“GREEN-EYE” GORDON.
“Shortly after ten o’clock last night fire was discovered in the
laundry at Clinton Prison. The blaze spread with surprising rapidity,
and as the laundry was in the basement of one of the main wings of
three tiers of cells above it, the lives of many of the convicts were
soon seen to be in danger.
“Under the circumstances, it is surprising that more lives were not
lost, but the best information obtainable at the present time is
that three of the inmates were fatally burned—including the clever
and infamous Green-eye Gordon—that many were injured or temporarily
overcome, and that one took advantage of the excitement to escape.
“As soon as it was seen that the fire was beyond control, so far as the
prison’s fire-fighting facilities were concerned, and that there was
danger of asphyxiation from the dense smoke, the cells of each tier
in the threatened wing were unlocked simultaneously, and there was a
general exodus of frightened prisoners. The scene defies description,
for the delay in opening the cells had given the trapped men an
opportunity to work themselves up into a frenzy, and, as a result, the
guards were powerless to handle them.
“A general jail delivery might have followed if the convicts had
realized their power, but fear had driven everything else out of their
minds for the time being, and in consequence, only one man, Convict No.
9,371, made his escape. He is known to the world beyond the gray walls
as “Shang” Libby, a yegg, who had made his headquarters at Buffalo.
Libby must have followed one of the guards when the latter left the
inclosure for help, and having waited until the door of freedom had
been opened, he quietly struck the guard down and passed through. He
was one of those who had hastily dressed himself in the prison uniform
and unless he can manage to get other clothing there is no doubt that
he will soon be rounded up.”
Then followed a long account of the fire, and references to those
who had been killed or seriously injured. The article ended with the
following:
“The death of Ernest Gordon, widely known as Green-eye Gordon, was
the most ignominious one, and hardly in keeping with this notorious
criminal’s career. There was nothing spectacular about it. Gordon might
have been expected to play a conspicuous part at such a time—to rally
the prisoners for a concerted attempt at escape, for instance—but he
does not seem to have distinguished himself in any such way. Indeed, it
would appear that his daring and initiative left him at the last, for
there seems no very good reason for his death, when most of his fellow
prisoners escaped.
“Of course, some accident must have happened to him, for he was
found trodden to death by the others in their bestial rush. His face
disfigured beyond recognition.
“Gordon hailed from New York, and those who know have long classed him
as one of the cleverest and most dangerous criminals this country has
ever produced. He came of a good family, and was well educated, but
early showed a tendency to criminal pursuits. Apparently he reformed,
however, and for several years was employed by one of the great
detective agencies.
“In this capacity he showed himself to be very able and daring, so much
so that he advanced rapidly, and long enjoyed the utmost confidence of
his employers. In the end, however, it was learned that he had been
using his position for his own ends, and had really never given up his
career of crime. He must have known that a storm was brewing, for, as
usual, he managed to get away a few jumps ahead.
“After that, thanks to the invaluable experience he had gained as a
detective, he turned his attention to much more ambitious and lucrative
pursuits, soon becoming one of the most troublesome thorns in the side
of the police of this city and elsewhere. Gordon always was versatile,
and handled many kinds of crime with remarkable success. Toward the
last, however, he developed something approaching a specialty in the
shape of blackmail on a large scale. He seemed to have an uncanny
facility for learning the secrets of the wealthy and prominent, and
using them for purposes of blackmail.
“Crimes of this sort are not easy to establish in a legal way, or to
punish, for the victims seldom raise an outcry. Nevertheless, that
lifelong foe of crime and criminals, Nicholas Carter, took up the
trail, and finally brought Gordon to bay. The capture and trial of two
years ago are doubtless fresh in the minds of many newspaper readers.
“Gordon acquired his nickname of Green Eye from the fact that he had
a pair of peculiar, rather nondescript gray eyes, which were said to
emit a green light when the man was angry or excited. In addition, his
eyes showed an inclination to cross at such times, although perfectly
normal at all others. In fact, it is claimed that these distinguishing
characteristics more than once served to identify the clever rogue,
whose remarkable histrionic ability and skill at make-up would
otherwise have enabled him to defy detection.”
Of course, neither of the detectives read all of this. They did not
need to, for they knew a great deal more about Ernest Gordon than any
one else could have told them.
Chick followed his chief’s example in glancing through the article and
getting the main points that were new to him. Then he looked up with an
odd expression.
“Well, it certainly sounds final enough,” he remarked. “I find it hard
to believe, though, that Green Eye is dead, and that he died in such a
way.”
“It is somewhat difficult to credit it,” Nick agreed. “That’s the way
things frequently happen, though. Fate isn’t always dramatic in its
methods according to our theatrical standards. No, it seems safe enough
to believe that Ernest Gordon won’t give us any more trouble, and I
find a certain amount of relief in the thought. I’m willing to confess
now that there were times when I doubted my ability to bring him to
account. In other words, I felt myself nearer defeat at his hands than
I had ever done in any other case.”
The detective pulled out his watch, glanced at it, and threw his
napkin aside. “We must hustle if we are going to catch that train,” he
announced.
Five minutes later he and Chick were whirled away to the station. Their
well-earned vacation had begun, but they were far from carefree.
The thought of Ernest Gordon persisted in haunting their minds, and
somehow it seemed to dull the edge of their anticipations.