The Ear in the Wall

d as if all the forces of the gang worl

t action, the magistrates he could depend on, the various pitfalls that surrounded the sn

was fortunate in having under him a group of young and alert assistants. It took the combined energies o

t we found that the influence of Dorgan and Murtha was felt in the most unexpected quarters. People who would have talked to us on almost

rton's office, to compare notes on

orney greeted us

o his big office chair, "this has been

queried

ade them consider this case of Dopey Jack. I don't know how it happened, but I seem to have succeeded in forcing action in record time. They have found an indictment on

istants," he explained, "one of the cleverest. The trial will be before Judge Pomeroy in General Sessions and it will be an early trial. Pomeroy is one

arton's clerks started to an

arton,

name strode in, impatiently brushing aside the clerk

ars was reversed and the mountain was coming to Mahomet. "This is a little-er-informal-but I'm glad to see you, nevertheless

wn. He continued to stand, his hat tilted back over his hea

ton?" he opened fire. "They tell me you ha

n shortly. "The Grand Jury indicted D

ell as I do that if they charged him with just plain fighting and got him before a jury, all you would have to say would be, 'Gentlemen, the defendant at the bar is the notorious gangster, Dopey Jack.' And the ju

y'-he's twenty-eight, by the way-too long. You needn't tell me anything about his respectable old father and his sorrowing mother and weeping sister. Murtha, I've been in t

om his own interest in Dopey Jack, who was one of his indispensables, it was apparent that he came

with a look that broad

one. Carton made no mov

look calmly. Murtha smo

leasure have had us st

ing his big voice as much as he was capable, "can't we reach some kind of agreement between ourselves

back while the law stumbled in one of the numerous pitfalls that beset a criminal prosecution, the organizati

though the organization ticket won, he would, in the public eye at least, have the credit of beating the System, of g

rmination that I had seen when he had been talking to Miss Ashton. I knew that, among other things, he was thinking how im

ce forward and was peering

nk it over?

rtha. "Mr. Murtha," he went on, rising and leaning forward over the desk, "we are going to have a fair election, if I can make

e neither understood nor cared to und

. "-I ain't asking any favours, or anything dishonest. His lawyers know what they can do and what you can do. It ain't because I care a hang about you, Carton, that I'm here. If you want to know the tru

ink the Reform League h

n qui

gue. We don't want you for District Attorney, Carton. You know it. But here's a practical proposit

Side. It ain't right, Carton,-you, powerful, holding an important office, and he a poor boy that never had a chance and has made the most of what little nature gave him. Why, I've known that boy ever since he

e to tell the story in

will try

hould come up before the one judge the System feared and could not control. "Now, loo

man, to work wonders in getting action or carrying a point. Far from despising such men as Murtha, I think we all rather admired his good qualities. It was

e. You knew you were going to win. Would you deliberately stop and stic

s are parallel," returned K

his good nat

t out-and perhaps lose the rac

rton, "not because I don't think he can do it better tha

uasively, "you'll think i

ng to take his measure. He had some scheme in mind an

ted to change the subject, "is different from any other in the p

oposition, but Carton hurried on, giving him no

se of secret records-conversations-at conferences-dinners-records that have been take

s positively apoplectic. The veins in

uld almost read his mind. Carton had said nothing directly about the Black Boo

oing to try some of those fine littl

wn the room, storming a

rton, there ain't many men that can afford to throw stones. I admit my life hasn't been perfect-but, then I ain't posing as any saint. I don't mind telling you that the organization, as you call it, is looking into some of the things that you reformers have done. It may be t

nacious jaw. "You can

ll he said, wi

im a moment, then

nderstand-life. It's a game-that's what it is-a game. Sometimes one move is right, sometimes another. You know what you want to a

forward, the tense loo

we could almost hear h

ot think it over. I'll

trial befor

elf with rage and chagrin. He was white and red by turns. For

as he reached the door,

oning with a mighty effort at least t

he vicious slam which

hen, Dorgan did not secure the Black Book," was all he said, "even s