The Elbert County tribune., 1908-10-22

dead in his apartments near the hos
pital early this morning. A knife of
oriental design. imbedded by the force
of terrific blow in his breast, was
plainly the cause of his death Ks the
doors were all locked from within, the
first theory of the police was suicide,
but the angle at which the blow was
struck and the force with which it was
delivered seem to suggest murder. DR.
Ranthan was said to be quiet and un-
assuming and without known enemies I"
That's enough" said Clarke. "If
you read the whole story, it will leave
nothing for me to tell. Here is the
case as / saw it.
Ten years ago ] was serving as an
inferno in Bellevue. In this capacity /
met DR.. John r. Ranthan He inter
ested me at once; first because of his
immense stature-he was six feet five
and modelled in proportion-and next,
for the reason that he was pursuing
special work along lines that interested
me-phenomena of the mind and
senses.
I'VE could not agree. however. He
was a theorist while he called me a
gross materialist.''
when you have seen the things
that have seen.' he often roared out
to me in his thunderous voice, you
will believe. l have seen an Indian
yogi take a tibia and materialize the
complete oody, raiment and ALL What
do you think of that?' bringing his
ponderous fist down on the table until
the windows ratified.
"'What would you say II you saw
me materialize from this skull the body
of her whose face forms the handle
what would you say to that? Hal"
Ct" I should like to see that / an
swered
"'Ah, but you should have seen her
in the fesh,' he resumed meditative-
ly. God! but she was beautiful!
found her in the mission at Mus
soorie, but she was not born for the
hymn-singing trade. Her father was
French, her mother a mountain maid
of Gurhwal, and she had been up to
Simla once and seen life. When / told
her of the great world beyond, where
the shadows of the Himalayas fell not
her bosom heaved and her eyes
flashed like those of the she-tiger
that had taken that year a toll of a
hundred lives in the foothills. She
left the mission and the half-caste
Hindu who had dared lift his eyes
toward her glorious self and came
with me-"
"'And them asked" continued
Clarke.
And then she died. For two short
months I showed her in the Calcutta
bazaars. Paris. London, New York,
were denied the light"
"A few days later l bolted into Ran
than's apartments after a book he had
promised me. / had not been accus-
toned to knock, and as / opened the
door l heard the unmistakable swish
of skirts, and Ranthan stood before
me confused and sheepish. l missed
the silver skull from the table.
Pardon me, you are not alone !
said.
No-yes-that is, am alone, of
course. The book is in that room.
Just step right in"
Inc next night l was calling on
DIR. Cartwright, whose rooms were di-
rectly below Ranthan's. l had seen
Ranthan go up alone; In fact / had
walked over from the hospital with
him. Soon we heard footsteps over
head, the heavy elephantine tread of
Ranthan, and then the light patter of
Il gentler foot. Through faulty regis
ter we heard, also. Ranthan's stem
torious voice alternated with sweet |
The conversation was in an |
tongue. but one Astounding
in beautiful intonations.
"'Come over at once he said.
Something's wrong with Ranthan. /
heard the crash OF falling body
overhead. I can't raise him. Both
his doors are locked
Suicide was the verdict Of the
police.
But Cartwright and i both knew
hat Ranthan's hand never struck the