| Show W WIT 4 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 DIM idoft is nye 44 4 4 1 0 co ba Dodd Mecid and co in J a s continued irom froin last issue SYNOPSIS CHAPTER L I 1 john bartley Uart ley noted crim trial inal investigator recently returned from secret service work during tile avar va la Is asked by the governor 0 of new corli aorl to a mysterious attempted robbery of the tha robert home at circle lake near saratoga baia toga peculiar circumstances of the taso caso interest il quitley artley itley and he accepts CHAPTER 11 with his friend pelt cartley bartley goes to circle lake the pair becoming tho the guests of bob currie un an old friend the llie three visit tile elbio home eicke appah antly repents Uirt part leya leys coming saying haying he la Is satisfied the two men in prison for the attempted robbery were guilty hartley la is nut next neit morning Is found dead ead in bed av apparent parent ly having shot himself CHAPTER III mlis miss potter the dead mans slater sister ln in law tile the village ellase police chief blocho and tile the family doctor ning king all agree bayko killed him belf but bartley insists lie ho was aa murdered investigating finds evidence evl donca that after a card party lie had given was shot on the tower or of the house undressed all and placed in bod bed during his absence fi aiom orn the room someone removes the revolver from akes hand CHAPTER IVA boy working in the garage asserts he ha heard a shot during the night apparently in the air of course really on the tower CHAPTER V pelt starts out to interview the numbers members of the card party ile he finds to hla his surprise that apparently wealthy broker hid had offered to bell lit ills friends whisky ile he finds evidence that tile men in jail tor for attempted robbery of were framed CHAPTER VI Ile returning turning from a n visit isit to saratoga gartley bartley pelt and cu currle rrie come upon a large motor truck without lights and orf off the road they ahoy are discovered endeavoring to ascertain the tha license and alred on the truck gets awa away y the three come upon a long disused b burial vault apparently the look is new and bartle picks it they and the vault stored wilt w th whisky alty and also the revolver which i ad been found in ili hand A man seemingly well acquainted with the place arches and they detain him it Is ml missing fa sing chauffeur A detective delec the working for the tha revenue department arrives and takes charge of the vault CHAPTER VII after cons all the mysterious angles of tile tho cine case hirtley bartley apparently re readies reactive actie no conclusion as aa to the murderer ile ho Is satisfied that deals in whisky had something to do with it nilas ll potters otters firm billot belief I 1 in rl th tha ll 11 oulia board and spiritualism als also teems seems to interest him CHAPTER vill VIII bartly bartl cartle y enrit continues inu I 1 his search for evidence and apparently ads some borne things he considers of value tho inquest opens doctor king who la is the coroner a war veteran ve an and 11 who ria had aa 1 been shell e I shocked conducts it A heavy he 1 thunderstorm Is in progress pro giess doctor webster Web stor called in consultation te testicles bo be believes was murdered CHAPTER R IX the storm increases in intensity as aa tho the finquist progress oi eq little of importance Is elicited Driff eur tile tho chau chauffeur rf jr la is called to the stand iland beford he c commences 0 bences ills his testimony tho the lights light 1 in t the h e broom loom are a stroke iti olse of r lightning having broken thu circuit during the ensuing contusion confusion the p party arty la is horrified horr hor rifled lne by the utterance utter anie of a sudden horrify ns to nav in slur sil if clr elul sor aved ns tits ills ali hist st att vt isi as sief si kf sester in law As AR 11 ille hie III list st tailed nt lit fill livius fillet t Is one kilo so tile lie body hut for some goine ronson rafi tho doktor tin lind to cheop tho for A inter nion moment lent the hist first questions after aliss potter had taken anken tile 01 th were the usual onas they alic related to 0 o tier lier naine ani tier lier to slip she said sah tier nahne was ns alice potter and that sho ang aa the lie sister of tits ills lend dead wife tc lind had asked tier her to conic und ani run lun ills house for him and for tile alio last ton ten henrs slie site tin lind done so in ili re ip to n question ns as to whether slie site fin had been paid for lioi ter beryle s slip site flushed and explained ci lall that title lillo no rout lind had been paid whenever site lind find needed noney she die lind ind asked nl ltd for it find liu lie lind ivan givvia it to lier her tile quin aried carlod illon gli alic lie hiltel til tel if sho she lind uti ever revolved recoil all than linn a thou and lit 11 mi any one year air lit hu almus bad iteen been willing milling to gle give tier HI fist enuch it fit site asked cd for and lind had not tinned d the nin hints there lintl lint never aln any trouble por money ipac n thein lie in lails dyllis hns nil that I 1 knew gnp and while site alio was na giving it I 1 I 1 about tile room then watched the doctor docter lie ile ans eluding ills position a very difficult one oiw Is lie ns as the fun farn lly physician ns as well veil ns as tile the coroner lie put ills hla questions lah us its little delic delicacy ticy as aa possible tho the whole unfair seemed to be very ery distasteful to him it was as particularly trying lor for n ninn man who ho was still feeling the effects of a nervous breakdown brenk don miss potter fortunately tuna tely became more nt case as the questioning proceeded she kept her eyes ees down and gave tier her answers in ili such a low lo 10 voice olce chrit nt at times it was hard to hear them nt at nil all all through the early part of miss Pot potters tors evidence there wore cru rumbles of distant thunder r leaning back lit in my chair I 1 pushed aside the heavy draperies that hd the window and looked out it was ns almast like night A big storm was close nt at hand till thunder was ns still some miles awal avay find I 1 could see distant almost continuous hashes flashes of lightning after a quick glance I 1 lot let the curtain fall back into place when I 1 turned my attention again agnin to tile tho evidence doctor king was questioning miss potter nebout tile the finding of the body she testified tint flat she che was ns at breakfast when the butler rushed into tho room crying tint that bo ng v axas as y loj i fall v mr air SY 11 slie site know knew tier broth er ln in law had intended to go fishing that morning and was surprised suii ulfred to learn that lie he was wa not yet up the illie butler had told tier her that hint lie lind called him anti and receiving no reply icely tin and entered ills his room anil and found mr still in bell bed when lio lie did not answer when spoken to again lie tho the butler find come nt onro not to tier she rho stilted stated that she had gone up nt at once to his room the door of which lind find been left open by the butler when lie he rushed lus ln d out she imd find crossed to the be bed find called him by naine mime when lie did not answer she looked ceI closer and saw that lie he was vas bend tier ace broke a little on this last statement but site soon recovered nail continued the next tiling thing she rho tin tind done ahe said was vas to call the doctor for the first time tile the district attorney took a hand in the proceedings tall us its liow bow you sou found him she answered that lie he was lying on ills fits luck back the lie bode bedclothes lothes pulled up mound around tits liia chin liln and ills his hands by ills his side lind imd not pulled the bedclothes town down from the body nor tits thein in ili any way it was not until she had find noticed tha ora wound in ills lead that she realized ho he had been shot did you disturb tho the body was the next nent question there wits was a long silence then haltingly 1 I well that Is I 1 did close his fits aes eyes their expression frightened inc 1110 so I 1 closed them she received a rather disgusted look froin the district attorney who asked did you ou not know that the body should hould have been left as you found it 1 I 1 sha ninde an appealing gesture 1 I never thought of that only of ills byest they frightened me they stared staled so I 1 simply closed them hut but I 1 did lit nothing else kim then asked a question that surprised burai isad ni 1112 you thought lie he had committed suicide she hesitate started to spent speak stopped alad at last found tier her voice why yes ses that that Is I 1 did at the time rut but I 1 dont know what ant to think now ilow 11 why lii lid did you sou think lie killed himself tills this n harder question to answer than the other wll why I 1 dont know you see lie he was ns shot and I 1 knew of no one who would want to kill him As far as 06 why did you think he killed him self sela that roes goes I 1 know of no reason why lit lio should have hac wanted to take his own lire life the next nest qu questions were along the line site she had suggested by tier her answers could she not think of some reason 1 why lie ho might have committed suicide health or money troubles trouble a I 1 und had lie he quarreled with anyone lately she to have haie more difficulty dl I 1 ith these last questions than with ny any of the previous pr elous ones she was so long lit in nn answering that somo some of thorn alivin had to ile he repeated several times sit she ns t so careful of what she said bald thit that she gave gao mo me the impression Impre sWon that she aris ns trying to ing to keep something inck hack in cespon ic re spon ponc to the first question sirs repented teil that she knew no reason wity should want to commit suicide sho she lind had heard of no money troubles and its ills health was good no she lind biad never heard beard of I 1 ahli it having quarreled with anyone it was this last answer that site she had has longer over than over any of the others find it was the one v caused me to feel sure she was hiding something the question r regarding garding the revolver lint dint lind find been found in hand slie she answered readily enough lie ile had kept it in ills room just where she ild did il not t know it wils was one that he mid had hought n year scar be befogs bedfor for win mien n questioned ns as to tier her own doings on oil the night of ills his death ilent li site she could tell us nothing of value there lint imal been a card party but she had gone to bed about ten and had find not even heard the men go out dining tho the night she had heard no sound As this was ans nil all sho she hud had to tell she left the stand though tier her testimony had thrown no light on abat had taken place I 1 felt more strongly strong lv than ever that sho she could have am e done so had sha ha h a wished I 1 glanced nt at bartley Uart loy and the queer smile lio lie anve tile nio hinted that he be too thought as I 1 lid did the next witness was a doctor webster I 1 h know now that a second phy ph had been called in on tite morning of the crime hut but had not met him doctor kings position wag a peculiar one its as tie ho was mas not only tile the physician who ft ho had unit seen tile body but also the coroner in order to have the testimony of n is medical man lie he had sent seat doctor welister webster to examine the body bodi and testify ns to its condition As tho the doctor took the seat ae it near the coroner I 1 examined him closely lie ile was a man of nt at least sixty rather stout with a beaming kindly face and white beard that gave him the appearance of a tit ioner of the alie old school in response to questions hp he told how doctor king had requested him film to go to the house find and examine xam lne tile the body its as coroner co ioner king him self could not testify at the inquest in terms more scientific than plain he described how met lily death a death which lie he said mut have been instantaneous ns as alib bullet had lodged in the brain doctor do you vou think the wound could have leave been self camo came the question the doctor paused then answered thoughtfully that as vary v v ary hard to answer so fur far ns as the wound itself la Is concerned it could have been self inflicted lint hut other things that were brought brou glit to my mv attention cause me to believe that it could not inn hav 3 2 been so BO inflicted the room stiffened ened into attention it was the first hint thov they hat had had that might have hae been murdered explain your answer what do 10 you mean by y other things bilings brought to your attention the doctor replied slowly the facts I 1 will mention were brought rought li to my attention by mr john bartley utley Ili the famous criminal investigator whom I 1 found nt at the house when I 1 arrived at tile the mention of bartless Bart levs leys nama a little murmur of surprise went over the room half way ft a down the room the reporters for the arst first uwe wore were I 1 writing hurriedly and in a minute a boy bov went wait out with etli it a nias mass of telegrams within nn an hour tile fit fact ct that hartley bartley was working on tle the case would be in fill all the newspaper offices in new york tile the doctor continued mr bartley aided tile me in making my in examination of th 3 body the wound was as I 1 have said one that a man could have easily inflicted upon af but such a wound causes benth within a n few seconds after it Is nindo I 1 thought nt at first sight that it was suicide but mr hartley bartley pointed out that the hands bands of the dead mon inan ono one of which hald h ald tile the revolver were under tho the bed clothes anti and that they were pulled up ill smoothly around tits his neck it would have been impossible for mr elka himself to have done that I 1 moan he could not have gnp killed himself and then placed tits his arms under tile the clothes after first pulling them up tip around ills his chin lie ile would not have had time before lie died lind had lie fired filed the shot ahot As mr hartley bartley pointed out and as I 1 should have thought a of for myself in canses of violent death the eyes ees are open mr eyes eves wore almost closed ilow how they wore were closed after death potter has just told us again there came n murmur of as the doctors stat emort had been entirely bentli eli unexpected by most of the audience for tile tho first time it was stig suggested that instead of having killed himself lie hp had been murdered all awaited eagerly further developing developments ints then you vou would say sav vint that mr was murdered 7 canle the question oz 1 the answer was n long time in coming 1 I hardly know kno what mint to say y what mr air hartley bartley pointed out to tile me causes me to bellave that mr air was killed of course there Is a possibility that tant the wound might have been belf self inflicted and someone else ar r ranged the bedclothes around his big DOCIC after ho he was dead ilo ile paused again then continued continue that 1121 might have been done but the chances are arc that lie he did not kill hill allm ahlm telf I 1 cannot positively state however whether it was suicide or murder ills ls hesitation started a long argument between him tho the coroner and the district attorney it if had killed himself then someone else must have pulled up tip the bedclothes und and arranged the body what had been tho the persons reason for doing it if on the other hand he be had been murdered then a very definite attempt tin had been made to make it look like suicide the iho revolver in the dead mans hand came under discussion and doctor webster said bald that though it could be placed in a persons hand after death any trained eye could detect the fact ill ills 2 evidence while it had for the first time suggested that a murder might have been committed had yet vet |
