The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1905-03-31
THE DICKENS CASE
IOriginal.l


his strangest case.
/. Il can give you the case worked mp
from the most remote clew," he said.
That's the Dickens ease"
Tell me about it"
Henry Dickens was a very rich OLD
man. He had daughter who mao
married against his will, and he was
supposed TO have disinherited her.
Some one Of several nephews and nieces
was supposed to be his heir. but no one
knew. One day he was found dead in
his bed with bottle of prussic acid
on the table beside him. A will was
found leaving d small part of his for
tune to his daughter, the rest to char
table. institutions.
"Cpinion was divided as to whether
he hsd been poisoned or murdered The
daughters husband, Edward Clarke,
took charge Of his effects Immediately.
and the first thing he did was to send
for me. l looked through the house.
picking up a bit of paper, half
burned match, vial-anything, every
thing that might possibly furnish a
clew In the kitchen I noticed some
white dust on the floor that looked as
II -four had been spilled and taken up,
leaving trace. One of the servants
told me that tin can of starch had
been left on table the night before.
IT was found where it had been left.
Of course took the bottle of prussic
acid, almost surrounded with the label
on which was in big rcd letters the
word Poison over skull and cross
bones.
Il confess that after looking through
everything. including the private let
ters and papers. was as much ut a
loss where to begin rs before entered
upon my work | did not suspect any
one. The daughter was very much cut
up over her fathers death, and her
husband told me that he suspected
that the old mans death was connect
cd with an abortve attempt on the
part of some one to get possession OF
his property. Since the daughter and
son-in-law got only Il small portion of
ii. there was not sufficient interest to
implicatG them.
The poison bottle examined with Il
mngnifying glass. There were traces
on it Of something colorless; l could
not tell what. 1t might have been II
powder softened by moisture. l took
the bottle TO Il chemist and asked him
to analyZc the substance OIL the label.
Taking off 4 very small piece of the la
NO inl Ia; IN, lub tow
while / waited.
"'Thcrc's starch in it, he said at
last.
'Stnrch?' repeated, thinking.
Starch? Where has starch turned up
IN this case? All, have it. Professor.
there was some starch spilled on the
kitchen floor
"Indecd? Well. whoever spilled
that starch may have grasped the bot
tie of poison
".'Can you test for it on the fingers
Of the dead man?'
Certainly
"'vcry well. re is to be buried ut
3 o'clock. 1t is now .. You had better
so at once
lie did So I going with him and
waiting below while he went upstairs
to make the test. When he returned
he reported that there was no trace of
starch OH the fingers of either hand.
80 far. 50 good. Probably the dead
man had not held the bottle which he
was supposed to have used to commit
suicide. but some ono else had held It.
some one who had upset Il tin can of
starch in the Kitchen. | went back
With the professor to his laboratory.
81 will develop this label Ii. said.
with iodine and see what result we
get
''IIe did so. and blue thumb and
two finger marks appeared. The part
where the two lower fingers had press
cd we had torn away in the first test.
Are the markings of the thumb and
fingers Of different people alike?' ]
asked.
81 think not. Investigators in that
line report that they are rs different as
the features of human faces
II was now in position TO bring
'''''"S PicSA HSaiuSt NlA OiIts SuS-
pectcd. But unfortunately there was
no especial reason to distrust any one.
Half dozen people had been In the
house within twelve hours before the
murder. had taken Il memorandum
Of their names and on looking it over
found no name Of any ono who could
have Ind the slightest intcrestfin the
death of Mr.. Dickens. | informed the
son-in-law of the condition of things,
and lie immediately insisted on his and
his wife's thumbs and fingers being cx-
amincd. This was done. and they were
found TO be entirely unlike those on
the bottle. From this time forward l
had valuable suggestions from the
daughter rs to those who possibly
might have been trying to secure her
fathers fortune. There were six of
them. ! called on each one separately.
and examined the thumb and fingers.
None of the marks agreed with those
on the label
1T was not till years afterward that
| finished the case. 1t was reported to
me that lunatic in a state asylum was
referring strangely to Henry Dickens.
| Went to SEQ him and nxon,;roa A.