He, too, in a
subterranean, ghetto way was master over his rats. Nosey Murphy and
Kid Twist stood shoulder to shoulder with their stricken gangster
leader. It was his will, because of his terrible injury, to get in
to land and doctors as quickly as possible. He preferred taking his
chance in court against the chance of losing his life, or, perhaps,
his eyesight.
The crew was divided against itself; and Isaac Chantz, the Jew, his
wounded shoulder with a hunch to it, seemed to lead the revolt
against the gangsters. His wound was enough to convict him in any
court, and well he knew it. Beside him, and at his shoulders,
clustered the Maltese Cockney, Andy Fay, Arthur Deacon, Frank
Fitzgibbon, Richard Giller, and John Hackey.
In another group, still allegiant to the gangsters, were men such as
Shorty, Sorensen, Lars Jacobsen, and Larry. Charles Davis was
prominently in the gangster group. A fourth group was composed of
Sundry Buyers, Nancy, and Tony the Greek. This group was distinctly
neutral. And, finally, unaffiliated, quite by himself, stood
Mulligan Jacobs--listening, I fancy, to far echoes of ancient wrongs,
and feeling, I doubt not, the bite of the iron-hot hooks in his
brain.
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