Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-11-01
at tho sound he made IN fa.Hno. Every

at tic sound he made IN fdlttn0. Evc-y-
thing movable had been pushed back
against the wall and an open space
cleared, in the center Of which could be
seen one drop of blood. What Is GER
tain is that Mr.. Moore is held to the
house by something even more serious
than his deep grief, and that the young
lady who was the object of this fatal
dispute has left the city"
Pasted under this was the following
short announcement:
Married, on the 21st Of January, at
the American consulate in Rome, Italy,
Edward Moore Of Washington, d. G.,
United States Of America, to Antoi-
nette Sloan, daughter OF Joseph Dewitt
Sloan, also Of that city"
With this notice my interest in the
book ceased, and / prepared to step
down from the chair on which had
remained standing during the reading
Of the above passages.
As l did so spied slip Of paper
lying on the floor at my feet. AS it had
not been there ten minutes before there
could be no doubt that it had slipped
from the book whose leaves had been
turning over so rapidly. Fastening to
recover 1t, found 1t to be sheet Of
ordinary note paper partly inscribed
with words in neat and distinctive
handwriting. This was a great find,
for the paper was fresh and the hand
writing one which could be readily
identified. What saw written there
was still more remarkable. It had the
| look Of some Of the memoranda 1 had
myself drawn up during the most per-
picking moments of this strange case.
transcribe 1t Just as it read:
1--WE have here two separate accounts
Of how death comes to those who
breathe their last on the ancestral
hearthstone Of the Moore house library.
Certain facts are emphasized in
both:
Each victim was alone when he fell.
Each death was preceded by scene
Of alteration or violent controversy
between the victim and the alleged
master Of these premises.
I'm each case the master of the house
reaped some benefit, real or fancied,
from the others DEATH"
A curious set of paragraphs. Some
one besides myself was searching for
the very explanation was ut that mo-
ment intent upon. I should have con-
sidered 1t the work of our detectives II
| the additional lines now came upon
gould have been written by any one
but q Moore. But no one of any other
blood or associations could have In
dlted the amaxing words which follow
ed, Tho only excuse could find for
them was the difficulty which some
men feel in formulating their thoughts
otherwise than with pen and paper,
they were 10 evidently intended for
the writer's eye and understanding
only, as witness:
"Let me recall the words my father
was uttertng when my brother rushed
In upon us with that account of my
misdeeds which changed all my pros
poets in life. It was my twenty-frst
birthday, and the old man had Just in
formed me that as the eldest son 1
might expect the house in which we
stood to be mine one day and with it q
secret which has been handed down
from father to son ever since the
Moeres rose to eminence in the person
Of Colonel Alpheus, Then he noted
that was now of age and Immediately
went on to say: This means that you
must be told certain facts, without the
knowledge Of which you would be no
true Moore. These facts you must
hereafter relate to your son or whoever
may be fortunate enough to inherit
from you. It is the legacy which goes
with this house and one which no in
heritor as yet has refused either to re-
ceiye or to transmit. Listen. You have
often noted the gold diigree ball which
| I wear on my watch guard. This ball
y the talisman Of our house, Of this
house. + in the course Of your life
you find yourself in an extremity from
which no issYa seems possible mind
the strictness Of the ipjuaction-al ex.
Hemity from which no issue seems
possible-G have never been In such a
case; the gold 6ligree ball has never
been opened by me)-you will take this
trinket from Its chain, press upon this
portion Of it so and use what you will
apd inside, In connection with
"Alas. 1t was at this point John Jud-
son came rushing in, and those dis
closures were made which lost me my
fathers regard and gave to the inform
or my rightful Inheritance, together
with the full secret Of which only
got a part. But that part must help
me now to the whole I have seen the
dhgree ball many times. Veronica has
It now. But Its contents have never
been shown me. Il knew what they
were and Why the master Of this &c:
eret always left the library'.-
Here the memorandum ceased with A
long line struggling from the letter 'sy''
~ If the writer had been surprised at
| his taak.
| The effect upon me of these remark
able words was to heighten my inter.
est and raise me into a state Of re,
newed hope II not Of active expecta'
ton.
/ Another mind than my own had beer
ut work along the only groove which
held out any promise Of success, and
this mind, having at Its command Ger
tain family traditions, had let me into
The detective locke the
dees Of the old maAsion
- 4