The Washington herald., 1912-03-24

what nave they done win the ueao
woman's clothes2" he asked. Il want
TO see them at once"
| had been anxiously awaiting Da-
Wis arrival, not without some little
feeling Of triumph, TO tell to him the
startling developments in the mystery
since ! had left him hardly more than
twenty-four hours before at the ferry.
| was at the station awaiting him, and
led him at once to the little hotel. The
noise OF his coming had been bruited
about by the village gossips, and as his
fame had penetrated even to the OBJ
scure Jersey village, there was a Gu
rious crowd gathered at the station
Some of them even followed us as far
as the hotel lobby, pressing so close
that private conversation was impos-
sible. To avoid interruption, took
him at once to my room and ordered
our supper served there.
While we waited for il ] summarized
as briefly as ! could the new features
of the case, beginning with my finding
the post-office deserted, the name miss
ing from Lock Box II, the suicide OF
the woman, the calling up OF the
maid that the woman had been crying
over a yellow letter, the discovery OF
the 5000 in new 500 bills in the cash
drawer, the coincidence in the initials
of Cook and Crandall that had first at
tracted my attention to the missing
guest in the hotel, his peculiar conduct
the minute ] mentioned the yellow
letter, and his flight from the town be-
hind the fastest horse obtainabe.
While ! was only an amateur in GRIM
inal investigation. | prided myself that
] had followed everything as far as
Davis himself could have done.
doubted il even he, with all his shrewd-
ness, could learn the identity of the
dead woman or could explain what the
postmaster was doing with such an I'M
usually large sum, left so carelessly hid
in the cash drawer. My private opin-
ion was that the money was probably
counterfeit and that when we had
solved the mystery We would find that
Hugh Crandal was at the head of a
band OF slillful rogues who were de-
frauding the government More than
likely they had headquarters some
where in the vicinity. Probably with
the connivance OF the postmaster they
conducted some sort of green-goods
or other swindling game through Lock
Box II. IL seemed TO me more than
possible that Crandall, taking advan-
tage OF Katharine Farrish's love for
him, had shared her father into some
nefarious scheme. Such a theory would
explain her sudden break with him and
might even account for her fathers
terror at the sight of the yellow letter
that had revealed to her his error. The
knowledge of her fathers plight, too,
might have driven her to try suicide.
Old Elser possibly was one OF the
gangs dupes or agents who saw expo
sure coming, through Katharine's ac-
tivity, and feared to face it. The one
flaw in my theory, it seemed to me,
was that il in no way accounted for the
second woman's suicide, and in spite
of Davis prophecy that there would be
more suicides, | was inclined TO be-
lieve that perhaps, after all, it was only
a coincidence Learning her identity
/ did not regard as half so important
as TO locate Crandall | almost wished
that had gone in pursuit Of him alone.
| would have felt an unholy Joy IN
rounding him UP single-handed, while
Davis followed other minor clews. l
felt considerably annoyed that Davis
apparently was more interested i'll learn
ing who the dead woman was than III
discovering Crandall's. whereabouts;
II have no idea what they have done
with the Clothes" | said almost cross
ly. Il suppose they are still in the
room. The inquest was adjourned until
tomorrow morning Maybe they have
been taken to the undertaker's. He
came this afternoon and took the body
away. ] forgot to tell you that Gram
dali called up the Parrish house this
very morning and asked for Katharine
right from this very hotel"
What did he say?" he asked apa-
thetically. -,
| repeated the conversation with
Louise word for word as she had told
il to me.
"That," said !, IS definite evidence
that Crandall, the man whom we sus-
pect, was here in the place where you
sent me-here under an assumed name
What greater proof of guilt can you
have, unless it is actual confession!