San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-17

secret which induced old Plerson to give
hush money-he was brother enough for
their purposes. Now this argues that
Parker was not fully acquainted with
this relation, and that he really enter
tanned doubts of the verify of the
brothership between the two-that the
relation, if not the acquaintanceship, be-
tween Preston and Parker had sprung
up since Persons death.
IL see, | see Yes, your reasoning is
close"
Now" continued Tom, whatever
else we may think of Parker, it won't do
to take him for a fool And fool he
would have been to open up this prop
ertyship question, by his own motion,
right on the heels of the murder, if he
had been guilty of it, or implicated in it.
The fact that he and his client would
have been benefited by it would have
been too patent, and if he knew the rela-
ton Templeton bore to the property, he
had every reason to believe others would
know it; and with a guilty conscience
first to be pitched on"
Il am disposed to believe with you,
Tom"
"You will, the more you turn over in
your mind that scene in Varick street
| and my conversation with Parker. I'll
send for the Shadow, and together We'll
go over the conversation again, and I'll
write down both for you to study at your
leisure. 1t is quite as important to get
those out of the case who did not do it,
as to get those in who possibly could
have done it,"
THAT is shrewdly put, Tom,' replied
Holbrook. "But you do not forget Park
er's call on me?"
"No, do not. That call, in my judg-
ment, WIS to find if possible whether or
not Person had been engaged in mock
matrimonial scrapes prior to the Foun-
| tain episode, and of which he had no
| knowledge Now, take fast hold of this
fact: Fountain could only be disturb
| ing claimant in the event of there hav-
| lug been no previous marriage. If Parker
! had known of the marriage OF Carroll
| Preston, the issue of which was Mrs.
| Templeton, he would not have been at
| all disturbed by my precipitation of the
| Fountain name. He was visibly dis
turbed when falsely assumed to know,
what | didn't then know, that Pierson
| had once passed as Fountain. AS fol-
the driveling old idiot of brother, he is
too far gone in rum to have ever con,
ceived or executed the murder.
81 think you have made out case,
| Tom. At all events, if the other lines OF
inquiry fail. we have the precious pair
to fall back on.
Now, if you agree with me, as you
seem TO, then it follows that there are
only two left-the Simpson woman and
| Messing"
"Well, then, let's consider these two
About Simpson we know no more than
| this document tells us.
las to that, I'll have to send the
| Shadow to New Rochelle to make in
| quiries. But ! want to note a fact
There are only left now under our
process Simpson and Wessing"-
And Messing was at the place OF
murder when the deed was done"
Precisely There's our first line of
work"
Holbrook did not reply. He was in
tent on, his thoughts, and was nervously
tearing paper into long shreds, habit
when he was profoundly thinking. Fl
nally he said:
Tom, some very singular things in the
| way of omissions present themselves.
You never told me of that Varick street
interview, and | never told you that Mrs
Templeton's family name was Preston.
Here were two broken links that we
might have joined without the aid of
this paper. Now, here is another omis-
sion"
What" said Tom. with an air of an
noyance. Are you going to make us
out pair of bIunderers?"
Yes, apparently. We never attempted
to find out whether Messing know any
thing about the diamond button?"
you always secuted the idea of Wess-
ing being connected with the affair.""
Il admit that, and | am going also to
admit that came near forgetting to tell
you that | know who has worn a pair
precisely like them"
WHO? For gracious sake!" said Tom
irritably. You increase rather than de-
crease the possibilities"
"Kendrick Noble. Do you know
him."
Yes. He is in the same set as the Ash
grove girl and Fountain. But what pos
sible connection can he have with Wess-
inoS"