Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1897-09-30
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3 AUTHOR o AN ARTisI IN CRIME. E1<

Barnes, us circumsrantial PROOF tnas
the man crossed the river with the in.
tention of visiting that place. For
what? Whether he was or was not Lu.
cos, he had already had an interview
with Miss Lewis, and therefore his visit
was scarcely to her."
"How could it be Lucas?''
''Supposing he intended to kill Lew
is after being interrupted by the dog,
could he not have gone around by these
woods and returned later to complete
his work. It is barely possible that the
whole thing was planned, that the in
terview at the summer house was pre-
liminary, and that Miss Lewis went to
the maple, where she was later Joined
by Lucas. who told her the result Of his
first attempt and arranged the second"
''How could he know that he had
failed in his first shot2"
II don't like to follow this line Of
thought much, as it is all guesswork.
Still, il is one Of the possibilities, and
in case IL turns out wrong will teach
you how easy it is to misconstrue cir
cumstantial evidence. To continue It,
suppose that at the meeting over the
river Miss Lewis and Lucas determined
to finish what they had begun. The OBJ
ject would be that by killing old Lewis
tho prosecution of Marvel would cease,
the complainant being dead. Miss Lew
is undertakes to furnish weapon be-
cause he had lost his She owns one, as
the squire has explained. Therefore Lu-
cas- enters the house through the side
door, and from the dining room has ac-
cess to the girls bedroom, where she
gives him pistol; thence he easily en-
ters the parlor. Such an arrangement Of
events would readily account for her de-
stroying the evidence that her weapon
had been used. But don't lay too much
stress on all this, for. as I said, it Is
purely guesswork. There is a flaw in
it too. Why did Miss Lewis leave her
ooadjutor on the wrong side Of the river
when they separated, and thus force
him to wade stream Of water on a
cold night?"
"That may be discovered later. But
look; there she is, leaving the house."
"Now, Tom, will give you chance
to do some work alone That girl has
gone to mail her letter. The nearest
postoftice is in the vicinity of the bridge
and in private house. See; she is 60
ing in that direction. BY the road it Is
more than mile. BY the river you can
readily reach there first, as 1t is shorter.
Row as hard as you can and hide near
the postoffice. If she enters, wait till
she comes out and then 60 i'll and learn
the address on the letter. You will find
it in cupboard in the hall, where the
mail is kept. That is the main thing
which we want. Twill wait for you at
the house unless something should turn
up to make me change my plans"
Burrows was already in the boat and
started as soon as these last words were
uttered. Mr.. Barnes waited till the girl
was out of sight and then returned
quickly to the house. He went straight
to Virginia's room and over to the writ
ing cabinet in which she had placed the
pistol To obtain this he meant to break
the lock if necessary. Greatly to his
surprise, he found the key in the lock.
He opened the drawer, but did not find
therein tho object Of his search. Look
ing around the room, he was startled to
find the pistol lying on the bed. He
picked it up and noted that it was OF
the same pattern as the other two which
he already had and, like them, bore a
plate with its owners name, In this in
stance, Virginia Lewis"
''Is my last guess correct" thought
Mr.. Barnes, land did that young girl
instigate and assist at murder2 Why,
what is this? This weapon has an empty
cartridge in it," He examined it closely
and gently raised the hammer. by
heaven, che has replaced she'll for the
one which she removed. ] see it all.
She wishes to get the best Of me In
some way. She knows that I picked up
the shell which she had drawn and
there would no longer be anything
gained by reloading the pistol. Why.
she has even taken the precaution to 80
place the cartridge that the hammer
rests in the little indentation made in
the rim when fred, and there, ON the
desk, is a little box Of empty shells.
Evidently If l showed the one which I
have she would laugh and show box
full. However, l still have the brush
with which she cleaned the barrel. But
I am wasting time. This girl will out
wit Burrows. must 90 after her my
self"
When passing through the dining
room, he had noticed behind the door
several hooks on which hung some
clothing. fastening there, he found
these to consist Of two suits of overalls,
such as farm hands use when at work
and evidently left there when the own.
ers had last taken them of at q meal
time. In New England the farmers and
their help often eat together Mr..
Barnes quickly donned one suit OF these
and, taking some whiskers from his
pocket, was soon sufficiently disguised.
Having finished these arrangements, he
left the house and hurried toward the
Wadley's Falls postoffice.
CHAPTER Nv.