Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-07-20

Each member ~ The company was
visibly astlnished 8t these words. The
detective lad put some gum IN his
mouth when the professor began talking
and swallowed it IN bis establishment.
But he did not vince, and no one no
ticed it. Arnold was observed 10 turn
pale
Professor Gilman, continuing. said
Il aerec perfectly with Mr.. FOsdick as
T. the instrument that made the wound
on Burke's skull Ii was undoubtedly
this fragment Of rock. Before Mr.. Fos-
dick examined the ridge near the pier
I had carefully scrutinized it and dis
covered. as lie afterward did, that a
piece Of rock had been broken off !
marked the place with a stick, which !
have no doubt Mr.. Fosdick remembers
having seen there afterward.
Fosdick nodded and said, go on. -
He evidently was greatly interested
Professor Gilman resumed. and a. be
proceeded his usually mild manner be
came unusually emphatic.
This fragment. as I say, doubtless
was the instrument that made the
wound, but that il was hurled at Burke
Is the blind and motiveless forces of
nature l deny most emphatically. do
not say such u thing could not happen
IL could And there lies the allurement.
the fascination Of the idea. What !
contend is that II wouldn't happen
aOt in A thousand years-nay, n0r in
zen thousand 1t il too unusual The
percentage Of its probability as against
its improhability is too ininitesimal
Theref8re-and, ! admit, with some
raluctancc-I rejected the theory and
travelled uttle further along the line
Of thought l had started on.
IL returned to the footprints on the
road between the hotel and the west
pier and asked myself. What was
Burke searching for? Was it really
rod Of steelf One Of those rods can be
bought for few cents. Their imme-
diate need at the observatory was not
urgent Therefore, even supposing he
had dropped one without noticing it
a thing really not very likely to occur
i doubted if, upon discovering the loss
be would spend any time looking for It,
But if Ii was not the steel, what was
he searching for? l could not think Of
anything that Burke would be likely To
discover missing as he walked along in
the dark. If he did not know that he
, had lost something, of course he would
not be looking for anything. So, as in
fancy | walked along with him trying
20 think Of something he should discov-
er missing l found myself presently at
the west pier, where the boat was Sc
cured with chain and paddock, just as
he had left it earlier in the evening.
Then l seemed TO know. as clearly as If
| had been there in fact instead Of
fancy, what he had lost. 1t was his
| bunch of keys, of course When the
| body was discovered, they were found
| in his hip pocket together with a pocket
| handkerchief Somewhere on the road,
| then, he had pulled out his handker-
| chief and the keys with It, His deaf
ness doubtless prevented his hearing
| them rattle as they fell 10 the ground.
| The paddock was especially priced by
Burke, and he would not willingly
break IT, Rather than do 80 he would
| walk a considerable distance. Besides,
| there were other keys than the one to
the paddock Oh the ring which no would
| not want TO lose.
Having reached this conclusion, /
obtained a wax impression of Burke E
shoe heel. and Went TO the west pier to
| examine the ground. On my way / saw
| Mr.. Fosdicks s submarine diver at work
| r1,.4 h.. Q
searching for. Many footprints We're in
the soft clay around the landing by the
| time | got there, but managed TO dis
| tinguish among them those made by
Burke the night of his death. ] could
not, however, ascertain what | wanted
10 in the immediate vicinity of the
pier, owing TO the confusion of foot
prints, but passing up the road few
rods i was rewarded. Among the other
footprints | could distinguish those
made by Burke, and lol there were two
sets of footprints going In each direc-
ton Consequently, Burke must have
gone over that road twice that night In
| stead of cncc Between the spot where
| the burned matches Were found and the
hotel there WAS but one set Of Burke's
footprints Therefore, ID was the space
between the pier and the spot where tho
search was made that he traveraed twice.
IL was clear that this double journey
bad not been made early In the evening
on his way to jackson, for at that houi
it was yet light whereas the presence
of the burned matches shows that IL wac
dark when the search was made. These
facts confirmed my belief that It was
his keys he had lost. Presumably Burke,
coniecturing in what manner he had
lost them, remembered about where he
had used his handkerchief. Tor the evi-
dences do not show that he hunted foi
any great distance along the road. The
place where the search was made l.
about two-thirds, or perhaps three
fourtha, of mile from the west pior.
Some Of you may be asking yourselves
What has all this to do with the case
What part Of Mr.. Fosdick's theory doe'
il conflict withT' | perceive, however
by tho expression Of Mr.. Fosdick' s face
that he realizes of what vast impor
tance il is He would tell you, as1 now
tell You. that its importance lies In the
matter Of time.
FosdiclS nodded, and the professor
went on "To walk from the hotel tC
the boat. 90 back to the spot where the
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