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About The Klamath news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1923-1942 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1931)
'BJ i iiiiiiiii'M'mih 'iniiainnifmn 3 ets even s 3 EIIHS3I The' Duke: G E3 c - r 'I E HID diiimiiiim W1a t ' " wjti 1 1 v 7 m m i i . .. (i i . . i . .. a i . t ii "I When a big-time racketeer shows off to a golddigger you can look for action, and here you have it in a rapid-fire short story By PATRICK S. BILKS lllutlraliont By JOE KISG EUNICE laughed as the listened lo the speed top' motorcycle chug away beck into ihe night. Duke Mitchell, at Ker tide, glared down at hii speedometer. Il was still, now, uid at leio. He stalled lo iwur, bul. intlead. raced tlx engine madly, mapped in the clutch and lurched back into the ttieain of cara headed down the Albany Post Road (or New Yoik City. She mocked him. "So you're the little cop-squelcher, the duke, himself, ui person this u not a movie and you let a hick town cop take t ten ipot off you for doing over 35 milea in hour I " I fe chuM to ignore the tatt crack. "I wm doing over 65. Anyway, Eunice, you know I can't afford lo gel into trouble with the law. It wouldn't help my firm al all" Hit manner became boastful. "There's not a jail houv in the La it that's got my record, and I don't figure on giving them a chance to get me at lent not when a louiy ten-spot will keep me out of trouble." He looked at her face in the dim glow of the daih light. There war something there he didn't like. He taw diibelief. And in spite of hit 42 years. Duke Mitchell wil a big school hoy itickmg out hit cheil and trying lo thine up to hii giiL He was goofy over Eunice. SHE, on the other hand, could lake her men or leave them. She wai a prominent mem ber in good standing of the Chorinet' Pro tective Association and often graced the front linea of the more ritzy revues. Although the Wat a notorious gold dig ger. L.unice Uoruell gava only big timert a tumble. Mitchell had made hit little pile and he wat no fooL He wat "laying low" for a while and enjoying the fruit of hit labors. Hit last racket had been within the law welli al most within the law wiling real estate hy a clever intern ol misrepresentation!, and he crowned hit efforts by finally do ing hit partner, Sol liiomtein, out of hit hare of the profits. The mob laughed at Brontlein and slapped Mitchell on the ahoulder. Duke Mitchell firnt met her five and a half feet of shimmering, blond beauty at the opening of the Nine o'Clock Revels at the Gotham tix months before and he had made the going pretty easy for her ever since. She wat known to be his girl and now now, he fell her slipping from htm. He thought he detected contempt in her tone. T-IAT burned the Duke up. He look it out on the ireelerator. Sixty five. 68. 71. 70. 73. 71 this kind of thing for over six miles, not even slowing down for crossings. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do. Eunice," he finally said, "I'm going to get that ten back with interest ten thousand per cent. I mean ten thousand per cent I I II make lh.it hick town of Abington come through good and proper. He went to bed with a well worked out plan of revenge on his mind. It wat a dapper, youngish-looking man of 42, arrayed in pearl-gray topcoat and spats, who hummed a tune from the Nine o'Clock Revels at he waited impatiently at the paying teller's window of ihe Hudson River Trust Company on Broadway. A short time later Duke Mitchell pushed jauntily out through the revolving doors of the bank and into the grimy sunlight of a Broadway Saturday morning. Ha stepped up to the curb and raised hit cane to summon a lexical). He gave the cab driver the name of a "club" on West 49th ttreet. The hackman knew the place and maneuvered through the mazes of traffic up to the door. Mitchell told him to wail. PRESENTLY he emerged and ordered: "The Vernier Motor Salesroom Gibbons' place. You know where it is?" The driver know. "Sure, near Fi'ty-fort. At the cab wormed through traffic Mitchell produced a small bottle from his inside pocket and took a sip. The fiery rye burned as it went down. He slipped the chauffeur a bill for a tip in full view of a group of salesmen in- the window of tha Gibbons-Vernier Com pany. .Would the salesman thow him a car). TheV all hooped out alter Mitchell . . looked at the tpeedometer, felt the radiator. find no catch in it at all . . . iul a Brand-nets. Vernier Eight for a thoumnd Julian , , , Something fahul raced the motor. Thef could Would M Well. You iuit bet he would I "How about that big yellow and maroon roadster in Ihe window)' Duke asked, stepping over to examine it. "Yet. sir. This it going to be the thing at all the resorts this winter. You know you can have any color combination " "How much did you say this was) I mean caih." "Thirty-eight eighty-five delivered equipped, sir." "Well. I have special reasons for wanting this car delivered immediately. Is il all ready to be driven on the ttreet right now)" The talesman concealed hit surprise behind a polite smile. "Ah I believe to. tir. Are you ready to take it now)" The talesman appraised Duke's haberdashery and neatly-tailored appearance. He also caught the faint odor of Ihe liquor on Mitchell's breath. A sport if there ever was one! 'VES. I'll pay cash. I check Mitchell 1 11, Vii fore Will you take a it the name r. A. Mitchell." He added this at if the mere name should allay any yean or doubts that might possibly enter an uncharitable mind. He handed the bewildered salesman an en graved card and went on to explain rather hur riedly and with just the slightest touch of im- fiatience thai he was a tilk buyer from Cleve and and that hit wife had taken hit car on an extended trip to Canada. He intended to go down to the trackt in Maryland and well have a little fun here and there. "Very well. tir. lust take a teat over here, please, while I have the mechanics look it over, fill the tank, and get everything ready." The salesman went back to the shop and beckoned Mr. Long, jun ior partner of the firm, to follow. He directed the two mechanics lo fill the tank and Hart the motor of the roadster. He then turned and explained the situation lo his chief. "He looks all right to me, Henry." he concluded. "Oh. lure, he fould look all right to you. But you know the rule of the house on checks. I, per tonally, don't like his looks' i f. Together they tp N proached Duke, who wat tilting in an easy 1 5i chair near the road ster. As thev came ud he reached into his inside coat pocket and flashed forth a check book and a long, pink, authentic-looking slip of paper. He spoke before tSey did. His tone wat toothing and seductive. "You folkt needn't worry," he said, waving the pink slip. "This it a casher's check on the Hudson River Trust Com pany. I can write you my personal check for the test. Mr. Long examined the check. It looked good. "It's a rule of the house that all checks mutt be verified before the goods are delivered. If you wouldn't mind " "Sure, sure, go ahead," Mitchell heartily agreed. "Call ud the bank. Mr. Reed will tell you all about me. He's head teller there and knows me very well." While Long called up the bank, the tales man eagerly, greedily made out the bill of tale. Duke. Mitchell wrote a check for $1 385. Yet, the account of Mr. F. X. Mitchell of Cleveland ran well over $10,000. A cashier ' check for $2500 had been issued lo him that morning. The account was over a year's standing. Everything was satisfactory. N a very short time Duke Mitchell wat feel ing his way up congested Fifth Avenue. The long, thinv beautv throbbed under hit careful pressure on the accelerator. He stopped at an inn just north of Yonker and tat down to a rather elaborate meal. Everything from toup to nuts. He had plenty of time. Just two o clock. Give the bang em ployes plenty of time to go home. Mitchell always made ture everything was "in the bag" before he started anything. It was late in the afternoon when Duke Mitchell pulled up outside the expansive win dow of the Vernier Sale Company of Abing-ton-on-the-Hudson. He climbed out of the roadster and walked briskly into the taletroom. A tall, blond young man with a varsity-football-team look about him came forward. "Who's in the market for a good car)" be gan Duke, cheerfully aggressive, "A thou- Although the ' ."j a 'notorious gold ! i g g tr . . . Eunice Uordell only big-timert a tumble. I land dollars cash lakes that brand-new Ver nier Eight roadster out there in front I just bought it this morning. I got to gel back lo Chicago quick and I need cold caih. You'll never gel a buy like thai in your life again. Go out and look her over. She hain't done 45 miles yet" THEY all trooped out after Mitch ell and. in turn, raced the motor, looked at the speed ometer, examined the tires, lilted the hood and fell the radiator. "Can't tell much by the speedometer, Walt," whiipercd one of his cronies. "You know they can fix hem thing! to that it don't show no mileage at all." Walt finally looked up at Mitchell. "Say, miiter, the ture lookt O. K. to me. What is the mat ter with it) Split cyl inder block or some thing)" "The car is exactly as I bought it this morning. I paid $3885 for it and I'm willing to let it go right now if someone shows me $ 1 000 cash. Here's the bill of sale and every thing." They all sized him up curiously as he banded tho yellow piece of paper lo Walt They peeped over Walt't shoulder to read it. The Gibbons Company of New York. Witnessed and everything. Something fishy. Must be one of those Chicago racketeers. A brand new Vernier Eight sport roaditer for a thousand dollars) Walt hedged : "I haven't got a thousand dollars myself bul I can get you five hundred now and five hun dred say tomorrow." Duke frowned at he antwered: "Get the five hundred and then we'll talk business." "I'll see what I can do. .muter. Go inside and have a seat. I'm going to run up the street to see a friend of mine. I think he can fix me up." WALT disappeared into a florist shop on the next block. Five minute later he was hurrying down the ttreet back to ihe taletroom. After a bit of ttalling Walt asked Mitchell if he could drive it around a Utile. Sure thing. Mitchell went with him and he took a few turns up and down the road. He passed the tales room five times, then diew up again at the curb. "I think she'll do." said Walt reflectively. Let' go inside and I'll make up a bill of sale for you." As Duke stepped inside the door he was seized on both sides by the wrists and, in leu time than it lakes to tell it, manacles were mapped on him by two brass-buttoned members of the Abington township police. He struggled faintly and cursed his captors. "Not so fast, big boy. not so fast" spoke up one of the officers. They both gave him a quick but thorough frisking. They found no weapons. They plainly showed their disappoint ment and pushed him violently toward a chair. Sit down there," growled the officer. "Oh, you guys are brave, aren't you) Push ing a poor defenseless citizen around. Take these bracelets off, you stupid donkey. What did I do to deserve this treatment)" "That' what we're going to find out pretty soon, see." And the officer, a big. raw-boned fellow, pushed him in the face to hard that Mitchell head whacked against the back of the chair. They were playing right into Duke's hands, y A SMALL crowd was gathering outside the window and some few came inside the tore to allay their curiosity. Walt was trying to get the Gibbons-Vernier Motor Com pany on the wire. ' . . . O hello. . . This Gibbons-Vernier Company) , . . This is the Halliday Vernier Sales Company in Abington. . . . Abington-on-the-Hudson ... no, ABINGTON . . yet, that't it . . ." When Mr. Long at Gibbons learned that Mitchell wat trying to tell the car for a thou sand or less heburned up the wire. "Hold him, hold him," he shrieked. "He gave us check in payment for that car Ihit morning. Take care of the car, will you) He' from Chicago, it he) He told us he was a Cleveland business man. He's a crook, that't what he ill .(Copyright, 1SI0, b. EvsryWetlt Maaaslnt Printed la V, fs Duke ttepped imide the door . . . he not seized on both side by the B-riits . . . and manaclet nsre snapped on. . . . Mitchell fought all the nay to Ihe station . . . arid hovled to high heaven. I'll be up there myself Monday evening." Mitchell fought every foot of the. way to the station house. His collar was torn off his neck and be wat a sorry looking sight with his bloody nose. In vain did Duke protest that he had an important date in New York. When he got to the jail Mitchell demanded a trial right then and there. They just laughed at him and slammed a cell door in his face. He then started to raise his cries to high heaven. He played to perfection the part of the outraged citizen. This finally KOI on the nerves of the keener. who told him he'd sock Mitchell in the iaw : L- j:j : i ' ii tic uiuii I ULe aowu. Mitchell dared him to lock away, and he did. Police had to come downstairs into the cell blocks to separate the two. It was a moral victory for tht Duke. Once more alone in his cell he rubbed his bruised jaw meditatively and reflected that they'd pay for all this, and through the nose. a The county papers carried stories of the "slick Chicago gangster" that had tried to "pull a fast one on a prominent Abington business man." Two of them had editorials the nest day warning New York and Chicago gangsters away from Westchester County. The New York Sunday papers copied the stories in part Lots of fine publicity that Abinzton-on-the Hudson would pay for later, and pay for dearly. Sunday afternoon the "Duke" had two pro fessional callers. Doctor Riskind. before he left, had filled eight pages with notet on con tusions, abrasions, shocks and what not all suffered by the prisoner while in the hands of the Abington authorities. Counselor-at-Law Marcus Soblow was, meanwhile, listening and questioning Duke Mitchell on matters of technical importance. They both took a most cordial leave of their client. The thing had run off like clock work. LATE the next morning, the chief of police, a ladder and a wiser man, looked across his desk and over the brass rail that repre sented the bar of justice in Abington, at Connor, his-lieutenant. "Connor, I guess they just got us dead to rights on this business, but what's done is done. It gives ut an awful black mark. There wat no excuse for that rough stuff. They tell me that bird can collect plenty from this township and it looks like he's not going to leave any ttone unturned. "That quack doctor of hit tayi hi patient hat become mentally unbalanced or something from the treatment we gave him. We know it's a lie, but what can we do) I'd like to give him a little treatment right now I a"He can get a dozen witnesses to say that he been raving ever tince we arrestee! him. Crazy like a fox, that bird ill" "Yeah, when they told me that the bank cathed the check I knew it wat all up. Those two copt ought to get a medal. Bright boyi." Connor shook his head mournfully. Outside the station house Duke Mitchell and Eunice, who had come up the night before, were holding a family reunion. "You took "em over like Dempsey look Firpo, didn't you, honey)" Elaine attempted 8, A. to smooth hi wrinkled cravat "It' an old racket but I never saw it fail. I wish they'd hurry up and bring that car. I'm tick of looking at this burg. "A fine lot of high-binders.'' be snorted, his temper suddenly rising as he thought of the . rough treatment he had had to undergo just lo gel even with a motor cop. Duke was used to getting his without any rough (tuff, and bus jaw was no more badly bruised than hi pride. Eunice stroked his arm. "Never mind, honey," she cooed, "you took the hayshakeri for a ride all right didn't you) You sure made good on that little promise I" Duke Mitchell swelled visibly. "Ten thousand per cent" he muttered. That' what I said I'd take 'em for, baby, and that's what I'm taking 'em tor. "Just leave it to Duke. baby. What he says he'll do. he'll do. and that include the wellest big time tonight at Ravanb's that you ever had. "The only thing make me sore is that it' the community that will have lo pay, and not that wise cop. I wish he'd have to pay the damages personally. I don't suppose he'll even get demoted. Wise guy I "Well, anyway, he know sow when not to monkey with the buzz saw ..." Duke cut himself short "Here come the car now I Get flash of that I" Duke enthused. A he spoke, the long, underslung roadster, with polished nickel gleaming in the dull sun light, eased silently along the curb and came to a stop in front of them. The uniformed police officer at the wheel got out and smiled up at Mitchell. 'POME bus there, bud. Everything is just ,J as.youjeft it" Then he added sotto voice: "Even that half-pint of booze fa the left-hand side pocket There' a law against that I think. Transportation, you know." Duke was suddenly very pale around tha gills. He remembered the rye he had bought Saturday. Ye gods, to think that everything should go wrong now t the last minute I Maybe he could well, it was just a chance. He mumbled something about being "a regular guy-" I m a regular guy, all right" aid the copper, 'but that don't buy me my groceries. Think I'll have to pull ya in." But even as he spoke he pulled out of the breastpocket of his uniform a small booklet labeled "Police Traffic Rule and City Ordi nances of Abington." He opened it and handed it to Mitchell. Mitchell understood. He slid his right hand into his pants pocket withdrew it, and, in the most unobtrusive manner imaginable, slipped a crisp ten dollar note between the pages of the booklet which he was pretending, all the while, to read. He handed the booklet back to the officer who took it with a dignified nod and said to Duke: "O. K. buddy; see y 'again some time." Mitchell drove without a word for the first few minutes, enjoying his new-found freedom. Then Eunice broke the silence. "Say, Duke, didn't you recognize that cop)" He looked at her with narrowed eye. "That wasn't that motorcycle yeah)" All the way back to New York he drove like mad. mi lliilniUitnililllliiUlllllUlUlittUittlliniUlllllJtlillllililllliiiiiia 11111111111111111111 3
