Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1907. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER LIV. "not Guilty." We are beginning to see that it is justice, not the courts, that is sacred. --Charles Grant Miller. Though authority be a stubborn bear, yet he is often led by the nose with gold.--Shakespeare. All now worship gold to the neglect of the gods; by gold good faith is banished; justice is sold for sold, the law follows gold.--Propertius. Stuttering fire-engines filled the street, and sharp orders shouted to furiously working "smoke-eaters" filled the night air. With their batons the police waved back the aggressively curious crowd that was pressing within the prohibitory line. Boise was enjoying the unwonted excitement of a nocturnal blaze. The flames had gained too great headway to be subdued, and the firemen could only play upon the fated structure their futile streams that even as they struck were with hisses of contempt converted into clouds of impotent steam, and watch for the walls to fall in. The building was a large rooming-house, and the lodgers had been early aroused and enabled to escape. Suddenly a white-faced and wide-eyed woman ran toward the crowd from the direction of the blazing building, wildly waving her arms and shouting frantically. It was the landlady. "Mr. Shoforth's in there!" she screamed. "I knocked on his door just after the alarm, but could get no response. He couldn't have come out--his door was locked. Oh, he must be in there!" and she wrung her hands hysterically. A dapper young man dashed from the crowd and, heedless of the hindering efforts of the police nor mindful of the shouted forbiddance of the firemen, seized an extension ladder, placed it against the already wavering wall beneath the window that had been pointed out and which was smashed in, and ran nimbly up the rungs. Hastily binding a handk...