Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-14
THE FINAL NSTALLMENT.

it's depths came the gurgling and kissing
of the Miniski.
The doctor stood perfectly still. Again
he heard the grating of the key, and with
the same steadiness of motion the bed re-
sulneG its former position. Then Philbrlck
opened the door and came in, somber
smile his face.
do you see now, sdoe tor?' he whispered
Partly" responded the doctor.
Lets look more closely"
Pnilbricil turned the key from the inside
this time and again the bedside descended
Both men drew near the edge of the hole
and looked down. Philbrick attached the
rope the doctor had brought him to the Ian
tern and lowered it. Part way down it hit
an obstruction.
That's one of the spikes" remarked Phil
| brick Look close and you can see that
| the walls of that narrow we'll are lined
| with spikes. They of the same kind that
are used on the professors wonderful loom
| for making wire nets. They account for
| the mutilation on Starkweather's body. and
| they will account for the mutilations on the
professor when he is found. They also
| account for the scratches my hand and
! face, for although l couldn't have climbed
up the well without them, 1 couldn't dodge
| them all in the darkness
Then you swan across the river and I'M
der the houSe%'
| pretty nearly. I really entered the river
| from this side, but i got under the house
| and then assembled to this room. 1t was
| the only way of verifying my theory, for if
| the door had been unlocked, the hole would
| have closed, and no one would have thought
Of locking the door from the inside to see
| the machine work"
| But what if the door had been forced?"
| 1t might not have worked then, but in all
| probability your clever constable would
| have taken pincers and turned the key from
| without. That would have released the
| mechanism, the bed would have swung into
| place by the time the door was opened, and
| NOBODY would have been the wiser. Be
! sides. 1 wanted to settle the thing in my own
| way
lean quite understand that" said the
doctor. but this isn't the end of your
| work, I'm sure"
Far from it. There remains for your
| satisfaction an explanation of the reason
why the professor killed Starkweather.
| take it you know how it was done?"
I'm not sure of the details. l supposed
1t was by electric shock, but where and
| how Starkweather ignorantly made the
| connection, don't know"
Its immaterial but we can infer it
| easily. 1t was enough for me when l saw
the symptoms of electricity on Stark
| weather's body that the professor had kill
ed him. l knew why it was done. and
didn't care how. Let's go downstairs"
| In the corridor where Starkwea ther fell
| dead, Philbrick said
| "Betsey says Starkweather went in here:
| the professor said so, too, though that
| doesn't count. Betsey told me this evening
that she had seen the professor working
| over this floor at night. You may have
| the floor ripped up if you like; don't care
Tor the detail, but l can guess that you
| Will find nothing directly beneath this spot
| You will, however be able to trace where
| electric wires used to run from the dining
| table to this point, connecting with
| the handle of the shop door, the other
| with the board on which a man stands
| when he opens the door. You will not find
| the pole of battery in the floor now, or
| in the shop, for it IS thousand to one that
| the professor destroyed it after it had
| served his purpose, for there is no doubt
whatever that the murder of Starkweather
! was planned months before it took place.
| That was why the house was so recon-
| structed as to permit of the making of that
/ extraordinary well. The main trouble with
| the professors scheme was Betsey's I'M
expected view of the dead man That
| brought about a chain of circums tances
with which you are familiar, and in which
| the professor bound himself more mex
| tricably every time he tried to turn. II
| drove the man mad"
| But why did he kill Starkweat her?'
| asked the doctor.
Let so into the shop and find out"
"Tae door is closed and neither of us
knows the combination"
| Il anticipated that"
| Philbrick's pockets bulged with various
| articles. He now produced from them a
| bit, stock and augur and slender saw
| theoretically he set to work, the doctor
| interposing no objection. and in less than
| half an hour he had cut the lock ont OF
| the door. 1t opened readily, and both en-
| tered the shop, which was apparently as
it was upon the day of their visit
| 1.-The disposition of StarkHea Iher,' said
| Philbrick, was as much a mystery to me
| as to you until the professor took us in here
| l had already fixed the plan of the house