Shute is the pilot on the riverboat Southern Belle. He also secretly bought cotton futures and then sabotaged or hired others to sabotage riverboats along the Mississippi, driving up cotton prices and assuring himself a vast fortune. However, when he shoots one of his hirelings, the man grabs Shute's dispatch key before Shute can escape. Yancy and Pahoo find it, realize that a pilot has been commiting the crimes, and slip Shute a similar but false key. They call all of the pilots together and confirm that Shute has the bogus key, which he used to replace the one he lost. Shute and Yancy struggle, Shute draws a knife, and riverboat owner Patrica Tappworth kills Shute with his own gun.
