Chapter 152
"I object," said the older, bushy-browed Maurice. "Brothers, I have to say one thing. Here, every one of us has blood on our hands. In self-defense. , they began to unite against us. James Stanger is a respectable old man, and his newspaper is well-regarded in this valley. If we kill him, this matter will definitely cause a sensation in the country, It's devastating to us."

"Excuse me, how are they going to destroy us, Mr. Steinback," cried McGinty. "The police? Half the police here are afraid of us, and the other half depend on us. Or by the courts or Judge? Haven't we dealt with them before? So what?"

"Maybe they'll get Judge Lynch," Morris said.

As soon as these words came out, there was a voice of opposition.

"With the flick of a finger," said McGinty, "I can send two hundred men into town at once and drive them out of the way." Then he frowned, and suddenly raised his voice and said, "Hello, Maurice. , I have noticed you a long time ago. You always sing against us and shake the morale of the army. Be careful that your own name appears on our agenda, and that will be your judgment day. I have this plan."

Morris immediately turned pale with fright, collapsed on the chair, picked up the wine glass with trembling hands, took a sip before answering:

"Dear Lord, if I have said something that I should not have said, I ask you and the brothers to forgive me. Everyone knows that I have no other intentions. I just said such radical words because I was worried about the future of the branch. But , respected body lord, I believe in your verdict far more than I believe in myself, and I promise that I will never offend you again."

After hearing these words, the anger on McGinty's face gradually dissipated.

"Very well, Maurice, I don't want to see you punished. But as long as I'm in this position, our chapter must do what it says. Now, brethren," he glanced around. , went on to say, "I still have to point out that if Stanger gets the punishment he deserves, then we will be in more trouble. Once these journalists start to blame us all, then the calls of these newspapers will lead to Come the police and the troops. But I think you can give him a stern warning. How about leaving this to you, Brother Baldwin?"

"Of course!" replied the young man impatiently.

"How many people do you plan to bring?"

"Six will suffice, and two lookouts. You go, Goyle. And you, Mansell. And Scanlon and the Willaby brothers."

"I suggested this new brother go along," McGinty said.

Ted Baldwin looked at McMurdo with a look in his eyes that indicated he had neither forgotten nor forgiven him.

"Well, if he wants, he can take him." Baldwin said with a sullen face, "Enough is enough, we must act quickly."

The seven men yelled loudly and left drunkenly humming a ditty.The tavern was still full of revelers, and many brethren remained there.The few who had accepted the task went out into the street, spread out in twos and threes, and walked along the sidewalk so as not to attract attention.The night was bitterly cold, the cold moon hung high, and the sky was full of stars.The people stopped in the yard in front of a tall building and gathered together."Vermissa Herald" was printed in gold letters in the middle of the bright window, and from inside came the sound of printing machines.

"You stay below," Baldwin said to McMurdo. "Stand below and watch the gate, and make sure we can get out. Arthur Willaby stays here, and the rest follow me. Brethren, Don't worry, we have many witnesses who can attest that we were in the union tavern at this time."

It was already midnight, and the empty streets were quiet and peaceful, except for one or two drunks walking home.The group crossed the street, pushed open the door of the newspaper office and rushed in.Baldwin and his party ran up the stairs opposite, while McMurdo and another person stayed downstairs.After a while, there was a cry for help from the upstairs room, followed by the sound of messy footsteps and the overturning of tables and chairs.After a while, an old man with gray hair rushed out and ran to the landing of the stairs.He was caught before he could run a few steps, and his glasses clattered to McMurdo's feet.There was only a bang, followed by a groan.The man fell face down there, and several sticks crackled and fell on him.He rolled and twitched, his long and thin limbs trembling under the whipping of the stick.Finally, others stopped, but Baldwin still grinned ferociously, and hit the old man on the head with a stick indiscriminately. The old man tried in vain to protect his head with his hands, and his white hair was already stained with blood.Baldwin was still hitting him where his hands couldn't cover him.At this point McMurdo rushed forward and pushed him away.

"You'll kill him," said McMurdo. "Stop it!"

Baldwin stared at him wide-eyed.

"Damn it!" Baldwin yelled. "Who are you to interfere with me? New guy, stand aside!" He raised his club again, and McMurdo drew his pistol from the back pocket of his trousers Come.

"Stop immediately!" McMurdo shouted, "If you dare to move again, I will shoot immediately. Didn't the owner of the body tell you not to kill this man? Aren't you killing him?"

"He's right," said one of them.

"God, you guys leave now!" shouted the man downstairs. "The lights in the surrounding houses are on. In less than five minutes, the whole town will be here."

At this time, there was indeed a burst of shouting in the street.Downstairs in the hall, a group of typesetting and printing workers who heard the sound were mustering up their courage and preparing to act.The criminals left the editor who was lying on the ground dead, rushed downstairs, and fled quickly through the street.Once at the Union Hall, some men mingled with the crowd at the tavern and whispered to McGinty that the matter was done.Others, including McMurdo, slipped into isolated lanes and went home.

Four Uncanny Valleys
The next morning, McMurdo woke up and recalled the situation when he joined the club again.He had a terrible headache from the hangover, and the burn on his arm was swollen and painful.Because he had a special source of income, his work was irregular, so he ate breakfast very late, stayed at home in the morning, and wrote a long letter to a friend.Then, he picked up another "Herald" and flipped through it.There is a small column in the newspaper, which can be seen to be added temporarily before the newspaper is printed. The headline reads: The mob committed a murder last night, and the editor of the Herald was seriously injured.

The briefing was only an overview of what happened, and McMurdo himself knew more about it.The article concluded: "The matter has now been referred to the police for investigation, but it is difficult to hope that a more satisfactory result will be obtained than in the past. Several of the rioters have been identified and it is hoped that they will be brought to justice. There is no doubt that these thugs belong to the notorious local organization that has long oppressed the residents living here, and the "Herald" has never stopped fighting them. He was seriously injured, but his life is currently out of danger."

The article went on to note that the newspaper building was now guarded by coal and iron police armed with Winchester rifles.

McMurdo put down the newspaper and lit his pipe trembling with his injured arm.The landlady knocked on his door and handed him a note that a child had just delivered.The letter, unsigned, read:

"I have something to talk to you, but I can't come to your house. I will wait for you by the flagpole on Miller Hill. If you would like to come at this time, I will tell you something important."

McMurdo read the letter twice, and was amazed that he could not guess who was going to write it to him.Had it been from a woman, he could have taken it as the beginning of an adventure, not uncommon in his past life.But it looked like the handwriting of a man who seemed to be well educated.McMurdo thought over and over again, and finally decided to go.

Miller Hill is a desolate park in the center of town.In summer, this is a good place for people to escape the heat, but in winter, it looks extremely desolate.Looking down from the top of the mountain, you can not only have a panoramic view of the messy and dirty town, but also can see the scattered mining areas and factories scattered on both sides of the winding valley, and the snow around it is dyed coal black. , in addition to the wooded slopes and snow-capped peaks.

Along a winding path among evergreens, McMurdo walked to a deserted restaurant that served as a center of entertainment in the summer.Beside it stood a bare flagpole, under which stood a man with a hat pulled down and the collar of his coat turned up.The man turned his face, and McMurdo recognized him. It was the same Morris who had angered the Lord last night.After the two met, they exchanged code words.

"I have something to tell you, Mr. McMurdo." The elder's tone seemed hesitant, "I'm very glad you can come."

"Why didn't you sign the letter?"

"I must be on my guard, sir. Nobody can tell when it's going to happen, or who can be trusted and who can't be trusted."

"Of course, we should trust the brothers in the congregation."

"No, no, not always," Morris said emotionally. "Everything we say, or even think, seems to reach McGinty's ears."

"Listen!" snapped McMurdo. "I swore an oath of loyalty to the Lord just last night, and you know that. Do you want me to break my oath?"

"If you think so," said Morris, looking sad, "I can only apologize to you for wasting your time here. What could be worse than two free citizens not being able to talk freely?" something?"

McMurdo stared at him carefully for a while, dispelled some worries, and said: "Of course, I also have to consider my situation. You know, I just joined here, and everything is strange to me. I don't have a say in big things here. If you have anything to say to me, Mr. Morris, I'm all ears."

"Then report to McGinty!" said Morris bitterly.

"Then you really underestimate me," McMurdo said loudly. "As far as I am concerned, I am loyal to the organization and I will be outspoken with you. But if I tell others what you say from the bottom of my heart, then I am really A vile man. But I must warn you that your words may not have my help or my sympathy."

"I don't expect help or sympathy," said Morris, "but though you've done a lot of bad things—I could see you trying to make yourself a villain last night—you're still a novice." , and not as hard-hearted as those people, so I plan to take the risk to talk to you."

"So, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"If you betray me, you will be punished!"

"Of course, I said I wouldn't do that."

"I want you to answer, when you joined the Freedmen in Chicago and took the oath of loyalty and fraternity, did it ever occur to you that it would lead you to crime?"

"If you think it's a crime," McMurdo replied.

"This is crime!" cried Morris, his voice trembling with excitement. "You have seen it all with your own eyes. How else can you explain it? Just last night, a white-haired, elderly Isn't it a crime for an old man who is enough to be your father to be beaten to the bone? Can you find any other justification for this behavior?"

“Some would say it’s a struggle,” McMurdo said. “It’s a struggle for the fate of two classes, so both sides have to give it their all.”

"But when you were at the Freedmen's Meeting in Chicago, did you ever think that this could happen?"

"No, I really didn't think about it at the time."

"I didn't even think about it when I joined in Philadelphia, just as a place for beneficial activities and making friends. Then I heard it mentioned-I hated the moment I heard the name for the first time-I expected Come here and live a good life! God, live a good life! I came here with my wife and three children, opened a silk shop in the market place, and made a good profit. Word spread quickly. So I was compelled to join the local chapter and, as you did last night, had this mark of shame branded on my arm, and its brand on my heart made me even more disturbed. I found I can no longer get rid of the control of that evil organization, and I have fallen into the abyss of crime. What should I do? I want to try to alleviate the guilt, but as soon as I speak, they threaten me like last night. Everything in me In that silk shop, I can't escape from here, I know very well that once I leave this organization, they will definitely murder me, and God knows what will happen to my wife and daughter? Ah, brother, this is simply terrible!" He concealed Weeping, his body trembling uncontrollably.

McMurdo shrugged and said, "You're too soft-hearted for something like this."

"I still have faith and a conscience, but they made me a member of this criminal gang. They put me on a job, and if I refuse, I know exactly what will happen to me. Maybe I'm a person who is greedy for life and afraid of death , Maybe it was because I was afraid of hurting my wife and children, but I went anyway. I will never find peace in my heart.

"It's a lonely house at the bottom of the hill, about twenty miles from here. Like you yesterday, they put me on the lookout at the door. I'm a novice at this kind of thing. Everyone else went in. When they came out, Both hands were stained with blood. We were about to leave when suddenly a child ran out of the room and followed us, crying loudly. The five-year-old child witnessed the murder of his father. I almost I fainted from fright, but I had to put on a brave face and squeeze out a smile. If I didn't do this, the consequences can be imagined, my family will also witness such a tragedy, and at that time, crying It will be my little Fred who will come out.

"But I am already a criminal, an accomplice of a group of murderers. I can't get rid of it in this life, and it will be difficult to get rid of it in the next life. I am a good Catholic, but I am also a diehard. If the priest knows , he will definitely not pray for me, because I have abandoned my faith. This is my experience, and you are likely to repeat my mistakes. So I want to ask you about your future plans, are you going to be an addict Are you a bloody murderer, or are you trying to escape from here?"

"What are you going to do?" McMurdo asked abruptly. "You're not going to inform, are you?"

"By God!" exclaimed Maurice, "if I ever thought of it, I'd be dead."

"Well," said McMurdo, "I suppose you're a coward and worry too much."

"Not too much! You will understand when you stay here a little longer. Look at this valley! Look at this valley covered with black smoke from hundreds of chimneys! I tell you, the steam here Darker and thicker than the black smoke that hangs over people's heads. This is the valley of terror, the valley of death. From morning to night, people's hearts are full of fear. Just wait and see, young man, you will one day understandable."

"Then, when I see everything clearly, I will tell you what I think." McMurdo said casually, "But obviously, you are not suitable to stay here, you'd better sell your property and leave this place as soon as possible , that would be better for you. I would never say what you just said. But, God knows, if you were an informer..."

"No, no!" cried Morris plaintively.

"Well, this is the end of today's conversation. I will not forget what you just said, and maybe we will talk about it again before long. I hope you said these words to me out of kindness. Now, I want to back home."

"Before you go, let me remind you," said Morris, "that some people will know that we met here today, and they will come to find out what we have said."

"Ah, you are so thoughtful."

"I'll say I want you to be a clerk in my store."

"I said I refused to do it, that's what we talked about. So bye, Morris. Good luck!"

Just this afternoon, McMurdo was sitting by the fireplace in the bedroom, smoking, and was thinking with his head down. Suddenly, the door was knocked open, and the owner, McGinty, appeared at the door. His tall figure almost filled the entire door frame. .He greeted him and sat down opposite the young man, staring at him for a long moment in silence, and McMurdo met his gaze with the same silence.

"Brother McMurdo, I seldom call on people," said McGinty at last. "I always have visitor after visitor, but I made an exception and came to your house today."

"It is a great honor to have you here, Mr. Senator," replied McMurdo earnestly, fetching a bottle of whiskey from the pantry. "It was a pleasant surprise."

"How's your arm?" the body master asked.

McMurdo grimaced and replied, "Ah, it was memorable, but it was worth it."

"It's worth it to those who faithfully fulfill their duties and serve the Organization. But I know you and Morris met this morning near Miller Hill, didn't you?"

This question was asked so suddenly, fortunately, McMurdo had been prepared in his heart, so he laughed loudly: "Morris doesn't know that I have a special craft. He won't know at all, because he is too overestimated." I have the conscience of a person like me. But this old guy is a kind person, he thinks I have no job, so he wants to invite me to work in his silk shop."

"Ah, is that the case?"

"Yes, that's it."

"So you turned him down?"

"Of course. Don't I get ten times as much money working in my own house for four hours as I do with him?"

"Yes. But if it were me, I wouldn't have anything to do with people like Morris."

"why?"

"I guess that's all I can tell you, and that's enough for most people."

(End of this chapter)

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