Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-20
ate enough beefsteak for two men, and

said. Fleming used the Borough Bank
to deposit state funds in. He must have
known 1t was rotten: he and Clarkson
were as thick as thieves. According to
time-honored custom in our land OF
the brave and home Of the free, state
treasurer who is crooked can, IN sucn
a case, draw on such bank without
security, on his personal note, which
is usually worth it's value by the pound
as old paper"
"And Fleming did that?"
"He did. Then things got bad at the
Borough bank. Fleming had had to d.
vide with Schwartz and the Lord only
knows who all, but it was Fleming who
had to put in the money to avert q
crash-the word crash being synony-
nous with scandal in this case. He
scrapes together paltry hundred
thousand, which Wardrop gets at the
capital, and brings on. Wardrop is rob-
bed, or says he is: the bank collapses
and Clarkson, driven to the wall, kills
himself. Just after Fleming is muir
dered. What does that sound like?"
Like Clarkson!'' exclaimed. "And
Clarkson knew Fleming was hiding at
the White Cat"
"Now, then, take the other theory"
he said, pushing aside his cup. War
drop goes in to Fleming with story
that he has been robbed: Fleming gets
crazy and attacks him. All that is in
the morning Friday. Now, then-War-
drop goes back there that night. With
in twenty minutes after he enters the
club he rushes out, and when Hunter
follows him, he says he Is looking Tor
doctor, to get cocaine for gentle
man upstairs. He is white and trem-
bling. They 60 back together. and find
you there, and Fleming dead. ,Wardrop
tells two stories: first he says Flem-
ing committed suicide just before he
left. Then he changes 1t and says he
was dead when he arrived there. He
produces the weapon with. which Flem-
ing is supposed to have killed himself,
and which, by the way Miss Fleming
identified yesterday as her fathers.
But there are two discrepancies. War
drop practically admitted that he had
taken that revolver from Fleming, not
that night, but the morning before,
during the quarrel"
"And the other discrepancies"
''The bullet. Nobody ever fired
thirty-two bullet out of q thirty-eight
caliber revolver--unless he was try
ing to shoot double-compound curve.
Now, then, who does 1t look like?"
Like Wardrop," I confessed. BY
Jove, they didn't both do It,"
"And he didn't do it himself for two
good reasons: he had no revolver that
night, and there were no powder
marks"
"And the eleven twenty-five, and
Miss Maitland's disappearance"
He looked at me with his quizzicai
smile.
"I'll have to have another steak IL
I'm to settle that" he said. II can only
solve one murder on one steak. But
disappearance are my specially; per-
haps, If have piece of pie and some
cheese s5
But l got him away at last, and we
walked together down the street.
II can't quite see the old lady In It"
he confessed. "She hadn't any grudge
against Fleming, had she? Wouldn't be
likely to forget herself temporarily
and kill him."
Good Lord!'' 1 said. "Why, she's
sxty-five, and as timid and gentle a
little old lady as ever lived
"Curls?" he asked, turning his
bright blue eyes on me.
eyes" admitted.
wouldn't be likely to have eloped
with the minister or advertised for
husband, or anything like that?"
You would have to know her to I'M
derstand," said resignedly. but she
didn't do any Of those things. and she
didn't run of to join theatrical
troupe. Burton, who do you think was
in the Fleming house last night?"
"Lightfoot." he said succincty.
He stopped under a street lamp and
looked at his watch.
II believe I'll run over. to the capital
tonight" he said. while I'm gone ~
I'll be back tomorrow night or the
next morning. wish you would do
two things. Find Rosie O'Grady, or
whatever her name is, and locate Car.
ter. That's probably not his name, but
It will answer for a while. Then get
your friend Hunter to keep him In
sight for while, until ! come back
anyhow. I'm beginning to enjoy this;
it's more fun than picture puzzle.
We're going to make the police de-
partment look Nke kindergarten
PLAYING iackstraws.' !.
"And the second thing am to do?"
GO to Bellwood and find out few
things. It's all well enough to say the
old lady was meek and timid per-
son. but If you want to know her pc
culiarities 20 to her neighbors. When
people leave the beaten path, the
.neighbors always know it before the
families"
He stopped before drug store. ].
"I'll have to pack for my little jaunt. :
he said. and purchased toothbrush,
which proved to be the extent Of his
preparations. We separated at the sta
ton. Burton to take his red hair and
his toothbrush to Plattsburg, to take
a taxicab. and armed with page torn
from a classified directory to INQUIRE
at as many of the twelve Anderson's
drug stores as might be necessary to
locate Delia's gentleman friend, "the
clerk through him Della and through
Della, the mysterious Carter, "who was
not really butler.
It occurred to me somewhat tardily
that knew nothing Of Della but her
given name A telephone talk with