The Green Forest tribune., 1908-12-04


 < ,. j 5. :. :. z !. : $ .. : ]. ]: <. <. \ M1SN,A is the story of the assign \ ETo oNE \ ment I like best to remem- \ HKTAN E Der, not only because it re- HL2U d suited in the solution of \ fEEE=~5Y one of the most mysteri- \ Eg1na1 \ ous cases that ever arose 1ExExnnzaazH in Illiaois, but rather for the reason that it marked my first meeting with Carlton Clarke.
 It was in the summer of 1896 that the word came to the office of the Chi cago morning paper with which I was then connected that the police of the little city of Aurora were struggling with case which seemed destined to prove one of the greatest mysteries of the day. As I had met with considera- ble success in criminal cases, the man. aging editor lost no time in hustling me off by the first train to the scene of action
 The brief account in the first paper picked up, stripped of it's glaring headlines, was as follows:
 Early this morning a very mysterious tragedy occurred in the hall of the An cient Order of Persian Knights, a local secret society, which resulted in the al- most instant death of Dr. Arthur W. Win Hams. a prominent physician of this city. The initiation of Dr. Williams was in progress at the time. In one portion of the ceremony the candidate having been condemned to death for invading the cred domain of the shah. is ordered to load an old fashioned dueling pistol with powder and ball which are furnished him. He is then placed against the wall and aiGff f1 fit.E.A int 1irHaI member of the lodge holding the of flee of royal executioner. The powder provided the candidate has always been clever counterfeit made of pulverized anthracite coal and the only climax to the thrilling ceremony, heretofore, has been the fzzle of the percussion cap and the shouts of laughter of the lodge mem bers. Dr. Williams was an old hand at lodge work. As a consequence, none of the efforts of the Persian Knights to break down his nerve or self-possession had been successful. When he had load ed the pistol he faced Dr, Homer Smith, whose duty it was to fire the shot, and gazed into his eyes without a visible tremor. Suddenly the members of the lodge, about 200 of whom were present, were startled by a loud explosion. Dr. Williams fell forward with blood gushing from a wound in his forehead. Among the first to reach the stricken man was Dr. Smith, who had fired the fatal shot. He tried to stanch the blood but the bull let had penetrated the brain and Dr. Will Hams died in his arms without speaking. Chief of Police Darling, who is a prom inent member of the order, holding the office of royal astrologer, at once thought to secure the cup from which the pow der had been poured. A few grains re- maned. He tasted them. IL was unmis- takably black gunpowder. No arrests have been made and no one seems willing t-I-,1 NF rfr,er fJlr the tragedy was anything more than ac- cident due to the carelessness of some one in getting the counterfeit powder mixed with the real article.
 "Oh, those country correspondents" I fairly groaned. There was so much l wanted to know Who had handled the supposed counterfeit powder? What was the customary source from which the lodge procured it? What were the relations of the two physi- clans toward each other?
 Ut all depends upon the history of the powder" I said to myself as I stuffed the papers into my pocket
 "You are right, sir. It all depends upon the history of the powder''
 I turned around half in anger at this unlooked-for interruption to my train of thought. Whatever emotion I may have felt was instantly lost in interest in the face before me It was face I should have singled out among a thousand. Clean shaven the firmly moulded chin showed by it's slight tinge of blue that the beard, had it been allowed to grow, would have been black. The nose was aquiline and of perfect proportions. The intelligent eyes were dark almost to blackness The complexion was swarthy, but suf- fused with the glow of health The hair was of that distingue combination of colors, black, shading almost to white on the temples and over the forehead An American, evidently, but inheriting through several generations of New World ancestors the markings of southern Europe. His height I should have estimated at six feet Carlton Clarke really lacks three-quar- ters of an inch of the mark.
 You were saying that it all depends upon the history of the powder and I agreed that you had estimated the case correctly" repeated my neighbor.
 q have no recollection of saying anything of the kind, although I admit l was thinking it. I replied. May l ask how you defined my thoughts so readily?"
 "Oh, I noticed that you were study. ing the case from the papers. It took no second sight to see that you were not satisfied with the information you gained. I am going down on the case myself and doubtless I followed your chain of ideas which I am sure came to the only logical conclusion. trust there is nothing uncanny about it. But permit me to share your seat with you It is hard to converse over one ot these high backs"
 Whom do you represent at Auro.