Willmar tribune., 1897-12-21
CHAPTER NV.

tive arrived ct his hotel, and went up to
his room. His face still wore i look
of deep perplexity. He sat down at a
window and stared at the envelope
steadily for ten minutes. Then there
was rap at the door. Itvas servant,
TO say that Capt Welsh was downstairs,
and that he was anxious to see him.
Send him up said Hendricks, and
he put the envelope into his pocket.
He picked up newspaper two or three
days old, and was hidden behind it
when the captain raped.
Come in,'' the detective called out.
II am sorry to disturb you,'' began
Welsh, but the truth is we arc making
so little headway that the mayors peo-
pie are showing 4 good deal OF impa-
tience. Mrs. Roundtrec says we are
entirely too slow, and she is laying it
all on me and my men. The mayor
himself has just left my Office. OF
course. could not tell him what you
suspected about his daughter. and
Il should think not, captain, since
::ou yourself don't know what do or
do not suspect" And Hendricks threw
his paper on the floor.
''Of course, of course; but aren't YOU
really going any further With your in
vestigations up there? Thought when
[ told you that spent the night in front
OF the house, and saw her come out and
secure the revolver from the grass,
that"
fI~so
bent forward and rubbed his hands be-
tween his knees.
"1ou didn't see me, captain, that
night. We were both pretty pair of
fools. I recognized YOU IN the flaming
disk of your cigar block away. You
looked like headlight, and made for
you as soon as I turned the corner
knew the gate must be near where YOU
stood
What do you mean?" cried Welsh, in
surprise.
Il was in Mrs. Walters room from
half-past nine till ten o'clock that night
and made thorough examination of
her belongings
why. L was on watch at that time. :.
You could not have gone in at the
front, and my men were in the rear"
Hendricks smiled broadly.
Il never go in ut back gate if can
help it. I was the driver of the cab
that took the mayor home from his
office that night. I overheard him ask
the fellow to wait for him. 1 called
the man into a barroom. explained who
I was, promised him five dollars, ex-
changed coats and hats with him and
took his cab. OF course, I wore nv
whiskers. would not be without them
when / go driving on cool nights.
catch cold easily, and they protect my
throat.
II pulled up when you waved me
down to tell the mayor you were watch
ing his house personally. on account of
your special interest in his family, and
that you would see to it that they
were not disturbed through the night.
When the mayor got out at the side
door of his house took my fare, ex-
planned that piece of my harness had
given way and was tinkering with a
strap under the belly of the horse when
the mayor went in to his supper. Then
I ran my rig out of sight behind sort
of woodshed and went up the back
stairs to Mrs. Walters room. I knew
it by her dresses in the Closets
what were you looking for?''
''Books, chiefly. I had found out that
she had purchased box of them in
New York the other day and wanted
to see them. I thought they might be
treatises on hypnotism and things in
that outlandish line; but they were only
modern yellow-backed novels, transla-
tions of Emile Gaboriau and detective
stories by Doyle and Anna K. Green.
They put me on a new scent. A new
light broke on NE. felt like fool. 1
went down, got on my cab and drove off
like mad. I passed you at the carriage
gate and asked you the time. You told
me, and I said I had to catch train
and whipped up my horse
II remember. What blamed fool I
was!" said Welsh, with a deep flush.
What did you do next?''
''Turned the cab over to it's owner
and went and had a private talk with
the family physician of the Roundtrees.
After that, to use slang, kicked my
self soundly. and in 20 minutes was
dogging the footsteps of the distin-
guished stranger of whom spoke to
you.'
'But don't you think Mrs Walters
had anything to do with the murder?''
asked Welsh.
'*Nothing at all. Here it is in a nut
shell: She will be a mother in about
three months. In her condition she is
always queerly imaginative and deceit
full. She lost a child a year ago iii child
birth, and for several months before
it was born she almost ran her family
wild with her strange fancies. She has
been reading sensational literature for
a long time, and when that murder oc-
CURED and ner father offered a reward
for the capture of the criminal it struck
her that the murderer would be apt to
resent it. She tried to rouse the fears
OF her father and husband on this line,
but, as they failed to see it her way,
Sf,o 1ofor.vnino1 fo mo1ro fho,, Ii 90