Jim Cummings; Or, The Great Adams Express Robbery
Page 16
CHAPTER XVI.
MORIARITY IN THE SWEAT-BOX--THE SUCCESS OF THE FORGED LETTER--MORIARITYCONFESSES.
Dan Moriarity, seated on a bare plank bench in his cell, was passingaway the weary hours in figuring how he was to get out of the badscrape into which he had plunged. He was now fully satisfied that thedetectives were very certain that he had a hand in the express-carrobbery--but how did they get hold of that dangerous fact? Not throughCook, for since his incarceration in the jail Dan had talked with Cookin the corridors, and Cook had sworn by all that was good and holy thathe had not divulged a single word, and knowing that Cook stood inmortal fear of Cummings, as did he himself, Dan believed him.
It was not at all probable that either Haight or Weaver had given thething away in Chicago, for Dan knew from Cummings that they had notbeen disturbed, and Cummings had not, or would not have given anyinformation. Then how did the cursed "man-hunters" find out that he hadhelped in the affair?
Dan was busily engaged in trying to solve this knotty question when thebailiff in charge entered the door and told Dan to follow him to theoffice.
When Dan reached the room he found three gentlemen awaiting him, allstrange faces to the robber. The eldest of the three, as he came in,pointed to a chair, and with commanding brevity and in a tone whichindicated that he was used to being obeyed, told him to sit down.
The full glare of the light streaming in through the window fell fullupon his face, while the remainder of the party, their faces turnedtoward him, were comparatively in the shadow, thus having him at adisadvantage. As was before remarked, Moriarity possessed a certainamount of bull courage, and seeing he was in for it, and feeling thathe was to be put through the sweating process he sat erect in hischair, his lips compressed and his whole demeanor that of a corneredman determined to fight.
Mr. Pinkerton saw that and with courteous suavity inquired, "Is thisMr. Moriarity?"
"What's the use of asking me; you know well enough who I am," repliedDan, in short, curt syllables.
"Of course, of course; but I thought I might be mistaken."
"Well, you aren't."
"Now, Mr. Moriarity, I think if you are inclined to you can getyourself out of this scrape."
"Ya-as, I suppose so.
"You will let me introduce myself. My name is William Pinkerton."
Dan looked at the great detective with interest and a certain amount ofawe, which, however, he quickly overcame and determined to keep astiffer upper lip than ever.
"Oh! You're Billy Pinkerton, are you?"
"Yes, I am Billy Pinkerton, and I've been hunting for you for sometime."
"Well, you ought to be satisfied; you've caught me."
"More than satisfied, Mr. Moriarity, for I've caught your friend too."
"Cook?"
"Oh, he was jailed before you."
"You don't mean Jim?"
"Exactly."
"You can't stuff me with any such yarn as that."
"Would you like to see him?" asked Mr. Pinkerton, quickly.
"Seeing's believing."
Turning to the bailiff Mr. Pinkerton inquired:
"What cell is Jim Cummings in?"
"Forty-three, sir."
"Will you take us there?"
"Yes, sir. This way, please."
The detectives with Moriarity followed the turnkey and passing theentire length of the corridor paused in front of cell forty-three.
The door of solid sheet steel had a small circular opening in itthrough which the guards could inspect their prisoners.
Opening this Mr. Pinkerton looked in, then stepping back told Moriarityto step forward.
Dan applied his eye to the opening and in surprised tones exclaimed,"By God, it IS Jim."
He again looked and clinching his fist pounded on the door. "Jim! Jim!"he cried. "They got you at--"
"Here, none of that," said the bailiff in a gruff tone. "None of that,I say," and taking Dan by the arm he marched him back to the office.
"You see, Mr. Moriarity, I told the truth," said Mr. Pinkerton in apleasant voice.
"Looks like it," growled Dan. "But I don't see how the devil you didit."
"Very easily done. He gave himself up."
"What's that?" shouted Dan as he almost bounded from his chair.
"He gave himself up, I said," repeated Mr. Pinkerton.
"Jim Cummings gave himself up," said Dan slowly as if trying to graspthe idea.
"Exactly. He saw we had him and that he couldn't get away, so to makehis sentence as light as possible he did the best thing he could do andsurrendered."
Almost dumbfounded by this surprise Dan sat speechless and staredblankly at the detective.
"Do you know, Mr. Moriarity," Mr. Pinkerton continued, "you strike meas being remarkably clever."
Arousing himself Dan answered in a savage tone:
"What are you driving at now?"
"I mean that up to the time that Cummings surrendered himself wethought he was the principal man in the case, the prime mover anddirector of the whole affair, but now we find we are mistaken. That iswhy I say you are clever. You simply used him as a cat's paw, andplayed hide and seek with our whole force, and a man that can do thatas long as you did is remarkably clever," and Mr. Pinkerton smiledadmiringly at the man who sat before him. Puzzled at the words, andtrying to see beneath the surface, Dan said: "Oh! come now, stop yourchaffing, I won't squeal, and you can't make me. What do you want mefor anyway?"
Mr. Pinkerton's face became stern, and dropping the tone of levitywhich he had employed, he opened the letter Sam had forged, andsuddenly handing it to Dan, said:
"We want to know if what Jim Cummings says there is true."
Somewhat impressed by Mr. Pinkerton's manner, Dan commenced to read theletter.
At first he hardly understood its purport, but slowly the realizationof his friend's treachery came over him, and springing to his feet hebrought his fist down on his chair and shouted in angry tones:
"It's a damned lie!"
Without noticing the baliff or the detectives, he paced the floor withangry strides, his eyes flashing and the veins in his forehead swellinguntil they stood out like whip cords.
The baliff, at a sign from Mr. Pinkerton, stationed himself at thedoor, but too excited to notice the movement, Dan continued to walk toand fro like a caged lion.
"That is why he gave himself up, the coward--the lying turn-tale! Thetreacherous dog! Swearing it off on me to save a few years of hismiserable life out of jail. See here!" stopping suddenly before Mr.Pinkerton, "That traitor made me swear I would never squeal. All I gotout of the whole swag was two thousand dollars, but even then, if hehad done the square thing, I would have kept mum, though I were sentdown to rock-pile. But the man that would play that low, scaley trickon me is going to suffer for it. What do you want to know?"
"Now you are getting sensible," said Mr. Pinkerton. "We want to get themoney. You know where it is? We know that last October a valise wassent to you from St. Louis to Leavenworth, which you were to give toCook. We know that Cook received some of the stolen money. You hadsome, too. We have shadowed you all over Kansas City. You have beenseen in the White Elephant playing faro, you were followed to thewidow's fortune-telling room. We know where you lived, and have letterswhich you received from Jim Cummings.
"That isn't his name," broke in Dan.
Mr. Pinkerton stopped. He saw he had Dan up to the proper point, andwhere before he would have died rather than given a grain ofinformation in connection with the case, he was now anxious to tell allhe knew of it. Dan continued:
"Jim Cummings isn't his right name any more'n it's mine. His name isFred Wittrock, and he lives in Chicago."
"Where?"
"At--West Lake street."
"Will you swear to that?"
"Yes, I will; he runs a coalyard there. He and a man named Weaver. Ihad nothing to do with robbing the car. It was all done before I ranacross Wittrock near Pacific, and he gave me $2,000 to keep my mouths
hut and help plant the plunder."
"Do you know where it is planted?"
"Part of it, yes. Weaver and another fellow named Haight have some hidin Chicago. Some is hid in the graveyard near Leaven worth, and some ofit behind Cook's cooper-shop."
"Has Fotheringham got any of it?"
"Fotheringham hadn't anything to do with it--any more'n youdid--Wittrock knocked him down and he couldn't help himself."
"Mr. Moriarity, if all this is true, you will be benefited by theinformation you have given," then turning to the baliff, he said, "Weare through now." Moriarity, still cursing Cummings, was led back tothe cell, and the detectives left the jail for Chip's boarding-house.
"It's plain sailing now, boys," said Mr. Pinkerton; "this end has beenworked dry, and you must return to Chicago with me. Cummings, or ratherWittrock, if Moriarity has spoken the truth, will certainly make forChicago, and you must be ready for him."
The next day the three detectives were on their way to Chicago, leavingBarney, who had played the part of Jim Cummings in cell 43, to remainin Kansas City and hunt for the "planted swag."