Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1900-11-02

gerous secrets. The slfest way out OF
the difficulty was 10 quietly suppress
the now useless bookkeeper. This plan
was decided upon. and would doubtless
have been carried into execution, had
not fate otherwise decreed. After the
bookkeeper's death, under the circum-
stances which l have related, it became
quite probable that the accountant s
connection with the case would be dis
covered; for luck had been against
him from the start, and he became
more and more entangled in the chain
of circumstantial evidence of whose
existence his leader was soon fully
aware. In the first place, the account
ant was wounded; and thus not only
partially disabled, but also-what is
far se-conspicuously marked. \
man who carries his arm in a sling can
hardly fail TO attract attention, ospe-
cially when this distinguishing mark
is accompanied by another equally
glazing one in the form of a head Of
brilliant red hair
Hold on, Sturgis!" interrupted
Sprague, who had been listening with
growing interest; don't you know the
accountants name?"
Yes" replied the reporter; his
name is Thomas Chatham"
Thomas chatham" exclaimed
Sprague, as the image of the miserable
young man came to his mind.
YES" replied Sturgis, answering his
/ thought the man you met only few
hours ago"
There was a brief silence, broken at
last by Sprague, who asked;
HAS he escaped ~
Sturgis hesitated.
THAT depends upon how we look at
II" he said. gravely, at length: "he has
paid the penalty Of his crimes"
What do you mean?'
lie is dead answered the reporter.
Dead? But l tell you l saw him"
IL know; but he has died since"
Suicide"
NO" the reporters voice sank TO a
whisper; murder
Murder" repeated the artist, star
tied. "Eut how DO YOU know that?"
This lump of lead tells the story"
said Sturgis, holding up the shapeless
piece of metal which he had taken out
of the vat.
what is il? \ bullet?"
Yes; the bullet which Chatham car
ried in his arm from the time that he
was wounded by Arbogast. the bullet
which has enabled me 10 trace him step
by step. from his fight from the over
turned cab to Or. Thurston' S and finally
10 his death i'm this very room; the
bullet whose peculiar shape is record
ed in this shadow picture taken by
Thurston by means of the Roentgen
rays
So saying he handed Sprague the
photograph. But the artist had ceased
70 listen.
In this very room ?" he unused aloud,
looking about him with awe.
Yes. The story is simple enough.
The man whose instrument Chatham
was is not one who would care to be
numbered up with tools, which become
positively dangerous as soon as they
cease to be useful. This man, totally
unhampered by pity, gratitude or fear,
determined to destroy the accountant,
whose discovery might have imperiled
his own welfare. What mattered
human life or two, when weighed
against the possible loss of his own
life or liberty. or of his high social
standing and his enormous wealth; for
this man is both renowned and rich,
and he appears 10 have brought whole
sale murder 10 science"
DO you mean TO say that wholesale
murder can be INDUCED in with i'm
punity in a city like New York, at the
end of the nineteenth century, asked
Sprague, aghast.
Yes; when it is done in the system
attic and scientific manner that has been
employed here. For this murderer is
the most remarkable criminal of mod
ern times. He has not been satisfied
with killing his victims; he has sue
cecded in completely wiping them out
Of existence. Criminals have often at
tempted TO destroy the bodies Of their
victims, but they have never before sue
ceeded as this man has He is a chem
ist of remarkable talent, and he has
discovered a compound in which bone
as well as human tissue is rapidly and
totally dissolved. There it is in yon-
der tank. See how completely the
liquid has destroyed the bone handle
of this knife"
Sturgis, after showing the damaged
knife to his companion, resumed his
whiting upon the cover of the box
on which the artist was seated.
"Chathams body has been dissolved
in that tank within a very short time.
1t has entirely disappeared; this fa<
tened bullet alone is left, lead being
one Of the few substances which are
not soluble in the contents of the
tank. Fortunately he overlooked that
fact. Genius has its lapses."
Presently Sprague ventured TO say:
IF numerous crimes have been COM
mitted here, as you intimate, do not
understand how il is that suspicion