Detective Bob Bridger — page 174: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

DETECTIVE BOB BRIDGER. — : 167 poor ‘trick’ the game might as well be called done. And ae have things been with yourself since, Bridger ?” | 66 O-SO. 7? “'Workin’ for the government, Pinkerton, or who?” ‘‘At present I’m helpin’ a man from Scotland Yard on a murder case.” ‘‘Knglish case, eh ?” “Yes; my business with you is regarding it.” ‘“What the duse do I know about an English murder case? I was born right here in New York. Never was across the pond in my life.” “Pll tell you. The man you sold that sand-bag to some days ago is in custody over in Jersey for killing a man, and I want you to identify him.” “Sand-bag—me !” cried Goucher, rising from his chair excitedly. ‘“(;oucher,” returned Bridger, quietly, ‘‘you know me, and that I would make no such assertion unless 1 knew what I was talking about.” “Well, what do you know? And how do you know it?” demanded Goucher, resuming his seat, and exchanging a glance of intelligence with *‘Tom, the Frog.” ‘‘T happened to be ‘shadowing’ that squeaking English- man who your man ‘Jack, the Fork,’ walked in here to get ‘sawdust,’ and overheard the whole business from outside ss the hall-way. He paid you five hundred dollars for the ag. 99 ‘“W ell—what have I got to do with it?” “Only to identify the man, if it is he, and say that he came to you professing to be in fear of foul play from a friend, and wanted a weapon which he could destroy if he was forced to use it in his own defense.” ‘‘And you say the ‘bloke’ did get away with a man, with the sand-bag ?” ‘‘It would seem so. And as it happened near a railroad track he will endeavor, in the absence of the weapon, to show that his victim fell from a train.” “ And don’t people fall from trains ?” “They do—but if this man did fall, as I say, you know that he fell from a sand-bag.” i ‘‘And how do you make outI know he fell from the ag.” “And the price paid for the weapon was enough to show any man the use it was to go to, and moreover | * heard you and your men say as much in the hall- -way atter the sale.” —_—_ Eomicbooks.co