Part 37 (1/2)
The two girls put on their hats and together they traveled to the distant police station as rapidly as possible. It was a bitter ordeal for Lorna, whose strength was nearly exhausted. The welts on her shoulders from Shepard's whip brought the tears to her eyes. As they reached the station house the girl became faint. The matron and Mary had to chafe her hands and apply other homely remedies to keep her up for the task of identifying the woman who had been captured.
”Now, Burke,” began Sawyer, ”I have been saving Trubus for a surprise.
He has been locked up in my private office, and still doesn't know exactly how we have caught him. I've broken the letter of the rules by forbidding him to telephone anyone until you came. I guess it is important enough, in view of our discovery, for me to have done this--he can call up his lawyer as soon as we have confronted him with Clemm and this young girl. Bring me the phonograph records.”
They went into his private office, where White was guarding Trubus.
”How much longer am I to be subject to these Russian police methods?”
demanded Trubus, with an oath.
”Quiet, now, Mr. Purity League,” said Sawyer, ”we are going to have ladies present. You will soon be allowed to talk all you want. But I warn you in advance that everything you say will be used as evidence against you.”
”Against me--me, the leading charity worker of our city!” snorted Trubus, but he watched the door uneasily.
”Bring in the young ladies, Burke,” directed Captain Sawyer.
Bobbie returned with Mary and Lorna. Trubus started perceptibly as he observed the new telephone girl whom his wife had induced him to employ that day.
Sawyer nodded again to Burke.
”Now the go-between.” He turned to Mary. ”Do you know this man, Miss Barton?”
The name had a strangely familiar sound to Trubus. He wondered uneasily.
”He is William Trubus, president of the Purity League. I worked for him to-day.”
”Do you recognize this man?” was queried, as Clemm shuffled forward, with the a.s.sistance of Burke's st.u.r.dy push.
”This is the one who was embracing the other telephone girl. But he did not stay there long. I never saw him before that, to my recollection.”
”What do you know about this man, Officer 4434?” asked the captain.
Clemm fumbled with his handcuffs, looking down in a sheepish way to avoid the malevolent looks of Trubus.
”He is known as John Clemm, although we have found a police record of him under a dozen different aliases. He formerly ran a gambling house, and at different times has been involved in bunco game and wire-tapping tricks. He is one of the cleverest crooks in New York. In the present case he has been the go-between for this man Trubus, who, posing as a reformer to cover his activities, has kept in touch with the work of the Vice Trust, managed by Clemm. They had a dictagraph and a mechanical pencil register which connected Trubus's office with Clemm's.”
”It's a lie!” shouted Trubus, furiously. ”Some of these degraded criminals are drawing my famous and honored name into this case to protect themselves. It is a police scheme for notoriety.”
”You'll get the notoriety,” retorted Sawyer. ”There is a young man who is taking notes for the biggest paper in New York. He has verified every detail. They'll have extras on the streets in fifteen minutes, for this is the biggest story in years. You are cornered at last, Trubus. Send in the rest of those people arrested in that house owned by Trubus.” The woman was brought in with the others of the gang who had been apprehended in the old house.
[Ill.u.s.tration: The pretended philanthropist was cornered at last.]
”Now, Mr. Trubus, this woman rented from you and paid a very high rental. The man Shepard was killed in resisting arrest. We have rounded up Baxter, Craig, Madame Blanche and a dozen others of your employees. Have you anything to say?”
Trubus whirled around and would have struck Clemm had not White intervened.
”You squealer! You've betrayed me!”
”No, I didn't!” cried Clemm, shrinking back. ”I swear I didn't!”
Sawyer reached for the phonograph records and held them up with a laconic smile.