THE SEMI-WEEKLY ROBESON1AN.
Te THIRD
n DEGREE
cA Narrative
cWetropolitan
Life
in a barrel. His mother came here k
By CHARLES KLEIN and
ARTHUR HORNBLOW
mXETRATIONS EY RAY WALTERS
(tUW N...I, low, U) U iiUDgUUB COIBflUkfJ
SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER I. Howard Jeffries, bank
r on. under the evil Influence of Rob
ert Underwood, fellow-student at Yale,
leada a life of dissipation, marries the
daughter of a gambler who died In pri
son, and la disowned by his father.
Forced to leare aollege, he tries to get
work and fall. His wife, Annie, is
straight as a die, and has a heart of
gold. A former college chum makes
business proposition to Howard which
requires 12,000 cash, and Howard is broke.
CHAPTER II. Robert Underwood, who
had made love to Annie in his college
days and was repulsed, and was once en
gaged to Howard's stepmother, Alicia, Is
a welcome visitor at tha Jeffries home.
Underwood has apartments in the As
truria, an exclusive apartment house.
Howard recalls a $280 loan to Underwood
that remains unpaid and decides to ask
him for the $2,000 he needs.
CHAPTER ni. Mrs. Jeffries, Br., fool
ishly encourages a dangerous Intimacy
with Underwood which the latter takes
advantage of until he becomes a sort of
social highwayman. Discovering his true
character, Mrs. Jeffries denies him the
bouse.
CHAPTER IV. Alicia receives a note
from Underwood threatening suicide un
less she revokes her sentence of banish
ment. She decides to go and see him.
CHAPTER V. Underwood is in desper
ate -IT." straltSr Merchants for whom
he has acted as commissioner In the sale
of art treasures demand an accounting.
Underwood cannot make good. Howard
Jeffries calls at Underwood's apartments
In an intoxicated condition.
CHAPTER VI. He asks Underwood for
12.000 and Is told the latter is In debt up
to his eyes. Howard drinks himself Into
a maudlin condition and Anally goes to
sleep on a divan. A caller is announced
and Underwood draws a screen around
tha drunken sleeper. Alicia enters.
CHAPTER VTI.-Bhe demands from
Underwood a promise that he will not
take his life, pointing to the disgrace
that would attach to herself from having
been associated with a suicide. Under
wood refuses to promise unless she will
renew her patronage. This she refuses
to do, and takes her leave. Underwood
turns out the lights, places a pistol at
lila temple, and fires.
CHAPTER VITI. The report of the pis
tol awakens Howard from his drunken
slumber. He stumbles over the dead
body of Underwood. Realizing his seri
ous predicament he starts to leave the
room and Is met by Underwood's valet.
The latter discovers the body, raises an
alarm and Howard is turned over to the
police.
CHAPTER IX. Capt. Clinton, notori
ous for his brutal treatment of prisoners,
puts Howard through an ordeal known
In police parlance as the third degree.
CHAPTER X. After being compelled
to stand In one position for five hours
while the bullying captain hurled ques
tions at him, Howard is practically hyp
notized when the shining revolver is
flashed In his eyes, and mechanically re
peats after the captain what purports to
be a confession of murder.
CHAPTKU XT. Annie declares her
fnith in her husband's innocence, despite
the nlh'Heil confession, and says she will
clear him if it takes everything she pos
sesses in ti e world.
CTIA PTFi: XT!. She pleads with How
ard's fntler to come to his son's aist
npre. lie ! -fuses to do so unless Annie
will consent to a dlvon e and promise to
leave the country, never to return. To
r.nve llow ird she consents. Win n si e
finds that Jeffries does not intend to rente
out pw'hlirly :md stnnd by his son. hut
merely to irive flnatvlal assistance, she
declines his help.
CHAPTER XTTI Annie appeals to
Jiidire Ttrewster. :i lawyer of lnternat'oii
nl reputation and attorney for the . lei
Jeffries, to take the case, but he de
clines. CHAPTER XIII CONTINUED
"So you're the wife of Jeffries,
whom they've got for murder, eh?"
she said, as she rapidly ran her hands
through the visitor's clothing.
"Yes," faltered Annie, "but it's all
a umtnke. I assure you. My husband's
perfectly innocent. He wouldn't hurt
a !.' "
The woman gTinned.
"They all say that, m'ni." Lugubri
ously she added: "I hope you'll be
more lucky than some others were."
Annie felt herself grow cold. Was
this a sinister prophecy? Site shud
d red and, hastily taking a dollar from
her purse, slipped it into the matron's
band.
"May I go now?" she said.
"Yes, my dear; I guess you've got
nothing dangerous on you. We have
to be very careful. I remember once
when we had that Hoboken murderer
here. He's the feller that cut his
wife's head off and stuffed the body
111
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sooner of Foley Kidney Pills. In a few
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Children Cry
FOR FLETCHER'S
C ASTO R I A
"So You're the Wife of Jeffries, Whom
They've Got for Murder, Eh?"
see him one day and what did I find
inside her stocking but an innocent
looking little round pill, and if you
please, it was nothing less than prus
aic acid. He would have swallowed It
and the electric chair would have
been cheated. So you see how careful
we has to be."
Annie could not listen to any more.
The horror of having Howard classed
with fiends of that description sickened
her. To the keeper she said quickly:
"Please take me to my husband."
Taking another dollar from her
purse, she slipped the bill into the
man's hand, feeling that, here as
everywhere else, one must pay for
privileges and courtesies. Her guide
led the way and ushered her Into an
elevator, which, at a signal, started
slowly upwards.
The cells in the Tombs are arranged
in rows in the form of an ellipse In
the center of each of the six floors.
There is room to accommodate 900
prisoners of both sexes. The men are
confined in the new prison; the wom
en, fewer in number, in what remains of
the old building. Only the cehterof each
floor being taken trp with the rows
of narrow cells, there remains a broad
corridor, running all the way round
and flanked on the right by high walla
with small barred windows. An ob
server from the street glancing up at
the windows might conclude that they
were those of the cells In which pris
oners were confined. As a matter of
fact, the cells have no windows, only a
grating which looks directly out into
the circular corridor.
At the fourth floor the elevator
stopped and the heavy iron door
swung back.
"This way," said the keeper, step
ping out and quickly walking along
the corridor. "He's in cell No. 456."
A lump rose in Annie's throat. The
place was well ventilated, yet 6he
thought she would faint from a cho
king feeling of restraint. All along
the corridor to the left were iron
doors painted yellow. In the upper
part of the door were half a dozen
broad slits through which one could
see what was going on inside.
"Those are the cells," volunteered
her guide.
Annie shuddered as, mentally, she
pictured Howard locked up in such a
dreadful place. She peered through
one of the slits and saw a narrow cell
about ten feet long by six wide. The
only furnishings were a folding cot
with blanket, a wash bowl and lava
tory. Each cell had its occupant, men
and youths of all ages. Some were
reading, some playing cards. Some
were lying asleep on their cots, per
haps dreaming of home, but most of
them leaning dejectedly against the
iron bars wondering when they would
regnin their liberty.
"Where are the women?" asked
Annie, trying to keep down the lump
that rose chokingly in her throat.
"They're in a separate part of the
pri$n," replied the keeper.
. "Isn't it dreadful?" she murmured.
"Not at all," he exclaimed cheer
fully. "These prisoners fare better in
prison than they do outside. I wager
6ome of them are sorry to leave."
"Hut it's dreadful to be cooped up
in those little cells, isn't it?" she said.
"Not so bad as it looks," he laughed.
"They are allowed to come out in the
corridor to exercise twice a day for an
hour and there is a splendid shower
bath they can take."
"Where is my husband's cell?" she
whispered, almost dreading to hear
the reply.
"There it is," he said, pointing to a
door. "No. 45G."
Walking rapidly ahead of her and
stopping at one of the cell doors, he
rapped loudly on the iron grating and
cried:
"Jeffries, here's a lady come to see
you. Wake up there!"
A white, drawn face approached the
grating. Annie sprang forward.
"Howard!" she sobbed.
"Is it you, Annie?" came a weak
voice through the bars.
"Can't I go in to him?" she asked
pleadingly.
The keeper shook his head.
"No, m'm, you must talk through
the bars, but I won't disturb you."
He walked away and the husband
and wife were left facing each other.
The tears were streaming down An
nie's cheeks. It was dreadful to be
standing there so close and yet not
be able to throw her arms around him.
Her heart ached as she saw the dis
tress in his wan, pale face.
"Why didn't you come before?" he
asked.
"I could not. They wouldn't let me.
Oh, Howard," she gasped. "What a
dreadful thing this is! Tell me how
you got into such a scrape!"
He put his hand to his head as if it
hurt 'him, and she noticed that his
eyes looked queer. For a' moment the
agony of a' terrible suspicion crossed
her DrtBdr- Was -t-posrble that iaa
moment of drunken recklessness he
bad shot Underwood? Quickly, almost
(breathlessly, she whispered to him:
'Tell me quickly, 'tis not true, is it?
You did not kill Robert Underwood."
He shook his head.
"No," he said.
"Thank God for that!" she ex
claimed. "But yemr confession what
does that mean?"
"I do not know. They told me I did
it. They insisted 1 did it. He was
sure I did it. He told me he knew I
did it. He showed me the pistol. He
was so insistent that I thought he was
right that I had done it." In a deep
whisper he added earnestly: "Hut
you know I didn't, don't you?"
"Who is he?" demanded Annie.
"The police captain."
"Oh, Capt. Clinton told you you
did it?"
Howard nodded.
"Yes, he told me he knew I did it.
He kept me standing there six hours,
questioning and questioning until I
was ready to drop. I tried to sit
down; he made me stand up. I did
not know what I was saying or doing.
He told me I killed Robert Under
wood. He showed me the pistol under
the strong light. The reflection from
the polished nickel flashed into my
eyes, everything suddenly became a
blank. A few moments later the cor
oner came in and Capt. Clinton told
him I confessed. But it isn't true, An
nie. You know I am as innocent of
that murder as you are."
"Thank God, thank God!" exclaimed
Annie. "1 see it all now."
Her tears were dried. Her brain was
beginning to work rapidly. She al
ready saw a possible line of defense.
"I don't know how it all happened,"
went on Howard. "I don't know any
more about it than you do. I left you
to go to Underwood's apartment. On
the way I foolishly took a drink. WThen
I got there I took more whisky. Be
fore I knew it 1 was drunk. While
talking I fell asleep. Suddenly I heard
a woman's voice-"
"Ah!" InterruptediAnnle. You, too,
heard a woman's voice. Capt. Clinton
said there was a woman in it"
Thoughtfully, as if to herself, she
added: "We must find that woman."
"When I woke up," continued How
ard, "it was dark. Groping around
for the electric light, I stumbled over
something. It was Underwood's dead
oody. How he came by his death I
have not the slightest idea. I at once
realized the dangerous position I was
id and I tried to leave the apartment
unobserved. Just as I was going,
Underwood's man servant arrived and
he handed me over to the police.
That's the whole story. I've been
here since yesterday and I'll be devil
ish glad to get out."
"You will get out," she cried. "I'm
doing everything possible to get you
free. I've been trying to get the best
lawyer in the country Richard Brew
ster." "Richard Brewster!" exclaimed How
ard. "He's my father's lawyer."
"I saw your father yesterday after
noon," she said quietly.
"You did!" he exclaimed, surprised.
"Was he willing to receive you?"
"He had to," she replied. "I gave
him a piece of my mind."
Howard looked at her in mingled
amazement and admiration. That she
should have dared to confront a man
as proud and obstinate as his father
astounded him.
"What did he say?" he asked eag
erly. "I asked him to come publicly to
your support and to give you legal
assistance. He refused, saying he
could not be placed in a position of
condoning such a crime and that your
behavior and your marriage had mado
him wash his hands of you forever."
Tears filled Howard's eyes and his
mouth quivered.
"Then my father believes me guilty
of this horrible crime?" he exclaimed.
"He insisted that you must be guilty,
as you had confessed. He offered,
though, to give you legal assistance,
but only on one condition."
"What was that condition?" he de
manded. "That I consent to a divorce," re
plied Annie quietly.
"What did you say?"
"I said I'd consent to anything if it
would help you, but when he told me
that even then he would not come per
sonally to your support I told him we
woulsj worry along without his as
sistance. On that I left him."
"You're a brave little woman!"
cried Howard. Noticing her pale, anx
ious face, he said:
"You, too, must have suffered."
"Oh. never mind me," she rejoined
quickly. "What we must do now is to
get you out of this horrid place and
clear your name before the world. We
must show that your alleged confes
sion is untrue; that it was dragged
from you involuntarily. We must find
that mysterious woman who came to
Underwood's rooms while you lay on
the couch asleep. Do you know what
my theory is, Howard?"
"What?" demanded her husband.
"I believe you were hypnotized into
making that confession. I've read of
such things before. You know the
Repels Attack of Death.
"Five years ago two doctors told me
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all druggists. 4
boys in college often -hypnotized you.
You told me they made you do all
kinds of things agaiDBt your will.
That big brute, Capt. Clinton, simply
forced his will on yours."
"By Jove I never thought of that!"
he exclaimed. "I know my head
ached terribly after he got through all
that questioning. When he made me
look at that pistol I couldn't resist
any more Hut how are we going to
break through the .net which the po
lice have thrown around me?"
"By getting the best lawyer we can
procure I shall insist on Judge Rrew
ster taking the case. He declines, but
I shall go to his office again this after
noon. He must "
Howard shook his head.
"You'll not be able to get Brewster.
He would never dare offend my father
by taking up my ease without his per
mission. He won't even see you."
"We'll see," she said quietly. "He'll
see me if I have to sit in his office
all day for weeks. I have decided to
have Judge Brewster defend you be
cause I believe it would mean ac
quittal. He will build up a defense
that will defeat all the lies that the
police have concocted. The police have
a strong case because of your alleged
confession. It will take a strong law
yer to fight them." Earnestly Bhe
added: "Howard, if your life is to be
saved we must get Judge Brewster."
"All right, dear," he replied. "I
can only leave it in your hands. I
know that whatever you do will be for
the best. I ll try to be as patient as
I can. My only comfort is thinking
of you, dear."
A heavy step resounded in the corri
dor. The keeper came up.
"Time's up, m'm," he said civilly.
Annie thrust her hand through the
bars; Howard carried it reverently to
his lips.
"Good-by, dear," she said. "Keep
up your courage. You'll know that I
am working for your release every
moment. I won't leave a stone un
turned." "Good-by, darling," he murmured.
He looked at her longingly and
there were tears in her eyes as she
turned away y f , .
"I'll be back very soonr she 6aid.
A few minutes later they were In
the elevator and she passed through
the big steel gate once more into the
sunlight street.
t (TO BE CONTINUED.)
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1MM
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This, no doubt, will be a great
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P. P. GREEN
'Phone 60.
7-6-ft Lumberton. N. C.
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11-2-tf
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2; 9-9
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