"And now," he added, a gleam in his keen eyes, "we are going after those rascals hot and heavy."
A responsive gleam in Owen’s eyes showed how greatly this idea appealed to him. "Yes," he said confidently, "I guess we’ve got Boss Coggswell where we want him now. This means the finish of that grafter."
"I’m not quite so sure of that," replied the judge, with a whimsical smile. "Don’t forget that friend Samuel is a pretty slippery customer. I shouldn’t be at all surprised if he managed to wriggle out of this. I think we’ll be able to put Jake Hines behind bars without any trouble, but I’m afraid we’re not going to have such an easy task convicting his master—not yet, at least."
And the lawyer proved to be a true prophet as far as Samuel J. Coggswell was concerned. When, later that day, reporters from all the daily papers thronged the clubhouse to interview the boss, they found that gentleman smiling and apparently very much at his ease.
"Mr. Coggswell," a newspaper man said bluntly, "we understand that you are going to be indicted for conspiracy. You are accused of being responsible for a frame-up to send a young letter carrier named Sheridan to prison."
The district leader shook his head deprecatingly. "Nothing to it, boys—nothing to it. The rumor is absolutely without foundation, I assure you. Why should a grand jury seek to indict me? It is preposterous to suppose that I had anything to do with the infamous attempt to railroad young Sheridan. On the contrary, I am very friendly toward the man, and I’m glad that he got off—very glad, indeed."
"But, Mr. Coggswell," the newspaper man insisted, "they have proof that Jake Hines, your confidential man, was the moving spirit in that conspiracy."
"Ah!" exclaimed the politician, with a sad smile. "Poor Jake! Poor Jake! By the way, has anybody seen him lately?"
"No," answered the reporter. "I hear that detectives with a warrant for his arrest have been searching all over town for him in vain. It is understood that he[Pg 45] has fled. That is why, Mr. Coggswell, it looks as if——”
"So they can’t find Jake, eh?" the boss interrupted, his ears wiggling a fast accompaniment to his words. "It is understood that he has run away? Well, if such is, indeed, the case, it looks as if the rascal really must be guilty. Flight can generally be regarded as a confession of guilt, can’t it, boys?"