ng irons and
everything. He beat the rap on a technical kink.

"About three hours ago, he was caught over near the New Hampshire
line driving a stolen car. We got his record all right. We was
waitin' till you came. Want to ask him some questions?"

"No, but I should like to be here when you examine him, if you
don't mind?"

Chicago Boyle' alias 'Lefty' Harris, alias to many names to
mention, was brought in. Boyle was a well dressed man in the
middle thirties. He was strongly and compactly built. He
scrutinized carefully each of the men who faced him. He jauntily
asked for a cigarette, which Brasher supplied him. He did not take
his eyes from Professor Brierly while he was lighting the white
tube.

After blowing a series of small smoke rings, he asked:

"You're Professor Brierly, aren't you?" His voice was soft and
quietly modulated. His diction was that of a fairly well educated
man.

Professor Brierly nodded curtly. Brasher pointed to a chair and
said:

"To save time, Boyle, I suppose you'll admit that you're 'Chicago'
Boyle, alias 'Lefty' Harris, alias--"

Boyle nodded indifferently.

"Oh, yes, I'm Boyle all right, what of it? I was going about my
business, when a hick cop picked me up because he thought my car
was stolen. Then I'm transported half way across the state and
brought here. What's it all about?"

"We want to ask you some questions, Boyle."

"You can ask as many damn questions as you please. I won't answer
'em. I know my rights. I asked to see a lawyer and you've kept me--"

"Oh, you'll get your lawyer, all right but first--"

"No, first I'll see my lawyer."

Brasher stepped to the doorway and beckoned. A middle-aged man,
with blond hair and gimlet like black eyes stepped in. He nodded
curtly to the others and said to Boyle:

"What is it?"

"I'm kept here without the shadow of a legal excuse. I don't know
what I was arrested for. I've seen no warrant. I haven't been
charged."

Counselor-at-law Forman whirled on the chief of police.

"Is this true?" Without waiting for an answer he said heatedly:

"I demand to know what he's charged with. I demand that he be
brought before a judge and admitted to bail. I'll have a _habeus
corpus_--"

Brasher said softly.

"It's true we didn't charge him. We want to ask him some
questions. If he insists on his rights, we'll charge him all right
but if we do there won't be no bail. There's no bail for what
we're gonna charge him with."

Boyle