Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-09-11
EDGAR k1ORETTE

thOu9ntIu1lys tAe ASsseA
evidence, on Its face, that it could not
have been written by Arbogast. Your
bookkeeper was of weak, nervous, ex-
citable temperament, as oil his actions
plainly show. Before such man is
brought to the point of taking his own
life, he must have passed through
more or less protracted period OF ago.
MIXING nervous tension, OF which you
and can hardly form any adequate
conception. Under the circumstances,
If he loved his wife, conscious that by
his guilt he was about to plunge her
into the depths Of grief and shame, he
might have written her an incoherent
and hysterical letter, or tender and
repentant letter, but never this frigid,
matter-of-fact statement OF supreme
decision. This letter is the work OF
cold and calculating nature, incapable
of ordinary human feeling. The man
who wrote 1t would not have written
to his wife at all, or would have written
only to serve some selfish purpose.
From what I know of Arbogast, ] DO
not believe he was capable of compos-
ing these lines"
"You think, then, that the letter was
written by Chatham" said Dunlap.
"But what object could Chatham have
for writing such letter."
NO." answered Sturgis. II do not
think that Chatham wrote this letter.
That is the curious part of 1t. 1cannot
believe that If Chatham had been
aware of the important nature of Its
contents, he could have been willing to
leave it for an instant within Arbo-
CASTS reach"
"But who, then, could have been Its
author, and why should he have In
trusted the letter to Chatham?"
1 ITO your second question, my answer
is, probably because he wanted 1T
mailed from the main post Office at
about the time that Arbogast would
leaye the Tank. To the first, cannot
yet give any positive answer. although,
a. you will presently see, there are
some clews pointing to our unknown
Quantity * as, the author of this let
ter. But let US not anticipate. Suppose
, we return to our drama. When Arbo'
CAST read this letter, he evidently
thought, as 1 do, that somebody was
PLAYING him false; that he was to be
gotten rid of in some safer way thar
= exile; in short, that, as somebody sale
of one of the Turkish sultans, he was Il
be suicided.' He must have had stront
reasons 10 suspect Chatham of treach
cry; for he at once impulsiyely jumpe
to the conclusion that his only chanc
}, Of safety lay in striking before b
Il accountant Was busy at the telephon,
" Arbogast stood near this desk, mechar
= ically tearing to pieces this letter
n while he planned the accountant
death. He had taken with him your re
II volver. AS the thought of it fashe,
u upon his mind, his resolution was in
stantly taken. He stealthily crept t
d the paying teller's wicket. Through l
ia he could see the telephone closet, tn
n door of which stood open. Chathar
was in direct range, as Arbogast raise
J. the pistol, and, without word of warn
r ing. fired. The accountant held the re
f ceiyer of the telephone to his eur. Thi
f saved his life; for the bullet entered hi
d left hand and remained embedded il
his flesh. When the bullet struck him
d Chathamfell forward, striking his hea
a against q corner of the telephon
= box. and inflicting slight seal
n wound. I found few hairs of a
It intensely red hue. which are evidentl
IL his. also found shreds of his cloth
Is ing which caught on projecting mai
e as he fell; and 1 infer from these hi
g taste for loud dress. He recovere
n himself before Arbogast was ready t
10 fire second Mme and ran into tn
i, clerks room, probably hoping to max
a his way to the street through tn
9 Exchange Place door. But at tn
% same time, Arbogast rushed throug
4 the reception room and this Office
t reaching the vestibule in time to hea
Is off Chatham. who then turned bac
IS and ran through the secretary's room
T. with Arbogast in pursuit. In tn
II meantime * to whom I have a,
e ready alluded, was waiting in Es
IS change place, where Chatham had
j; cab. Upon hearing the pistol shot h
3, went to the accountants assistance
n He passed into this office, which h
it probably reached in time to see Chat
n ham rush in from the secretary
T. room, closely followed by Arbogas1
:. " seized that chair over there in tn
n corner and sprang between the hunt
Is ed man end his pursuer as the latte
It raised his arm to fire. Our anony
g nous friend is probably man c
e great strength; for with one blow c
!. the chair he broke the bookkeeper'
!; wrist. The hammer fell, but tn
n weapon was DETECTED and the bulle-
Is instead of reaching it's intended viz
o tim, passed through the upper lob
y of Arbogast's left lung and out q
# the back at an angle of about 60 d,
Is grees The bookkeeper was standin
IT not far from the mantelpiece yonde
q, Do you see that broad black line O
e the hearth? That was made by tn
It bullet. Its direction and the angl
1t enabled me at once to see that it mus
d have ricochetted into the fireplace
}" and there. sure enough, found it
the SCOT in the bend Of the Gimme,
: Here 1t Isl"
Dunlap had listened to this narrt
tive with evident interest. But nov
d recovering from the spell Of Sturgis
y persuasive conviction, his skepticisn
u regained the ascendancy for q mo
e ment.
e "Alr. Sturgis. you have missed you
+ vocation" he said. laughing goot
Il