Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1909-08-04

TOUR persons, all strangers
to one another, met in front of the
house numbered 76 One of these
individuals was a Russian rag-picker,
another had the appearance of an
Irish working woman, the third
looked as If he might be an Italian
barber, and the last, by his man
ner, cast of features and the me-
LANCE of perfumes radiated by his
clothing, could only be an American
drug clerk. Precisely at the moment
when these types of a cosmopolitan
civilization were about to pass the
house pistol shot rang out from it,
closely followed by a scream, which
stopped suddenly before it was fin
ished, as if it had been stihed. AL
-FOUR or the pedestrians halted, star
Ing up at the window on the first
hoor. Then the Russian shifted his
bag to the other shoulder, said: nit
chevo" Git is nothing), and walked on
putting his cigarette; the Irish woman
began to cry out and call upon the
saints; the barber ran away to the
police station, and the American, dart
ing up the steps, rang the bell flu
riOusly.
There was sound within of creak-
Ing boards and rustling, as if a num-
Der or women were hurriedly descend
Ing the stairs, and the young man ex-
pected the door to be opened at once,
but the noises died away and the
house became still He shook the
door, but it was of oak, well-built and
solid and he could make no impress
sion on it. With only the slightest
hesitation he put his elbow through
the glass of the bay window at the
side of the steps, reached in, unfas-
tened the catch, pushed up the sash
and crawled into the parlor. There
the first object to meet his astonished
eyes was an old woman fast asleep in
a corner, her arm chair facing the
old-fashioned doorbell which. at the
end Of its long coil of fiat steel spring,
was still jangling noisily with the en-
ergy his own arm had communicated
to 1t. On table at the woman's side
lay an ear trumpet of exaggerated
dimensions.
Excited and alarmed he threw her
an impatient glance and then rushed
out and up the stairs. On the first
landing he heard means, and through
the open doorway of the front cham
Der saw the body of a man on the
floor, blood flowing from a. wound in
the temple, while a large revolver lay
across the threshold of the rom. Ex-
cept for one overturned chair and a
rumpled couch-cover the apartment
was in perfect order, it's peaceful as
pect and its luxurious furnishings
forming an incongrous setting for the
tragedy.
AS the stranger sprang to assist the
wounded man the deaf woman came
hurrying up in pursuit of him.
isn't there anybody but us in this
house?"
No" she answered. "All my lod-
gers are men, who are away down
town during the day-except Mr..
Hines here, who is in and out at all
times. lie is wealthy and does no
business"
Then he raised his voice: "You say
Mr.. Hines had one visitor-was it a
man or woman?"
"A man-Mr. Wells Clements. the
young society millionaire of Common
wealth avenue" She was conspicu-
ously proud to mention the fact of
such an aristocratic caller at her
house.
AT that moment the doorbell rang.
On opening the door Mrs. Rogers
found the doctor standing there with
two policemen and another individual.
who proved to be a detective.
While the doctor began to work on
the patient the officers listened to the
story of the young man. He told in
few words what Mrs. Rogers had
said and what little he personally
knew of the matter, laying stress on
the fact that he had certainly heard
sounds in the hall as if at least two
women with rustling skirts were hur-
rying up or down stairs, stepping
several times on loose and creaking
boards. Then the policemen separat-
ed to search the house, the young man
left his card and returned to his bust
ness. while the detective occupied
himself with an examination of the
victim and his room.
How bad is it?" he asked the doc
tor in a whisper. He was a short.
heavy. clean-faced man, deliberate in
speech and manner, Symonds by
name.
Il can't tell yet. He is stunned. and
there's slight fracture of the skull.
haven't finished looking him over
yet"
symonds peered into the thin, young
face moment and then entering an
inner room. which was evidently
study, began without computations to
read the opened letters which he
found on the desk. In one short note
he found the following. dated the day
I before:
Dear Hinesy: I'll see you to-mor-
row at three. or a little before Can
stay only a minute-engageme So