Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-09-11

2 E~, a. -
HE BROKE THE BooKKEEPER'S
WRIST WITH ONE BLOW.
that these various marks which you
have called trails were made by the
feet of three different people; admit
ting even that one of these indi-
viduals was Arbogast, who often
stays here after banking hours, l do
not see that you have established by
any satisfactory evidence your as
sumption that the other so-called
trails are those of Chatham and a
stranger. For aught i know to the
contrary, they may have been made
by some of the bank employees in the
discharge of their regular duties.
Chatham's, coat may have caught on
nail in the telephone closet last
week, while he was here in his legiti-
mate capacity of expert accountant.
The change of the combination OF the
safe may be the result of an error;
for we have no direct proof whatever
that Arbogast is n defaulter. And,
then, when it comes to your interest
ing description of the alleged shoot
| ing of Arbogast, it strikes me that
you are entirely carried away by your
enthusiasm; for, in your minute de-
scription of the path of the bullet, at
q certain angle, of which you seem
to know the measure almost to the
fraction of n second, you overlook sew
eral important things. Two shots
were fired yesterday in or near the
Knickerbocker bank. In, say you,
because here is revolver with tive
empty cartridge shells; here is
black mark, which may have beer
aEeaneaa hr tsf afjeaasss be6e Of PLEAD lead
which may be that bullet. AS, how
ever, one bullet cannot account fol
two shots. you are forced at once tic
assume that Chatham has carried
away the second one in the palm OF
his hand. This is ingenious very in
genious, but"
4, His blood is on the telephone re.
ceiver," observed Sturgis. quietly.
Blood" exclaimed Dunlap; "why
with the carnage that you have i'm
agined here, there should be oceans Of
blood. Here is a man, running ar ounG
with wounded hand, who leaves 6
few drops of blood on the telephone
receiver, and nowhere else And here
is another man, shot through the
lungs-eNcuse me, through the upper
lobe of the left lung-who does not
bleed at all. And where is he nowf
Such wound as you have given him
must, take it, be fatal, or, at any
rate, serious. Yet here is dead or
at least, dying man, calmly walking
off as if-as if the curtain had faller
at the end of your drama, and the
corpse had hurried off to his dress
ing-room."
You have forgotten something
else" suggested the reporter, smiling
Dunlap looked at him questioningly
"Yes; you have forgotten the pisto
replaced in the drawer after Arbogast
was shot, and the doors of the bank
carefully locked
True. No, my dear sir; your elab
crate theory will not bear an instant's
calm examination"
And yet" rejoined sturgis, my con
clusions, as far as they go, are abso
lutely correct. Every objection which
you raise is plausible enough when
considered by itself; but we have no,
to deal with u lot of isolated facts
but with series of connected events
each of which depends upon and sup
ports all the others. Let me finish my
story, and | think you will then be
prepared to admit that what seem.
to you now fight of fancy on my
!, part, is nothing but a sober exposition
: of plain, unrurnished facts"
Dunlap, with deprecating gesture
settled back into his chair once more
We left Arbogast shot through the
; left lung-fatally wounded. as yor
; have just remarked. He probably fcl
I like log; while Chatham, weak from
: shock, leaned against the door jaml
!, yonder. He had probably stanched hi
wound with his free hand as he ran
, I have been unable to find any trac,
e of blood between the telephone ant
g this spot. On the door jamb, however
I the blood left stain which has no
i; been completely wiped out and which
!, enabled me to judge of Chatham
height. 'X was the only one of tn
trio who knew what he was about a
this time. l have a genuine admira
ton for * he must be man of mar
velous nerve. Instead of flying panic
stricken from the scene, as any or
binary criminal would have done, h
calmly proceeded to protect his retrea
and to Systematically cover his trail
His first step was to lock the Wal
street gate and the inside door. Quin
Ian had doubtless pulled the cute
door to as he ran away, SO that X
probably thought this also locked. n
then, with Chatham's assistance
helped Arbogast. who was not We
dead. and who perhaps by this time
had regained consciousness, into tn