Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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The Million D< By HAROLD Illustrated from Scenes it Same Name by the Thar (Copyright, 1914, by n m ~ SYNOPSIS. Stanley Hargreave, millionaire, after a miraculous escu.De from the den of the tsa.nu. of brilliant thieves known as the Black Hundred, lives the life of a re cluse for tighteen years. Hargreave ac cidentally meets Braine, leader of the Black Hundred. Knowing Braine will try to get him, he escapes from his own home by a balloon. Before escaping he writes a letter to the girls' school where eight een years before he mysteriously leti on the doorstep his baby daughter, Florence Gray. That day Hargreave also draws $1,000,000 from the bank, but it is reported that this dropped into the sea when the balloon he escaped in was punctured. Florence arrives from the girls' school. Countess Olga, Braine's companion, vis its her and claims to be a relative. Two bogus detectives call, but their plot is foiled by Norton, a newspaper man. By , bribing the captain of the Orient Norton lays a trap for Braine and his gang. Countess Olga also visits the Orient's captain, and she easily falls into the re porter's snare. The plan proves abortive through Braine's good luck and only hire lings fall into the hands of the police. After failing in their first attempt the Black Hundred trap Florence. They ask her for money, but she escapes, again foiling them. Norton and the countess call on Florence the next day, once more safe at home. The visitors having gone, Jones removes a section of flooring and frnm n ravltv takes a box. Pursued by members of the Black Hundred, he rushes | to the water front and succeeds in drop ping the box into the sea. Countess Olga succeeds in breaking the engagement ex isting between Florence Hargreave and Norton. Accomplices of Braine succeed in kidnaping Florence while she is shop ping and hurry her off to sea. She leaps into the sea and is picked up in a dazed condition by a party of fishermen. The Black Hundred locate her, and Braine. disguised as her father, succeeds in tak ing her back to-,sea with him. Florence sets fire to the Boat and is rescued by a ship on which Norton has been shang haied. Norton and Florence, safely ashore and with no longer any misunderstanding between them, take the train for home. The train is wrecked and waiting mem bers of the Black Hundred carry the in jured Florence to a deserted hut. Norton, who tries to rescue her, is tied to the railroad tracks. Florence saves him and niiHii.v juirea tunics iu me iciivut The Black Hundred recover the box Jones dropped in the ocean. By a clever ruse Norton and Jones refrain It. CHAPTER XIII?Continued. "Yes; and more than that, he Is the dear friend of the countess. But understand, you must never let her dream or suspect that you know. By lulling her into overconfidence some rfnv shft will naturallv erow careless, and then we'fl have them all. I think I understand "what your father's Idea is: not to Jfave them arrested for blackmail, bvtt practically to extermin ate them, put them in prison for such terms of years that they'll die there. When you see a snake, a poisonous one, don't let It get away. Kill It Well, I must be off to work." "And you be careful, too. You are in more danger than I am." "But I'm a man and can dodge quick," he laughed, picking up his hat. "What a horrid thing money is! If I hadn't any money, nobody would bother me." "I would," he smiled. He wanted to kiss her, but the eternal Jones might be watching from the windows; and so he patted her hand instead and walked dotfn the graveled path to the street. It was dilficalt work for Florence to play at friendship. She was like her father; sL? did not bestow it on everj* one. She had given hy friend ship to the Rufcsian, the first real big friendship in her life, and she had been roughly disillusioned. But if the countess could act,-so could she; and of the two her acting was the more j Norton Wa.ited to Kiss Her. consummate. She could smile and laugh and jest, all the while her heart was burning with wrath. One day, a week or so after her meeting with Norton in the summer house, Olga ai rived, beautifully gowned, handsome as ever. There was not the least touch of the adven turess In her makeup. Florence had just received some mall, and she had dropped the letters on tho library table to greet the countess. She bad opened them, but had not yet looked at their contents. ABSOLUTE PROOF OF DEATH Simple Test Familiar to All Phy?l cians Prevent? Possibility of Per son Being Burled Alive. To many persons the dread of be ing burled alive is an obsession. Sci ence has so many tests now that such a thing is almost impossible. There is no necessity now for such precau tions as were taken in ancient times, at the request of those who feared ;> contingency. Whsi tho vt.tead ir Mystery MAC GRATH i trie Photo Drama of the ihouser Film Company a Harold MacGrath) They were chatting pleasantly about inconsequent things, when the maid came in and asked Florence ta come to Miss Susan's room for r. moment. Florence excused herself, wondering what Susan could want. She forgot the mail. As soon as she was gone the count ess, certain that Jones was not lurk ing about, picked up the letters and calmly examined their contents; and among them she found this remark able document: "Dear daughter I have never seen: I must turn the treasure over to you. Meet me at eight in the summer house. Tell no one as my life is in danger. Your lov ing father." The countess could have laughed aloud. She saw this man Paroff's hand; and here was the chance to be fool and humiliate him and send him off packing to his cold and miserable country. She had made up once as Florence, and she could easily do so again. The only thing that troubled her was the fact that she did not know whether Florence had read the letter j or not. Thus, she did not dare destroy it. She first thought of changing the clock; then she concluded to drop the letter exactly where she found it and trust to luck. When Florence returned she ex-1 nlained that her absence had been due ! to some trifling household affair. Said the Russian: "I come primar-) ily to ask you to tea tomorrow, where they dance. If you like, you may ask Mr. Norton to go along. I begin to observe that you two are rather fond of one another." "O, Mr. Norton Is just a valuable | friend," returned Florence wl'.h a, smile that quite deceived the other woman. "I shall be glad to go to the tea. But I shall not promise to dance." "Not with Mr. Norton?" archly. "Reporters never dance themselves; they make others dance instead." "I shall have to tell that," declared the countess; and she laughed iquite honestly. "Thpn I havA Raid something wit ty?" "Indeed you have; and it Is not only witty but truthful. I'm afraid you're deeper than the rest of us have any idea of." "Perhaps I am," thought Florence; "at least, deeper than you believe." When the countess fluttered down to her limousine?Florence hated the sight Of it?and drove away, Florence remembered her letters. And when she came to the one purporting to be from her father, she read it carefully, bent her head in thought, and finally destroyed the missive, absolutely con fident that it was only a trap, and not very well conceived at that. Norton had given her plenty of reason for believing all such letters to be forger ies. Her father, if he really wished to see her, would enter the house; he would not write. Ah, when would she see that father of hers, so myster ious, always hovering near, always unseen? It must have been an amusing ad venture for the countess. To steal into the summer house and wait there, not knowing if Florence had advised Jones or the reporter. If caught, she had her excuses." # Paroff, the confl- | dent, however, appeared shortly after. "My child!" whispered the man. And Olga stifled a laugh; but to him it sounded like a sob. "I am worn out," he said. "I am tired of the game cf hide and seek." "You will not have to play the game long," thought Olga. "The money is hidden in my office down town. And we must go there at once. When we return we will pack up and leave for Europe. I've longed to see you so!" "You poor fool! And they sent "you to supersede Leo!" she mused. She played out the farce to the very end. She permitte'd herself to be pinioned and jogged; and for what unnecessary roughness she suffered at the hands of Paroff he would pres ently pay. He took her straight to the executive chamber of the Black Hundred and pushed her into the room, exclaiming triumphantly: "Here is Hargreave's daughter!" "Indeed!" said Olga, throwing back her veil and standing revealed in her mask. "Olga!" cried Braine, laughing. And that was the inglorious end of the secret agent from Russia. CHAPTER XIV. Norton Makes a Discovery. Perhaps the most amusing phase of the secret agent's discomfiture was the fact that neither Jones nor Florence had the least idea what had happene Florence regretted a hundred timei. during the evening that she had not gone out to the summer house. It might really have been her father. Her regret grew so deep in her that just before going to bed she confessed to Jones. "You received a letter of that sort and did not show it to me?" said Jones, astonished. "You warned me never to pay any attention to them." ' ing physician is in the least doubt he has a very harmless and simple mode of testing the point and proving ab solutely whether the patient is really dead or only in a cataleptic fit, sim ulating death. It is known that even i .ough the finger cannot detect the beat of the pulse, nor the stethoscope bear to the listening ear of the physician the ! least beat of the heart, a quiet cir culation of the blood may be going on, and the person be actually alive, though EivinLE Dn BieDs that can be \ ''No; I warned' you never to act upon them without first consulting me. And we might have made a cap ture! My child, always show me these things. I will advise you whether to tear them up or not." "Jones, I believe you are going a little too far," said Florence haughtily. "It might have been my father." , "Never In this world, M'ss Florence. Still, I beg your pardon for raising my voice. What I do and have done Is only for your own sake. There are two things I wish to Impress upon your mind before I go. This can be made a comedy or a terrible tragedy. You have already had a taste of the latter; and each time you escaped because God was good to ua. But he Is rarely kind to thoughtless people. They have to look out for themselves. I am act ing under orders; always remember that." "Forgive me; I acted wrongly. But I'm so weary and tired of this eternal ' suspicion of everybody and every thing. Can't I go somewhere, some place where I can have rest?" I "If I thought for a single moment it was possible to take you thousands of miles from this spot, it would be done this very night. But this is our fortress. So far it has been impreg nable. The police are watching it; and that prevents a general assault by the scoundrels. If we tried to I leave we would be followed; and they play that game exceedingly well. Now, good-night. We'll have yc? out of all this doubt and suspicion <ue of these days. There will not bj any past; There Was Not the Least Touch of the Adventuress in Her Makeup* that will be lopped off as you'd lop a limb from a tree." "Please let it be quick. I want to see my father." Jones' eyes sparkled. "And you have my word that he wants to see you. But I dare not tell you." "Do you think he would object to Mr. Norton?" she asked, studying the rug. "In what capacity?" he countered, forcing her hand. "As?as a husband?" bravely. Jones in turn studied the patterns in the rug. "It is only natural for a father to look high to/ his daughter's husband. But, after all, an honest man is worth as much as anything I know of. And Norton Is honest and loyal and brave." "Thank you, Jones. I Intend to marry him when the time comes; so you may as well prepare father for ftis eventuality." "There is an old adage?" But she interrupted him. "If you have a now arlfiep .Tones I shouldn't mind hearing it. But I'm only just out of school, where old adages are served from soup to pudding. Good night." And Jones went to the rear of the house, chuckling. In the passing it might well be ob served that the Hargreave house hpd a remarkable menage. There was a gardener, a cook, and a maid; and the three of them reported to Jones each night before going to bed. They were all three detectives from one of the greatest organizations in America. Finding themselves unable to lure Florence away from the environs of + XJ nrfrmoTTA V* nm ft iho RIoaIt T-T Tin. iuc iiaigiv/aic uvui^t i?6 aamm dred set some new machinery in mo tion. Thep proposed to rid the house of every one in it by a perfectly logi cal device. But the first .step in this new move was going to be extremely delicate and risky. It was no small adventure to enter the Hargreave home; and yet this must be done. So finally "Spider" Beggs was selected for the work. The man could practic ally walk over crockery without caus ing a sound; he could climb a house by the window ledges; and he could hold his breath like those professional tank swimmers. Three or four nights after the Par off fiasco, Jones started the rounds, putting out the lights. He left the one in the hall till the last, for it was his habit, after having turned off that light, to stand by the door for several minutes, watching. One never could tell. On the other hand, "Spider" Beggs never approached a house till an hour i after the lights went out. Persons were likely to move about for some minutes later; they might want some thing to eat, a drink of water. So he remained hidden behind the summer house till long after midnight. When at last he felt assured that all in the Hargreave house were asleep, he moved out cautiously. Both his future and his pocketbook depended upon the success of this venture. It took him ten minutes to crawl from the noted by touch or hearing. It has been proved that if 16 grains of fluorescein?a substance explained by the chemists as an anhydrid of resorcin, the well known aseptic agent?be injected into the circula tory system, say at the jupular vein, in a few Ejinutes the mucous membranes of ths patient will appear a decided yellow, and the eyes will be phosphor escent?if there is any circulation go in,;,' on in this person's body, be it ever e.> silent and gradual. ,?f on th? other hand- there 1b no fr V Bummer house to the veranda, and to ^.ave detected thta approach Jonea, had he been watching, would have needed a searchlight. Beggs hugge-1 the lattice work for another ten min utes and then drew hlmBelf up and wriggled to one of the windows. Here was an operation that needed all his care and skill; to lift this window with out sound. But he was an old hand and windows with ordinary locka were playthings under hlB deft touch. He raised the window, stepped over the sill Into the library, and crouched down. He did not close the window; house thieves never do. They leave windows and doors open, because sooner or later they h%/e to make their escape that way. Presently he Btood u{ji flashed his torch, found the library shelves, and tiptoed toward them. He then selected three or four volumes, opened them at random and laid neit packages of money between the l^/tves. It waa not real money, but on'/ a bank clerk could have told that'. This done, he moved toward the winlow again. "Stop!" said Jones quietly. "Spider" Beggs gapped, it was so unexpected; but at tfcje same time al most instinctively hy plunged head long through the window, and the bul let which followed snipped a lock of his hair. He threw himself off the veranda and scurried across the lawn, zigzag fashion. But no more bullets followed. Jones turned on the lights and in vestigated the room, but he could not find anything disturbed, and naturally came to the conclusion that the in truder had been interrupted befo<e he had begun his work. He turned off the lights and sat up the major part of the nght. Nothing more happened. Florence came dowit, but he sent her back to bed, explaining that some <ne had attempted to enter the house and he had taken a shot at him. "Spider" Beggs had a letter to write. He .was in high feather. He had tackled a difficult job and had come away without a scratch. But he had the misfortune to write his letter to the secret service officials in a hotel often frequented by Norton. And so Jim, on finishing hi9 own letter, blotted it and casually glanced at the blotter. A single word caught his ey&. Being an alert newspaper man, always on the hunt for stories, he examined the blot ter with care. It was an eacy matter for him to read writing backward, having fooled away many an tour in the composing rooms. The word which had awakened the reportorial sense in him was "counterfeit." He held the blotter toward the mirror and read enough to satisfy himself that the Black Hundred had become active once more. And this was one of the best ideas they had yet conceived. Hargreave had always been some thing of a mystery to his neighbors. Where he had lived in other days was unknown; neither had any one the re motes', idea from what source his riches had been obtained. And noth ing was known of Jones or the daugh ter. It was a very shrewd ,method of clearing every one out of the house and leaving it to be examined at leis ure. And he had fallen upon this thing; he, Norton, all because his tailor had written him a sharp note about his bill and he had been pro voked to reply in kind! Counterfeit money. There was quite a flurry these days over certain issues of spurious paper. It was so good that only ex perts could detect It. There were two plates, one for a ten and another for a twenty. For a while he was pulled be tween duty and love. Well, It would only add another Interesting chapter to the general story when he published it. He started out to Rlverdale to ac quaint Jones with the discovery. "Humph!" said Jones; "not a bad idea this. So that's what the sneak was doing here last night. I've been wondering and wondering. Lflt's have a look." He went through the bocks t.nd at length came across the three volumes. These held a thousand in excellent counterfeit. annA wnrlr fhot What XTU^ut; Qvvu " w. ** vWM>?. ??? ; are you going to do?" asked the re porter. Jones rubbed his chin reflectively. "How long may a counterfeiter be sent up?" "Anywhere from ten to twenty years." "That will serve. My boy, this time we'll go and take Mr. Black Hun dred right In his cubby hole. "You know where it Is?" "Every nook and corner of it. Now you go at onca to the chief of the local circulation, the fluorescein will have no effect on the mucous membranes whatever, and the eyes will not have any brilliancy, proving that there, is no life in the body of this person. Here Is one of the simplest, and at the same time surest, tests of life known to science. There is no reason whatever for the fear of being still alive when buried, if this simple test is made. All people luv authority, but the vul- j gar luv it the most. branch of the s&cvet service and put the matter to hira fiankly. I, Flor ence, Susan, and the rest of us must be arrested. Til* wretches must be lieve that the hou*e Is empty. They'll rove about fruiti*a*ly and will return to their den to report the success of the coup. All the while you and some detectives will be in hiding up stairs, dictagraph and all that. When the time comes you will follow. This will not reach the heads, perhaps, but It will demoralize the organization in such a way as to make lv helpless for several months to come. There is a tunnel from the stables to this house." "What, a tunnel?" s "Yes, Mr. Hargreave had It built several years ago. I don't know what his Idea was; possibly he anticipated an event like this. You and your men will find entrance by this method. Here Was an Operation That Needed All His Care and Skill. It can be done without exciting the suspicions of the watchers." "Looks as if my yarn wasn't going to be delayed so long after all. Jones, you ought to have been in the secret service yourself," admiringly. Jones smiled and shrugged.' "I am perfectly satisfied with my lot?or would be if the Black Hundred could be wiped out of existence." "I'll see the secret service people at nnrp T Rtanri in well with them all." "And good luck to you. We'll need good luck." Norton was welcomed cordially by the chief. The secret service men trusted him and told tiim lots of tales that never saw light on the printed page. The reporter went directly to the point of his story, without elabora tion, and the chief smiled and handed him the original letter. "Norton, I've been after this gang of counterfeiters for monthB and they are clever beyond words. I've never been able to get anywhere near their presses. And for a moment I thought this note was from'a squealer. I've a dozen men scouring the country. They find the bogus notes, but never the men who pass them. You see, it's new stuff. I know what all the old timers are at; but none of them has had a hand in this Issue. Some foreigners, I take it, under the leader ship of a man I'd very much like to know. Now, what's your scheme?" Jim outlined it briefly. "It all depends," said the chief, "upon the fact that they will be Im patient. If they have the ability to wait, we lose. But we can afford to risk the chance. The man who wrote this letter is not a counterreiter. ne s an old yeggman. We haven't heard anything of him lately. We tried to corner him on a post office job, but he slipped by. He may be a stool. Anyhow, I'll draw him in somehow." "There'll be some excitement." "We're used to that; you too. All we've got to do is to locate this man Beggs. There are signs of spite in this letter. Very well played, ff you want my opinion. What's this Black Hun dred?" "I'm not at liberty to tell just yet. It's a strange game; half political, half blackmail. It's a pretty strong organization. But if they're back of this counterfeiting, there's a fine chance of landing them all." Here the chiefs assistant came in. "Got Beggs on the wire. Says he'll conduct you to the home if you'll promise him immunity for some other offenses." ? "Tell him he shall have immunity on the word of the chief. But also say that he must come to see me in person." "All right, sir." "I don't believe it would be wise for Beggs to see me nere. i gave mm a good send-off?Sing Sing?five years ago. He may recollect," said Norton. "Suit yourself about that. Only, keep in communication with me by telephone and I'll tip you off as to when the raid shall take place. Lucky you came in. I should have honestly gone there and arrested innocent people, and they would have had a devil of a time explaining. It would have taken them at least a week to clear themselves. That would leave the house empty all that time." HIH not rpnlv but he DUt the blotter away carefully. There was no getting away from the fact, but the god of luck was with him. "Do you know what's back of It all?" "I can't tell you any more than I have," said Norton. Children of Sick Mothers. Many a mother who has been urged to submit to an operation to restore her to the health which Is necessary for proper care of her family has been distracted at the thought of being obliged to go to a hospital and leave her children without proper care dur ing her absence. Especially Is thiB true among the very poor, where most of the relatives, male or female, leave to go out to work, or, perhaps, have large families of their own to feed. "Then ( pnu. I Know yon weh enough. If you'll made up your mind not to talk a man couldn't get any thing out of you with a can-opener. And that's why we trust you, my boy. Don't forget the telephone." "I shan't. So long."' That same night Bralne paid the Russian -woman a brief visit "I think that here's where we go forward. The secret service will raid the house tomorrow and then for a few days we'll roam about as we bally please. I'm hanged If I don't have every plank torn up and all the walls pulled down. More and more I'm con vinced that the money is In that house." "Don't be too confident," warned Olga. "So many times have we been tripped up when everything seemed in our hands. The house should be guarded but not entered for a day or two; at least not till after the raid is cold. I'm beginning to see traps everywhere." * "V. ' 'Nonsense! Leave It to me. We shan't stick our heads inside the Har greave house till we are dead certain that it lo ab|olutely empty. Olga, you're gem. I don't think Russia will bother us for awhile. Eh? Paroft will not dare tell how he was flim flammed. The least he can do to save his own skin is to bay that w<? are fully capable of taking care of our selves." Olga laughed. "To think of his writing a note like that! Florence would have recognized?and no doubt did?a palpable' attempt to play an old game twice." "How does she act towards you?^ "Cordial as ever; and yet . . "Yet what?" "I thought her an ordinary school girl, and yet every once in a while she makes what you billiard players call a professional shot. What matter? So long as they do not shut the door in my face, I' ask nothing more. But do you want my-opinion? I feel it in my bones that something will go wrong tomorrow." "Good lord, are you losing your nerve?" cried Braine impatiently. "The secret service has the warning; they find the green stuff, and Jones & Co. will mog off to the police station. And there'll be a week of red tape before they are turned loose again. They'll dig into Hargreave's finances and all that. We'll have all the security in the world to find out if the money is in the house or not. Why worry?" "It's only the way I feel. There is something uncanny in the regular ity of that girl's good luck." U 4 O Pf VlOfi +Vl { AU, UUL we 1X3 uuv auci but* time; it's the whole family." - "The servants too?" "Everybody in the house will be under suspicion." "And can you trust Beggs?" "His life is in the hollow of my hand. You can always trust a man when you hold the rope that's around his neck." Still the frown did not leave Olga'a brow. With all her soul she longed to be out of this tangle. It had all looked so easy at the start; yet here they were, weeks later, no further forward than at the beginning, and added to this they had paid much in "Stop!" Said Jones Quietly. lives and money. Well, If she woidd be fool enough to love this man eht must abide with the consequence* She wanted him all by herself, out danger, in a far ?,-untry. He migtot tire, but she knew in her heart that she never would. This was her one great passion, and while her mod# of living was not as honest as might be, her love was honest enough and un swerving, though it was not gilded by the pleasant fancies of youth. "Of what are you thinking?" h? asked when he concluded that th? pause had been long enough. "You." "H'm. Complimentary?" "No; *-.st ordinary everyday lov?.* <rO BE CONTINUED.) "King's Cat" Draws a Pension. A London puss, officially known iu the "king's cat," Is the only one in the kingdom to receive an allowance from the treasury. He inhabits the record 1 office and 13 cents a week is spent for hie meat To meet this emergency an excel* lent charity is being financed by some wealthy women in Gotham, who have established a nursery where young sters ranging from a few months to five or six years can have trained care while their mothers, with easy minds, are trying to regain their own strength. Jude Johnson Going Back. Speaking of lost arts, Jude John son-can'* steal chickens half as clet erly as he uster.?Atchison Glob* inhimional SUNMCSdlOOL Lesson vBy E. O. SELLERS, Acting Director Sun day School Course, Moody Bible Insti tute, Chicago.) LESSON FOR NOVEMBER 22. JESUS AND PILATE. LESSON TEXT-Luke 23:13-25. See alflo datt. 27:11-31. GOLDEtf TEXT ? Pilate salth unto them, What then shall I do unto Jesus, who Is called Christ?-Matt 27:22 R. V. The false witnesses (Mark 14:65-59) did not help to formulate charges against Jesus. These rulers did, how ever, make three accusations. (Luke 23:2) (a) "Perverting the nation"? turning it to error; (b) "forbidding to give tribute to Caesar"?treason, (see Matt 17:24-27); and Oc) "that he maketh himself Christ, * king"? e. g., his Messianic claims. Pilate (v. 14) seems to have dwelt upon the first as only worthy of consideration. I. Jesua and Pilate, w. 13-19. This Incident demands that we study care fully all that the other gospel writers have recorded. We have seen the ac cusation recorded by Luke. Matthew and Luke tell us of Pilate's question, "Art thou the king of the Jews?" and of the answer of Christ claiming that he was. Matthew records the silence of Jesus to the accusations of the chief priests and to Pilate at that time. Luke gives us the account of Pilate's perplexity, how') Jesus was sent 10 neroa ana 01 males second report to the Jews. Matthew tells of the offer Pil&te made to release Barab bas or Jesus and of the message from Pilate's wife. Trial a Mockery. The trial before Annas and Calaphas vtras a hollow mockery. The Sanbedrln was fierce in its denunciation and to add disgrace and to impress Pilate that Jesus was dangerous, tfcey led him into his presence. Pilate soon saw the emptiness of their charges, and as we have suggested, dismissed all save that of "perverting the na tion." The Roman government keenly watched for incipient rebellions. After examination he declares, "I find no fault in this man." He did not, how ever, dare incur the hatred and vlo* lence of a Jerusalem mob, and so he temporizes. The fiercest light of Crit icism riftrlRTPH Tarur tn yet men temporize. After the dis graceful and degrading treatment Jesus received before Herod, he again stands before Pilate, and this time he is again declared to be Innocent of the charges preferred against him. This Is the turning point of this world's greatest tragedy! Pilate should hare let him go, and would have had he not been a venal judge. ''He who hesi tates Is lost," Is amply exemplified In this case. Pilate was in a worse case and one where it became less easy to do right, whatever his inclinations (Acts 3:13) may have been, by not acting resolutely at this point It was easy for this weak-willed man then to yield to the determined wills of the enemies of Jesus, v. 24 R. V. Pilate found no fault in Jesus, neither did Herod (v. 15), yet Pilate compromis ingly says, "nothing worthy of death," hence the suggestion that he be chas tised and released. This Is typical ofthe temporizing, compromising, fickle poli ticians. These words at once sug gested to the Jews a custom of hav ing released unto them one whom they chose at this period of the year, and they cried out, "Away with this man-, release unto us Barabbast" It was thus that these, hia accusers, repre senting the nation, "denied the holy J Ar ttUU JUOl, aau uconauic a uxuiu?ici| A.cts 3:14. Pilate Tried to Save Chrl?t. II. Jesus and Barabbas, w. 20-25. Matthew adds to that awful cry, when Pilate has washed his hands in token of innocency, "His blood be upon us" (Matt. 27:25). The other writers give us some suggestions as to who Barabbas was, and makes this cholcel more appalling by way of contrast. Looking back it seems like a strange choice, yet the same fatal mistake is being made today. Young and old, cultured and ignorant, are refusing the "Prince of Life" (Acts 3:15), and choosing him who "was a murderer from the beginning," John 8:44. Thus these men were deceived, and the natural man showed its enmity against God, Jer. 17:9; Rom. 8:7. Pi late is not yet convinced but that he can placate the mob and save Jesus, ind puts a pertinent question to them, "What evil hath he done?" In stead of calmly answering his query fViow olamnr mOTfl loildlv_ Noifift 18 never argument. Still In this case 'their voices prevailed," for Pilate de sired to "content the multitude." 'Vox popull, vox Del" is by no means a truism. It Is easy to drum up a mob who one day cry "Hosanna" and the next "crucify him." Ml. The Teaching. This lesson IB intended to center itself about Pilate. ** In it we see the struggle between con science and personal ambition. PI- > \' late was Impressed by the words of ) Christ. He told the priests and the multitude that he found no fault In him. It appears that up to a certain point he tried to save Christ, and cer tainly to the end he strove to avoid the responsibility for his death. Sore ly pressed he temporized and the conversation recorded In John 18:33-38 shows how profoundly interested he was in this prisoner before him. Pilate knew whom he was dealing with as a politician, but did not know this "man of Galilee." He chose rath er to be "Caesar's friend" than to per form a righteous aet according to the dictates of his conscience. Pressed by the clamor of those whom he de spised, he sacrificed his conscience rather than incur their anger. Tradition tells us that soon after this he did lose his position and pow er, was banished and ultimate'y died a suicide