Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-08-15
the burned wood pile. and besides

OF the burned wood pile, and besides
the charred organic remains they hud
secured several discolored metal disks.
examined them with care, and there
was no doubt that they were trouser
buttons. / even distinguished that one
of them was marked with the name Of
Hyams who was Oldacre's tailor. I
then worked the lawn very carefully
for signs and traces, but this drought
has made everything as hard as Iron.
Nothing was to be seen save that some
body or bundle had been dragged
through low privet hedge which is In
line with the wood pile. All that, of
course, fits in with the official theory.
l crawled about the lawn with an
August sun on my back, but / got up
at the end of an hour no wiser than
before.
well, after this fiasco I went into
the bedroom and examined that also.
The blood stains were very slight, mere
smears and discolorauons, but I'M
doubtedly fresh. The stick had been
removed, but there also the marks
were slight. There is no doubt about
the stick belonging to our client He
admits it. Footmarks Of both men
could be made out on the carpet, but
none of any third person. which again
is u trick for the other side. They
were piling up their score all the time.
and we were at a standstill.
"Only one little CLEAN of hope did l
get, and yet it amounted to nothing.
I examined the contents Of the safe,
most of which had been taken out and
left on the table The papers had been
made up into sealed envelopes, one or
two Of which had been opened by the
police. They were not, so far as I
could Judge, Of any great value, nor
did the bank book show that Mr.. Old
acre was in such very afluent circum-
stances. But it seemed to me that all
the papers were not there. There
were illusions to some deeds possibly
the more valuable-which could not
find. This, of course, If we could def
nitely prove It. would turn Lestrade's
argument against himself, for who
would steal thing If he knew that he
would shortly inherit it?
Finally, having drawn every other
cover and picked up no scent, tried
my luck with the housekeeper. Mrs.
Lexington is her name-a little, dark.
silent person, with suspicious and side
long eyes,. She could tell us something
| If she would l am convinced of it.
But she was as close as wax. Yes, she
had let Mr.. AIcFarlane in at half past
8. She wished her hand had withered
before she had done SO. She had gone
to bed at half past 10. Her room was
at the other end Of the house and she
could hear nothing Of what passed.
Mr. McFarlane had left his hat and, to
the best Of her belief, his stick In the
| hall She had been awakened by the
alarm of fire. Her poor, dear master
i had certainly been murdered. Had he
any enemies2 Well, every man had
enemies, but Mr.. Oldpre kept himself
very much to himself and only met
people in the way Of business. She had
seen the buttons and was sure that
they belonged to the clothes which he
had worn last night The weod pile
was very dry. for 1t had not rained
4 for month. 1t burned like undeH
and by the time she reached the spot
nothing could be seen but flames. She
and oil the flremen smelled the burn
ed flesh from inside 1t. She knew
nothing Of the papers nor of Mn Old.
acres private affairs.
~ ITO be continued,