Part 42 (1/2)
”These engineers of yours with us and the other men Meyers will bring down can be thrown as a guard around the jail,” he stated. ”I'll swear them all in as deputies. With Sorenson and Vorse locked up along with Burkhardt--and I'll throw Lucerio, the county attorney, in with them on the off chance he's an accomplice--there will be high feeling running in San Mateo. As quick as I can make arrangements, we'll take them to safe quarters elsewhere--to-night if possible, to-morrow at the latest, in fast machines. These men have friends, remember.”
”You've Burkhardt handcuffed; it might be well to gag him, too, for fear the crowd might make trouble if he yelled for help,” Weir replied.
”Yes, we'll do that, though I think we can rush him into the jail before anyone knows what's happening.”
On the outskirts of town therefore the cars stopped. When Burkhardt, who had recovered his senses and with them a knowledge of his plight, perceived the sheriff's intention his rage burst all bounds.
”You fool, you muddle-headed blunderer!” he exclaimed, with a string of oaths. ”Take these cuffs off! You'll lose your job for this trick.
When I see Sorenson----”
”When you see him, you'll see him; and that will be inside a cell,”
was the cool rejoinder. ”I didn't know you were a dynamiter and would-be murderer until to-night, but I watched you at work and saw you shoot twice at Weir.”
”You'll unlock these, I say, here and now!” And the raging voice went off in a further stream of biting curses. ”Look at me; I'm Burkhardt.
You're crazy to talk of throwing me in jail, with my influence and----”
”Your influence be d.a.m.ned,” was the imperturbable answer. ”You'll have a long time in a penitentiary to see how much influence you have, if you don't swing first.”
Burkhardt struggled fiercely for a moment against the steel bands about his wrists and the men who held him.
”No crook like this Weir shall ever send me behind bars, or any other man put me there. Wait till Sorenson and Vorse and Judge Gordon learn what you're trying! Wait till they find out you've double-crossed us for this engineer! Wait till Gordon turns me loose with a _habeas corpus_, you'll sweat blood for this night's work, Madden!”
The sheriff shook out the red handkerchief with which he expected to bind the prisoner's mouth.
”I'll wait for a long time if I wait for Gordon to issue the writ,” he remarked. ”Seeing that he's dead.”
”Dead! You're a liar, you sneaking cur; you can't bluff me. And when I'm loose, if I don't fill you full of lead it will be because----”
But Burkhardt's explanation was never finished on that point, for Madden whipped the rolled handkerchief over his mouth and quickly knotted it behind, shutting off the flow of seething vituperative speech. If looks could slay, those he received from the prisoner's bloodshot maddened eyes would have dropped the sheriff in his tracks; as it was, they fell harmless against the law officer's person.
”Things have changed sort of sudden, haven't they, Burkhardt?” Madden stated, sardonically. ”Never can tell what's going to happen between supper and breakfast. Here I go out to serve a warrant on Weir, and instead I'm bringing you in for trying a low I.W.W. trick. Surprising cards a fellow sometimes gets on the draw.” With which he went back to the other car.
Counting on quickness for the safe delivery of his men in jail, Madden did not attempt to approach the court house by a side street. On the contrary he drove fast down the main way, with the other two cars following close, pa.s.sing without pause through the crowd of Mexicans drawn forth in wonder at the booming report of the explosion that had sounded from the dam.
One could see that excitement was at a high pitch. With the rumors that all day had been in circulation, with later vague tales of the great debauch proceeding at the old 'dobe house half way up the road to camp, with the thunder-clap that had burst from the base of the mountains coming on top of all, every man, woman and child had run to the main street, where those in the automobiles could see by wagging tongues and gesticulating hands that speculation was rife and curiosity afire.
”The talk this evening when I set out for your camp was that I expected to bring you in and hang you,” Madden said dryly, to the engineer. ”Quite a crowd had come to town. Plain to see now that Burkhardt and his bunch had started the talk. I shouldn't be surprised if there had been trouble had I arrested and locked you up. There are a few bad Mexicans around these parts that would do anything for money, and it's evident from what's happened that Sorenson's gang was ready to go the limit. What I'm trying to figure out is where these fellows Burkhardt had with him up yonder came from.”
”I can tell you. From across the line. I've seen plenty just like them down there,” Weir affirmed. ”Look at their hats and clothes--but you'll be able to make them talk after a while. However, you won't find any of them speaking English. Offer one of them some money and a trip home and he'll give you the story quick enough, especially after you've thrown a scare into him. We can afford to let one go to get the facts.”
”You better keep out of sight after we have the men in the jail. Slip behind the jail to the rear of the yard, and when I've locked them up and told Atkinson what to do about keeping the people away from the building, I'll join you there.”
”I understand,” Weir stated.
”And we can slip off and grab Vorse if he's in his saloon and then Sorenson before any one knows what's happening.”
”That's right; don't want the game spoiled now. Here we are.”
The cars had arrived at the gate before the courthouse. Here, too, however, the crowd was densest, having gathered at the spot as if the roar of powder from the camp was an overture to Weir's arrest and appearance. It had proved a prelude to his appearance, at any rate.