The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-18


ZONE unknown person, either accidentally or
Ii was all they could say, for
As no report OF gun had been heard, il was
Inn possible. as suggested by one juror, that
anyone mounted on a ladder could have
done II +; nor could il have. been fred from
any near point outside upon the ground.
since the perforation in the window proved
that ii was from 40 elevation. 1t came out
in the investigation that Mr. Vandyke had
no enemies that any one knew OF IN the city !;
that about month before. his serving man,
Adolphe Werner, q Swiss. had left him to
get employment elte.here. taking with him
certificate of good character, and that Pat
Ryan, an Irishman. had been hired in his
place Ii was also shown that Mr.. Vandyke
was q little loose in his morals and quite q
lady killer; that he had once been sued for
breach Of promise by gardeners daughter,
and once been assaulted with q pistol by q
furious danSeuse, whose affections he had
trified with. But these things had happened
years ago.
The Professor learned these particulars
irem the coroner, who had started to leave
just he and Powers came up.
They hurried TO the room where the corpse
lay, and where Officer Jones was keeping
guard uni til his colleague should return. The
body had not been removed. The Professor
looked at the wound and then at the hole
through the glass. 1t was clean cut, but not
round as would be made by a ball striking
directly point foremost but slightly ellipti-
cal In shape and sharper at the top than al
the base. He then examined the ball, which
the coroner had left on the table, and which
was battered some what out of shape.
Powers" said the Professor, this sho'
was fred at a distance of not less than l .O0t
yards; perhaps ], 200 or more"
Then stepping to the window, he looked
out in the direction from which it had come
I = -<.fE .s.tx. Ar..l n
ing mentioned above, surrounded with scat
folding upon which workmeR were busiJy
employ ed.
What is beyond that houseT' he asked
IF you please" said Regain, the Irish serv
ing-msn, "a week ago you could see four
story building long way of. beyond that
but now they have run up the walls of tina
house 50 high that you can't see IT,"
could you see it from the roof of THU
house?" questio ned the Professor.
M be you could, SIR" replied Regain
ANY way it is easy to go up and look
there's a way out to the top
Then show us, my man, and we'll 60,
respon ded the Professor.
They soon mounted to the roof. and be
held, over the top OF the unfinished building
large four-story structure, at least three
quarters of mile distant. Officer JOne
said Ii had been erected for manufactor,
of some kind, but now was a sort OF tene
menthouse, in which large number o
poor people, mostly foreigners, lived.
/ After a brief inspection they descended
and, at the request of the Professor, Office
Jones was dispatched to an instrument ma
ker's for an engineers transit compass and {
large spy glass.
While Jones was absent Oh this GRAND tn
/ Professor stretched slender Irvine from tn
bullet hole in the window, out perpendicu
n sr1 ho ny hare he faf a. m
was made, for the purpose OF defining tn
exact course OF the projectile. This done
and while still waiting for the instru ments
he took out his memorandum book and pen
Gill; and at once plunged into the iabyrin
thine maZes of the calculus. Forgetful o
all else, he was computing the approximate
distance at which the shot had been fired
He became satisfied that the path OF tn
ball was between ], 200 and ]. 225 yards II
length.
Jones now arrived with the transit an,
spyglsss Having carefully located tn
former in q direct line with the Irvine, tn
| Professor levelsd 1t and then noted tn
course of the needle. 1t proved to be l21z
east of north The instrument was nos
moved to the top of the house, and by mean
of measurements from the chimney, both be
low and above, was located on its tripod di
rectly over the spot where 1t had stood il
the room beneath. Having leveled it in the
new position, he set il to the exact bearing
of 121z0 east of north, and then applied hi:
eye To the revolving telescope. Is swept tht
east end of the distant tenement building
the cross of the spider lines passing in sue
cession over the four end windows, PLACED
one over another in the four differe Mt sto
ries. From this direction undoubtedly cam
the shot. The telescope was permitted Il
rest ON the fourth story window, for that on
differed in appearance from all the others
Next. taking up the spyglsss, the Professo
gaZed through 1T long and steadily at the
four windows. He saw the first, second anC
third story rooms were all occupied. Tn
windows were open and there was ligh
enough TO zee objects inside. In the first ar
old woman sat sewing oy table; in the sec
ond child was playing, and in the third
dog had his paws on the window sill lookinI
out But the room in the fourth story wa
iDpenetrable; the window was dark and evi
IDENTIFY curtained heavily inside, while AT th
same time there was q small square opening
through one of the panes, and through tn
curtain into the darkened room.
Mr. Powers" said the man of science
dropping his glass, 1.-The shot was fired from
the room in the fourth story in the east ent
OF the building. Ii surely must have beer
an accident, for the walls of the interyenin,
house which they are building out there ob
struct the view between that window anC
the one below US, so that il was impossible
even If any one desired to kill Mr.. Vandyke
Tor him To take aim, and that in the night
too, while, at the same time. in ORDER Il
reach up at an angle that would carry tn,
shot itse far over the top of this new house
It was surely q random shot fired through
that square cut In the-but stop-why tina
cut through the window? They say q weef
ago these walls had not gone up higf
enough to close the view. Could 1t be-ha
incredible, yet possible"
i The learned gentleman was evidently tall
ing to himself and not to the ignorant mer
who stood beside him on the roof He 81
lently reflected for minute kefore address
ing them again.
Mr.. Powers" said he at last, I'VE had bet
ter go at once TO that room; am inclined Il
think We may get the truth there"
In thirty minutes they were all three al
the main entrance of the building. They
found. sitting in the door, q man with 9
wooden leg who acted as doorkeeper. To
their inquiries he promptly responded that
the four n story room, in the east end, was
rented by Adophe Werner, Swiss.
This announcement brought simultaneous
exclsmation s from all He was the servant
who I'd left Vandyke a month before, and
n whose pace Regain now was.
Asking if Werner was at home they learned
tn at he bad gone away earlv in the morn
ing, carryiR valise in his hand. His rent
was paid for a month in advance, and he
had left his key with the jsnitor. saying that
he might come back in q day or two, or that
be might not come at all. In the latter case
he SAID the agent should, at the end of the