In Council.-- Mr. Lyon the Millionaire, with Mr. Harcout the
Adventurer and Adviser, appear together.-- How Mr. Lyon
became Mrs. Winslow's Victim.-- "Our blessed Faith" and
the Woman's strange Power.-- A Tender Subject.-- Deep
Games.-- A One Hundred Thousand Dollar Suit for Breach of
Promise of Marriage.-- A good deal of Money.-- All liable
to err.-- A most magnificent Woman.-- The "Case" taken.
In the meantime I had a conversation on the subject with my General
Superintendent, Mr. Bangs, in which we weighed the case thoroughly in
all its bearings. I held, as I always do in such cases, if further
investigation proved that the woman was one whose youth, or even
inexperience, was such as to make it probable that she had been met by a
man whose position had dazzled and bewildered her, and who, from his
wealth and opportunities for exerting the immense influence of wealth,
had led her to believe that he loved her, and had had such attention
lavished upon her as had awakened in her heart an affection for him
which should deserve some consideration, and that finally, after
accomplishing his purpose, he had flung her from him, as was an
every-day occurrence, it was a case which I could under no circumstances
touch; its justice ought only to be determined in the courts.
On the other hand, I argued that if this troublesome woman was grown in
years, had arrived at a mature age, and had deliberately planned to
secure a certain power over Harcout's friend in the questionable manner
ascribed--had, in fact, used the "black arts" upon him, and in every
manner possible fascinated him irresistibly, and wrung from him promises
and pledges which no man in his sane moments would give, in order
through this dishonorably-gained power to secure him for a husband--or
worse, in the event of failing in this, of levying upon his wealth for
the dishonor she had herself compelled, it was a case where I had a
right to interfere in the best interests of society, as the professional
female blackmailer is below pity, ought to be beyond protection of any
sort whatever, has forfeited all the actual and poetical regard due her
sex, and should be in every instance remorselessly hunted down.
This conclusion was easily arrived at; for at each of my agencies all
that is necessary for a decision upon a desired investigation is that my
local superintendent shall sift the matter, to prove beyond the shadow
of a doubt that the vast power of the detective service under my control
shall not, under any circumstances, be prostituted to the assistance of
questionable enterprises, or the furtherance of dishonorable schemes.
Accordingly, when Mr. Harcout wafted himself into my office the next
day, like a fragrance-laden zephyr of early summer, I informed him that
he could depend on my assistance to discover the history and antecedents
of the woman; but that I should have to reserve the privilege of
discontinuing the service, should it at any time transpire that my
operatives were being employed for the purpose of discouraging a
defenceless woman in securing the justice due her.
It was arranged that Harcout was to call the next day with his patron,
the persecuted millionaire, and he also expressed a desire to defer a
settlement of the case in detail until that time, which was quite
agreeable to me, as I wished to see the parties together and closely
observe them, as well as their statements.
The next afternoon Mr. Harcout's elegant card was delivered to me, with
the message that his friend was also with him. I ordered that they
should be at once admitted, and in a moment the two gentlemen were
ushered into my private office. I immediately recognized the elder of
the two as J. H. Lyon, one of the wealthiest elevator owners and millers
of Rochester, a quiet, shrewd, calculating business man, who had amassed
vast wealth, or the reputation of its possession, and its consequent
commercial respect and credit.
He was a short, small-sized man, dressed in plain but rich garments, and
wore no jewelry save a massive solitaire diamond ring. His head, which
seemed to contain an average brain, was solidly set on a great, heavy
neck, that actually continued to the top of the back of his head without
a curve or depression. His hair, and beard--which was shaven away from
his lower lip to the curve of his chin--had a shaggy sort of look,
though generally well kept, and were considerably tinged with gray;
while his eyebrows were remarkably long, irregular, and forbidding. His
eyes were medium-sized, of a grayish-brown color, and under the heavy
shade of the brows somewhat keen and restless. His cheek-bones were
quite prominent, and below them his cheeks sank away noticeably, which
served to more strikingly show the upward turn of his nose and his full
lips and broad, sensual mouth, which, with its half-shown, irregular
teeth and ever-present tobacco-stains (for he smoked or chewed
incessantly), gave him a face quite unlike those ordinarily supposed to
be captivating to women. With his broad, bony hands, large, ill-shaped
feet, and retiring, hesitating way, as if never exactly certain of
anything, he was truly a great contrast to the pompous, elegant
gentleman who seemed to have taken him under his fatherly protection.
Lyon slid into his seat in a nervous, diffident way; while Harcout, who
had just drawn his chair between us, as if he desired it understood that
he did not propose to yield his office of general manager of this
vitally important affair under any circumstances, beamed on his friend
reassuringly.
After a few remarks on the current topics of the day, and before they
were themselves aware of it, we were getting along swimmingly towards an
understanding of the subject-matter--Lyon, who had removed his cigar,
fairly eating an immense amount of fine-cut as the voluble Harcout
rattled away about the bold, bad woman who had entrapped him.
"Why, my dear Mr. Pinkerton, it's a terrible matter--an infamous
affair! My friend here, Mr. Lyon, is quite nettled about it--I might
say, quite cut up. You can see for yourself, sir, that it's wearing on
him." This with a deprecating wave of his hand towards Lyon, who
nervously gazed out of the window from under his shaggy brows.
I merely said that these things _were_ sometimes a little wearing.
"But you see, Mr. Pinkerton, this is a peculiarly cruel case--a
peculiarly cruel case. Hem! _I_ know what is cruel in this respect, as I
was once victimized by very much the same sort of a female, though she
was _much younger_. Why, do you know, sir," and here the sympathetic
Harcout's voice fell into a solemn murmur, "that my friend's beloved
wife was scarcely at rest beneath the daisies when this Mrs. Winslow
began worming herself into the confidence of my somewhat impressible
friend here?"
I made no answer, and only took a memorandum of the facts developed, not
forgetting Harcout's statement that he had once been victimized by very
much the same sort of a female.
"She came to Rochester as a shining light among the exponents of our
blessed faith----"
"And what may your religion be?" I asked.
"We believe in the constant communication between mortals and the
occupants of the beautiful spirit home beyond the river."
"Exactly," said I, noticing the remarkable development at the back of
their heads and about their mouths.
"And our friend here, Mr. Lyon," continued Harcout, with his eyes
devoutly raised to the ceiling, "met her at one of our pleasant
seances."
I made another note at this point.
"To be frank--'hem! it's my nature to be frank--" then turning his face
to me and raising his eyebrows inquiringly--"I suppose, Mr. Pinkerton,
it is quite desirable that I should be so?" To which I responded,
"Necessarily so," when he resumed: "To be frank, then, Mr. Lyon was
wonderfully interested in her. In fact, the woman _has_ a strange power
of compelling admiration and even fear--shall I say fear, Mr. Lyon?"
"Guess that's about right," said Mr. Lyon tersely.
"Admiration and fear," repeated Mr. Harcout, as if thinking of something
long gone by, while Lyon chewed more fiercely than ever. "Indeed, Mr.
Pinkerton, she's a superb woman--a superb woman; but a she-devil for all
that!"
I noticed that Harcout's fervor seemed to have come from some similar
experience, and I noted both it and his heated estimate of Mrs. Winslow,
although he remarked that he had never met her.
"Well, my friend here was irresistibly drawn to her, and he has told me
that for a time it seemed that he had found his real affinity. You felt
that way, didn't you, Lyon?"
Lyon nodded and chewed rapidly.
"But for a long time the more my friend endeavored to secure her favor,
the more she seemed to draw away from and avoid him, though constantly
making opportunities to more deeply impress him with her most splendid
physical and mental qualities. My friend recollects now, though he gave
it no attention at the time, that she shrewdly drew from him much
information regarding his family affairs, habits, business relations,
and wealth; and as she was, or pretended to be, a medium of great power,
at those times when he sought her professional services she worked upon
his feelings in such a peculiar manner as to completely upset him."
Here Mr. Lyon offered an extended remark for the first time, and said:
"The truth is, Mr. Pinkerton, this is a subject that I am particularly
tender upon. I think under certain circumstances I could really have
made the woman my wife;" then turning to his agent, he said, "Harcout,
cut it short."
"But," Harcout protested, "we can't cut it short. Mr. Pinkerton wants
facts--he must have facts. Well, at one time Mr. Lyon felt a real
affection for the woman, which does him honor--is no disgrace to him;
but after a time began to suspect, and eventually to feel sure, that
Mrs. Winslow was playing a deep game; indeed, had originally come to
Rochester for that purpose; and while he still regarded her highly on
account of her fine qualities, refrained from seeking her society, which
at once seemed to awaken a violent and uncontrollable passion for him in
her heart. She sought him everywhere and compelled him to visit her
frequently, lavishing the wildest affection upon him, which he
delicately repelled--delicately repelled; and, as she represented
herself in straitened circumstances, charitably assisted her just as he
would have done any other person in want--any other person in want; but,
you see, Mrs. Winslow presumed upon this, accused him of having broken
her heart, and was now cruelly deserting her after he had taught her to
worship him."
Mr. Lyon's nervous face presented a singular combination of pride at his
own powers, chagrin at his predicament, and a general protest that the
tender privacies of a millionaire should be thus disclosed.
"In this way," continued Harcout, "she so worked upon his kindly
feelings that he really gave her large sums of money--large sums of
money."
"A good deal of money," interrupted Mr. Lyon.
"But finally," pursued Harcout, "my friend saw that he must discontinue
his charity altogether, and through my advice--hem! through my advice,
he did. Mrs. Winslow then became very impudent indeed, and annoyed my
friend beyond endurance, until he was forced to refuse to recognize her,
and gave orders that she should be denied admission to his office. But,
being a very talented woman----"
"She _is_ talented," said Lyon, with a start.
"She has found means to continue her operations against him incessantly,
demanding still larger sums of money, and has engaged counsel to act for
her. Hem!--under my advice, quite recently Mr. Lyon, by paying her five
thousand dollars, secured from her a relinquishment of all claims
against him, rather than oblige a public scandal. But now Mrs. Winslow
claims that this was secured by fraud, and after making another
fruitless demand for ten thousand dollars, which--hem! Mr. Lyon resisted
through my advice, last week began suit against him for one hundred
thousand dollars for breach of promise of marriage. And a hundred
thousand dollars is a big sum of money, Mr. Pinkerton."
"A big sum of money," echoed Lyon.
"But of course," continued Harcout, inserting his thumbs in the
arm-holes of his vest and looking the very picture of injured virtue,
"Mr. Lyon cares nothing for that amount. It is the principle of the
thing. It is the stain upon his good name that he desires to
prevent--and these juries are confoundedly unreliable."
"Confoundedly unreliable," repeated Lyon, chewing nervously.
"Therefore," said Harcout, "really believing, as we do, that we--hem!
that is, Mr. Lyon, of course--is the victim of a designing woman who
really means to wrongfully compel the payment of a large sum of money
and ruin my friend in the estimation of the public, we are anxious that
you should set about ascertaining everything concerning her for use as
evidence in the case."
After asking them a few questions touching facts I desired to ascertain,
the interview terminated with the understanding that Harcout should act
for Mr. Lyon unqualifiedly in the matter, and call at my office as
often as desirable to listen to reports of the progress of my
investigations into the life and history of Mrs. Winslow. I was
satisfied that not half the truth had been given me, and I was more than
ever convinced of this fact when Lyon called me to one side as the
lordly Harcout passed out, and said to me hurriedly:
"Don't be too hard upon the woman, Mr. Pinkerton. You know we are _all_
liable to err; and--and, by Jupiter! Mrs. Winslow is certainly a most
magnificent woman--a _most_ magnificent woman," and then chewed himself
out after his courtly henchman.