The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1912-03-22

very much worried about the sec
ond button of his coat. Having
satisfied himself of its stability
he drawled, "Er-both of-er-
them?"
Yes. Ten days apart"
Where were your"
"On the spot. That Is, l was
here when Tatters got his death
| had gone to the wash-room al
the farther end of the hall when
Rags was poisoned"
why do you say poisoned?"
What else could 1t have been
There was no wound on either oi
the dogs"
Was there evidence of poison?
Pathological only. In Tatters
case ii was very marked. He was
doing in a corner near the radi'
ator when l heard him yelp and
saw him swapping at his belly
He ran across the room, lay down
and began licking himself. With
In fifteen minutes he began to
whine. Then he stiffened out in
a sort of spasm. 1t was like
strychnine poisoning. Before
could get veterinary here he was
dead"
Did you make an examina-
tom"
Il analysed the contents of his
stomach, but did not obtain posi-
tive results"
What about the other dog?"
Rags? That was the day be-
fore yesterday. We had just come
over from Flatbush and Rags was
nosing around in the corner
Was 1t the same corner where
Tatters was attacked"
Yes; near the radiator. He
seemed to be interested in some
thing there when | left the room.
was gone not more than two
minutes
Lock the door after your"
1T has special spring lock
which / had put on myself"
Average Jones crossed over
and looked at the contrivance
Then his glance fell to huge,
old-fashioned keyhole below the
new fastening.
You didn't use that larger
lock-"
mo. I haven't for months.
The key is lost, / think"
Retracing his steps the investi-
gator sighted the hole from the
radiator, and shook his head.
Its not in range" he said.
GO on
AS / reached the door on my
return. | heard Rags yelp. You
may believe l got to him quickly.
He was paving wildly at his nose.
l called up the nearest veterinary.
Within ten minutes the convul-
cions came on. The veterinary
was here when Rags died, which
was within fifteen minutes of the
first spasm. He didn't believe
1t was strychnine. Said the at
tacks were different. Whatever
1t was, / couldn't find any trace
OF 1t in the stomach. The veteri-
nary took the body away and made
a complete autopsy"
Did he discover anythinq?'
Yes. The blood was coagulat-
ed and on the upper lip he found
a circle of small pustules. He
agreed that both dogs probably
swallowed something that was
left in my office, though I don't
see how 1t could have got there"
THAT won't do" returned Az
erage Jones positively. "A dog
doesn't cry out when he swallows
poison, unless It's come corrosive
1T was no corrosive. l ex-
amined the mouth"
What about the radiator?"I
asked Average Jones, getting on
his knees beside that Anticipated
1T seems to have
been the center of disturbance"
"If you're thinking of fumes"
replied the chemist. 81 tested for
that. 1t isn't possible.
mo; l suppose not. And yet,
there's the curious feature that
The fatal influence seems to have
from the corner which
IS the most remote from both win
lows and door. Are your widows
Or transom left open at night?"
THE windows, sometimes. The
ransome is kept double-bolted."
do they face any other win
lows near by "
You can see for yourself that
hey don't"
There's no fire-escape and it's
90 far up for anything to come
n from the street" Average
tones examined the walls with at