The Ordway new era., 1908-10-23

dead In his apartments near the hos.
pital early this morning \ knife Of
oriental design. imbcddcd by the force
OF terrific blow In his breast, was
plainly the cause Of his death. As 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 II was
delivered seem to suggest murder pr
| Ranthan was said TO be quiet and un.
assuming and without known enemies"
That's enough" said Clarke If
you read the whole story. 1t will leave
nothing for me TO tell Here is the
case AS saw It.
Ten years ago | was serving as an
inferno in Bcllcvuc. In this capacity
met DR.. John X. Ranthan. lie inter.
ested me at once: first because of his
immense staturc-hc was six feet five
and modelled in pToportiOn-and next.
for the reason that he was pursuing
special work along lines that interested
phenomena of the mind and
senses.
I'VE could not agree. however. He
was theorist. while he called me n
gross materialist."
when YOU have seen the things
that have seen. he often roared out
to mo In his thunderous voice, you
will believe. | have seen an Indian
yogi take tibia and maicralizc the
complete oody. raimcnt and all What
do you think of that bringing his
ponderous fist down on the table until
the windows ratified.
"'What would you say If you saw
me materialiZc from this skull the body
of her whose face forms the handle
what would YOU say to that? Ha.
"'I should like to see that an
swered
"'Ah, but you should have seen her
In the fcsh,' 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 n mountain maid
of Gurhwal. and she had been up TO
Simla once and seen life. When tod
her of the great world beyond, where
the shadows of the Ilimalayas fell not,
her bosom heaved and her eyes
flashed like those of the she-tiser
that had taken that year toll OF
hundred lives in the foothills. She
left the mission and the hali-cas'e
Hindu who had dared lift MS eyes
toward her glorious self and came
with me-"
".And them asked" continued
Clarke.
"And then she died. For two short
months / showed her in the calcutta
bazaars. Paris, London, New lorh'
were denied the light
"A few days later bolted into Kan.
than's apartments after book he had
promised me. l had not been accus-
toned to knock, and as | opened the
door | 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, l am alone, Oh
course. The book is in that room'
Just step right in"
"The next night | was calling on
DR., Cartwright, whose rooms were III
rectly below Ranthan's. had seen
Ranthan go up alone; in fact l hau
walked over from the hospital win
him. Soon we heard footsteps over,
head. the heavy elephantine tread o.
Ranthan, and then the light patter Oh
a gentler foot. Through faulty regis
ter we heard, also, Ranthan's steh.
torious voice alternated with a swee.
contralto. The conversation was IN an
unfamiliar tongue. but one aboundihs
in beautiful intonations.
".Come over at once, ne said;
Something's wrong with Ranthan. !
heard the crash DIVA falling 6oay
overhead. l can't raise him. Botn
his doors are locked 49,.
".suicide,' was the verdict OF 'ne
police. ...s .nev
SBdt Cartwright and both Knew
tbSl Rsnthan's hand never struck sns
.ts