Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-08-16

tudC d SLrOuR SUSPICION aLJdcHeS mere.
a suspicion, that is to say, that the in
cendiary-for it was no accident. but
deliberate arson-obtained his mate
rails from this place. So far as 1 can
judge, the house was fired by means
Of phosphorus dissolved in carbon
bisulphide.''
There was simultaneous exclama-
ton from the class.
''As you are aware, gentlemen, from
the course of elementary study we
pursued last autumn, when phosphorus
dissolved in carbon bisulphide is ex-
posed to evaporation, the phosphorus
is precipitated in such finely divided
state that it catches fire. Well, the
coal-plate, it would seem, had been
taken up, considerable amount of
paper thrown down among the fire.
wood and small coal that lay on the
floor of the cellar, and then 4 copious
supply of this solution-which must,
gentlemen, have been mixed in this
house-was poured upon it. Evapora-
ton began at once, the phosphorus
presently caught and set the paper 60
ing, and in half an hour a nice little
fire was burning its way upstairs to
wake the inspector and his family.
AlOW oIo L dSCcTJdln Oul6s L dE lily
by accident and partly by research.
The accident was this. About ten
o'clock last night 1 had occasion to
visit my preparation room, and l smelt
the very distinctive smell of carbon BIZ
sulphide vapor. 1 traced this to the
storeroom next door. and, entering,
saw at once that the stores had been
tempered with. A bottle of starch
~
tents were dripping from the table to
the floor. Several other bottles had
been taken down and not replaced.
Looking round with the idea of discov-
ering theft, failed to detect the alb
sence of anything at first except the
carbon bisulphide, but presently no.
ticed the phosphorus jar was empty.
The inference was either that some
student contemplated a chemical en-
tertainment at home at my expense,
or that some incendiarism was on foot.
In either case 1 was naturally anxious
to discover the culprit, and it seemed
to me that no time was so favorable as
the immediate moment when the room
was exactly as he had left it. You
know we scientific people are rather
fond of problems of evidence"
He looked keenly round the group
of us. So did l. Unless he was a far
better physiognomist than 1, nothing
was to be detected. To me everyone
looked interested, and all more or less
disconnected by his suspicion. Asl1in,
for instance, was blushing; Wilderspin,
who had nervous trick of twitching
the corner of his mouth, was twitching
it violently; and the lips of the new
man were white.
Now l am happy to say that when
l left the laboratory had hint, that
presently developed into evidence as
absolutely conclusive of who had taken
my carbon bisulphide as any evidence
could be.
A dramatic pause. For my own part
[ was a little scared. Suppose Mr..
Smith was jumping to conclusion?
of us.
THE gentleman, quite ipadvertent-
1y, had written his signature to the
theft; had left his sign manual to his
additionally his sign manual, gentle
men,"
He smiled oddly at US. We expected
him to point some one out with his
finger. He looked for moment at the
little slips of paper on the bench be-
side him, and hesitated. We were all
naturally very much excited by this
time.
You don't mean," said the new stu
dent-''you don't mean that the man
who stole that carbon bisulphide was
so Observation-Disclosures madly absent
minded-as to write his name-?''
Our teacher, still smiling, shook his
he said. Clearly he meant to prolong
the agony.
when this fire broke out opposite -
he proceeded calmly, 81 had a sus-
picion that the things were connected.
Very early this morning-before sun
rise, in fact-I went over there. /
traced the fire, with the help of the
fremen, down to the cellar. 1t had
been lit, as I supposed it must have
been, through the coal-plate. 1 raked
about for my carbon bisulphide bottle
among the cinders and ashes in the
cellar so soon as they were cool enough
for the search; and 1 could not find it.
My suspicious of our connection with
that fire grew little fainter, but ]
still chung to them. The cellar was
extremely hot, and my investigations
III consequence SupcTncld1, SO tndC !
determined to repeat the search more
thoroughly later in the day. To fill
the time up, after breakfast and a
| bath L went into the garden and hunted
about there. First / found a familiar
stopper, and that excited me; then.
| under a lilac bush, l found the bottle
broken, 1 suppose by the foot of a
fireman. The label, you will remem-
Der, on those store-room bottles is a
large paper one, and goes almost all
the way round"
He stopped and smiled benevolently
at us.
'.On that label there were visible the
! words: Carbon Bisulphide,' and also
Dismal Stinks,' written by some gen.
tleman in pencil
''Oh! but l wrote those three or -four
days ago!' said Askin, hotly.
Il can quite imagine You did. l say
there was nothing else visible upon
the label. But you will remember
gentlemen, that our friend had upset
bottle of starch mucilage. Now let
me remind you of the properties OF
starch nucilage. 1t is co1orless itself
but with iodine it gives a beautiful
purple-blue color. 1t is a test for
iodine. even when the latter is in the