Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-06-13

CHAPTER II-Later that evening, at
stag dinner party. .Sturgis. in impromptu
nous chemist, wagers In reply 5000 to 500
that from any daily paper hG can select an
unsolvable riddle. Sturgis takes bet.
CHAPTER III-Case selected is of two
mysterious shots fired that. afternoon in
or rear Knickerbocker bank. Man had
been seen running from bank with valisc,
and arrested. Man said he stole valise
from bank steps and was shot at. Valiso
contained nothing of interest.
CHAPTER IV-Sturgis secures appoint
ment with Dunlap, president of bank, to
visit scene of shooting early next morning.
then induces his friend e1S d. Or. Thurston to
of the two strange cases. 80
''True; I forgot you had not followed
the steps in the process of induction.
Here they are: the dead mans sleeves,
on the under side below the elbow,
were worn shiny. This shows that
his occupation is at desk of some
kind"
"or behind counter" suggested
Thurston quizzically.
"Eo. Your hypothesis is untenable.
A oasYk behind counter occasionally,
1t is true, leans upon his forearms. But
incGksant contact with the counter
leaves across the front of his trousers
an snmistakable line of wear, at a
levsl varying according to the height
of the individual. This line was not
present in the case of the man in the
cab. On the other hand, his waistcoat
is frayed Mt the level of the fourth but
ton from the top. Therefore main
tain that he was in the habit of work.
ing at q desk. Now the trousers, al
though not new, are not baggy at the
knees, though free from the seams
whish would suggest the effect OF press
ing or OF trouser stretcher. Conclu.
sion, the desk is q high one; for the
man stood at his work. Most men who
work standing at high desks are book
keepers of one kind or another. There
fore, as l said before, this man was
probably bookkeeper. Now, as to his
salasy; 1 do rot pretend to know the
exact amount of it, of course. But
when man, who was evidently not a
dude. has his clothes made to order.
OF imported material, and when his
linen, his hat and his shoes are of good
quality, It is fair to infer that the mans
income was comfortable.
I DFoseed with the arrangement of
my, Eta, y
keAdl5: the man In the cab dad
of wound caused by bullet fired at
yeN close quarters. Indeed, the weap-
on must have been held either against
the victims body, or, at any rate, very
near to it; for the coat is badly burned
by the powder"
"On these points at least" assented
DR.. Thurston, 81 can agree with YOU.
The bullet probably penetrated the
upper lobe of the left lung"
YES" added Sturgis, "and it passed
out at the back, far below where it
went in"
What makes you think it passed
outs The wound In the back NAV
have been caused by another bullet
fired from the rear"
That hypothesis might be tenable
were It not for this"
With these words the reporter pulled
out Ais watch, opened the case, and
with the blade of penknife took from
the surface OF the crystal minute OBJ
ject, which he handed to the physician.
"Look at it," said he, pushing over
q magnifying glass.
DR.. Thurston examined the object
carefully.
~ splinter of bone," he said, at last.
Eyes. l found it on the surface of
the wound In the back. How did it get
there2"
you are right" admitted the physi-
clan; at must have come from with
in, Clipped from rib and carried out
by the bullet which entered from the
front"
II think there can be no doubt as to
that. Now, the bullet does not seem
to have been detected in its course by
its contact with the rib, for, as fer as /
ha~ been able to Judge by probing
the two wounds with my pencil, their
direstion is the same. This is impor-
tanS and brings me to point three,
which is illustrated by these diagrams,
drawn to scale from the measurements
I took this afternoon"
AZ he said these words, the reporter
handed to his friend sheet of paper
upon which he had drawn some ge-
ometrical figures.
"The first of these diagrams shows
the angle which the course of the bull
let made with a horizontal plane; the
second represents the inclination from
right to left. The former of these an
giles is nearly and the latter not far
from forty-five degrees. The inclina-
ton from right to left shows that the
shoe was fired from the right side of
the dead man. Now then, one of two
things: Either it was fired by the man
himself, the weapon being held in his
right hand; or else it was fired by an
assassin who stood close to the VIC
TINS right side. The first of these n.y.
potheses, considered by itself, is ad.
missible; but 1t involves the assump-
ton OF an extremely awkward and un.
usual position of the suicides hand
whi1s firing. On the other hand, the
deaT man Is tall-six feet one inch
and 10 fire down, at an angle of sixty
de1Ass. upon man Of his height. bis
assistant would have to be colossus,
or else to stand upon chair orin some
equally elevated position, unless the
victim happened to be seated when the
shot was fred"
Happened to be seated" exclaimed
Th,rston, astounded, "why, of course
he was seated, since he was in the
cab.'
THAT brings up point four, which
is not the least puzzling of this in.
teresting case" said Sturgis, impress
lively; 1.-The shooting was not done In
tho cab.'
mot done in the cabl"
NO; otherwise the bullet would have
renained in the cushions: and It xas