Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-18
CHAPTER XXI.
Bv the Science of Deduction.

By the Science Of Deduction.
"Now,'' I remarked to Milbrath a half
hour later, after relating to him the ex-
periences just recorded. what do You
make Of the case?"
We had just left our rooms, after
brushing up bit, for short call at Red
Gables.
Milbrath hesitated.
"I've no capacity for deduction he
said, land at first I made nothing of it,
until. indeed, you spoke of the locked
door. From that it seems evident that
q third person is involved-La Cour, per-
haps."
$50 far, so good. But do the upset
chair. the position of the body. the char
acter of the burns on the coat, the fact,
indeed, that Arms was wearing coat,
tell no story to your
mo more than the very evident fact
that Arms was shot at close range. The
or after the shot was fired. SO far as
can see. or he may have upset 1t in fall
ing. I don't know what you mean by the
position Of the body
isn't the fact that the lining Of the
left-hand pocket was torn and singed
significant to your I asked, eagerly.
Milbrath pondered for moment, then
shook his head.
1T suggests nothing new to memo
theory as to the crime. AS Arms was
left-handed it is natural that the pocket
on the left side should show more wear
than the other. 1t was probably singed
before today"
We'll. to me those points mean every
thing. for they make it evident that Jim
Arms killed himself.
What cried Milbrath. TELL me how
you get at that" he added. with interest.
Il think the first suggestion came when
understood how Arms had fallen-that
is. how he lay when he was found, though
l was not conscious Of it at the moment.
AS you remarked. the way the material
was burned about the bullet hole showed
that the firing was done at short range
Everything had been taken from the
pockets of all the garments-the pockets
had been busted. even: but when / came
to the torn lining in the coat pocket /
felt warm, as children say. A careful
examination showed me that while the
lining had undoubtedly first given way
some time ago it's break had been added
to quite recently: for fully an inch and
half of the stuff had not yet begun to
fray Then I found the singed lining of
instant. l believe. recalled that Arms was
left-handed. Then as. involuntarly, l
raised the spot to see what my sense OF
smell would tell me of the age of the
fresh, I think that the solution OF the
situation came to me in an inspiration"
what is the solution?'
"Well, Arms had pistol in that
pocket With his hand in the pocket he
was endeavoring to free it from the hole
in the lining. in which it had caught,
when he stumbled on the chair and top
pied forward, throwing the chair at the
same moment In his effort to catch
himself he naturally threw out his left
hand The motion freed the muzzle of
the gun with jerk and caused the fresh
rent in the lining. At the same instant
his involuntary pressure on the Trigger
discharged a bullet. The powder singed
the lining of the flap, and the bullet,
which, had the man been standing erect.
would have sped off at an upward angle
from him into the room, found IT'S pas
sage blocked by the trunk of his body,
which had fallen forward. 1t took less
time to follow these steps than 10 de-
scribe them to you now
"Jove," cried Milbrath. its fortune
in itself to be able to use the thlhsS one
knows in that way. It's marvellous! He
CLAIMED me across the shoulders heartily
in boyish enthusiasm
I'm my case it's no gift: it's kilbourne's
tuition l said. and my thoughts ne" 10
the lonely man far out at sea.
"Rut bliss. there are several points
that YOU haven't made clear to me yet.
You've evolved satisfactory theory as
to the way Of Arms death. but why was
he trying to get at HIS BUN III 'iio nap
hazard wav that you have represented.
His mind did not seem to be on what he
was doing"
That's just it. His mind and his eyes.
who was driving him back against the
wall His attention was directed to-
ward this some one. but he was prepar-
ing to defend himself or to 1ntlmidate his
adversary"
And the some one was La Cour, you
Think?
undoubtedly. The fact that Arms
wore his coat at the time of the tragedy
indicated that he was dressed up.
would he make himself fine for Hors-
ford, for any of the neighboring farmers.
indeed. when it was his custom to go
| into the village in his blouse or his shirt
| sleeves? No; he was prepared to see
some one before whom he stood on his
good behavior. and whom he knew to ha