Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-09
DAILY SHORT STORY
A cLEW BY TELEPHONE.
lOriginal.l
A ring at the telephone.

been alone in the old farmhouse. The
rooms have seemed more than empty
rather. they have seemed full of moth
ingness. Without the wind has been
playing q mournful tune on the tele-
graph wires lining the road. and now
that evening has come the air and the
wires are still, but the sounds are re-
placed by the whippoOrwill.
Is it strange that 1 should long for
the sound of Il human voice: l start
up, hurry to the telephone, take down
the receiver and listen.
Help. Help
1t is 4 woman'S voice.
a fOOtstep, then q Growl-a human
growl. that of man who, though the
process of development has been going
on about and within him for ages. still
expresses his dissatisfaction like Il
tiger in the jungle-then jerk on
something connected with the tele-
phone.
Mercy! Mercy! Don't kill me! Spare
me-
The words are faint, but distinct.
They are doubtless spoken At dis
lance from the telephone.
If horror could be gathered like cleo
tricity, what l feel would he equal to
thousand volts. Some one is being
murdered-a woman. She has tried TO
call me. and the brute has dragged her
from the telephone. And l stand here
paralyzed, no hope of saving her, not
even Il chance of learning who is her
murderer.
/ can family distinguish the words,
where is the money!" and the reply:
In a stocking in the closet Take it
all
A footStcp and the opening of a
door The woman must have taken
advantage of the turning of the rob-
ber's back. for suddenly 1 hear a
click and the words:
Il am being robbed and shall be
murdered. Mrs. PoGram. The man
is
He has dragged her away again.
Great heavens. What can l do: The
Pograms live five miles from any 9th
er farmer. l might call the telephone
office and report the horror to them,
but what good would it do? 1t would
not be possible for any one to reach
the PogramS i'll less than half an hour.
let go my throat
1t is the brutc'S coarse voice.
y grOan-the last sound sent over the
wire by a dying woman.
One more sound, but it is only the
closing of Il door. After that all is
still. No. there is the ticking of Il
clock
'Central,' l call. Central" l ring
and call till get an answer.
Mrs. PoGram. on the Alpha road.
has been murdered. Get up IL posse at
once to go there Look out for man
with gold on him and possibly mark
of fingers on his throat. / will be
with you as soon "a l can saddle a
horse"
Ten minutes later l ride up to a
hamlet to find three men standing by
their horses and two others leading
theirs from the stables. We mount
and ride 10 the Pograms, dash into the
house. and there in the broad hall
woman lies pierced TO the heart
Up to this moment there has been Il
hope of finding her alive. Now that
is gone. With one accord we bend our
wits ana our energies To the task Of
finding her murderer. Leaving one of
the posse nj the house. we remOunt
and dash away in different directions.
We are we'll armed and proceed singly
so as to cover more ground.
Ahead of me is a tramp. Hearing
my horses hOofs. he looks back. When
l reach him l turn his pockets inside
ont and look for marks on his throat.
His pockets contain only q few cop
pCrS and his throat is clear.
\ shot, the signal on which we have
agreed. on the road to my left. l let
down some rails and ride over there.
Two of our posse are riding up at the
same time. Amos Baker is holding his
horse with one hand while he covers
an ugly looking man with the other.
We empty his pockets, but find nothing
OF value. l knock him under the chin
TO make him hold his head up. and
there on the throat is-not finger
marks. but 4 scratch.
somehow l am confident that We
have the right man, and we take him
TO the POgramS. ON finger of the dead
woman IS ring. the stone of which is
turned in toward the palm of the
hand. There are five little prOngs
which hold the stone. one of which has
been broken and presents a sharp
point. There is n reading glass on the
table in the living room which reveals
something. one can't see what. on the
broken prong. We telephone for q
doctor to come with his microscope
He comes and discovers particles OF
skin and an infiuitesimal quantity of
blood.
Shall we finish the job or turn the
man over to the authorities? We re-
tire for consultation and hit upon a
device to gain more proof. Being sure
he had hidden the gold he had taken,
we decide TO give him his choice be-
tween two alternatives. If he Will tell
us where TO find the gold we will turn
him in 10 be tried by law. If not. we
will swing him TO Il tree then and there