Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-01-18

L II IoSrey was JOKING. HOW
IsiFss1y could that tangle of hap
Gs&sg hazard clippings tell any
story? And if they did, how could it
be connected with the one which we
We're trying to decipher? Then, at a
second glance, saw how in deadly
earnest he was. There could be no
doubling it. He had read into them
some meaning which had failed utter.
~ to see.
l sat down in my chair again, my
nerves a-quiver; at last we We're on
the verge Of success.
"Well, let's hear it, 1 said.
II intend that you shall-wait til! 1
get them arranged. Ill build up the
story as go along, and 1 want you to
ask any questions or point out any de-
fects that occur to you. OF course it
will be only a study in probabilities,
but between us 1 think we can get it
pretty straight"
He got up from the desk with the
clippings in neat little pile and sat
down in the chair facing mine. He
took a meditative puff or two before
he began.
"We'il have to start with few gen
eral observations" he said at last.
cts evident that Thompson wouldn't
have carried these clippings around
with him for so long unless they in
some way concerned him. It's evident
that Miss Croydon would never have
dared to take them unless she was
pretty certain that they somehow Vi
tally concerned her. It's evident that
Tremaine wouldn't have taken so
much trouble to look for them unless
he was mighty anxious to find them.
We arrive, then, at our first conclu-
sion-namely, that these clippings nee
essarily shed some light upon the trag-
edy recently enacted in this room and
upon the connection of these people
with each other"
YES" I agreed; "unless all these
people We're mistaken in their estimate
of the value of the clippings"
THAT, of course, Is possible, but
don't think it probable. At any rate,
let us disregard that suggestion for
the moment and proceed along the 9TH
er line. What light is it possible for
these clippings to shed on the murder
Of Thompson2 Obviously it must be
only by explaining motives. The ma
Jority of them seem to be concerned
with the adventures of Il Frenchman
who goes under various names, but
who, ! am sure, is one and the same
person. BE must. then, be either Ire
maine or Thompson, But Thompson
was evidently not Frenchman, and
Iremaine pretty evidently is, though
his contact with the world has served
to rub away a good many of the
marks. think we're pretty safe,
therefore, in assuming that the
Frenchman of these clippings is Ire
maine. AS we 80 on l believe we'll
find some internal evidence confirming
this. You agree with me thus far?"
Perfectly" l said, admitting your
first premise that these clippings are
really concerned with the case"
'That, too, believe, We'll soon be
able to prove by internal evidence. OF
course, If they haven't any connection
with it, they'll soon lead us into chaos
But there's another thing. We mustn't
expect too much from them. We
mustn't expect a story complete in all
Its parts-its bound to be fragmentary
The wonder is that Thompson succeed.
ed in keeping this many links in the
chain. Maybe in his more prosperous
days he had mania for clippings. AT
best we mustn't be disappointed If
there are long gaps in the story"
Yes" | agreed again. That's evil
dent enough"
every well. Well begin with the
clippings, then, substituting Tremaine's
name for the one used. The first clip.
ping Is merely a marriage notice, an.
nouncing that on the 23d of August
1888, Tremalne married one Terese
Bertigny at Dieppe. Let me see. Ire
maine was then probably about twenty
years of age. No doubt he was born
at Dieppe, SO that the name given here
Victor Charente, Is his real one You'll
notice that he's retained his first name
which Is Il bit of corroboratiye evil
dence."
"Or mere coincidence" supple
mented.
I'll wire our correspondent al
Dieppe to look up this Charente. Per
haps he can get a photograph. That
would settle the question"
/ nodded. Yes, that would settle it
for Tremaine at forty was probably moi
greatly different from Tremaine al
| twenty.
"The second clipping" proceeded
Godfrey, ''shows us that our hero soor
wandered from the straight and mar.
row path, and gives us, too, a little
| light upon his personal history. In the
spring following his marriage-Apri
16, 1854, to be eXact-whlle assistant
manager of the ship supplies house OF
| Briquet Freres, he absconds with 10000
francs. He is believed to have gone tt
America, to have been struggled out Of
the harbor by friendly American cap
tain. Surely, 1t is not impossible" he
added, chat this friendly American
captain was Thompson"
Every few things are impossible" ]
commented. l began to be impatien
with Godfrey. He was permitting his
prejudice against Tremaine to war;
his Judgment.
"Well, We'll keep that for hypothe
sis, anyhow" And he turned to thu
third clipping. ''rhis," he continued
Shows us that he indeed came t.
America. 1t is dated July %, 1885, an(
states that young Frenchman and ;