Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-25

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/ He lost his composure altogether
then. put my back against the door
and waited for him to get himself IN
hand.
..There was q women" persisted.
"and what is more, Wardrop, at this
minute you believe she took your Rus.
sia leather bag and left substitute"
He fell into the trap.
"But she couldn't" he qnavered.
"I've thought until my brain is going,
and don't see how she could have
done it,
He became sullen when he saw what
he had done, refused any more infor'
nation, and left almost Immediately.
Fred came soon after this, and In the
meantime had made some notes ike
this:
4. Examine warehouse and yard.
2. Attempt to trace Carter.
8. See station agent at Bellwood.t
4. INQUIRE Wardrop's Immediate
past.
s. Take Wardrop to Doctor Ander-
son, the specialist.
6. Send Margery violets.
~ CHAPTER XVI.
Burton's idea OF exploiting Miss
James disappearance began to bear
fruit the next morning. went to the
Office early, anxious to, get my more
pressing business out Of the way, to
have the afternoon with Burton to. In
spect the warehouse. At nine o'clock
came call from the morgue.
"Small woman, well dressed, gray
hair?'' repeated. II think I'll go up
and see. Where was the body found ?"
..In the river at Monica Station" was
the reply. There Is scar diagonally
across the cheek to the corner Of the
mouth"
"A fresh injury?"
'No, an old scar"
With breath of relief | said 1t was
not the person we were seeking and
tried to get down to work again. But
Burton's prophecy had been right.
Miss Jane had been seen in hundred
different places: one perhaps was
hight; which one?
A reporter for the Eagle had been
working on the case all night; he came
in for a more detailed description OF
the missing woman, and he had
theory, to fit which he was quite ready
to cut and trim the facts.
"It's Rowe" he said confidently
"You can see his hand in it right
through. was put on the Benson kid
mapping case, you remember the boy
who was kept for three months ir a
deserted lumber camp in the noun
tains? Well, sir, every person in the
Benson house swore that youngster
was in bed at midnight, when the house
was closed for the night. Every door
and window bolted in the morning, and
the boy gone. When we found Rowe
after the mother had put on mourn
ing-and found the kid, ten pounds
heavier than he had been before he
was abducted. and strutting around like
a turkey cock, Rowe told us that he
and the boy took in the theater that
night, and were there for the first act.
How did he do it? He offered to take
the boy to the show if he would pre-
tend to go to bed, and then slide down
a porch pillar and meet him. The boy
didn't want to go home when we found
him"
There can't be any mistake about
the time in this case" commented.
II saw her myself after eleven, and
said good night" /.
The Eagle man consulted his note
book. ooh, yes" he asked; "did she
have diagonal cut across her cheek?"
mo" | said for the second time.
NV next visitor was cabman. On
the night in question he had taken
small and very nervous old woman
to the Omega ferry. She appeared ex-
cited and almost forgot to pay him.
She carried small satchel, and wore
a black veil. What did she look like?
She had gray hair, and she seemed to
have a scar on her face that drew the
corner Of her mouth.
AT 10 o'clock l telephoned Burton:
"For heavens sake" I said. ''if any
body has lost little old lady in a
black dress, wearing black veil, car
rying a satchel, and with scar
diagonally across her cheek from her
eye to her mouth, I can tell them all
about her, and where she Is now"
That's funny he said. We're stir.
ring I'D the pool and bringing up things
we didn't expect. The police have been
looking for that woman quietly for a
week: she's the widow of coal baron.
and her son-in-laws under suspicion OF
making away with her."
"Well he didn't" affirmed. She
committed suicide from an Omega ferry
boat and she's at the morgue this
morning"
Bully" he returned. keep on;
you'll get lots Of clues, and remember
one will be right"
1t was not until noon. however, that
anything concrete developed. In the
two hours between, had interviewed
seven more people. I had followed the
depressing last hours ofthe coal baron's
widow, and jumped with her, mentally,
into the black river that night | had
learned to buy cyanide of potassium
at the drug stores on the same street.
and Of tall. light woman who had
taken room for three days at a hotel
and was apparently demented.
At twelve. however. my reward
came, Two men walked in. almost at
the same time: one was motorman.
in his official clothes, brass buttons and
patches around the pockets. The other
was taxicab driver. Both had the I'M
certain gait of men who by occupation
are unused to anything stationary
under them, and each eyed the other
Al t ~