The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-23

They'll hear som ething, shougn, befC re
! / get through with them. Now that's
about everything, unless you think of
something. What do you make of it?'
Nothing as yet. II 81 out snt, take
look at the house Has anything
been disturbed?''
It's just as we found 1t. except that
the coroner has ordered the body re-
moved. I'll take you and NJ. Sexton
right out in my auto If you wish
At the Hoppington number we found
one of those square red stone mansions
typical of the period Immediately fol-
| lowing the fire. A wide reception hall
| in the center opened onto a drawing
room on the left and library on the
right. II was the latter room which en-
gagged our principal attention. 1t was
d large. square room. finished i'm black
walnut, and furnished with an eye to
harmony and taste rather than to dis
play in antique walnut furniture and
Oriental rugs. A dark red stain upon
one of these. magnificent Daghestan,
before the fireplace, told mutely of the
tragedy ii had witnessed. There was
the knife, hunting tool of much usage.
still sticking through the table top, and
heap of broken glass on the hearth
but aside from these and slight dis
arrangement of the rugs such as the
police themselves might have made.
there were no signs of such a struggle
as man of Hoppington's known Drawn
would be expected to make in the de-
Tense of his life.
The dining room in thA rear of the
library showed nothing unusual but she
natural disorder of an upset household
Opening off the dining room on the
right was a small conservatory. This
was devoted exclusively to orchids, ard
from my limited knowledge of these
plants | judged the collection to be an
exceedingly fine one.
"Ah. he was fancier of orchids.
see" remarked Clarke.
Yes" replied the chief IT believe il
was his greatest hobby. But don't you
want to interview the servants?"
Clarke. however. was oblivious to
everything in the study of the plants
before him. He went from bank 10
bank. peering at the long, unpronounce-
able scientific names like a beagle on
fresh scent. One bank so absorbed
his attention that he seemed TO forget
absolutely the presence of the .hief and
myself. / heard him running over the
names aloud and he finally took from
his pocket notebook and began TO
copy them down in it. When this was
finished he looked up.
May l ask. Chief. how you qualified
for the position of head of a police de-
partment?"
We'll" answered Ship, taken aback,
that's funny question. BY expert
ence, of course. from walking a beat
up"
Then allow me to suggest that you
made mistake. You should have de-
voted your attention to the study Of
orchids" and Clarke closed his note
book and put it in his pocket.
la
sure | don't know what you are talk
ing about, but if you're looking for
clews there are the knife and the slip
per, that are worth more than all your
old orchids put together Cor my pur-
poses"
Yes, and they have told you all they
can tell you and you are stumped
Now what would you say if | told YOU
that l can lay my hands on the man
who used that knife and the woman
who bore that shoe within the hour?
And the credit will all be yours
The chief waXed grandiloquent at the
prospect of such a coup as solving so
famous case out of hand.
Il would say, Mr.. Clarke" he said
pompously, that the sincerest thanks
OF the police department of Chicago will
be due you"
Just then the lieutenant in charge of
the ohuse stepped up to his superior
and handed him a cable envelope The
chief took ii and read il hastily In
stantly a puzzled look came into his
face and his manner toward Clarke
changed visiby as he turned and said:
But ! trust we will not need your
services. / just have clew that seems
TO clear the situation up considerably
and 1 am sorry to have bothered you
about what seems after all to be a
trivial matter"
All right" returned Clarke. know
ingly. Then we will bid you good
morning. Come. Sexton
Once out of the house. Clarke ex-
claimed:
Quick. Sexton. a cab. Well beat the
chief at that little game"
hailed passing hanson and Clarke
directed the driver to get to the Audi
forum hotel in the quickest possible
time.
You see it. do you not?" ne asked
/ confessed that l saw nothing at ALL
The cablegram. The chiefs sudden
change of heart. It's the reward
noticed by the morning papers that all
of Hoppington's money will go to Ber-
tie Hoppington. his nephew, who is a
young blade in London. He evidently
has cabled the chief. And the amount
well, il must have been large to bring
that look of cupidity into the eyes of
one who doubtless has touched many
fat pickings. Now what is the first
number that comes into an English
mans mind? It's a thousand pounds.
isn't it? So | should say the reward
is not less than $1,000"
"And can you really lay your hands
on the couple within an hour?"
"Oh, of course il is always well to
make these things strong when talking
to one of the chiefs caliber. but here is
the case as / see il. 1t may need sew
eral revisings before we come to the
end. / admit. when confronted with the
evidence of the knife through the ia
BILE, the blood-stained slipper and the
mysterious telephone call. to say moth
ing of the drugged wine and the ser
wants carefully rendered hors de COM
bat, / couldn't see a ray of light from
them. 1t was evident Hoppington had
been entertaining a man and a woman;
that either he disposed of the SER
wants himself in order to carry out
some criminal design of his own or else
that he was tricked into doing il as
part of the plot that was his undoing.
THE knife thrust through the table