The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-03-17
CHAPTER VIII

CHAPTER WILL
The warrant was served on the Har-
courts that morning at six o'clock
Out OF consideration for Mrs. Har-
court, whom her husband claimed was
delicate, and who really looked as
fragile as a piece Of porcelain. the
Harcourts were not removed to the jail
but a Gordon Of sleuths was appointed
to patrol their apartments. The hotel
management was sorely wroth. and
tried TO insist upon the departure of
the Harcourts. but Harcourt came
down handsomely with an enormous
amount of cash. and the Modified man
agement became less censorious. Ear
ly that afternoon. Mrs. Harcourt fell
very Ill with a seemingly malignant
fever-an outgrowth of their long resi-
dence in India, so her husband said
There was a brief preliminary hearing
at 2:30 in the Harcourt apartments.
My name is Harold Harcourt. and
1 live in the Hill district, in India, at
tested the witness. when called. 1
am 30 years OF age and have been mar
ried to my wife for the past six years.
She Is "a. and we have been travelling
for her health during the past two
years. following the accidental drown
Ing Of our baby son. My wife's mind
has never been perfectly clear since
the narrowing moment when she pulled
our dead son out of the clutches or
trsacherous pool. not fifty feet from
her bedroom window. At the advice or
physicians, we have gone from country
to country, seeking novelty and change,
hoping to restore her TO her normal
state. My occupation? Why. / have
none. 1 receive a large income from
inherited properties, so does my wife,
and Jointly we own several rich dia-
,nond mines. We never saw the young
woman. Miss Lancey. / believe her
name is, at ALL 1 am positive my wife
never did until last evening. Why we
should be held like this is incompre-
hensible to me. On this card you will
find the names of a number of London,
and Calcutta firms. who will give you
any references of me you may desire.
The night Of the murder of Cerisse
Wayne we were in Milwaukee as our
hotel bills and receipts will show. The
following afternoon late we arrived and
went to the Directory Hotel. That
evening I was trying to explain to my
wife some changes l was contemplate
ing in my Indian estate and was
sketching the plans with the idea Of
keeping her amused. as she had been
particularly fretful and nervous all
day. The room was close and insult
ferable with the smell of steam pipes
SO we had raised the window wide and
flung high the shade I drew out my
wallet to get a memorandum and In
doing SO pulled out by accident a little
photograph Of my wife that I always
carry with me. and some important
passports. The wind sent the curtain
flying and whisked these papers out
Of my hand / hurried to the window
and saw them light on an opposite fire
escape and tried to recover them AS
the hotel clerk has probably told you
the papers were not recovered"
Now. / trust. gentlemen. that my
wife and I will be allowed to proceed
without any further reference or en-
tanglement In This most undesirable
affair"
Wasn't there a letter dropped out
or your wallet?" asked Larry Morris
stepping forward IF you please. I'd
like to submit two exhibits in evil
dence." He produced the picture and
the letter that had been fished from
the fire escape and proceeded to relate
how they had been acquired
Harcourt's face flushed with pleas
ure at sight of the photograph When
the letter was handed to him he paled.
whether with fright or with anger, was
fndistinguishable.
This is an insult" he Kissed.
Whats your wife's name, Mr.. Har-
court?" asked the court.
My wife? Her name! Mrs. Har-
court. Of course"
Her first manner
"Narcisse."
Did you ever see this letter be
forer
The hotel register was brought into
the room. and as expert testimony
went to the effect that the signature on
the register Tailed with the conforma-
ton Of the writing not only on the let
ter that had been picked I'D In the
courtroom. but with those found I'm
the Wayne death chamber, Mr.. Har-
court was requested to make comics If
the documents and hand them 70 the
court He did this with great trepida-
ton, but the results were very un,,ka
the originals
A movement was begun to prove tba
Mr.. Harcourt had painfully disguised
his writing and the matter was thrown
to the experts again.
The mans garter Johnny Johnson
had picked up In the closet of NJ.
Wayne's room. and a second one. only
too plainly its mate, in the same gold
emerald and amethyst design. marked
with the initial H." that he had found
inside the threshold Of the Flanders
house at "a Briarsweet place. were
shown to Harcourt- He disowned these
emphatically and declared he had
never seen either of them before.
Larry Morris. sworn next. told OF the
the reasons for Betty's visiting the
Harcourt apartments-displayin sew
eral photographs and sketches that
had been made of the late Mrs. WAYNE.
remarking on the great similarity be-
tween the appear ances of the two
women, and begging the court to see
for itself
With Harcourt Indignantly tuning
comparison between the living wom-
an and the photograph was made. Mrs
Harcourt was in comatose state and
as she lay PROSTATE on the wide bed
death pale and with her hair half I'M
bound. the inquest of the preceding day
rose like a mirage, The quick and
the dead seemed one
Harcourt was bound over till the fall
term of court. No count was found
against his wife.
CHAPTER TX
When. two days later. Mr.. Henry d.
Franz. of Franz. Doubleday & Co.
Bankers. San Francisco. California, ar
rived, the Wayne murder mystery and
the unaccountable disappearance of
Betty Lansey were still in a chaotic
and unsolveable state. Likewise the
Man-Aperilla. His going was like his
coming-unseen by man. unknown and
all untraceable. Hamley Hackleye, too,
the strange lessee of "a Briarsweet
place was not to be found. The milk