The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-12-31
[CHAPTER XIX CONTINUED
nalph looked mystified.

ralph looked mystified.
81 can't understand what you did
that for" he said. 81 presume you are
trying to prove that some one shot my
father, hut the more 1 think about it
the less l agree with you. You see, /
know his handwriting. If you think the
note he wrote was forgery, you are
wrong. No one could initiate his hand
p writing. It's true read it only by the
light Of a match that night, but the
next morning / examined it closely"
"You don't understand what I am
trying to prove, "said Hendricks. 81
don't dispute that your father wrote it.
He probably went out with the deter
mination to shoot himself 1t was a re-
markable coincidence, but / have evil
dence that some one was hidden under
his bed that night between o'clock
and the time he went into his labora-
tory"
"You think that?" cried Ralph aston
ished.
ST am sure of it,
"How could you be sure of such a
thingf"
"The chambermaid who attended to
your fathers room, - explained the de-
tective, chad not been giving much care
to it. Perhaps it was because, during
the stay of your guests, she had too
many other duties to perform. Any
way she failed to sweep under his bed
and the dust accumulated. l first no.
ticed a spot on the floor where some one
had lain and then detected the odor of
chloroform. This called for close ex-
animation. found that chloroform had
been spilled on the floor under the bed
and been wiped up with a cloth or
handkerchief saturated with the fluid.
This led me to believe that somebody
had been hidden there, waiting for an
opportunity to apply the drug to your
fathers nostrils when he fell asleep.
But your father did not go to bed, as
we know. He went from his room into
the laboratory and thence down into
the garden
"You believe" put in Ralph excit-
eddy, THAT the person under the bed
followed him?"
eyes, and shot him with revolver
he had brought along for his own de-
tense in case of being surprised. Your
father could not have shot himself
without leaving some powder mark on
his person or clothing. These indica-
tions l found missing ON the morning
of the inquest. Moreover, here is addi-
tional proof of my theory"
From his pocket Hendricks produced
piece of lead.
"That," he explained, "was once the
ball of 38 caliber cartridge. 1t was
flattened in striking your fathers skull.
1t passed through and lodged in the
brain. The undertaken and a medical
expert secured it for me the day of the
inquest. The revolver you found near
your father carried 80 caliber ball."
'But," protested Ralph, zone of the
chambers of my fathers revolver was
empty"
Hendricks produced a bullet almost
perfect in shape, except that the sharp
end was flattened slightly.
81 found this" he said, Embedded
in the soft, rotten wood of the old sum
mer house, 40 yards from where your
father fell. F"
'Then you hold that he fired at his
assailant, a." exclaimed Ralph, land thai
I did not hear it because it was the
smaller weapon of the two. begin t.
see."
"They fired at each other simultane
ously," answered the detective, cor 81
nearly at the same instant that the tive
reports blended into one. i"
Ralph hung his head refiectively.
at was the increased volume o
sound that caused him to hear it, pu
in DR.. Lampkin.
Exactly" replied Hendricks.
"Have you any clew to the guilt.
person." asked Ralph.
Hendricks stroked his beard thought
fully for moment, then said:
''There is little matter which yo'
can help me in if you are so disposed.
81 am subject to your orders, re
turned Ralph. ITO what do you refer?'
Hendricks looked into the house.
"Suppose we go back into the Ii
brary," he suggested. "Kola, shall
leave you with Mr.. Stanwood. Tell hin
how your people climb string an
disappear in the clouds. Come ON, doc
tor. We can talk better inside.