The Springfield herald., 1912-03-29

en- and says she heard or saw moth
ing. AS Dickinson returned after not
more than 20 minutes absence he
found the front door open as he had
left 1t, but a man came out, lit ciga-
rette leisurely and walked away. All
three saw him and thought nothing
strange of it until little Robert run
ming in to his grandfather to beg some
favor could get no answer, and becom-
ing alarmed shrieked for Dickinson.
The butler found my father sitting be-
side his tea table in the library. lean
ing back as If asleep in big leather
chair, and 1t was soon plain that he
was dead
81 have bachelor chambers over my
Office in Central Park west. and TAX
ing my runabout I hurried down
when the butler telephoned me. |
told Dickinson, when he called me.
to leave the room entirely undisturbed.
the mention of the strange visitor hav-
ing given me the hint that all was not
we'll Little Robert had run out i'm
mediately, Dickinson had made but
one trip to my fathers side and l
merely walked from the door to his
chair and back again after having sat
isfied myself that death was due to
paralysis of the heart caused by cyan
ide of potassium or some kind Of
poison administered through the
mouth Now, my father had few
friends and no enemies. He lived
solely with his books and his grand
children, and if he had any passion
it was for tea and good cigars. HIS
small fortune was long since placed In
trust for the two children, as l have
no need of it, and if l were to specu-
late from now to this day year hence
/ could not advance the slightest sur
mise as to why any one should want
to kill him or he should take his own
life. That makes the mystery all the
more profound and terrible and l am
determined to go to the bottom of 1t
and want you to lead the way, Mr..
Rand"
VERY well, doctor. there is one very
direct method which my relations with
the New York police will allow me to
employ. / will nave them find and
detain the man who left the house
You will be astounded to find how per
feet n dragnet Mulberry street can
throw out Bring the butler and the
two children to my apartments In the
Plaza at once l will have them pick
out of our private rogues' gallery the
man that looks the most like the man
they saw leaving the house. The po-
lice will do the rest"
Half an hour after we reached home
DIR. Macleod appeared with the two
children and the servants, and taking
them to the cases of pictures set 12O
to the side of hinged wooden frames.
Rand began turning wooden pages. IL
was soon plain that each had clear
picture in mind, that the type was
most unusual one for there was no
hesitancy in passing several thousand
pictures. Then came group OF ltal-
ian criminals. One of them mad
spade-shaped beard. All three said
the resemblance was great only that
this man, though having very dark
skin, had blue eyes and blonde mar
and beard. At last in the fifteenth
thousand section we came upon the
picture Of August Weidenecke, the in
sane inyentor and murderer, then safe
ly in Matteawan With one voice they
declared that his picture was the
perfect double of the man whom they
had seen. A big broad-shouldered man
with a spade-shaped blonde beard.
The servants and children were
then sent to DR.. MacLeod's chambers
for the night and we three went to the
house of death for a careful survey.
The hardwood floors and tiled vesti-
bule retained no footprints that would
assist us. 1t was easy to see the
print of the strangers large body in
the cushions of lounglng chair
where he had sat talking to the old
man. We found the ashes from one
whole cigarette and part of another
where he had laid them calmly In an
ash tray within reach of his chair. HIS
nerves must have been very cool. AL
so there was fleck of the same ash
behind the old mans chair, as II the
stranger had risen and stood there
moment and being otherwise engaged
had dropped the ash on the floor.
There were two tea cups, both drained,
and the samovar in which the old
man always brewed his afternoon bev-
erage still more than half full They
had had quiet cup of tea together
in the goam.ug. The old mans cup
had been four-ffths drained. His
spoon reposed or the side of it on the
tea table The strangers cup had had
the grounds dumIed and the spoon
lay on the floor at The old mans feet.
The grounds were not visible and the
most careful search did not reveal
them. Picking up the spoon between
the sugar tongs Rand placed 1t I'M