the floor with his knife gripped tightly. . "Come, come, Chess," said Diaz, "you'd better quiet down. You've done enough for Childress is cut pretty bad, I guess. The boys are taking hltn home. What possessed ' you to butt In. anyway?" "Look here, Diaz," said "The Pawn," "you're a friend of mine. Now I didn't cut Childress, but I wish I had. I'd like to kill him. I'm afraid that's all true that he said about Mary." "Well, what If It is? She's not worth fighting, for," answered Diaz. "Come on, you'd better go home and in the morning it won't bother you a bit" In the meantime the further details of the plot were worked out over a table in the back end of "The Gola Eagle Exchange," where other conspirators were waiting. . ; When they reached McCurdy's office the "court" was already In Besslon. Had "The Pawn's" mind been capable of connected thought heK would have observed tha:. the court, the attorneys and the spectators, all were members of the "Gentleman's Club." "The Pawn" was led to a clmlr In front of the magistrate's desk. y read several docketed entries and each case was continued at the request of some one of the young attorneys present until he reached the entry: "Tho People pf the State of Illinois against Chester Euster; Assault with intent to Kill." t "Is the state's attorney present?" inquired the magistrate. "If the court please," said Davies, Mr. Easter." McCurdy mumbled the oath: "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth concerning the matters and facts pertaining to this ca'se which shall be asked of you by counsel, so help you, and bo forth?" .'.. "The Pawn" took the stand like an automaton. If the object of the conspiracy was to daze him nothing could have succeeded better. The mystery Is how they kept their faces straight Several of the less experienced at the noble art of practical Joking had to leave the room to Indulge in smothered shouts of laughter. "Now, Chester, tell your version of this affair," said Linton. "I will tell it all," began "Tho Tawn" In a voice choking with emotion. "I will tell everything. I can't keep It back any longer. Tom face Is with me day and night. I wake up and see It lu the dead of ntKlit If I sleep It la with me In my, dreams. 0. great God, If only I could shut that terrlblo vision from my mind!" He rose and, throwing un his , . Chil-drex- hands, wildly clutched his hair and shouted: "You want to know where Tom Childress Is. You'll never know where he Is If I don't tell. ' But I'm going to tell. I'm not going to keep that vision with me any longer. Tom Childress is at the bottom of the water works well. I killed hlra." The conspirators started back In amazement It almost sounded like the truth, so well was it done. Linton. returned "Magnificent," "He's done us.. I didn't think he had it in hlra. But let's carry it out, Go on, Chester; tell the whole story." "The Pawn" had sunk down In his chair and burled his face In his hands. "Yes, I'll feel better to tell it all," he continued. "I made up my mind to kill him when I left the office, I waited for him in the alley and when he passed on his way home I followed him. When We got to the dark place by the water works well I caught up with him. We had some words. I dared him to throw away the gun I had Been him flash and fight me fair. All the time I had the knife In my sleeve. Then he struck me and I let hlra have It He dropped. I bent over him and he was dead. Then I found a heavy rock and a rope and I tied the rock to him and dropped him over into the well. There's wasn't much blood and what there was I washed away with the hose they sprinkle the flower beds with. 1 Baw nothing of the watchman and I thought I was safe. I didn't know what a terribly relentless accuser conscience Is. I wish the court to bind me over without ball." Justice McCurdy looked up gravely from the docket "The decision of this court" he Bald, "is that the prisoner at tho bar has played his part nobly, and that he be elected to full membership In the 'Gentlemen's Club'," and bis face broke Into a broad smile. There camp a loud knocking at the door and excited voices demanding admission. It was opened and the chief of police rushed in. "Tom Childress has been murdered!" he shouted. "His body has just been found In the water works well. Do any of you know how be came there?" The smile died from McCurdy's Hps. "There Is your man," he said, potnting to "The Pawn." "He has just con. fessed it all to us." With eyes that looked neither to the right or the left "The Pawn" placed his arm In that oMhe chief and walked out and to the jail. Already the news was on the streets, how it had been found necessary to drain the well, how the body of Childress, dead from a knife wound and weighted down with a stone, had been found at the bottom. It was all too horribly true. band ol A scared and horror-strickeconspirators filed out of McCurdy's office and gathered the news from excited groups. While the first shock was srlll tingling In the nerves of the public a second one ran like electricity through the town. A terrible sequel to the tragedy had been recorded. Chester Easter had committed suicide Immediately on being placed la a cell. The provincial search had failed to discover In his shoe the very knife that slew Tom Childress. The last meeting of the "Gentleman's Club" took place that afternoon In the back end of the "Gold Eagle Exchange," when the members with sad and troubled faces took a solemn oath never to disclose the true facts of the proving of "The Pawn." n (Copyright, by W. U. Cliupmnn.) No Place for the Artist It may be regrettable, but the artist lives more apart from the generality of men than in almost any other ago, and" the reason is plain U to-da-y is because he has no definite place in the present economy. Neither can a place be established for hltn by con federal Ion of art ists and such like nonsense. Solemn humbug of this sort Is of use only for the glorification of a set of professional men of taste, from whose tyranny good Lord deliver us. New York Evening Sun. y, later. The government steamer Seestern, belonging to the German New Guinea colony, is five weeks overdue. She sailed from Brisbane, Australia, June 3, bound for Adolph Haven, where she ouKht lo nave aiiiveu ju.,e n. un- eral steamers are searching for the Seestern. Upon an appeal for a rehearing, the French court of appeals has reduced uie sentence ot Jeau .uHius. the r'am waiter, who last Christmas attacked President Fallleres and tried to pull his beard, to three years' imprisonment, lonowtd uy uve car .au,au-nieu- t from the boundaries of Paris. An attorney for the Public Defense association has prepared a new application for an injunction against the Pressed Steel Car company and its striking employes. It asks that the workmen be enjoined from interfering with the coiiipau; on uie mrtiig in men to take the places of the strikers and from committing acts of violence. ' John A. E. Anderson, the former ledger keeper of the Bank of Montreal, in Toronto, who is wanted by the police of three countries on charges of passing checks with forged has been arrested at acceptances, Vancouver, B. C. These checks have been cashed In cities all over the i tuied states and one iu ' Pari, v France. Stanley Ketchel, the champion middleweight pugilist was painfully injured by being thrown against the front of the automobile in which he was riding when the machine collided with a wagon in San Francisco. It was feared at first that his arm bad been broken. The Iowa board of pardons has recommended an unconditional pardon for Francis Smith, son ot the author of the hymn "America," who was convicted five years ago and sentenced to the penitentiary for eleven years on charges of perjury, larceny and einuest.leiuoiii. The suffragettes who recently were sent to prison for taking part in disturbances in Downing street, London, I 4 were 111. iiueruieu irotu ...II nuiiuway jtui mm week as the result of "hunger strike." One of them, Miss Roberts, refused food for 120 hours. She is now under medical care. An anneal has been made bv Ital ians ot Pittston to the Italian consul for an official Inquiry Into the death ot Fedelar Lardenz, who shot two men at Pittston and was then said to luta ltdlcd lilmsoir tn avntit hnlni lynched. Latdimz's friends believe he wits killed by a mob. W. P. Druntmond, a farm hand on the place of S. A. Plnkham, near San Bernardino, Cal., was killed by Pink-hamhull, Dudley, the winner of many blue ribbons and the first Ayrshire bull Imported into California from Canada. The animal had no in h. liiu i int' U tinimnions. Dr. Daniel K. Pearsons, says a Announced thai utspuicn, liu within a few days he will send his check for $50,000 to the City Mission- ary society of Chicago. This Is In Htie with his announcement made some time ago thut he would give his lust million to Chieas? institution? 's Chl-O'i- ' |