Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-09-17

To her horror she found round the
throat strong thin copper wire, which
disappeared through hole i'll the floor.
Apparently this had been pulled so
tightly as to keep the head down and
to choke the old man. and so cruelty
as to cut deeply into tie flesh. With
moan of horror Deborah dropped the
head and ran to the trapdoor in the
corner. If anywhere, those who had
murdered Aaron Norman We're lurking
in the cellar. But the trapdoor would
not open, and then she remembered
| that it was closed by Il bolt underneath.
! She could not reach the midnight as
sassin that way.
THE front door," she gasped, and
ran to unbolt it. The bolts were easily
removed, but the door was also locked,
and Aaron usually had the key depOs-
| tied nightly in the cellar by Bart Re
pugnant as it was for her to approach
the dead body, Deborah again went
| forward and felt in the pockets and
loose clothing. The man was COM
| pletely dressed, even TO an overcoat
| which he wore. But she could not find
! the key and wondered what she was
| to do. Probably the key had been
hung up in the cellar as usual. Neces-
sity being the mother of invention, she
remembered that the window glass
was fragile and ran up in the hope OF
| breaking through. But the stout shut
! tiers were up, so Deborah found that
she was sealed in the house.
| Almost in state of distraction, for
by this time her nerve had given way,
she unlocked the door to the stairs and
ran up, three steps at a time. to the
sitting room. Here she opened the win
dow and scrambled out onto the ledge
| among Sylvia'S flower pots. Just as
she was wondering how she could get
down the measured tread of q police
man was heard, and by craning her
neck Deborah saw him coming leisure
~ along the street, swinging his dark
lantern on the windows and doors. 1t
was moonlight night and the street
was extraordinarily we'll lighted, as the
| moon shonc straightly between the
houses. Gathering her strength for Il
last effort, Deborah yelled as only she
could yell and saw the startled officer
spinning round, looking up and down
and sideways to see where the shrieks
came from. "Up-up-Oh, look up, you
foolr' screamed Deborah. Murder
oh, murder. Burst i'll the door! Call
the police, drat you! Help! Help!'
By this time she was the center of a
circle of bright light, for the police
man had located her and his lantern
| hn,. fr,tnt
as she chung to the window sill.
What are you making that noise
for?" called up the officer gruffly.
Murder. you fool.' screamed Debo-
rah Masters murdered. No. 45-the
doors locked-break it open. Police!
Po!icer'
Before she finished the sentence the
officer blew his whistle shrilly and ran
to the door of the shop, against which
he placed his shoulder. Deborah climb
ed in again by the window and ran
down again, but even then. in her ex-
element and horror, she did not forget
to lock the door leading to the stairs
so that Sylvia might not be disturbed
AS she descended she flung a thick
shawl over her shoulders, which she
had caught up when leaving her room
though for the rest she had nothing or
but a nightgown. But the poor woman
was too terrified to be troubled by any
scruples at the moment and reached
the shop to hear heavy blows on The
door. Between the thuds Deborah
could hear footsteps running inward
from every quarter 81 amt got tn,
key" she shrieked through the keyhole
Break in the door, drat you! Murder
| Murder
From the noise she made those with
out concluded that some terrible crim'
was taking place within and re
doubled their efforts. Deborah hat
just time to leap back after a fina
scream when the door fell fiat Oh
the floor, and three policemen spran;
y into the room with drawn batons an,
= their lights flashing like stars Tn
), lamp was still on the floor shedding
~ its heavy yellow light on the corpse
g "Masterr' gasEed Deborah, pointin
a shaking finger. "Dead-the-the ce
lar-the"- and here she made as t
= drop. a policeman caught her in hi
: arms; but the woman shook hersel
free. 81 sha'n't faint-no-I sham
faint" she gasped, "the cellar-look-
- look She ran forward and raise
. the head of the dead man. When th
20 officers saw the dangling slack wiz
~ disappearing through a hole in th
= floor they grasped the situation. 9TH
:, passage outsider cried Deborah,
rpctiug oDnr atiOnS. "the traDdOOr
=, she ran to ", fast bolted below, an
NJ them murdesing people are there"