The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 11, 1906, Page 1

not intereste In to-day’s issue of The Sun- day Call appears the first in- stallment of Albert E. Lyons’ latest and most thrilling —sMister Bill"—a _story ing with the exciting ex- periences of Western mining fe amd the more Important phases of @ strike, portraying he methods of a cligue of Eastern speculators to take ad- vamtage of the trying times and ga3in control of the properties sround whick Mr. Lyons has woven bis interesting tale. The suthor has car Iy welected acters from everyday nd has produced in Bill” ome that will appeal to the reader am of the times. “Mister B will be concluded in six The Sunday Call. HAPTER 1 “0ld Man.” g taken b esperate aggressive as they n the the 1 appeal ¥ ce to everal med! of force the set about with laborers en- tm- rs, team- e number of two bos ‘ b4 armed me b4 most tr 2 e to go. ked men cou the works 3 venalt to join efforts to break the ized labor in t tdle ngly and in and down with el side saloons and the men sples of discover- they might The task en- on the fire the slightes thelir quired gents an retion state of affairs when the fed by severa) of rs of Syndi- the scene. The come to a station when slid in behind ‘the d dragged it the offices of the ts had the ccompa hardly small tch engine g over by his staff of clerks and stenog apd such directors a& weré neces his purpose, of vast properties, the field for prospective investments. For some time past the Tepofts from Arapahoe aistrict had beén far from sat- isfactory, He was at first annoyed; as matters went from bad to worse he be- came angry. which frame of mind had progressed through varying degrees un- 1 only be regarded as acute tion of n" was u 1 enemies alike, and was much by his vears. perhaps fifty, as ad made for himself in tl ustrial worlds as a leader is physical proportions were one had only 1 note lines turally whether repose, be was essentially a hat heart and ace been relegated the He possessed a nervous en- to itself, and 3 y when an- red, a sharpness that mi be likened the working of a steel trap, which in more ways than one was suggestive of the in speech, man. He knew no will but his own, and : it was to incur his undying e the ringleaders of this Those are the men we want first,” he declared, regarding with keen superintendents thelr e the several \agers, after receiving the situation. y hard to say they'r. talking—they're playing game,” said Jim Hedge of the Gold Coin mine. who 1s the chief offender—well ake an example of him to begin with; the moral effect will be salutary at least,” snapped the president Consolidated Properties has made most the ble for us, sir id Jed Sharpley, manager of the Yellow Metal They're running three eight-hour and our men just naturally kick st doing ten-hour stunts.’’ be sure. 1 foresaw the result of hods of our socialistic neighbors. We ha oled with them long enough; we must adopt more effective means -of bringing them to terms.” rom the time the emissaries 'of ‘the big syndicate had entered the district and gurated a system of spoliation and rder by 'wrecking and crippling one mine after another untll its helpless own- ers had been'frozen oOut, or were com- pelied to dispose;of ‘their property on the terms of the oppressors, ‘the’ trouble’ with the men had steadily’increased. “Pravious to.that time the mihe owners and men had worked in harmony, paying’ little heed to the happenings-in the outside world. Bach one was ‘satisfied to do his work and participate’ in the legitimate profits thereof. re- of g sir; not a ag: To the me ad b The opposition to the Consolidated Prop- Arons re armed and all erties had dated from the very beginning. s ex nced in the use of Its owners had incurred the displeasure e little knoll over- of this band of raiders by steadily resist- k a tion of the mili- Ing its attacks, and as it was generally of had s were for stern 4 be upor belching le over on of the town the mines pitched and duty when e right of the town clouds of conceded to be the most valuable of all the mines this was an offense rot to be lightly condoned. The desire of the un- scrupulous syndicate to acquire the prop- erties on account of their value gradually developed into a necessity as a means of protection to itself. The efforts of the elaborate wrecking system, flushed with from the stacks of a success and unlimited money power, had th plant contrasted strangely been concentrated against this lone com- he desultory s which seemed pany. Suits of Injunction, restraining or- ost apologetitally from the ders, boundary disputes, tunneéling and unfair mines. Repeated counter-tunneling, claims of stolen ores, te s hed been made to draw The clash of forces and recourse to law and neolidated Properties into the strife bribery and corruption of courts and of- v the managers of the rival comoanies, ficers had followed fast and furiously. - success The owners of Each attack had been met fairly and ese properties had steadfastly refused squarely, apparently no effort befng made take a fight in which they were to avold the iskue, and more than once no sympathy having falled to accomplish their pur- pose, & system of intimidation and vio- ence had been put into operation against B and with which they had Persuasions and threats eral attempts had been made to a counter-blow had been. dellvered that had covered the attacking perty with con- sternation and confusion. Fraud and cor- ruption had been met by dragging the fight into the open, where fair play had been demanded by the public in no un- aperin- =~ certain .voics, Buch an opponent had never been encountered bafore. 3 The system was in disgrace; it had ut- terly failed accomplish the work set for it; it even called for help. Ex- cuses there were none to offer, for unlim- ited money had been at its disposal, and all things could be accomplished with money, according Every member of the t body keenl falt the of e chier. chief, whic! had fallen upon the heads of the few in no uncertain manner. Matfers had unde- with eynical smphasis, his of stern inquiry falliag upon one alter another of - to its unwritten code. 5 S B .'t" the men béfore -him, “is.the want.”’ in “we “Land him, and therell be nothing to it but driving ‘the whelps back into their holés,” declared Jem Remsén, the local leader of the system. Remsen spoke with the assurance of a man who knew the strength of his opponent. : “That should not be a difficult matter. Tha district has been declared to be in a state of insurrection. The military is in control. Lives and property are in fmmi- . nent danger. Riot may be precipitated at any moment. Those reésponsible for 'this state of affairs must be arrested. We will begin with the ringleader. We will let the law-deal with-him, and- the law.deals se- verely with such offenders. At least we Several heads nodded uequ(encenée.' i e istrength told .no less plainly svwinds and.rains beating . upon gk § ness » Ins ve<. of . a. .mental « develp- * wient ‘equal.to the physical man. His 3 brown his followers: are inclined ‘ to ' offer-re- sistance. ‘However, that’is your affair, it is the‘man we' want. We must have'this Mister Bill at any cost.” . cfi_u’r’suk 1L v The M L A shadow suddenly " fell across - the threshold; a_form appeared’ in-the -dogr- way. - With one yswift ‘glance’ the man seemed to' take -in every”detall’ of /' the situation. - Slowly : he“remoVed his hat. the while:he; coolly ‘and-'steadily met the look: of inquiry of the -mian whose speech he had interfupted. The men had never met before, - yet _each “instinctively knew the other—no formalities of introduction were necessary. In - that: bplef . irterval each man took the mental and physical measure of the other.”/ No word ‘had been spoken, yet every man In the room was conscious that a new force had come into their ‘midst—a personality in striking contrast to that of their leader and one that must be reckoned with. h The man was apparently In, the ‘early thirties, full six feet. in height, his splen- did _physical proportions_<offering* muts ! evidence that nature and man had worked winvharmony: and wrought, out a. piece of thandiwork ‘that ' his’ _fellows might . envy. ; Thestan and glow of health of those sturdy features—no, plant of . the ocon- 4\ iedervatory was this, bt an' cak seasoned in > sunshine - and+ in tempest. .Serious- nd : gosd-nature’ were ° deploted his. face—a fage- at- once h 1 y trousers descending the toDs of his laced bootlets, his dark biue shirt and carelessly A » tie all seemed in peculiar with " the simple bearing of the am the man you seek, sir. My in- n' séems ,most timely,”’ he said. in well .. modulated voice which " seemed in striking contrast to the tensity of the sitgation.: . “‘Colonel” Delefleld; your duty has be- confe’ somewhat simplified—there’s your man,’"’ sald ‘Mr.-Hiliman, his sharp, ner- vous’ voice’ contrasting unpleasantly with i the-other. - + .} = _cah keep'him out.of the way sufficiently longto break his power over this crowd, and that will also serve to bring Consoli- dafed Properties to terms.” ““That means a big rumpus. The whole crowd will fight at the drop of the hat. Besides, he has five hundred picked men behind him that will make dirty work for the crowd that tries it on,” said Rémsen, vel sitively. "r{hm' suapped the chief, impa- tiently. ‘“We have men here whose business- it,"is < to fight; they ~will make short work of -him and his band of ruffians. Colonel Delefleld,” he sald, turning abruptly to that officer, ‘“you will arrest this man without delay. .1 would suggest that you make a con- siderable display of force In case he and A sligiatly: perceptible. movement of the features which if a trifle more pronounced might have sugested ‘a - smile .was the only apparent-effect of this remark upon > the.young man. . . “For the present: this.is a matter be- tween ‘you and me, sir. We can settle 1t peaceably, or—we can fight,” he sald, in the same quiet voice. “I'do not recognize you as representing any point at issue between us. You and your Immediate followers will be arrested for the part you have taken in organiz- ing the men into armed bodies, inciting riot, and in varioys ways working in op- position to law d order. You will be given ample oprportunity to prove your innocence In a court of law. In the mean- time we have nothing in common to dis- Again that slightly perceptible change of expression._as he coolly regarded (the man who had threatened him. F d ““We will waive formalities for the pres- ent,” he sald, voice and manner assum- ing added force and d issue is at stake than th individual aut i life and death, greater and y too great be responsible. It is a responsi- bility for me to assume, and I canm belleve that you will knowingly take upon yourself. “Young man, when you fire you must abid Leaders of generally burned by f r own mak- ing: history will bear me out. You have incited these people to revellion, and you must take the consequ “For my own acts I w esponsible. 1t is for £ your un- serupul s that I refuse to be respbnsib far vou are directly responsible yw. much you know of what has beer > in your name and with your money have no mear knowing. I came here 1o tell j der that you may The extent of the ca of your responsibi evade it before y tde r conscienge or your God even though you whip the law around the stump and put me in your stead.” The great man fumbled the mass of papers before him: several of the diregt- ors exchanged gla ents and hirelings n their chairs. A ruth had been thrust home which each man recognized in spite of himself, and was ashamed of his momentary weakness. superintend- uneasily in ‘As president of this company, I belleve I am well informed concern- ing its affairs ave consider- able informatio g you, methods of yo and your tematic effortd our hat will make the proper time, ou will bave ¥ ness; in short, very mood evidence at which, if I mistake nc constderable difficuity in explaining. “] know what your reports tell you. They tell you that our men work shorter hours and recelve more pay than your men; that we have taken away your best men and that the others are dissatisfled and demand more wages: that we have refused to take up your fight against the men notwithstanding your threats and intimidations; that disorganizer, a men: ests of the commun fama be gotten rid of at any cost. “You are correct in your surmise, young man; they tell me all that and even sald the president, very crisply the wages of ski children appear drawing the wage: odied men that these poor are forced to work long hours that their very Ii and injured want and even starvation human beings are cheaper than the pr tection that common decency should pro- vide, to say nothing of what the law d mands: that all your employes are com- pelled to purchase their suppiies from the stores in which your agents are interest- ed, and where they are systematically robbed of their earnings; that thousands of dollars you have pald.for bribery and corruption of your trusted minions: that your whole sy rotten to the core ana the blood-suc to do your dirty work have become pois- oned from the leprous body on which they feed. And the irony of it¥alhis that the poor devils are flayed by the very hands they emrich.” > s o '!g‘ The hlew ahoul. Phopls g s i g body against which it was directed. The representatives of that body rose as one man in angry protest, but its head heid them severely In check. Perhaps here ‘was an explanation of the failure of the system to accomplish its work. “You do not deny creating dissensions among our men by offers of higher wages and shorter hours, and taking such meaq as suited your purpose?’ demanded Mr. Hillman. “The men came to us because they are paid and treated like men. A large num- ber of our men are stockholders In the company: it is the privilege of all. Ws are willing to share a certa proportion of the profits as well as the responsibility with the men. 8o far the result has shown us the soundness of our reckon- ing.” “So far, yes, but your 'experiment is only well begun. One of these days you will be stung by the gerpent you are un- consciously nurtart In the meantime we are the sufferers from your experi- ment. We are not realizing any profits from our investment, and shall be com- pelled to reduce rather than raise the wages of the men.” “Your company is steadily settling un- der the wejght of its watered stock. You unloaded this worthless stock og the pub- lic at fabulous prices and pocketed the proceeds. Instead of the dividends you promised you are compelled to maintain an expensive litigation and a system of corruption that saps the very life of your company. To carry on this system of jugglery you dignify by the name of finance, you would sacrifice every man, woman and child you can lay hands on. “This is rank nonsense; you are & so- cialist of the darkest dye.”” exclaimed the president, losing his patience. “Sueh men as you are breeders of revolutions; you undermine the very foundation on which our government rests; you are traftors to the powers that build up and support that government—it Is anarchy pure and simply because simple.” “It s progress,” declared the young man, with forcible econviction: though it frustrates the plans of a few bogusly capitalizsed industries, still its name is progress. Bribery and corruption and the despollers of rights and lbertles are its natural enemies—ever on the de- fensive—always on the run—never fight- ing fair. Progress needs no defense—I do mnot offer it.”" “You and your kind delude yourselv: with sophisms. The substantial progress of the race has been accomplished by the workers; the dreamers and the theorists are the backbiters that trail along in the rear of this great army of producers and doers they are never able to overtake. You are but a mere handful of stragglers: you will be trampled under foot when you attempt to stay the onward rush of this great army.” Slowly the young man tdrned and looked out of the door—out across the great stretch of rugged country to where the earth and sky seemed to meet. Slowly his eyes traversed the /length of the mighty sweep of mountzin ranges:; from base to peak and into the blue azure above they seemed to roam. Searce a sound disturbed the stiliness of the room while outside a silemce almost ominous seemed to have fallen over the land— nature and man were in strange accord. ““There’s a mightier fower than the will of man at work.” he sald, with deep and abiding faith, his gaze still directed to- ward the distant mountain togs. - “The power that placed those mountaln ranges out thefe fs the power that works for progress—man Is but its plaything. His- tory—that same history you referred to— 18 the yecord of its wonderful power; a record of progress—the emancipation of man., 1 am too small—ioo feeble—to ex- pend =y life's best enmergies combating such a power—I am content to go with the current:” “Enough of this nonsense! “¥ will tell you who are the real an- archists and traitors to our -country, continued the young man, almost defl- antly. “It is the men of your stamp that corrunt the best instinets of the youth of the natign; the men who buy and sell