The re-election was not to be an easy victory. Outside his own
party, to prevent his succeeding himself as district attorney,
Tammany Hall was using every weapon in her armory. The commissioner
of police was a Tammany man, and in the public prints Wharton had
repeatedly declared that Banf, his star witness against the police,
had been killed by the police, and that they had prevented the
discovery of his murderer. For this the wigwam wanted his scalp,
and to get it had raked his public and private life, had used
threats and bribes, and with women had tried to trap him into a
scandal. But "Big Tim" Meehan, the lieutenant the Hall had detailed
to destroy Wharton, had reported back that for their purpose his
record was useless, that bribes and threats only flattered him, and
that the traps set for him he had smilingly side- stepped. This was
the situation a month before election day when, to oblige his
brother-in-law, Wharton was up-town at Delmonico's lunching with
Senator Bissell.
Down-town at the office, Rumson, the assistant district attorney,
was on his way to lunch when the telephone-girl halted him. Her
voice was lowered and betrayed almost human interest.
From the corner of her mouth she whispered: "This man has a note
for Mr. Wharton--says if he don't get it quick it'll be too
late--says it will tell him who killed 'Heimie' Banf!"
The young man and the girl looked at each other and smiled.
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