Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1907-11-21
| ve Or Dead?'
The Strange Disappearance Of
Gerald Rathbone.
y ouv THoaM9.

nous increase OF scientific knowledge
It is only silly sentiment that does not
give the criminal to the surgeon. But
have 1t your own way William.
will forego the experiment. It is OBJ
vious that II the body is to be found
there must be no traces of anything
OF the sort. There would be post.
mortem, OF course"
Then what do you propose, Guest?'
.Let me smoke for moment and
think
He sat silent for two or three min
utes, with the heavy eyelids almost
5veiling the large, bister-colored eyes.
Then he looked up. His smile was
SO horrible In its cunning that
Gouldesbrough made an Involuntary
shrinking movement, But 1t was a
movement dictated by the nerves and
not BY the conscious brain, for, dread
full as was the thing Guest was about
to say. there was something in Sir
William Gouldesbrough's mind which
was more dreadful still.
The body shall be found" Guest
said, ain the river, somewhere down
Wrapping way. anywhere in the dense
" populated districts of the docks. It
shall be dressed In common clothes.
When 1t is discovered and identified
sIsknow how to arrange certain iden-
tificationit win be assumed that
Rathbone simply went down to the
slums and lost himself. There have
been cases known where reputable
citizens have suddenly disappeared
from their surroundings Of their own
free will. and dropped into the lowest
kind OF life for no explanable reason.
De Quincy mentions such case In
one OF his essays"
"Good. But how can It be done?
We can't carry body to Wrapping in
q brown paper parcel"
"Of course not. But has it not oc-f
CURED to you that we are close TO the
Regents canal? haven't worked
out the details: they will shape them
selves later on. But there are plenty
OF barges always going up and down
the canal. Certainly we can do the
thing; ills only question of money.
We have an unlimited command Of
money. But listen. Our body is still
alive. It will be quite easy for US,
with our knowledge, to treat this liv-
ing body with certain preparations
and I'M such "a way that when At is
dead II will present. all the appear
ance OF having: been skilled BY excess
in some drug. The post;mortem will
It, five keep it alive during
q month from from now we can make
It q morphia maniac to all appear
ance. We can inject anything we
like into this Rathbone and make him
4 slave to some drug, whether he
likes tsor not. 4, * 49, Ell
No. Guest. The really expert pa
biologist would discover it. It couldn't
be done In q month, 1t might in six.
The really expert pathologist won't
perform the post-mortem, William.
There are only ten in London! Some
local doctor Of the police will apply
the usual tests and discover exactly
what we wish him to discover. He
will analyze a corpse. He won't syn
thesize a history OF the corpse. Only
ten men In England could do that
with certainty. And you and | are
two Of those ten, though 1t is many
years ago since we gave up that sort
of work for physics. So you see your
object will be doubly served. The
actual death will be. proved and the
fellows life be discredited while the
apparently true reason Of his disap-
pearance will be revealed.
Sir William looked steadily at his
assistant. Your brain is wonderfully
SUFFICIENT, }" he said ut Is extraordin-
airy how It withstands the ravages Of
alcohol, Really my dear w ilson, you
are remarkable ulaI. All you say
Ii quite excellent. And, meanwhile.
have & proposal to make. I,
He suddenly rose from his chair,
and his eyes began To blaze with In
sane passion. He shook with 1t; his
whole face was transformed. IN his
turn he became abnormal. And just
IS the famous man had thought OF the
lesser & moment or two ago-had re-
garded him coldly and spoken Of him,
to- him, 90 d mind diseased SO now
the lesser. stimulated to spurious san.
lty for the moment. saw the light Of
mania n his chiefs eyes.
Guest saw the swift and terrible
drop into Tho horrible and the gro
tesqus. Hs realized that for i brief
moment 10 was master OF the situa.
non: 3sls.s q.
Ell ne. William he said, aand
what n your idea!
81 Gould sbroaigh stopped. He turned
toward Ills qtiestioner and shook u
long threlt ening arm III him
he said, .sall this time the
Inan Rathbone has never known Why
i ars keeping him H. prison. . .sssii
~ never seen seen ne. but DAY BY day
Du "
hin, up 81 the tolls 81 the chains
which he wear, ana hoisted him "a
20 the couch. And M this time, when
You have lifted tho cap upon III head 4
sthe naan has known nothing az the