The Huttig news. (Huttig, Ark.) 1907-1955, 1912-09-07

Bridgeport police, the testimony OF
the maid that the woman had been
crying over yellow letter. the dis
covery of the five thousand dollars in
new hundred-dellar bills in the CASH
drawer, the coincidence in the initials
of Cook and Crandall that had first
attracted my attention to the missing
guest in the hotel. his peculiar con-
duct the minute | mentioned the vol
low letter and his flight from the town
behind the fastest horse obtainable.
While ! was only an amateur in
criminal investiga ton, prided myself
that ! had followed everything as far
as Davis himself could have done. I
doubted If even he, with all his
shrewdness, coGld learn the identity
of the dead woman or could explain
what the postmaster was doing with
such an unusually large sum. left so
careiessly hid in the cash-drawer. Nv
private opinion was that the money
was probably counterfeit and that
when We had solved the mystery we
would find that Hugh Crandall was at
the head of band of skilful rogues
who were defrauding the government.
More than likely they had headquar-
ters somewhere in the vicinity. Prob
ably with the eonnivance of the most
master they conducted some sort of
green-goods or other swindling game
through Lock Box II. It seemed to
me more than possible that CrandaH,
taking advantage of Katharine Far
rlsh's love for him, had shared her
rather into some nefarious scheme
Such a theory would explain her sud
den break with him and might ever
account for her fathers terror at tht
sight of the yellow letter that had re
Vealed to her his error. The know
edge of her fathers plight, too. migh
have driven her to try suicide. OF.
Elser possibly was one of the gang
dupes Or agents who saw exposur
coming, through Katharine's &C ivit,
and feared to face it. The one flaw
my theory, it seemed to me. was tb
1t in no way accounted for the secoI
Woman's suicide, and in spite of r;
Wis prophecy that there would /
more suicides, ! was inclined to h
ieve that perhaps. after all, it W.
only a coincidence. Learning h
identity, | did not regard as half
important as to locate Crandal. Il
most wished that I had gone in pl-5
suit of him alone. | would have f.
an unholv JOY in rounding him ND 81;
gle-handed, while Davis followed OF
er minor clues. l felt considerably
ANNOYED that Davis apparently W.
more interested in learning who y
dead woman was than in diseoveri1
Grandall's Whereabouts
u have no idea what they have dor
with the clothes,'' | said almost crce
". Il suppose they are still in II
room The inquest was adjourned Ii,
I'll tomorrow morning. Maybe the
have been taken to the undertalyer'i
He came this afternoon ard took tbs
body away I forgot to tell you thar
Crandall called up the Parrish house
this morning and asked for Katharine
right from this very hotel
What did he say?" he asked ape
thetieally.
repeated the conversation will
Louise word for word as she hat
told 1t to me-
That" said I. is definite evidence
that Crandall, the man whom we sus
pect, was here in the place where you
sent me--bere under an assumed
name. What greater proof of guilt
can you have. unless it is actual con,
fession?''
The man you suspect" he correct.
ed with some asperity, turning alb
ruptly to the waiter. who had entered