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The Frame Up
When the voice over the telephone promised to name the man who
killed Hermann Banf, District Attorney Wharton was up- town lunching at
Delmonico's. This was contrary to his custom and a concession to
Hamilton Cutler, his distinguished brother-in-law. That gentleman was
interested in a State constabulary bill and had asked State Senator Bissell
to father it. He had suggested to the senator that, in the legal points
involved in the bill, his brother-in-law would undoubtedly be charmed to
advise him. So that morning, to talk it over, Bissell had come from Albany
and, as he was forced to return the same afternoon, had asked Wharton to
lunch with him up-town near the station.
That in public life there breathed a man with soul so dead who, were
he offered a chance to serve Hamilton Cutler, would not jump at the
chance was outside the experience of the county chairman. And in so
judging his fellow men, with the exception of one man, the senator was
right. The one man was Hamilton Cutler's brother-in-law.
In the national affairs of his party Hamilton Cutler was one of the four
leaders. In two cabinets he had held office. At a foreign court as an
ambassador his dinners, of which the diplomatic corps still spoke with
emotion, had upheld the dignity of ninety million Americans. He was rich.
The history of his family was the history of the State. When the Albany
boats drew abreast of the old Cutler mansion on the cast bank of the
Hudson the passengers pointed at it with deference. Even when the search
lights pointed at it, it was with deference. And on Fifth Avenue, as the
"Seeing New York" car passed his town house it slowed respectfully to
half speed. When, apparently for no other reason than that she was good
and beautiful, he had married the sister of a then unknown up State lawyer,
every one felt Hamilton Cutler had made his first mistake. But, like every
thing else into which he entered, for him matrimony also was a success.
The prettiest girl in Utica showed herself worthy of her distinguished
husband. She had given him children as beautiful as herself; as what
Washington calls " a cabinet lady " she had kept her name out of the
newspapers; as Madame L'Ambassatrice she had put archduchesses at ....