登陆注册
5260400000205

第205章 Chapter LVII(4)

Butler's sons disappeared as possible political factors, and were compelled to confine themselves to the street-railway and contracting business. The pardon of Cowperwood and Stener, which Butler would have opposed, because by keeping Stener in he kept Cowperwood in, became a much easier matter. The scandal of the treasury defalcation was gradually dying down; the newspapers had ceased to refer to it in any way. Through Steger and Wingate, a large petition signed by all important financiers and brokers had been sent to the Governor pointing out that Cowperwood's trial and conviction had been most unfair, and asking that he be pardoned. There was no need of any such effort, so far as Stener was concerned; whenever the time seemed ripe the politicians were quite ready to say to the Governor that he ought to let him go. It was only because Butler had opposed Cowperwood's release that they had hesitated. It was really not possible to let out the one and ignore the other; and this petition, coupled with Butler's death, cleared the way very nicely.

Nevertheless, nothing was done until the March following Butler's death, when both Stener and Cowperwood had been incarcerated thirteen months--a length of time which seemed quite sufficient to appease the anger of the public at large. In this period Stener had undergone a considerable change physically and mentally. In spite of the fact that a number of the minor aldermen, who had profited in various ways by his largess, called to see him occasionally, and that he had been given, as it were, almost the liberty of the place, and that his family had not been allowed to suffer, nevertheless he realized that his political and social days were over. Somebody might now occasionally send him a basket of fruit and assure him that he would not be compelled to suffer much longer; but when he did get out, he knew that he had nothing to depend on save his experience as an insurance agent and real-estate dealer. That had been precarious enough in the days when he was trying to get some small political foothold. How would it be when he was known only as the man who had looted the treasury of five hundred thousand dollars and been sent to the penitentiary for five years? Who would lend him the money wherewith to get a little start, even so much as four or five thousand dollars? The people who were calling to pay their respects now and then, and to assure him that he had been badly treated? Never. All of them could honestly claim that they had not so much to spare. If he had good security to offer--yes; but if he had good security he would not need to go to them at all.

The man who would have actually helped him if he had only known was Frank A. Cowperwood. Stener could have confessed his mistake, as Cowperwood saw it, and Cowperwood would have given him the money gladly, without any thought of return. But by his poor understanding of human nature, Stener considered that Cowperwood must be an enemy of his, and he would not have had either the courage or the business judgment to approach him.

During his incarceration Cowperwood had been slowly accumulating a little money through Wingate. He had paid Steger considerable sums from time to time, until that worthy finally decided that it would not be fair to take any more.

"If ever you get on your feet, Frank," he said, "you can remember me if you want to, but I don't think you'll want to. It's been nothing but lose, lose, lose for you through me. I'll undertake this matter of getting that appeal to the Governor without any charge on my part. Anything I can do for you from now on is free gratis for nothing."

"Oh, don't talk nonsense, Harper," replied Cowperwood. "I don't know of anybody that could have done better with my case. Certainly there isn't anybody that I would have trusted as much. I don't like lawyers you know."

"Yes--well," said Steger, "they've got nothing on financiers, so we'll call it even." And they shook hands.

So when it was finally decided to pardon Stener, which was in the early part of March, 1873--Cowperwood's pardon was necessarily but gingerly included. A delegation, consisting of Strobik, Harmon, and Winpenny, representing, as it was intended to appear, the unanimous wishes of the council and the city administration, and speaking for Mollenhauer and Simpson, who had given their consent, visited the Governor at Harrisburg and made the necessary formal representations which were intended to impress the public. At the same time, through the agency of Steger, Davison, and Walter Leigh, the appeal in behalf of Cowperwood was made. The Governor, who had had instructions beforehand from sources quite superior to this committee, was very solemn about the whole procedure. He would take the matter under advisement. He would look into the history of the crimes and the records of the two men. He could make no promises--he would see. But in ten days, after allowing the petitions to gather considerable dust in one of his pigeonholes and doing absolutely nothing toward investigating anything, he issued two separate pardons in writing. One, as a matter of courtesy, he gave into the hands of Messrs. Strobik, Harmon, and Winpenny, to bear personally to Mr. Stener, as they desired that he should. The other, on Steger's request, he gave to him. The two committees which had called to receive them then departed; and the afternoon of that same day saw Strobik, Harmon, and Winpenny arrive in one group, and Steger, Wingate, and Walter Leigh in another, at the prison gate, but at different hours.

同类推荐
  • 金园集

    金园集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说善法方便陀罗尼经

    佛说善法方便陀罗尼经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 般若灯论

    般若灯论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 遗山集

    遗山集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 少村漫稿

    少村漫稿

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 闲庭花事了

    闲庭花事了

    他是天下女子,皆趋之若鹜的皇帝——陆南城。一双桃花眼,染尽倾城琉璃色,开尽盛世桃花颜。偏偏遇见她!她是右丞沈廷之妹沈媛,为了替兄长巩固朝堂势力而被送进宫。多年相随,患难与共,出谋划策,她的手上沾满了鲜血,就是为了铺就他的大业。众叛亲离。他曾许诺,会将这江山捧到她的面前。可是最后等来的不是三千宠爱,而是一纸废后诏书。“于贞和三年入宫侍驾,不想其妇德损失,恃宠骄矜,不配伺帝近身,实属有罪,着即赐死。”“你此生休得妄想与怜宜相比!”字字诛心将她逼到了绝路。
  • 武极帝尊

    武极帝尊

    乱世之中,三族鼎立,明争暗斗,纷争不断,且看秦天体炼神诀,肉锻神技,如何斩天骄,斗异族,通向那武极帝尊之路!
  • 网游之重生开天

    网游之重生开天

    轻松的玄幻修真类网游小说,轻松游戏,轻松看书
  • 包容(星云大师智慧感悟课全集)

    包容(星云大师智慧感悟课全集)

    星云大师,俗名李国深,原籍江苏,佛学大师。逾八十载人生,致力推动佛教教育、文化、慈善、弘法等事业。撰有《迷悟之间》、《吃茶去》、《星云禅话》、《舍得》、《宽心》等几十部著作。本书《包容:星云大师智慧感悟课全集》在参悟大师一生感悟的基础上,发一家之言,向大师致敬,同时也希冀读者朋友们在领悟大师慈心的同时,对自己的人生活法有更深的觉悟。
  • 逆行诸天万界

    逆行诸天万界

    练武,开头难,中间难,越往后越难。武者,顶天立地。少年宗师,一人一枪,逆行诸天,征战万界。读者Q群:747082783。(需要全订)新书《诸天万界之帝》求支持!简介:天下第一:朱无视,今天,我正德皇帝就告诉你,什么是砂锅大的拳头!秦时明月:霸王乌江自刎之时,秦始皇陵炸开,无尽的兵马俑蜂拥而出,一位身穿玄色龙袍的男子长剑所指:赳赳老秦,复我河山!风云世界,皇帝摘下面具,冷笑道:徐福!你可记得朕!西游世界,李世民一拳轰爆五指山:三界乱不乱,李二说的算!宝莲灯:沉香:我怎么能打败我舅舅?来,正月剃个头!封神:纣王下令,禁止钓鱼。叶君得诸天皇道印,穿越诸天为皇,行走万界称帝
  • 淘气公主明朝之旅

    淘气公主明朝之旅

    “喂,你干什么?大庭广众之下抓着一个女孩子的手,你好意思吗?”一个自21世纪穿越而来的仙女,他们第一次见面针锋相对。“小瑶,不要离开我……”他冷情冷心,却与她之间羁绊甚深。“原来是个女的。”他邪魅如斯,初次见面调戏与她。“只要夜影在我身边,我就什么都不怕了。”她如斯依赖着他,没有任何理由,本能地觉得在他身边很安心。当记忆的枷锁开启,她与他们的牵绊将走向何地,是无间地狱,抑或是涅槃重生?一念成佛,一念成魔。爱有多深,恨就有多重。命运的齿轮顺时转动,逆转是否是种奢侈?
  • 大乘法界无差别论疏并序

    大乘法界无差别论疏并序

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 仇人的亲吻

    仇人的亲吻

    龙生九种,种种有别。“大金蛋”和“小金豆”,前者看是哥,后者是弟。哥俩的外号都带了个“金”字,你别以为人家就是姓金,实际人家和岳飞岳将军是同宗呢。这哥俩降了“金”,说起来全是老夫的过错:第一,他不该叫岳金山,金山和金蛋自然就容易串音;第二,他不该那么喜欢金银财宝。那一年土改,村里一时无人敢出头说话,曾做过几天破落地主少爷的他,一双猫眼看出了门道,便勇敢地挺身而出,做了翻身委员会主任。
  • 奠定资本(影响你一生的成功励志书)

    奠定资本(影响你一生的成功励志书)

    心态决定一切! 智慧创造一切! 这是一个人人追求成功的时代, 心智的力量具有创造成功态势的无穷魔力! 即具有成功暗示的随着灵感牵引的成功力。
  • 钗头之凤

    钗头之凤

    步入皇宫,原本只是一个普普通通的宫女,可未曾想过。一夜遇到一个男人,改变了她原本普普通通的命运。她不愿沾染后宫的一切,却没有想到步入后宫之后,她的命已经和这个后宫牵扯到了一起。她不想要对付别人,可没有想到别人却找上门来。从小一起到大的妹妹,也渐渐的变了,后宫步步为营,除了她之外,身边还有两个愿意为了她付出一切的人。她又应该如何选择?他很好,为了她愿意付出一切。他也很好,归为帝王,却也把她当作了手心里的宝。深宫阴谋,情愿坎坷,这一条路她又应该如何走下去?