The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-05-15

himself together and was perfectly cool
You see." he was saying. you've
got to brace up and face the truth
This idol you have built up in your
imagination proves after all to be clay
The girl did go with FIRTH. who turns
out TO be Ellis Finland. 1 cannot under
stand it myself She must have beer
lost to all sense of decency to elope with
a witness against her father"
ITS a He!" l said, vehemently. 81
tell you no. Beatrice is too pure and
noble a girl to do that"
The smile Of pity that came on my
cousins face angered me.
You are beside yourself" he said
You are not able to think. What dc
you know about her nobility or purity
You saw her only once, and then she
was but half conscious. The circum-
stances were not conducive to calm
judgment. You must drop fancy now
and take up fact"
II will not believe it. I will not be-
lieve that girl who loved her father
would elope with man whose testi-
mony had sent him to prison"
"Oh, WELL there is no use arguing
with you How, then. dc you account
for the fact that Finland had her riding
habit, and also the letter which you.
according 20 your own statement, gave
her in the church?'
l shook my head helplessiy. 1 could
not account for it. Yet l chung to my
belief in the purity Of Beatrice.
You see, we are arguing in the dark
STILL said James. We must go right
up to Syracuse and attend the inquest.
That may shed some light on the mys-
terry"
The kilograms said nothing about a
revolver" interposed- Was one found
on Enland?"
Probably not. or Golden would have
mentioned 1t. But that is nothing. He
might have thrown it away"
But who do you think billed this
man. 1 asked.
why. Bob Forrest, Of course En-
land was killed IN the same manner as
Jake Brand. Forrest seems TO have \
penchant for that kind of killing. What
sort of club be uses 1 cannot imagine .
But for heavens sake why should
Forrest kill Finland"
He had two reasons. One was re-
venge for testifying against him at this
trial. The other was running away
with his daughter.'
Then" 1 said eagerly. Beatrice
must at least be with her father now"
II should judge so. But come! We
have no time to waste. The chief is go
ing to the inquest. The train starts in
half an hour"
1 dragged myself to my feet and
dressed for the short trip TO Syracuse.
If my brain had been IN a whirl before,
It was a perfect tornado Of doubts and
fears now.
feared everything. doubted every
thing. believed nothing, and yet had a
thousand assailing suspicious. Under
the guidance of James 1 managed to
get into the carriage.
We met the chief at the station. II
was a little more than an hours ride
to Syracuse. We were met at that sta
ton by Gorden and a Syracuse detective.
We were at once conducted 10 the no
tel on North Salina Street, where the
body of Finland still lay undisturbed.
The coroner had chosen 10 hold the in
quest on the spot.
Il trembied as I entered The hotel
was justly described In Golden's teIe-
gram. II was one of those products of
the new license law, which had turned
room on the second floor lay Ellis En-
land.
He was not a bad looking man. He
was about the same age as James Lee
or myself The white scar under his
ear proved at once that he was the
man who. in the guise Of a secret ser
vice agent. had lived at the New Hart
ford Hotel.
The coroner's inquest was a perfume
tory and unsatisfactory affair. The first
witness examined was the proprietor or
the place.
His testimony was meager enough.
Thomas Ffrfin, according TO him. had
come to his hotel the day before and
hired room. He had stated that he
might want il for week or two. He
had said that he expected in a day or
so TO bring his wife there He came
and went as he wished. attracting no
notice.
Have you seen or have you known
anyone who saw a woman with this
MANI" asked the coroner.
mo. He went out early this morning,
and was In and out several times after
that"
DID he have anyone with him at any
timer"
None that I saw. l do not know,
in fact. il 1 saw him every time he
came here The entrance to the rooms
upstairs is through the hallway. No
one is subject to supervision who en-
tiers there"
Then, an assassin could creep up
stairs and attack a man in his room,
and leave again without being seen?"
He might do that, of course If
noise was heard it would lead to an
investigation
But in this case there was no noise,
therefore no Investigation"
No one in the hotel heard any noise
One of the room men found the body
and reported to me-
What is a room MANI"
"A man in the place OF a chamber
maid. l employ no women here"
But you accept women for guests"
Yes, IL they appear respectable"
How many rooms have you occupied
now?"
Ten
Then there was a lot of time wasted
in getting at the identity and records
of the several guests. None OF these
pointed to a clue.
Other witnesses were examined-the
bartender. the room man who found the
body. and the doctor who was called
in first.
1t developed at the inquest that En-
land had formerly lived with his M