Detective Bob Bridger — page 42: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

DETECTIVE BOB BRIDGER. 35 “And do you want to say that the Burdell murder hap- pened in the house we have just left?” “Certainly, in the front corner on the second floor. The landlady but a moment since showed me the apartment.”’ ‘Well, that’s news tome. I knew that it occurred on this street, but I had forgotten the number of the house. But that’s neither here nor there. How about your own murder case? What did your ‘spotting’ amount to on the road? Did you find that girl? And what are you hanging out in New York, disguised as a good old parson, for?” ‘To answer you somewhat in order, Bobe, Pinkerton’s ‘spotters’ made out a ‘dead’ case against the conductors of the line. For a test Conductor Vandenker was indicted and tried for embezzlement. We clearly proved that on certain specified days he had taken from eighty dollars up- ward, which he had not turned into the company’s treas- ury. His fellow conductors, knowing that his conviction or acquittal was equivalent to the same in their cases, clubbed together and employed a shrewd lawyer to defend him. This lawyer appealed to the prejudice of the jury, al- ready naturally strong against the railway company. Vandenker, he said, was a gentleman who had long resided in their midst. He had always paid his bills—owed no man adollar. The first citizens of their city had intrusted to his care their journeying daughters and wives. Against this gentleman’s plea of ‘not guilty’ was ar- rayed the flimsy oaths of detectives, born and bred in metropolitan dens of crime. Whatdid the jury think of any man who would spy upon another’s actions for pay ? If this honorable gentleman was convicted Pinkerton and his ‘spotters’ would be paid a large amount of money by the railway company. - Should jail-birds’ oaths swear an honest citizen to a felon’s cell, and win this base gold? Or should good, honest John Vandenker breathe the honest air of Pennsylvania in freedom? The jury said that John should do so—and thus fell the company’s case against its “employees. “Good enough for that,” quoth Bridger. ‘For I must confess that I’m content the boys got off. And now, how about the girl?” ‘She is an angel, Bobe.” ‘Then you found her ?” ‘Found her! Ishould say so! We are engaged to be married,” €oO ee Eomicbooks