Evening Star Newspaper, January 20, 1929, Page 84

2 THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JANUARY 20, 1929—PART 7.' Famous Missteps of Justice—The Man Who Picked Locks of Law BY JOSEPH GOLLOMB. CAuthor of ‘“Master Men Hunters,” Master Spies,” Etc.) ICTURE for a moment the ma- chinery of justice as operating - the lock of a safe within which precious human rights are guarded. The steel walls of t gafe ltself may be proof against dyna- mite. But occasionally a gifted burglar uses sensitiveness instead of high cx- plosives and successfully picks the most complicated lock. And since the ma- chinery of the law is after ali operated Ly merely human beings, some talent>d villain out of real life, by subtle sensi- tive study of those who would other- wise make him pay the full price for his crime, will succeed in picking the locks of justice. This is the story of such an attempt. * K ok K IN Ireland, outside of Belfast, thrived a linen bleacher, Shane Sinclair, 1n honest, unimaginative gentleman. He took people at their word, and his own was as good as gold and brought him prosperity—until some thief began to trouble him. Sums of money, at first small, then larger, came to be missed from the cash box. Sinclair was n distress. It was not so much the loss of the money that troubled him as the thought that there was some vne in his family of employes he could not trust. His oldest employe and closest friead was Edward Halloran, his butler. This man of 67 had served Sinclair for al- most half a century, until the relation between them became close-knitted friendship. Halloran had been a full- Dblooded youth, bul had curbed his appe- tites and primal urges by devotion to his employer, satisfying the primitive in him by shooting at painted targets until he became a medal marksman with fire- arms. Otherwise he semed to find n service to Sinclair all that he wanted out of life. More than 40 years of such service made him the perfect butler and trusted adviser of his employer. Halloran was tall, well built, carried himself with the dignity of a man who knows how to serve without being servile; his grave smooth-shaven face and his white hair inspired every one with trust and re- spect; and his all-around intelligence made his employer come to him with his problems. Sinclair had his shop, his home and the yards where his linen-bleaching was done all in one establishment. The butler, therefore, could be expected to bring his intelligence to bear on the problem as to who among the shop em- ployes—if the thief was among them— ‘was robbing the cash box. “I can't get myself to think that any of my people would do that to me!” Sinclair said to Halloran. Halloran pondered the possibilities, then shook Iis head, “Neither can I You know I in- wvestigated every one of them for you before you took them into your es- tablishment. And I am convinced the thief is not among them!” " “Who then?” ‘Perhaps a little extra watching will feveal that,” Halloran sald. “Then do it for me, Edward” said Sinclair, with relief that he did not have to start at once an inquisition @mong those he trusted. Halloran now found excuses for look- ing into the shop more often than he used to; and the money thefts dwindled considerably. But the thief or thieves transferred their activities to the yard where the costly linens hung out overnight be- gan to be missed in the morning. That ‘was worse than the losses from the cash box. The lines belonged to cus- tomers and had to be replaced; some of them so fine that their loss was a grave affair. began to wane. Worse tha often now linens were stolen from Sin- clair's bleaching yard—the insurance companies finally refused to take risks on goods sent to him for bleaching. ‘This burt his business so badly that eventually he found himself not only ‘making no money but operating at an increasing loss. He set a watchman in the yard—and still the losses continued. “What shall T do, Edward?” Sinclair finally appealed to his butler. “If this «continues I am done for!” Tubbed his chin reflectively. It seems to me that no one man could be doing all that stealing,” he sadl. “Why not offer a large reward —say, £100. One thief may be tempted to_inform on the other.” Sinclair approved. “Have posters printed and distrib- uted, Edward. One hundred pounds for rn‘x':y one who helps us catch the The offer of the reward—which would have meant a fortune to any of the needy families in the nelqh- borhood—had the effect of lessenin somewhat the thefts of linen. But not enough to cure Sinclair’s business of the blight that had descended upon it. * k kX Ov'x'smx of his employer, Halloran cultivated but few friends. Among them, however, was & sensitive, shy, red-faced youth of 19, Jimmie O'Brien, the son of a small farmer nearby. Jimmie's father worked his son from morning till night, with no pay and M as little relief from drudgery. ! Life for Jimmie held little pleasure— except Halloran’s * kindness to him. The stately butler, after his employer would go to bed, used to get Jimmie to steal over for a bite and a chat before the fire in Halloran's quarters. Hallo- ran, who cooked for Sinclair on state would prepare some dish for the boy that brought tears of appreci- ation to his eyes. At home Jimmie knew only toil, poor fare and early to ‘bed if he wanted a night's sleep before his father woke him for work. At Hal- loran’s hearth were warmth, friend- ship, good things to eat and kindness that was more than nourishment to the youth. ‘The visits, however, had to be kept more or less secret. Jimmie used to steal from his garret when he was sup- posed to be asleep; his father would have resented the outings that cut in on his laborer’s need of rest. Halloran, on the other hand, deli- cately explained that Mr. Sinclair was & light sleeper and anything might wake him. Would Jimmie therefore come to the house quietly and by the back way, so that Mr. Sinclair would not be disturbed? .. Jimmie used to arrive with the quiet of one who is taking part in a pleasant conspiracy; and would leave as quietly, feeling the conspiracy a success. Then the thefts at Sinclair’s seemed to take up Halloran's whole mind; for Jimmie had no word from him for a long time. One noon, however, when the youth was alone in his father’s field eating his Junch he saw Halloran ap- proach. Jimmie stood up respectfully. “How are you, Jimmie?” Halloran said in warm greeting. “It's a long time since you've been to see me.” Jimmie blushed. i “I didn't think you had time for me,” he said. “Like yours, Jimmie, my work day is = long one and hasn’t much pleasure in it. But after hours I'm more than glad to have a chu. and a bite with a friend. And an old man like me has ot many friends like you.” At his urging Jimmie resumed eating while they talked. Suddenly Halloran asked: “Where did you get that beautiful clasp-knife?” . Ji‘:)nmle wiped the blade and handed it to Halloran. “My father gave it to me on my birthday.” Halloran examined it with growing interest. Jimmie's initials were en- graved on the horn handle. The more Halloran looked at it the more he seemed to like it. “It is the very nicest, most sensible knife one can want. Do you know where I can buy one like it?” ‘The boy almost choked with eager- ness. “Oh, Mr. Halloran! If you only accept it as a gift! able to do a single thing in return! Please!” No one could doubt his sincerity; few would have had the heart to re- fuse him. Halloran hesitated. ;fin what will your father say?” he asl “He—he needn’t know. other things.” And Jimmie insisted so hard that finally Halloran pocketed the knife. “All right,” he said. “I shall prize your gift all the more because your ini- tials are on the knife. . . . But what I came to ask you is this—will you have :;gper" with me tonight? Say, at 10 “T shall be glad!” said Jimmie, “Fine! And since it looks like a dark night, you'd better bring your lantern. Yow’ll come quietly, won't you? Mr. Sinclair's been sleeping very poorly of late, because of the thefts.” “I'll certainly take care not to wake him!” the boy said. “Nor my father, either,¥ he added, flushing. “He caught me once or twice stealing out at night, and I don’t want another scolding!” ey T 'HAT evening Mr. Sinclair dined at home and was, as usual, waited on by Halloran. The two men, while Hal- loran served, discussed the thefts, which for the time seemed to have stopped. “I haven't slept so well for a long time as of late,” Mr. Sinclair yawned. “We seem to have scared the thieves away.” “I hope you'll sleep well tonight, sir!” Halloran said as his employer rose to g0 to bed. “Thanks, and the same to you, Ed- ward!” Long before 10 o'clock Mr. Sinclair was asleep. T've lost BY GEORGE DACY. VEN when the dove of peace has backed the dog of war into tem- porary oblivion, the mammoth gun factory at the Washington Navy Yard maintains its forging » fires at industrial temperatures. Its national assignment of keeping our naval armament fit for fighting is apparently unending. ‘This important business- of ' making new guns and repairing old ones is stupendous. When naval amicability patrols the seven seas and when Uncle Sam’s tars rest temporarily from the duties of war, the ordnance of America's fleet is allowed neither to rust nor to deteriorate. Our peacetime fleet con- sists of 18 battleships, 8 armored cruisers, 11 scout cruisers, in excess of 300 destroyers and over 80 submarines. ‘The maintenance of the ordnance of this fleet is a vital and big job. ‘The largest gun factory of the United States Government is in more ways than one an industrial miracle designed to shrink on short notice from a great glant into a midget’s shadow—and then on demand to swell to maximum ca- pacity again as though by magic. Dur- ing hectic war days it is qualified to work 12,000 men and to produce $33,- 000,00 worth of ordnance a year. When peace pilots the sea it shrinks to a per- sonnel of 2,500 and does a business of only $9,000,000 the annum. ‘This Washington gun shop is one of the finest plants extant,“while the roar of its ordnance has reverberated around the world. It manufactures a multi- plicity of war guns—from 1-pounders up to 16 inches and 50 calibers in length. The largest of these guns weigh approximately 143 tons apiece and belch forth projectiles aggregating 2,100 pounds at foemen 30 miles’ dis- tant. This core of naval ordnance produc- tion makes the best war guns ever built under the sun—or rather under roofs of slate, steel, concrete and glass. It is a remarkable hub of industrial and manufacturing efficiency. For as long as war endures and governments engage in international strife, the boxing gloves of mortal combat must be supplied ac- cording to rigid specifications. ‘The most of us think of our National Capital as an immaculate City of Law making and Diplomacy, divorced com- pletely from the grime of industry and soot of manufacture. We are amazed to learn that one of the record gun fac- tories of all creation, a massive struc- ture of concrete, brick and steel, cov- ering 3!, acres, is only one mile from the United States Capitol. * ok ok ok 7L HALLORAN RESTED HIS GUN ON THE SILL AND CAREFULLY TOOK AIM AT THE FIGURE BELOW. Who Was the Thief in the Linen Yard? How Jimxfiie O'Brien, the Innocent Tool of an Arch-Criminal, Was Murdered. . The Third of a Series of True Detective Stories. ] Halloran went ayt into the “linen yard. ‘The night,-as he had foretold, was dark, and thé single watchman on duty in a little shanty felt- cheerless and cold. . Halloran said to him?" “If you will go around the back way to my kitchen, you will find a mug of mulled ale near the fire. = I'll"keep watch here until you come bac! ‘The man thanked him and went in, and thanked Halloran again when he came back feeling vastly more comfort- able than before. Halloran whispered: “You're welcome to any.comfort you can get out of your job!” Then Halloran went indoors; The watchman soon felt more than comfortable. Drowsiness heavier than he had ever felt before stole over him, nx;ld hehml asleep in the little shanty where he was_suj 1o be e watch for thieves.pmd .QAD % : gemdiiunotk,u see Hallonn xu:kidut nt e bleac! again;and begin, cutting down then?hm that hung therz. As fast as he cut them down he tied them into bundles-and Teft them about the yard. “&tmnmked he kept his eyes ‘on. . ty - window behind which the watchman slept and on the dark windows in the upper story of the main house, those of Mr. Sinclair’s. bed- room. T ‘When he stole back into the house he know that no one had observed his visit to the yard. ‘AL O:f?thell;cgzn to prepare for Jim- mie’s visit. He cook “dinnersueh as Jimmie in all his ‘life j‘q'nevpr known. There was quality to-that.din- ner, as well as quantity. e Then Halloran, set the table in his room. ! Sfiarp at 10 he heard a slight sound at the back door. He opened it. Jim- mie was there. “Come in!” Halloran whispered, “and bring in the lantern, I hope to have you for quite a visit tonight, lid I don't want your lantern seen outside the door.” In Halloran’s room with the door d whispers were no longer neces- he host urged the youth to thing but the good things of the visit. The cheerful fire, the genial host, the sight of the opulent dinner set before the hungry boy—to enjoy the treat later—all these made a perfect occasion for the boy, except for one trifling detail. There was no knife on the table. Jimmie felt in his pocket for his clasp-knife; then remembered that he had given it to Halloran. To cover his embarrasment he said: “Aren't you going to eat, Mr, Hal- loran?” * %k R x [JOR the table was set for only one. “No, my boy,” Halloran said, smoothly. “You see, Mr. Sinclair had me to dinner with him, and I'm too full to eat again. But I'll sit by and chat.” Jimmie was still at a loss to know how to eat without a knife. Although the son of a small farmer, he was far from being a peasant and was sensitive about appearing crude. He could not ask his host to hand him a knife and felt too little familiar with him—{for all Halloran's kindness—to get up and get one himself. So from sheer confusion he still fumbled at his poe- kets for the knife he knew was not there, Suddenly Halloran exclaimed: “How stupid of me! I forgot to serve a knife! Which reminds me,” he said, as he brought a table knife, “I want to tell you how much I've been touched by your gift to me. And I find use for it all through the day. I think. of you every time I use it"— As he spoke his hand went to his waistcoat pocket. A blank look, then tress came over his face. what have I done with it?” h a sigh of relief he remem- bered. “Of course! I was out in the bleaching yard late this afternoon help- ing make bundles of linen there and used your knife on some of the ropes to tie them with. .Then Mr. Sinclair called me and I remember putting the knife under one of the bundles until should return. But Mr. Sniclair sen me. on an errand and I forgot about the knife until this moment. I'll get it at once!” - Jimmie jumped to his feet. “Please let me get it for you!” Halloran seemed touched. “Jimmie, I wish you were my son! In fact, I think of you as my son. I haven't' a single relative in the world, and it will give me more than pleas- ure to remember you in my will—not that I have much to leave. But Mr, Sinclair ‘has been good to me all these years, and there will be a little some- thing for you when I go. Enough per- haps for a little farm like your father’s. It warms my heart to think that I can do at least a little for you when I am no_longer here—-" Now the tears were indeed in Jim- mie’s eyes, and even Halloran seemed deeply moved. “All right, Jimmie, I'll let you get the knife, It's'chilly outside and your young blood can stand it better than mine. I don’t mind—although I sup- pose -1 should—imposing .upon you. It makes me feel as if you were really my son.” Jimmie started for -the door, but “r Halloran stopped & “No, no, not nowf* he smiled. won't have you interrupt your dinner. ‘The knife will still be there when you are ready to go home. Halloran kept the boy “until after midnight. He discussed his future with him, foretold pleasant things, showered him with kind words and the attentions of a perfect host until the youth must have.glowed with it all. It was with seeming reluctance that Halloran finally let his guest go. The boy was eager for the trifling service of finding the knife for his friend. Halloran lit the youth's lantern. “I should go out with you,” he said. “Because I forgot under which bundle I left the knife. Suppose you leave it until tomorrow, when I'll get it—-"" i "P!fnse let me do it now, Mr. Hal- oran!” “They are his—and I't rather see him lying there than have him live —a convictéd thiel!” r * % kX 'HERE was little sleep in the linen bleacher’'s house that " night, Halloran behaved like a stricken ma He sat with his hands over his eyes as if to shut out something that was already seared on his soul, His employer tried to brace him up. “No court of inquiry will blame you'” Mr. Sinclair assured him. Halloran ‘'shook his hea “It's not for myself, sir! I'm too old to matter much what happens to me! 1Ifs the boy"— ‘The magistrate who presided over the court of inquiry into the death of Jimmie O'Brien found in Jimmie's father a Spartan witness. The farmer of his own accord testified that he had several times caught his son trying to steal out of the house at night. The boy had given different excuses, none of them convincing. But the worst the father had thought was that his son was stealing off to some inn. Now he felt called upon to make amends for his dead son’s dishonesty. He had no money wherewith to make restitution. So he helped the state by testifying as as he did. The watchman of the bleaching yard reluctantly admitted on the stand that “SH! THERE'S A THIEF IN THE YARD. COME TO THE WINDOW, SIR!” “All right, then. make rly!™ “Trust me, Mr. Halloran!" “I do trust you, Jimmie!” Halloran whispered. * Kk kX 'HE moment the door closed Hal- loran hurried up to his bedroom, which was next to that of his employer, | !0 ‘Under his outer clothing he was wearing It took him but a few moments to throw off his clothes and his night shirt. appear dressed for bed. Then softly he opened Mr. Sinclair’s bedroom door, stole over to the sleeping man and lightly touched his shoulder. Mr. Sinclair woke with a start. > “Who?" Hallora; “Sh! whisper stopped him. “He’s al of the linen Halloran breathed. “Where's the watchman?” Mr. Sin- clair whispered. “I don’t know, unless he's asleep at . his less he had firearms with him. on the ground near him.” “What then shall we do?” But you won't any unnecessary sound out there, will you? Mr. Sinclair sleeps so . There’s a thief in the yard! I was sleeping poorly and when I awoke just now, I saw on my window pane the reflection of & moving light from below. I got up to look. Come to the window, Py The two men went over to look. Mr.. Sinclair saw & man below shielding ‘a lantern llght as he crept about the yard. ready made bundles of some Halloran's. }ips wre at Mr. Sinclair’s ear. “I think, sir, he's armed. It's known about town that we have a watchman. No thief would be bold as this one un- In fact, I think I saw him put a shotgun down Halloran appeared to ponder the question. X get my gun. Then we'll see.” y He tiptoed back to his room and came | hi; back with the gun that had won him a marksmanship prize as recently as two months before. “I'll go down,” Hallorm: Mr. Sinclair seized his arm. “If the man is armed I won’t have you risking & duel for a few bundles of declared. e; “It's not a few bundles of linen” Halloran protected. “It's the thief who is ruining your business!"” “Nevertheless you shall not go down!” The thief seemed to feel he had all the ‘time in the world, so leisurely he moved about. Halloran behaved as if at any moment they might lose him. “I can't bear to have him escape!” Distress was unmistable in his whisper. “Please don't be afraid to let me con- front him. I'm sure I'm a better shot than he is.” “Then 'why don't you fire from the dow?” his e yer suggested. ldn't you just'wing him 8o that he couldn't get away?” o y El;':'luuld you trust my marksmanship, "{,‘khgfidhow good it is!"(» AR “I'm a responsibility———"" R TR stealing my . He s0 at_his pwn risk!” Halloran softly opened the* window and kneeled. He rested his gun on the sill,,; Carefully he took aim at the figure below, the faint light of the lantern helping him to the target. vicious. crack of a gun sounded, and- the lantern was extin, ed as a body toppled over on it. It lay lmnly pillowed by a white bundle of linens, and Mr. Sinclair was appalled to realize how quietly the body lay. Halloran | seemed horrified at what he had done. Huge Weapons of Battleships Require Industrial Plants of Efficient Type. this expanfed ta.desited diameters then are lowéred over smaller members, upon which they are shrunk. As the hot metal cools it grips the forging, upon | which it is shrunk under enormous | pressure. ‘Ten of these forgings are assembled into one composite—the 16- inch war gun, goliath armament of the United States-Navy. . j An 8-inch gim welghs 19 tons and fires a 260-pound projectile. A lz-inch‘ gun tips the scale at 56 tons and shoots a deadly charge of 870 pounds of metal. The 14-inch gun has a volume of 96| tons, a muzzle velocity of 2,800 feet a second and a maximum range of 52,000 | yards. | Naval ordnance of any ship of the | American fleet which needs overhaul- ing may be sent to Washington, either by water or rail, from the drydock where that particular vessel is under- going repairs. The maintenance opera- tions at the ordnance base must be| conducted speedily, as all repairs are | made on schedule, ana the work is rushed to the limit, in order not to| keep the big battleship or cruiser wait-| ing for her fighting equipment after all the other repairs are completed. Usually the guns need to be rerifled or equipped with new liners. ‘The machinery installation in the huge gun. factory includes 19 mighty | lathes, ranging in size from 102 inches swing by 120 feet long to 120 inches swing to 204 feet long. These machines are driven by electric motors of vary- ing capacities, ranging up as high as 100 horsepower. One of the lathes L!l extraordinary, in that it has a feed screw which is 5 inches in diameter and 202 feet long. This screw is made in two sections, which are joined together so expertly that the average layman ' I(‘annot discover the union. Two rifling ! machines of amazing efficiency are adapted for handling the heaviest rifles | made. i Seven electric cranes, endowed with almost human intelligence, lift and carry loads of 1115 to 385 tons. These, powerful automatoms handle the huge guns as though they were jackstraws. They replace untold millions of man- | power muscles. They are operated from | central control stations, where pilots, | by means of many electrified levers, make the burden-bearers do their bid- ding. Three of the largest cranes carry loads ‘which would test the capacity of a small freight train, Huge guns which weigh as much as some office buildings are moved from delivery cars or ships to lathes and| from lathes to electrified furnaces with ease and dexterity. After the ordnance is repaired it is loaded on barges and freighted down the Potomac River to 'he mastodonic guns are built up by encircling one mighty cylinder of steel over another *by heat processing methods. The rough forgings -are &uld turned and bored to finished dimensions You've done "and then are heated by electricity in for ms and I've never been special shrinking pits, The forgings Dahlgren, Va. the ordnance “pmvlng ground of the Navy. There the repaired MAKING A METALLOGRAPHIC INSPECTION OF GUN FORGINGS AT THE WASHINGTON NAVY YARD. these rigid tryouts are thence trans- ported to the ships. If defects or flaws of any sort are found the armament is returned to the gun shop, the errors are corrected and the guns are subjected to potential firing tests. They must demonstrate guns are tested under fringyconditions more severe than any ever Experienced on shipboard. The guns t| thstand their perfection before ultimate return to seafaring service. ‘The shrinkage pit at the Washington navy yard is divided into 10 gun wells, each of which is 12 feet square and 90 feet deep. Each gun well is provided with an elevating table so built that it can be placed at any desired depth to accommodate armament vary- ing from 3-inch to 16-inch specimens. The §hnnklge pit was bullt “upside- down” style because of unstable soil conditions, The concrete walls of this cavernous chamber were begun at the surface and built downward instead of constructing from the bottom up. The walls were cast in sections 6 feet high and 6 feet thick. After a section was built it was undermined—and lowered. Another sec- tion was then completed and added to the first. It was undermined and lowered. This process was continued until monolithic walls 100 feet . high were anchored in the ground. The bot~ tom of the pit was then made of cast ulmcrehe 10 feet thick and lowered into place. s ‘The mammoth ordnance pieces to be repaired are lifted in and out of the shrinkage pit by a 385-ton crane which has a clear lift of 97 feet above the shop floor. The water used in cooling the ordnance after heating drains into a pool at the pit bottom. Two centrifugal pumps remove this waste water. Each gun is heated to full expansion tem- perature in the shrinkage pit—a 20- hour exposure to a temperature of 500 to 800 degree Fahrenheit, electricity being the source of heat. ‘The furnace is really & large insula- tion cylinder which can be built u the desired size of the gun to be relined or repaired. The heat is distributed by electrical coils attached to the inside walls of the furnace, There are two special recording devices on the outside of each furnace which register tem- peratures durlng a shrinkage test. Ob- servers keep tab on these records and see to it that a uniform temperature is maintained in all parts of the curious furnace. If these four electrical furnaces were operated simultaneously—they are the hrfleat type ever built—power enough to illuminate a city of 100,000 residents would be consumed. * K % % THE gun body Is heated sufMiciently so that the old liner can be re- moved and a new one swung into posi- tion and lowered into the red-hot steel Jacket. A large hydraulic jack is locked over the mouth of the gun to hold the {liner in place during the shrinkage process. This installation of new liners is & labor which involves great mathe- | matical accuracy. Mere fractions of measurement as small as one or two | one-thousandths of an inch are dealt with. The errors of tolerance are in- credibly small. Mechanical and mathe- l‘mtlul lfi:'v‘:uruy :fi essential, or else gun er: WOl anywhere from $15,000 to°$25,000 may be ruined. 'he corps of expert and veteran gun- makers, which at present numbers 125 cmployes, represents the most skilled body of its kind in the world. Many of these men have served under five to seven different Presidents of the United States. They have alded in writing ordnance history. The “big Berthas” which they bullt were acknowledged universally as the finest armament used by the allled armies during the World War. A decade béfore the Civil War the n Ordnance - to FOR some time there have been con- “Oh. my God!” he cried out. killed him!” “I hope not!” his employer assured m. They hurried down to the yard. The shot had awakened the watchman and they found him lumbering about con- fusedly in the dark. The three bent over the still figure and the watchman struck a match., b God!” Halloran's voice was high, hysterical. ' “It's Dennis O'Brien’s son, Jimmie!” The body was brought into the house. Blood was streaming from the left side. Mr. Sinclair felt for the pulse; then looked at the face that must have been ruddy only a few minutes before. The linen bleacher was op- pressed with a sense of guilt. If this was a thief it did not show in the youth's face. “I knew his father,” Mr. Sinclair said slowly. “And I didn't tRink his son_would turn to—what he did!” “I knew him too,” Halloran said, his voice shaky. “And I thought him honest!” “Ive * ok ok K Tx-m police came with the coroner, A search of the yard was made. On the ground near where Jimmie had fallen a clasp-knife was found. On the horn handle were his initials. All about the yard lay bundles of linen, tied up apparently in haste. ‘The extinguished lantern, as well as the knife, werre identified as belonging to Jimmie. ‘They were identified by his father, who had been summoned. The far- mer's face was almost as white as his son's. The death of his son was not the only tragedy that was his that night. When the police asked him if he recognized the knife and the lane tern, the famper slowly nodded. Expert Gun Makers Are Navy Workers Here Organization for Production of New Ordnance and Repair of Old May Be Expanded Quickly When Demand Develops. small unit of what it is now—was re- sponsible for the convefsion of sarooth- bore guns into rified armament and the' substitution of cylindrical-pointed pro- jectiles fgg the historic round shot used formerly. From then to now it has fos- tered the cherished traditions, ideas and ideals of our Navy and has originated ordnance masterpieces of everincreas- ing efficiency. During peace time, in order to maintain its skeleton organization in prime condi- tion for expansion if war should develop, the great gun factory manufactures mail boxes for the Post Office Department, paper currency plates for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and various repair parts for the aircraft which now deliver our mail from here and there to distant points by air. ‘These activities are sidelines to the major work of maintaining huge war guns for our biggest battleships fit for fighting. Camembert Cheese. ducted, under suggestions from the Department of Agriculture, various ex- periments in this country, with a view to the manufacture of an equivalent of the famous Camembert cheese. In the production of this cheese much de- ends on two species of microscopic he had fallen asleep at his post and could testify only as to what happened after the shot awoke him. Edward Halloran was called. The dignified, - white-haired figure of the butler and the deep distress under which he was obviously laboring aroused sympathy. He admitted firing the shot that brought down James O’Brien. Then Mr. Sinclair testified. “He told how Halloran had served him_ for almost half a century; how he had tried to help run down the thefts from the cash drawer and the bleaching yard; how Halloran in his night clothes awoke him and how they {md watched the thief in the yard be- low. “If any one is to be blamed for the boy’s death it is I,” Mr. Sinclair said. “It was I who suggested that Halloran should try to wing him and mine should be the punishment—" The judge interrupted him kindly. “That will be decided by the court.” ‘The finding of the court was that James O'Brien had been engaged in the act of stealing at the time he was killed; that it was probably not his first visit to the bleaching yard on the same quest. Both the law and public opinion would be satisfied, the judge went on, with the verdict of “justifiable homicide.” There would be no prose~ cution of the man who killed him. The pronouncement of the verdict created a scene in the courtroom. Halloran broke down and wept. Mr. Sinclair tried to shield him from view. The spectators were deeply moved, and as Mr. Sinclair led his shaken servant and friend out of the courthouse a cheer went up. P Al 2 R. SINCLAIR sent Halloran to the seashore for recuperation. Hal- loran came back much rested and eager to resume his duties. He found his position in Mr. Sinclair’s establish- ment considerably advanced. He was given general charge of the shop and the bleaching yards. Another servant took over his duties as butler. And 100 pounds reward was his for the capture — Mr. Sinclair himseif phrased it so-—of the thief who had wrought so much damage to the linen bleacher’s business. As the months passed without an- other theft, Mr. Sinclair dismissed the watchman of the yard. Another balf year without & single loss by stealing convinced the insurance companies. Once more they were glad to issue poli- cies on goods sent to Mr. Sinclair for bleaching. And with the résumption of general confidence trade came back more amply ‘than evef. before. ‘The linen bleacher was getting on in years but the revival of his business made him feel younger again. He did not forget who was responsible for it. On the fiftieth anniversary of Hallor- an's service with him Mr. Sineclair made his former butler, now general manager, & full partner in his bieacht ing business. For three years Halloran, a wnan of standing in the community, flourished. * Kk x PSYCHOIDGIBTS tell us that a man’s character is' fully, almost rigidly formed by. his thirtieth year. Halloran was sixty-seven when Jimmie O'Brien met his death. Up to then the butler had been to all appearances honest and faithful to his employer. What mystery, therefore, was behind the change in the man’s character? The answer is that there was no change. Deep in the man’s heart there had always been dishonesty and cruelty. But. deeper still was his fear—fear of the consequences should his treachery be discovered and punished. ‘The thief in him survived, and the fear in him made him cautious, very cautious. All the years he had served Mr. Sinclair with outward faithfulness he was studying his employer.and the establishment, rehearsing how he would go about his first theft from the cash drawer. When minute famniliasity with the isituation ‘finally ‘emboldened: him to steal for the first time Halloran was more than prepared to avert the slight- est suspicion in his direction. His first theft was the most trying to his courage. Each succeeding one gave him more confidence, Then he went on to the more ambitious thefts in the bleaching yard. From that he proceeded to the climax of successful plotting that led to the murder of Jimmie O'Brien. For three years, as I have eaid, Halloran flourished as full partner in Mr. Sinclair’s thriving business. ‘Then in his seventieth year his health be- gan to fail. His nerves went bad. There was no accident in that. The fear which had always lived in the dJepths of the man’s character but nad been lulled during the three years of his prosperity since Jimmie O'Brien's Jeath reasserted itself now that Hallo- ran's age began to sap his resistance. He began to picture what would hap- m if he were found out. At first e was able to crush the thought. But as he grew physically feebler, fear grew more powerful. The thought of being ‘discovered recurred more often, mort vividly, persisted stubbornly. It pursued him into his sleep and broke it up. It began to-haunt him by day. The worse his nerves got the stronger became his obsession that he would be found out. lungi, or modls, known to science as Penicillium camemberti and Oidium lactis. Both species have been artificial- ly propagated and furnished to the experiment stations. The manufacture of the cheese be- gins with fresh whole milk heated to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Later on the cheeses are inoculated with cultures of these molds. The cheeses are shaped in galyanized iron hoops, and afterward treated with salt rubbed on the outside. They are then transferred to the first ripening room, the air of which must be quite saturated with moisture and maintain- ed at a temperature of from 60 to 62 degrees. From this time on they are treated daily. During the second week they are wrapped in tinfoll or parch- ment paper, after which they are sent to the second ripening room, the tem- perature of which is slightly lower than that of the first room. In the second room the cheeses remain one or two weeks, when they reach the best con- dition for consumption. ‘The Department of Agriculture is also interested in the production in this country of other varieties of fa- mous foreign cheeses. It is said that virtually all of them, including the Roquefort (which is said to be ripened in caves), can be made by us. The chlef difficulty encountered is the isolation and propagation by arti- ficial means of the special varieties of bacteria and, molds to which thess ly es el flavors.” S If he could only talk it out with somebody he could trust! He would not be believed. But the confession might cause his fear to vanish like a nightmare on waking! If he could only talk it out with somebody! It was a straw at which he clutched in the whirlpool of his fears. And as a drowning man cries out, so Halloran cried out his gullt, at the same time hoping he would not be bellaved. He confessed first to a neighbor, then to Mr. Sinclair, His hope was realized. He felt immensely relieved at the fession—and his confession was ne? be- lieved. The neighbor and Mr. Sinclaw were. only sorry that Halloran's mind should be so touched by age, as they thought. e But they talked about if, and the talk reached the police. With no senti- mient toward Halloran to blind l, the police investigated. ‘The more they investigated, the more they found out. And one day Halloran, now shrieking testations of innocence, taken prot , was to prison. His trial for the murder of Jimmie O'Brien was brief. This time Jjustice saw clear. Halloran was found 5““:1’: of murder and sentenced . to eath. Although he was more than 70 :ld ;t lmell; time, m:‘ t‘l,:u: could h"l‘afi luced to sign a 1 ers t;ha S oy e immie O'Brien's good n restored—it was all the law oui.nu' &:u And Haloran was executed after all, | S