Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18
"In this very room?" he unused aloud,
looking about him with awe

"In this very room ?" he unused aloud,
looking about him with awe.
Eyes. 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
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 to have brought whole
sale murder to science"
do you mean to say that wholesale
murder can be INDUCED in with I'M
punity in 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
ceeded 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 chem
list 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 mis-
| whiting upon the cover of the box
on which the artist was seated.
"Chatham's body has been dissolved
| in that tank within very short time.
1t has entirely disappeared; this fiat
| tened bullet alone is left, lead being
not soluble in the contents of the
tank. Fortunately he overlooked that
fact. Genius has its lapses."
Presently Sprague ventured to say:
eff numerous crimes have been COM
mitted here as YOU intimate, | do not
UNDERSTAND, how it is that suspicion
has never rested on this house be.
fore" .t.5s.
"The author of these crimes has
taken every precaution to render the
chance of discovery quite remote. His
dwelling-house on one street, and the
bogus Chemical company on the other,
are in communication through this
underground passage, while sppar-
emily having no connection witt, each
other. Moreover, he is too shrewd to
make frequent use of this death cham.
Der. That does well enough as a last
resort. when he is obliged to commit
the murders with his own hands; but
L suspect that this man has other
agents like Chatham. who do the
dirty work for him and then quietly
ship the bodies here for humiliation
with Arbogast's. All! yes; l thought
so. You are sitting upon one of these
bodies now"
! +
Sprague started to his feet; and
following the direction in which Stur
gis was pointing with his open knife
he vaguely discerned through the
opening which the reporter had whit
tied, a small surface of what hat
once been the features of human
being.
| ff.,- fry. ,,,s,
horror-stricken silence at the distort
ed face, the artist asked in low
voice:
How did Chatham meet his death p
Il don't know yet" answered Stur
gis, gravely; this man is no ordinar.
criminal. His work is clean ant
leaves no blood-stains and no disorder
to tell of its accomplishment. H,
takes life with his own hands onl,
when he is forced to do so; but, whei
he does, his method is mastery.
! was easier to make away with Chat
, ham than to pay him the price agreed
upon for his completely in the Knick
J erbocker bank cmbezzlement; and s.
his life was taken. l hope to discove
how before I leave here"
, Sprague started as the reporte
ceased speaking.
5 "The price of his complicity?" h
: claimed, laying his hand upon Sturgis
arm and looking earnestly into hi
t eyes,
"Yes." replied the reporter, stead
ly meeting his friends gaze, "hi
daughters hand"
t Sprague looked away from the hor
5 est eyes of the reporter, as if h
dreaded to read in them the answe
to his next question.
:. "Who is this fend incarnate, VIII
y is willing to traffic in his own fles
and blood, and with whom murder
science?"
''The man who is capable of thes
crimes and of any others whic
: might serve to remove an obstacl
from his way is"