The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1912-08-15


that every new clue points to Hugh
Crandall."
The post office inspector smiled.
What have they done with the
dead woman's clothes?" he asked. 81
want to see them at once"
had been anxiously awaiting Davis
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
obscure Jersey village, there was a
curious crowd gathered at the station.
Some Of them even followed us as
far as the hotel lobby, pressing SO
close that private conversation was
impossible. To avoid interruption,
took him at once to my room and or
dered our supper served there.
While We waited for it 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 a yellow letter, the dis
ne ha h,ro
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 | had followed everything as far
as Davis himself could have done. |
doubted If even he, with all his
shrewdness, could learn the identity
or 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. NV
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-
tiers somewhere in the vicinity. Prob
ably with the connivance of the post
master they conducted some sort OF
green-goods or other swindling game
through Lock Box II. 1t seemed to
me more than possible that Crandall,
taking advantage of Katharine Far.
rlsh's love for him, had shared her
rather into some nefarious scheme.
Such 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 to try suicide. Old
Elser possibly was one of the gangs
dupes or agents who saw exposure
coming, through Katharine's activity.
and feared to face 1t. The one flaw in
my theory, it seemed TO me, was that
1t In no way accounted for the second
Woman's suicide. and in spite of Da-
Wis prophecy that there would be
more suicides. was inclined to be-
heve that perhaps, after all, it was
only a coincidence. Learning her
identity, l did not regard as half so
important as to locate Crandan. | al
most wished that had gone in pur-
suit Of him alone. I would have felt
an unholy joy in rounding him I'D SIN
gle-handed, while Davis followed 9th
or minor clues. felt considerably
annoyed that Davis apparently was
more interested in learning who the
dead woman was than in discovering
Crandall's Whereabouts.
II have no idea what they have done
with the Clothes" said almost cross.
Iy. Il suppose they are still in the
room. The inquest was adjourned un-
I'LL tomorrow morning. Maybe they