The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-11-10
tContinued.)

You can understand my perplexity
 when the vault was uncovered and the money and papers still failed us. There was no reasonable conclusion then save that robbery YVES the purpose of the murder There were footprints in the dust. but they told very little. ex- cepting that 1t was a man who had
 been there last. which was equivalent to determining that the robber was a man But I could find no man who knew of the vault I tested Horace and was convinced of his ignorance at the same time that found him the owner of a duplicate pistol to the one found in the vault. It was an easy matter to find where the pistols had been bought. for he had bought two. and also found out that he had only one at that time.
 My next step was that found the footprints those of a larger man than either of the Caldens. so that had Horace's pistol in the hands of the man who had robbed the vault. and that man a larger one than Horace or his father The vault moreover. had not been entered by force. but in the regular way. the work done in an orderly manner. and the vault closed when it wes done. A man who did not know the vault. even If he had the keys. must have buERled the job some where. and could not have proceeded. with the time at his command. so de- lTberately as to leave matters as they were. In brief. the stamp of familiar ity was everywhere. It was here that the fact Of Horace and Judith having arrived at the farm close on to 8 clock came in to help to measure the actual time between the murder and the completion of the robbery.
 "Of course. the identity of the foot prints with Altenburg's own boots was easily ascertained: but then footprints made with boots may mean very little. and especially In a case like this. for I soon learned that the man whom I should suspect. if could find that he was alive. was a man very close in sire to AltenburR. and one who would naturally wear much the same sized boot
 Next I found out that AItenburg had years before been insured. and I got hold of his application. Among the questions this form asked was for
 
 given by AltenburE was a scar on the left arm. just above the elbow. made by a man who attacked and attempted to rob him when he was cashier of Boston bank I then went to the vault and examined the body. only to find that there was no such scar. From that moment T was. of course. practi- calIy certain that AltenburK was the murderer I believed. too. that Clay ton was the victim. in spite of the evidence I seemed to get that he was dead"
 But what put you on Clayton's track. anyway asked Horace.
 The close association of Altenburg. at all times up to the time of his coming here. with Clayton. which confirmed during my trip to New York, Clayton had been Altenburg's clerk in the Venezuelan Syndicate. Whatever there was in life that was or-coior. Clayton was the man most likely to know of it. Now. what was a man. whom current report showed to be dead. visiting another SO secretly for? It smacked of blackmafl As I said to MT. Beckwith before. Aitenburg un- felt protected so long as the man didn't come to the house. where he kept his papers and money. When Mrs. Calden went away the fear of in coming to the house dis appeared and AltenburE at once put in B phone. Of course I was acting on the suspicion that AltenourE was the real defaulter. and that Clayton knew l t. as he was. if such was the case. | the man most likely to. I find that l he first part of this suspicion had | been gaining ground in New York for | some time.
 "of course. Clayton could scarcely | nave had Horace's pistol. unless he l had taken 1t from Altenburg after the but Altenburg could. quite | readily. have had 1t. if Horace had left f. during one of his visits to the house l
 Tt was Dr. Grimbleshaw. as you | know, who struck the tralf of Alten- | ourr'e escape. had failed to find | race of Billings during the days when | the murderer must have got away. but | now I know that when he returned the | Hrst time 1t was by way of the Cana | aian Pacific. and that he had just ar lived home and before any one knew | anything about the Altenburg murder. | when AltenburE came to him. and forced him. by threats coupled with | the promise of liberal pay. to take him | .o Canada. At this time Altenburg's | was shown. for 1t was he who made Billings take him by a | different route than the ordinary one, and this simple device helped material y to throw me orr the track. If he'd been as shrewd all the way through | ned have escaped. for the time at east. for 1t was simply his refusal to | pay the men who took him from St. what he had agreed to pay | hat led to the dispute and delay. but Tor which we could not have over aken him at the creek. and you know hat we would not have dared follow him farther into that nest of banditu. who were bound to have the robbing 1f him. dead or alive"
 When it came to parting with
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