Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-12-26
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was so deep in thought that there
was neither sight in my eyes nor hear
ing in my ears. Yet the eyes will not
be denied their rights. A feeling came
over me that some part of my brain
was trying to tell me something. It
came more and more forcefully. My
eyes were seeing something which
they we're trying to compel me to no
tice.
What was It?
pulled myself together with a start
and looked about me.
With an exclamation of horror 7
sprang from the bench and gazed into
the lake just in front of me. Floating
on the surface, not fifty feet from
where I had been sitting, was the
body Of woman.
"Other suicides, other suicides"-
Davis remark of two days before kept
jigging through my brain. Other sui
cides. Katharine, Elser, the woman
at Ardway-his prophecy had been
highland was this another in the
terrible chain?
I ran like mailman toward the
park entrance, where I remembered
l had passed a policeman. It was
with relief that I found him still
there.
There's woman-drowned- the
lake!" l gasped, pointing over my
shoulder.
He ran back to the lake with me
and together We waded out in the shall
low water where the body lay. In my
horror at the unexpected sight l had
not stopped to note her appearance,
nor could I have told whether she
was young or old, dark or fair.
| looked at her now with more than
interest-with feeling Of sorrow, of
understanding. The deed of Katha-
rine Parrish had brought me to a
closer sympathy with unfortunate per
sons Influenced to seek death AS
saw that this poor girl was young and
fair | sadly wondered what tragedy
had driven her to drowning
Never shall l forget the impression
the picture Of this suicide made on
ne! She lay on her back, with long
blonde tresses of well-kept hair float
ing out on either side of her shapeIy
head Her eyes were closed, but her
shapelV brows and long dark Iashes
made her face cOmely even in death.
Her clothing, l observed, was we'll
made, and though wet and soiled as it
V hn tor
preston of neatness.
We grasped the body gently by the
arms and drew it in to the bank, where
we lifted it to the park bench on
which | had been sitting.
Il wonder if there is anything about
her to identify her by? said the po-
liceman, and together we looked
Apparently there was nothing. There
were no rings on her hands, though
the fingers were those of a woman of
refinement. The officer turned back
the collar Of her coat, but the name
of the maker had been cut away.
she didn't want nobody to know
who she was, guess he said after a
hasty examination. "They generally
try to hide their names"
Yes. I suppose they do" l said
alphabetically
I've got to go over to the arsenal
and report this and send for the wag-
on. VIII you wait till l come back ?
I won't be long"
IN wait" I said.
He disappeared up the path and l
was left alone with the body. AS l
sat there, meditating on the mystery
that had caused so many other trag-
edies, l became conscious of the fact
that one of this girls hands was
closed, as if, even in death, she was
striving to conceal something.
STOPPING over, gently pressed back
the stiffening fingers.
An exclamation of horror came to
my lips as I saw what had been CON
cealed there.
It was little scrap of yellow paper
I could hardly believe my eyes. 1t
must be that this poor girl here was
another Of the victims in the battling
chain of crime l was seeking to I'M
ravel | held the water-soaked frag-
ment up to the light, but there was
nothing on it-nOt a word. Yet there
was no mistaking the color and tex
ture Of the paper It was undoubtedly
the same that Louise and I had found
in Katharines room after she had
tried 10 kill herself 1t was the same
that the police had discovered in An
drew ElsleT's room. There was no
question in my mind but that it was
the same that the woman in Ardway
had torn up before she hanged herself
in the little hotel But what was the
tie between them? What could be the
mysterious import of this yellow let
ter that drove its recipients to death ?
Here was one fragment Perhaps |
could find other scraps-perhaps the
whole letter. l ran down to the bank
of the lake and began a systematic
search Of the water along shore. Foot
by foot ! studied it carefully. For ten
minutes / searched unavailingIy and
then I caught a glimpse of something
yellow half hidden by an overhanging
iree. Carefully I pared the branches.
Sure enough, submerged in six inches
Of water. were more of the yellow
scraps. ] wGded in and, scooping
them up carefully in my hands. laid