Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-05-11

That's deViliSh funny" muttered
Cheney as he went over the case.
| why couldn't those death claim pa
pers have been signed here? DR..
Wilmarth should have seen that
corpse" Cheney determined to take
DR.. Wilmarth into his confidence, and
| did so. The doctor was more than
willing to help him.
One morning short time later they
| quietly slipped out of Torreon and
that afternoon were in Guarda They
called on Drs. Beltram and Aguiles
| They were good enough doctors and
| evidently honest in their statements.
In answer to question by Cheney
DR.. Beltran said:
Eyes, he and DR.. Aguiles had at
tended Juan Silva. He had virulent
typhus fever and after few days
sickness he suddenly died. That was
all they knew of the case"
Not much, is it, DR.. Wilmarth?"
said Cheney.
mo, and / am prone to believe the
Doctors
Nov for the undertaken
and he was a shifty Mexican.
Isl, senior, he had buried Juan Sill
va; such grand senior he was!"
Cut that, please, senor," snapped
Cheney. "You are sure the body was
that of Juan Silva?"
"Ah, gracias DID, senior, have l not
known Juan Silva for many years?
ST, 81, it was his body, there could be
no mistake
Where did you bury him?"
"At Dolores, on the hill yonder.
senor.'
Not much was made out of San
chez, and Cheney and Wilmarth left.
Doctor" said Cheney, I'm going
to have that body exhumed. l know
it won't be in very pleasing state,
but you can perhaps tell whether the
body is that of the man you examined
for insurance"
unless there is a marked discrep-
ancy between the corpse and the
Juan Silva / examined, I may have
trouble in making an Identification
but we shall see"
permission to have the body exhumed.
but a judicious use of money and
moral suasion won out. Two husky
poems were hired and Cheney sent for
Sanchez, the undertaken, but he had
disappeared. The party went to the
cemetery and after more trouble
found the grave of Juan Silva.
Cheney and DR.. Wilmarth sat down
in the shade of a tree while the poems
dug They even smoked corn husk
cigarette or two, so common in Mex
leo. Mexican poems will work just
SO fast and no faster, and it was slow
work waiting. But finally their SHOW
els struck the coffin box and little
later it was lifted out and placed I'M
der tree Only a few minutes were
needed to remove the screws, expos
ing the casket. When the lid was lift
ed and the contents exposed, DR.. Will
marth said:
well, by God, colonel, the body has
been destroyed by quick lime!"
Cheney looked. The detective was
uppermost now. A few quick motions
and the entire top of the coffin was
off. There was a mass of quick lime
and matter exposed, but all semblance
of a human body was gone. A few
strands of dark hair at the head, the
dim outline of a body, and the leather
sole Of a shoe at the foot were all
that remained.
Look at your medical report, quick,
doctor How tall was the man you
examined?"
"Six feet one; weight, 1872 pounds"
A tape line came out Of Cheney's
pocket and he carefully measured
from the hair to the sole, following
the outline of where the body had
lain.
Five feet nine, DOCTOR" he said.
81 thought so. A case of substitution,
by all that's good. Now to nab the
birds. Well have them by tomorrow
night"
DR.. Wilmarth had lived SO long in
Mexico, he was somewhat imbued with
the prevalent Manana spirit, but his
American blood rose rapidly under
the influence of Cheney.
The next morning about 1870 they
rode up to the Silva hacienda.
"Senorita Silva at homer he asked
a servant.
Isl, senior, ST." and in few min
utes Senorita Maria Silva appeared on
the porch.
"BuenOs Dias, senors," she said, in
the soft language of old Mexico.
Wont you sit dOwn?"
Thank you, senorita," said Che
ney, raising his hat. "Dr. Wilmarth
and ! represent the life insurance
company in which your brother Juan
was insured"
At the mention of the name Juan"
the senorita raised her dark eyes to
heaven, made the sign of the cross
and murmured; ''Madre de Dios."
Under his breath Cheney muttered
"hypocrite, and continued:
Eyes, senorita, | have come down
from New York TO settle the claim"