Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-03-07


ward dive behind my back with my
left hand for my right-hand hip pocket
as he locked MS arms around me.
With the Quickness of thought he had
twisted q revolver from my fingers,
and springiug back laid it or the
dresser beyond my reach. as shackled
to the heavy piece of furniture J could
only stand Quivering in helpless pas
sion. Realizing my physical impo-
tence I sat down sullenly.
So you feared I would murder
you" I sneered. He negatived.
No, I did not think you would do
that. But 1 feared that you might
murder yourself. Do you wish me to
proceed quietly, or shall I summon
your uncle to hear what I have to
say?" For moment l hesitated as
I Gained myself by a mighty effort.
There could be no good n getting
him excited. "If you have anything
more to say to me you may continue
or not, as you choose. can scarcely
help hearing you, but you will regret
this outrage when l am set free" He
did not seem to become either alarmed
or angry at the threat; on the con-
trary his voice was even smoother
than before as he resumed his seat.
Tom" he continued, 81 have al
ways been your friend and ] wish to
always remain so. When | have done
telling you what I know about this
crime We will talk about other mat
ters, if you desire. But what | wish
to tell you additionally is this. / had
been compelled to eliminate every
body but you, and was therefore COM
PEELED. most regretfully, to start along
your trail. AS my first step went to
the hotel where you told me you
staid on the night of the crime;
looked at the register and ascertained
the room that you had occupied. I en-
gagged 1t, and went to it for the pur
pose of a thorough inspection. Il
was back room overlooking an alley
and the fire escape ran close by ons
of its windows. 1t at once occurred
to me, therefore, that it would haYe
been the simplest thing in the world
for you, after having called up your
uncle and after having left a request
at the office for morning summons
in order to impress it upon the minds
Of others that you were in your ROOM
at midnight, and thus establish an
alibi in case of suspicion, to have
passed down the escape in the darIs-
ness, gone to any place you wishe@
and returned before daybreak. (
therefore went down the ladder, as
assumed you had done, and at its bob
tom CHANGED upon what l consider
to have been the only piece of pure
good luck that came my way in the
whole case. For, mind you, I insist
that the rest of my discoveries werS
the result of experience in such mat
ters, aided by close reasoning. Be
that as it may, at the foot of the lad
der l found your lost card case.
could only account for its presence
there in one way; namely, that it had
dropped from your pocket while you
were either descending or ascending
the ladder with your arms working
above your head. That will perhaps
remind you of the other night when
you and I burglarized that office
downtown You will remember upon
that occasion I handed you your
match safe after we had come down,
and told you that I had picked it up
at the loot of the ladder we had just
left; mentioning the fact that climb
ing up and down under such condt-
tons was apt to work a smooth ar
ticle out of ones vest pocket. There
is nothing truer than that statement,
and | have no doubt but that is ex-
actly what happened in the original
case of your lost card receptacle. Now
as a matter of fact, l extracted that
match safe from your pocket in the
darkness when you were occupied IN
pressing the putty against the window
in order that I might try an interest
ing experiment. The experiment sue
ceeded. My calling your attention
to the likelihood of losing such ar
ticles under conditions similar to those
you had just experienced, started a
train of thought in your mind. I knew
you were worried by the loss of your
card case and were very DESTROYS of
regaining it, My stratagem of the re-
stored match box made it occur to
you that it was possible that you had
lost your card case in going out Of
the window on the night of the crime,
and that there was bare possibility
that it had not been picked up and
that you would find it among the rub
bish back of the hotel. Having as
hoped sowed this thought in your
mind, l made an excuse and left you.
You will recall that the pretext l
made for departing was that l wished
to make another experiment alone. |
Immediately made it, the experiment
consisting of my going rapidly to the
head of the alley passing the Pacific
hotel and waiting there for you True
to my reasoning you went straight to
the place where / had found the card
case. and lighting cigar made brief
search of the premises by the light OF
the match, of course unsuCcessfully.
Then as you came hurrying into the
street you popped into my arms
where l had stood to watch if you
would fall into the trap. l remember
your expression Of surprise and dis
pleasure at unexpectedly seeing me
there. AS an excuse I told you that
the criminal was downtown then and
moving around considerably himself.
7 imagine that remark rather got you
to guessing"
rro DIT CONTTTNTJTFED