The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1912-07-27

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took him at once to my room and or
dered our supper served there.
While we waited for II summarized
as briefly as could the new features
OF the case. beginning with my finding
the post Office deserted, the name
missing from Lock Box II. the suicide
OF the woman. the calling up OF the
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-dollar 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 l mentioned the yell
low letter and his flight from the town
behind the fastest horse obtainable.
While / was only an amateur IN
criminal investigation, / prided myself
that i had followed everything as far
as Davis himself could have done. I
! doubted IL even he, with all his
! shrewdness, could learn the identity
OF the dead woman or could explain
what the postmaster was doing with
such an unusually large sum, left so
carelessly hid In the cash-drawer. NY
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 a band of skilful rogues
who were defrauding the government.
More than likely they had headquar-
ters somewhere in the vicinity Prob
ably with the conniyance Of the post.
master they conducted some sort OF
/ green-goods or other swindling game
| through Lock Box II. II seemed 10
me more than possible that Crandall.
taking advantage OF Katharine Far.
rish's love for him. had shared her
father into some nefarious scheme
Such a theory would explain her sud,
den break with him and might even
account for her fathers terror at the
sight Of the yellow letter that had re
vealed to her HIS error The knowl
edge Of her fathers plight, too might
have driven her 90 try suicide. Old
Elser possibly was one Of the gangs
dupes or agents who saw exposure
coming, through Katharine's activity
and feared 10 face Il. The one flaw In
my theory, II seemed TO me, was thai
IL in no way accounted for the second
woman's suicide, and In spite OF Da
Wis prophecy that there would b.
more suicides, ! was inclined 10 be
lieve that perhaps, after all. 1t wal
only coincidence. Learning he
identity, | did not regard as half 81
important as 10 locate Crandall. | al
most wished that l had gone in pur
suit OF him alone. | would have fel
an unholy Joy in rounding him up sin
gle-handed while Davis followed 9th
er minor clues. / felt considerabl,
annoyed that Davis apparently wa
more interested in learning who IN,
dead woman was than in discoverin
Crandall's whereabouts.
81 have no idea what they have don,
with the Clothes" l said almost cross
ly. II suppose they are still in tn
room. The inquest was adjourned III
I'll tomorrow morning Maybe the
have been taken 10 the undertaker'i
He came this afternoon and took tn
; body away. ] forgot TO tell you tina
Crandall called up the Parrish hous
, this morning and asked for Katharin
right from this very hotel"
What did he say?" he asked apt
thetically.
repeated the conversation wit
Louise word for word as she ha
told II to me.
THAT" said !, Us definite evidenc
that Crandall, the man whom we SUI
Dect. was here in the place where 20
! sent me-here under an assume
name. What greater proof Of gui
can you have. unless IL is actual col
fession?p
"The man you suspect" he correc
ed with some asperity, turning al
, ruptly 10 the waiter, who had entere
. with our supper.
Tell the proprietor to come up her