The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1912-12-14
cHAPTER III.-(continued.)

CHAPTER IIi.-(Continued)
I glanced quickly at Davis. l fully
expected to see in his face something
Of the same establishment had felt.
was disappointed. With casual
glance at the envelope he turned TO
Dowd as If waiting for him to go on.
TITS evidence In the Elser case" the
detective went on. turned in by the |
man on post who reported the suicide. |
He was that old party that was found !,
dead In his room up on West Twenty
third street. To my mind, It's just a
plain case Of suicide-an old man tired
of living. The poison bottle was there
on the floor beside him. / don't see
nothing suspicious about it, but the
chief has taken q notion that there's
something behind it and wants to
know where this letter came from. We
searched the room, but this torn en-
velope was all we could ind. The
postmark's torn through, but he
thought maybe you could trace 1t any
how"
'T1l see what can do and I'll let
<ou know In the morning" said the
inspector calmly, dismissing the de-
tective with nod. From his matter
of-face tone and apparen: lack Of in
terest would not have been surprised
II he had refused this undertaking.
too. as he had mine, though 1t seemed
to me that the two bits of yellow pa
per connected the two suicides at the
same hour as something decisively
more than a mere coincidence.
As soon, however, as the detective
lad left the room the inspectors whole
manner changed. With the glitter OF
excitement in his alert eyes he turned
TO me and explosively said:
Quick. let me see that yellow
scrap"
l had placed 1t carefully In my wal
let after he had refused my request.
A drew II out now he almost
matched It from my hand. Putting 1t
on his desk beside the torn envelope.
be picked up reading-glass and
studied both pieces carefully, His In
spection. lasted for several minutes.
and meanwhile, !. too, studied the torn
envelope.
Both in color and texture the paper
40 closely resembled the scrap that
was positive that they were Of the
same lot. The envelope bore the ad
dress OF Andrew Elser, In West TWEEN
ty-third street. Part of the postmark
noet Of 1t, In fact-had been de
stroye6. as II in the careless opening
OF the letter with the finger. All that
was decipherable was capital IA
and part Of another letter that might
have been either an IN" or an r." II
the lower part of the circle was frag
ment of q letter that looked as II Il
might have been an an" l noticed
too. that the stamp had been stuck OF
rather carelessly, in lopsided man
ner-
MY friend. his inspection completed
turned to me alphabetically.
Il beg your pardon, Harding Kent.
he said. you were entirely right
These two bits of paper are key-note'
In an important mystery. one that 1t Il
well worth my while to try to solve"
what made you change your min'
so suddenly" l asked, for though
quite agreed with him. his name
had puzzled me not little.
He leaned back in his chair an
turned II SO that he faced me. He ha
a sharp, explosive way Of speaking
biting on his words almost before h
had completely enunciated them.
Cant you see? One footprint lead
nowhere. Two footprints start patti
When you brought that yellow scra
to me you were merely guessing tina
It might have something to do wit
the strange happenings in the Farris
home. There was no way in whic
you could have positive 'knowledg'
nor could l. You were only guessing.
Indeed, wasn't" exclaimed II
dignantly. What drew my attentio
to II was General Farrish's exclami
ton Of terror at the sight of 1t Just b
fore he fell, paralyzed."
Davis shook his head determined,
THAT meant much-or nothing.
may have been mere senile hysteri
superinduced by the great shock A
some time In his life he may have ha
some unpleasant experience whic
was associated In his subconsciou
memory with q yellow documen
Wrought up as he was by the news {
his daughters attempt to kill hersel
the brain cells called into action wei
those that had recorded other distur
ing experiences. perhaps month ag
perhaps forty years ago. No impre
sions In the brain records are ev'
lost. The sight Of the yellow pap'
probably recalled some other yello
paDsr. There was then no e,fdens