Chapter 10 Triville Missa 341 Chapter

So many exciting events took place that night that by the next day McMurdo had moved from old Jacob Schefter's to the widow McNamara's at the far end of town.Scanlon, his first friend on the train, soon moved to Vermissa, and the two lived together.There were no other lodgers here, and the landlady, a very agreeable old Irish woman, did not interfere in their affairs at all.So their words and actions are very free, which is really great for these two people who share privacy. Shaft was very kind to McMurdo, and when he was happy, he invited McMurdo to his house for dinner, so the communication between McMurdo and Etie did not stop.On the contrary, as each week passed, their exchanges became more frequent and more intimate.

McMurdo felt that his new abode was safe, and he took his counterfeit dies into his bedroom and set to work, while some of the brethren from the branch came to watch, under the promise of secrecy.Every brethren went away with some counterfeit money in his pocket, so finely minted that it was never difficult and never dangerous to use.McMurdo, with this feat, should stoop to work, a mystery to his members.But McMurdo made it clear to everyone who questioned him that if he had no apparent income the police would soon come after him. A policeman had indeed set his sights on McMurdo, but this trifle, so coincidentally, did not harm the adventurer at all, but did him great honor.Since the first day when he was introduced to his brethren, McMurdo had managed almost every night to go to McGinty's tavern, where he could get a little closer to the "brothers," and it was well known that this was a great response to those who haunted the place. The honorific title of a group of dangerous people.McMurdo's resolute character and unscrupulous speech had long won the love of all his brothers.On one occasion McMurdo won a "freestyle" boxing match in a barroom with a swift and skillful victory over his opponent, which again won the great respect of these brutes.Another little incident, however, added to McMurdo's popularity among the crowd.

One evening, when the people were cheering and drinking, the door opened and a man walked in, wearing a plain blue uniform and a coal and iron policeman's pointed hat.Because the mining area is full of horror and organized violence continues to occur. Faced with this situation, the ordinary police are completely helpless.The railway bureau and mine owners recruited personnel to form a special institution called the Coal and Iron Mine Police to supplement the lack of ordinary police.As soon as the policeman entered, everyone fell silent, and many looked at him curiously.But in American states the relationship between cops and criminals is special, so McGinty, standing behind the counter, was not surprised that the cop was among his customers.

"It's too cold to-night, let's have some straight whiskey," said the sergeant. "Senator, we haven't met before, have we?" "Are you the new captain?" McGinty asked. "Yes, we are here to visit you, Mr. Senator, and other leaders, please help us maintain the law in this town. My name is Marvin, and I am the captain of the Coal and Iron Mine Police." "We're fine here, and we don't need you to keep it up, Captain Marvin," said McGinty coldly. "We have our own police in our town, and we don't need any imports. You're just paid pawns of the capitalists." , what else can be done but use sticks or guns against the poor common people?"

"Well, well, we don't have to argue about that," said the inspector kindly, "I hope we all do our part in the same way. But we don't quite agree." He finished his drink, turned to go, Suddenly the eye fell on the face of Jack McMurdo, who was standing close by and glaring at him. "Hello! Hello!" cried Captain Marvin, looking McMurdo up and down, "here is an old acquaintance." McMurdo moved away from him, saying: "I was never born to be friends with you, or any other diabolical policeman." "An acquaintance is often not a friend," grinned the captain of the police. "You are Jack McMurdo of Chicago, that's right, don't deny it."

McMurdo shrugged his shoulders. "I needn't deny it," said McMurdo. "You think I'm ashamed of my name?" "Anyway, you did something good!" "What on earth do you mean by that?" roared McMurdo, clenching his fists. "No, no, Jack, don't you get so mad at me. I was a police officer in Chicago before I came to this bloody coal mine, and I knew Chicago's rascals right off the bat." McMurdo cast his face down, and shouted, "Don't tell me you're Marvin of the Chicago Police Department!" "It's the same old Ted Marvin at your service. We haven't forgotten where Jonas Pinto was shot."

"I didn't shoot him." "Didn't you? Wouldn't that be solid evidence? Well, it would do you a lot of good to have that man dead, otherwise they'd have you in jail for counterfeiting money. Come on, we can let these things Go ahead. Because, you know it, I know, - maybe I've said too much, and said some things - they can't find any strong facts against you, and the gates of Chicago will open again for you tomorrow. gone." "I can live anywhere I want." "Hey, I revealed the news to you, but you are like an angry dog, and you don't know how to thank me."

"Well, I think you may mean well, and I should really thank you," said McMurdo, not quite respectfully. "As long as you're an honest man, I won't say anything," said the captain of the police. "But, by God, if you don't follow the right path in the future, it's a different story! Good night to you, and good night to you. Mr MP." Marvin's departure from the saloon soon made McMurdo a local hero, for McMurdo's deeds had long been whispered in faraway Chicago.McMurdo usually laughed off people's inquiries, as if afraid of being forced to make a great name for himself.But now it has been officially confirmed.The vagrants in the bar all gathered towards McMurdo and shook his hand cordially.Thereafter McMurdo had no scruples among this company.He drank a lot, and he didn't show it, but if Scanlon hadn't helped him home that night, the celebrated hero would have spent the night in the bar.

On Saturday night McMurdo was introduced.He thought he was an old member of Chicago and could pass without any ceremony.But Vermissa has a special ceremony of which it is proud, and every person who applies for membership must undergo this ceremony.The meeting took place in a large room in the trade union building reserved for such ceremonies, where more than sixty people gathered in Vermissa, but by no means the entire membership of the place, for there were some of them in the valley. Branches, and there are also branches on the hills on either side of the valley.When doing a major job, they exchange personnel with each other, so some crimes and evils can be done by people they don't know in the local area.In all there were no less than five hundred members scattered throughout the coal mining district.

In the empty conference room, people gather around a long table.Another nearby table was covered with bottles and glasses, and some members were already salivating at them.McGinty sat at the head, with a flat black velvet hat on his shaggy black hair and a bishop's chapel around his neck, so that he looked like a priest presiding over a demonic ceremony.McGinty was flanked to the right and left by the high places in the congregation, among them the brutal and handsome Ted Baldwin.Each of them wears a ribbon or badge to indicate their position.Most of them are middle-aged people, and the rest are young people between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five. As long as the elders give orders, they are willing to do their best to do it.Many of the elders were vicious and lawless by nature.However, judging from the ordinary members alone, it is hard to believe that these passionate and open-minded young people are indeed a group of murderers without blinking an eye.They are morally depraved to the extreme, proud of their ability to do bad things, and extremely worship those famous people who so-called "do well".

With this perverted disposition, they take it upon themselves to kill those whom they have never offended;After committing the crime, they argued with each other who was the most deadly beating, and they competed to describe the victim's screams and distorted shape of the painful body for fun. At first, when they arranged their evil deeds, they kept a little secret, but when they talked about them, they made an exception to make these evil deeds public.Because the law has repeatedly failed against them, it makes them feel that, on the one hand, no one dares to testify against them, and on the other hand, they have countless reliable false witnesses at call, and a storehouse full of gold and silver. Used to hire the most talented attorneys in the state as advocates.For ten years, they committed crimes without scruple, but not a single person was convicted.And the only danger that threatens the diehards comes from their victims, for they can, and sometimes do, teach the gangsters a lesson, even when they are outnumbered or attacked by surprise. McMurdo had been warned that a severe test lay before him, but no one had told him what it was.Now he was ushered into the outer room by two stern-faced brothers.Through the partition wall, he could vaguely hear the chatter of the participants inside.Once or twice his name was mentioned, and McMurdo knew that his membership was being discussed.Later, an internal guard with a yellow and green shoulder strap slung across his shoulders walked in and said, "The owner of the body has ordered that he should be led in with his arms bound and his eyes blindfolded." The three of them took off McMurdo's coat, rolled up the sleeve of his right arm, and bound him quickly at the elbows with a rope.Then a thick black hat was put on his head, covering the upper part of his face, so that McMurdo could see nothing.At last he was ushered into the Assembly Hall. When the hat was put on, McMurdo found the darkness to be unbearable.He heard only a rustling and murmurs of people around him, and then, through the blindfolds over his ears, he heard McGinty's voice faintly: "John McMurdo, you are a free man. Are you an old member of the club?" McMurdo nodded in agreement. "Do you belong to the Twenty-ninth Chapter of Chicago?" McMurdo nodded again. "The night is unpleasant," said the other. "Yes, the night is unpleasant to a traveling stranger," replied McMurdo. "Overcast." "Yes, a storm is coming." "Are you satisfied, brothers?" the body master asked. There was a murmur of approval. "Brother, according to your code words and answers, we know that you are indeed one of our own," McGinty said, "but we want you to know that in this county and other counties, we have certain ceremonies and certain responsibilities. You Ready to give it a try?" "I'm ready." "Are you a determined and courageous man?" "right." "Please take a giant step forward and prove it." At the end of this sentence, McMurdo felt two sharp objects approaching his eyes, so that a situation was created in which, if he took a step forward, he was in danger of losing them.Still McMurdo mustered up his courage and strode forward firmly, and the thing that was pressing on the eye flinched away, and there was a murmur of applause. "He was a firm and brave man," said the voice. "Can you bear pain?" "As anyone else can," replied McMurdo. "Try him!" McMurdo felt an unbearable prick in his forearm, and he tried not to cry out.The sudden shock nearly made him faint, but he bit his lip and clenched his hands to hide his excruciating pain. "I can bear anything more than that," said McMurdo. This time it was greeted with loud applause.It has never been seen in this branch that a newcomer has received such favorable comments.Everyone came over and patted him on the back, and then the hat covering his head was taken off.Amidst the congratulations of his brothers, he stood there with a wink and a smile. "One last word, Brother McMurdo," said McGinty. "You have sworn your allegiance to the Society and kept it secret, and you know, of course, that any breach of that oath will be punished by death." "I know," said McMurdo. "Then do you accept the jurisdiction of the body master under any circumstances?" "I accept." "Then, on behalf of Chapter 341 of Vermissa, I welcome you to join the club, enjoy the privileges of the club, and participate in the debates of the club. Brother Scanlon, you can put wine on the table, and we will mourn for this worthy brother Have a drink!" The coats had been brought to McMurdo, but before he put them on, McMurdo looked at his right arm, which still ached like a pinprick.There was a circle on the forearm with a triangle inside, and the brand was deep and red, like the mark left by a soldering iron.One or two next to him rolled up their sleeves to show him their own club badges. "We all have the mark," said one, "but not all of us take it as bravely as you." "Oh, nothing," said McMurdo, but the pain was still burning in his arm. When the initiation ceremony is over and the wine is gone, discuss the business of the meeting.McMurdo, accustomed to the dullness of Chicago, listened attentively, becoming more and more amazed. "The first thing on the agenda," said McGinty, "is to read a letter from Wendell, head of the 249th Merton County Chapter. He said: 'Dear Sir: It is necessary to eliminate Andrew Wray, owner of the Wray and Stromash coal mines in our neighborhood.You always remember last fall when you got into trouble with the police, and we sent two brethren to help.Please send two good men, they will be received by Higgins, the branch treasurer, whose address you know, and Higgins will tell them where and when. Your friend JW Wendell' "Wendell never turned us down when we asked for a loan or two, and we couldn't turn him down," McGinty paused, looking around the room with dark, malevolent eyes, asked, "Who volunteered to go?" Several young people raised their hands.The body master looked at them and smiled approvingly. "You can go, Tiger Cormac. If you can do as well as you did last time, you won't make a mistake. And you, Wilson." "I don't have a pistol," the teen said. "It's your first time, isn't it? Well, you've got to gain experience sooner or later, and that's a good start. As for the pistol, you'll find it's there for you, or I'm mistaken Yes. If you report on Monday, you will have plenty of time. You will be greeted warmly when you return." "Will you get paid this time?" asked Cormac, a stocky, swarthy, ferocious young man whose ferocity had earned him the nickname "Tiger." "Don't worry about the pay. You're only doing it out of honor. Maybe a little change for you when it's done." "What is that man guilty of?" asked young Wilson. "Of course, it's not for a man like you to ask what the man was guilty of. They've already passed a sentence on him, so that's none of our business. All we have to do is execute it for them. They'll come and do things for us just the same. Speaking of which, next week we've got two brethren coming to do things for us in the Merton branch." "Who are they?" one asked. "You'd better not ask. If you don't know anything, you can testify that you don't know anything, and you won't get in any trouble. But they're the ones who do things very neatly." "And!" exclaimed Ted Baldwin, "some things need to be settled. Just last week three of our brothers got fired by Foreman Blake. His lesson is long overdue, long overdue for him to learn it." gone." "Receive what?" whispered McMurdo to his neighbor. "Give him a bullshot and be done!" the man laughed loudly, and said, "What do you think of our way? Brother." McMurdo was now a member of this pernicious society, and his soul seemed to have been absorbed by it. "I love it," said McMurdo. "That's where the hero boy comes in!" Those who heard McMurdo speak applauded it. "What's going on?" asked the big black man sitting at the other end of the table. "Sir, our new brother thinks our way suits his taste." McMurdo rose at once and said: "I dare say, respected body master, if there is a place for someone, I should be proud to contribute to the association." Everyone cheered loudly for this, as if a round of Asahi was rising from the horizon.But for some older members, this achievement seems a bit too fast. "I propose," said a grey-bearded old man with the face of a vulture, who sat beside the master, Haraway, the clerk, "that Brother McMurdo should wait, the Chapter is glad to use his .” "Of course I think so too, and I will obey," said McMurdo. "Brother, you will be of use shortly," said the Lord of the Body. "We have known you to be a willing man, and we have no doubt that you will do well in this place. There is a little thing tonight, if you will, You can help." "I would like to wait for more valuable opportunities." "Anyway, you can go tonight, it will help you understand what our group stands for. I'm going to announce it later. In the meantime," he said, looking at the agenda, "I have one or two things to do at the meeting Tell me. First, I want to ask the treasurer about our bank balance. There should be a pension for Jim Canaway's widow. Canaway died in the line of duty, and it's our duty to take care of her." "Jim was murdered last month when he tried to assassinate Chester Wilcox of Malley Creek," McMurdo's neighbor told him. "There are a lot of deposits now," reported the treasurer, with the bank book in front of him. "These firms have been very generous lately. The five hundred dollars paid by Max Linde have not yet been used. The Volker brothers sent a hundred dollars, but I refunded them on my own for $500. If I don't hear back by Wednesday, their windlass drive is going to fail. Last year we burned their crusher and they got a little more open. The Western Coal Company has made an annual contribution. We have enough money in our hands to meet all our debts." "How is Archie Swindon?" asked a brother. "He's sold his property and left the borough. The old bastard left us a note saying he'd rather be a freelance scavenger in New York than be under the influence of a racketeering ring." Be a big miner, my God! We didn't get this note until he got away. I don't think he dares show his face in this valley again." A clean-shaven elderly man with a kind face and bushy eyebrows stood up from the other end of the table. "Mr. Treasurer," he asked, "excuse me, who bought the minerals of the man we drove away?" "Brother Morris, whose mines were bought by the State and Merton County Railroad." "Who bought Todman and Lee's mines last year?" "It's the same company, Brother Morris." "The Manson Iron Mine, the Schuman Iron Mine, the Vander Iron Mine, and the Atrend Iron Mine have all been sold recently, and who bought them?" "These iron ores were bought by the West Gilmerton Mining Corporation." "I don't understand, Brother Morris," said McGinty, "since they can't take the minerals from this place, what does it matter to us who buys them?" "I have a lot of respect for you, venerable body lord, but I think it has a lot to do with us. This process of change has been going on for ten years now. We have gradually driven out all the petty capitalists. As a result How? We found that they were replaced by such great corporations as the Railroad or the Coal & Iron Company, which had their directors in New York or Philadelphia, and ignored our threats. Although we could drive out their local foremen, But that only means sending someone else to replace them, while we ourselves invite danger. The petty capitalists can do us no harm. They have neither money nor power. As long as we don't squeeze them too harshly, they will It’s okay to stay in our sphere of influence. But if these big corporations find that we are getting in the way of them and their interests, they will stop at nothing, stop at nothing to try to destroy us and take us to court.” Upon hearing these inauspicious words, everyone fell silent, dejected and gloomy.They had been so powerful in the past that they had never suffered setbacks, so that they never thought of what retribution they would get.Yet even the most desperate of them was disappointed to hear Morris's thoughts. "I advise everyone," Morris continued, "don't be too harsh on small capitalists in the future. If they are all forced away one day, then the power of our society will be destroyed." Truth is not welcome.As soon as Morris finished speaking, he heard some people shouting angrily.McGinty frowned, and stood up sullenly. "Brother Morris," said McGinty, "you're always calling for mourning. As long as our congregation is united, there's no power in America that can touch us. Yes, don't we fight in court? I Guess the big corporations will find it easier to fight us if they pay us like the smaller corporations. Now, brethren," McGinty said, taking off his velvet hat and saint belt , "Tonight's meeting is over, there is only one small matter that needs to be mentioned before the meeting ends. Now it's time for the brothers to toast and drink and have fun." Human nature is indeed very strange.These are some people who take murder as a common practice. They have repeatedly and inhumanly killed the heads of some families. Seeing their wives mourning and their children losing their parents, they have no sense of guilt or compassion. However, when I hear the soft and sad music, I will be moved to tears.McMurdo had a fine tenor voice.If he had not previously gained the friendship and goodwill of his brethren in the congregation, they were so deeply moved by his singing of "Mary, I am sitting on the hedge" and "On the Banks of the Arran," that they could no longer restrain themselves. Kindness to him. On this very first night, the new member made himself the most popular of his brethren, already a sign of impending promotion and high office.To be a respectable Freedmen, however, there were other qualities which McMurdo had been said to be a model of in addition to these friendships, which were required to be a respectable Freeman.After several rounds of drinking, the people were already drunk and stupefied. At this time, the body master stood up again and spoke to them. "Brothers," said McGinty, "there's a man in town who deserves to be cut off, and you know he deserves to be punished. I'm talking about James Stanger of the Herald. Haven't you read Is he yelling at us again?" Then there was a murmur of approval in the room, some cursing and swearing.McGinty took a newspaper from his waistcoat pocket and read: "Law and order! "That's the title Stanger put on. 'The Reign of Terror in the Coal and Iron Mines Twelve years have elapsed since the first assassination, which signaled the existence of a criminal organization in our district.But since then, such atrocities have not stopped.Today they have reached such a height that they make us the shame of the civilized world.Our country welcomed immigrants fleeing from European autocratic regimes back then. How could such results be expected?They want to harass the benefactors who lived in that day, and make themselves violent, and this horror of tyranny and lawlessness, established under the cover of the Holy Spirit, the star and banner of liberty, arouses horror in our hearts, as if In the midst of the most decadent of Eastern monarchies.Their names are known to all.This organization is also public.When will we tolerate this?How can we live like this forever...' "Enough, I've had enough of this nonsense!" McGinty yelled, throwing the newspaper on the table. "Here's Stanger's report on us. My question to you now is, what do we say about him?" How to deal with it?" "Kill him!" The voices of a dozen people shouted murderously. "I'm against it," said Brother Morris, the bushy-browed, clean-shaven brother. "I tell you, brethren, what we've done in this valley is too harsh. It is bound to unite and destroy us. James Stanger is an old man. He is well respected in the town and district. His paper has a firm footing in this valley. If this man is killed by us, we must It will shake the whole country, and the final outcome can only be our destruction." "How can they destroy us, Mister Coward," cried McGinty, "with the police? Surely half the police are employed by us, and the other half fear us. Courts and judges, perhaps, against us? Haven't we met before? So what happened?" "Judge Lynch may come to hear the case," Brother Morris said. When everyone heard this, they all shouted angrily. "If I stick out my finger," cried McGinty, "I can send two hundred men into the city and wipe them out." Then, with a frown on his brow, he raised his voice suddenly, "Well, Brother Morris , I have already noticed you. You are unfaithful yourself, and you want to make others disloyal. Brother Morris, when your own name is on our agenda, it will be your black evil day. I think I should Put your honorable name on the agenda." Morris immediately turned pale, his knees trembled, and he slumped on the chair. He tremblingly raised his glass, took a sip, and replied: "Dear Lord of the Body, if I have said something that I should not have said, I apologize to you and to all the brothers in the meeting. You all know that I am a loyal member. Such worrying words. But, respected body lord, I absolutely believe in your verdict more than I believe in myself, and I guarantee that I will never dare to offend you again." The body master heard him speak so humbly, and the anger on his face disappeared. "Very well, Brother Morris. I don't want to lecture you. But as long as I'm in charge, our chapter will be united in words and deeds. Now, brethren," he looked around at the brethren , continued, "I'll say it again, if Stanger gets the punishment he fully deserves, then we're going to be in more trouble. Once these journalists collude, every newspaper in the country will appeal to the police and the military. Yes. But I think you can give him a pretty stern warning. Brother Baldwin, can you arrange it?" "Of course!" replied the young man enthusiastically. "How many people are you taking?" "Six is ​​enough, and two guards. You go, Goyle; you, Mansell; you, Scanlon; and the Willabys." "I allowed this new brother to go with me," McGinty said. Ted Baldwin looked at McMurdo, and it was clear from his eyes that he had neither forgotten nor forgiven. "Well, he can go if he wants to," said Baldwin roughly, "that's enough. The sooner we do the better." Some of these seven people were arguing and shouting, and some left the table drunkenly humming a little tune.The bar was still full of revelers, and many brethren remained there.The young men on duty went out into the street, marching in groups of two or three along the sidewalk so as not to attract attention.That night, the weather was extremely cold, the stars were shining brightly, and a crescent moon hung high in the cold sky.The people stopped in front of a tall building and gathered in the courtyard."Vermissa Herald Office" was printed in gold letters in the center of the bright glass windows.From inside came the sound of a printing press. "Here you are," said Baldwin to McMurdo, "you can stand below and hold the gate and keep our escape open. Arthur Willaby is with you. The rest follow me. Brethren, Don't be afraid, because we have a dozen witnesses who can prove that we are in the union bar at this time." It was nearly midnight, and there was no one else on the street except for a couple of drunks returning home.The group crossed the street, pushed open the door of the newspaper office, and Baldwin and his party rushed in and ran up the opposite staircase.McMurdo and the other remained downstairs.From the upstairs room came a cry for help, followed by trampling feet and overturned chairs.After a while a gray-haired man ran up the landing.But within a few paces he was caught, and his spectacles clanged at McMurdo's feet.There was a bang, followed by a groan.The man fell face down, and several sticks hit him cracklingly.He rolled and twitched, his gangly limbs trembling under the blow.Everyone else stopped, but Baldwin's ferocious face was still grinning ferociously, and the stick in his hand was slashing at the old man's head. The old man tried in vain to protect his head with his hands, but his white hair was already soaked in blood.Baldwin was still looking for places where the victim could not protect his hands for a while.At this moment McMurdo came running upstairs and pushed him away. "You're going to kill the man," said McMurdo. "Stop!" Baldwin looked at him in surprise. "Damn it!" cried Baldwin. "Who are you to interfere with me? You newcomer? Stand back!" He raised his club, but McMurdo drew his pistol from the back pocket of his trousers. . "Stand back yourself!" McMurdo shouted, "If you dare to touch me, I will shoot immediately. Didn't the owner of the body have an order not to kill this man? Aren't you going to kill him? ?” "He was right," said one of them. "Why, you'd better hurry up!" cried the man downstairs. "There are lights in every window, and in five minutes the whole town will be after you." At this time, there were shouts in the street, and some typesetting and printing workers gathered in the hall downstairs, summoning courage and preparing for action.The criminals left the editor's limp body, rushed downstairs, and fled along the street quickly.After running to the union hall, some people mingled with the crowd at McGinty's Tavern and reported in low voices to the chief that the matter had been completely accomplished.Others, among them McMurdo, ran into the street, and went home by lonely lanes.