The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1912-11-08
9yNFLET(hER RODINSON
Of HE /0uWaIMe1aaheYW2lySe


that filth, immortality, and crime exist
without personally inspecting the
muckheap. Yet there he stood. his
head on one side, staring at my toes
like an inquisitive terrier. and my ar
guments faded before his stolidity.
Why had Hendry ever let him in?
should certainly speak to the old ras-
cal about his
"Well. Mr.. Phillips"
"If agree to go. will you see to 1t
that am not again troubled in this
natter" / answered sulkily enough.
For / will not be witness or a jury
man or anything like that, you under
stand?"
Certainly. I will see that you are
not further molested."
"Then, In the name of common
sense, let us get 1t over as quickly as
possible" said. kicking off my slip
pers and ringing the bell for my boots.
Big Ben was striking eleven as our
hanson trotted down the long En-.
bankment with its lights winhng on
the rushing tide below. Past the great
restaurants of pleasure, glowing with
shaded lamps from the windows Of all
their balconies; into the silent city
where the tall Offices OF the day lay
like deserted palaces under tie moon;
over macadam. over gathering as
phalt, over greasy wood pavement; so
we journeyed till of a sudden we
dropped from wealth to restitution.
from solitude to babble, from the West
to the East. Costers bawling their
wares under spouting flares. fringed
the sidewalks along which jostled the
chattering masses Of the poor. The
section was largely foreign. The
patches Of color in some Italian shawl,
the long coats and peaked headgear
Of some moujik, the clatter OF the
dialects seemed all the stranger from
the sullen London background OF
mean shops. dingy lodgings. and low
beer-houses. For. in the shadows OF
that underworld of the great metro
polls, sodden faces. cultural oaths,
dingy rags. the blow that precedes
the word, are the manifestations OF
the native born.
In a side street the cab drew to a
standstill. 1t was the mortuary. the
inspector told me- young police
man at the door touched his hat, and
led the way down q passage to bare
stone chamber. On slab In the cen,
ter the body lay with an elderly man
in ill-fitting clothes bending over It
He looked up as We entered, and
nodded to the inspector.
"You were quite right, Peace" he
said cheerfully; "chloroform first.
strangling afterwards"
"ThAy took no risks. DR.. Chapple."
"They made a clean job OF it," said
the elderly man. looking down at the
slab with his thumbs in his waistcoat
pockets. Never saw neater work
since-well. since I Was invaded
home from India"
"Thugs?"
Yes; they did it nigh as well as
Thug in regular practice"
The callous brutality of the CONVEX
sation filed me with disgust turn
ed away, leaning against the wall with
feeling of nausea.
"And now, if ] may trouble you, Mr..
Phillips. will you look at this poor
fellow. and see IL You can recognize
him." said Peace.
knew him well enough. The black
beard, the thin, hawk nose, the high
and noble forehead were not easily
forgotten. Talman had introduced
me to him at the Art Clubs Recep-
ton in July, whispering that he was
Pole and a neighbor Of his--a
deuced queer fish, though a clever
one. He had exhibited bust Of Nero
at the Academy. which attracted much
attention.
"And his manner" asked the inspec-
tor.
"Amaroff. I believe him to be from
Poland; that is about all l know OF
him"
"How did you come to meet him?"
told him of my introduction. Would
I, he asked, give him Talman's ad-
dress? Most certainly-No. Harden
place, of the Kings road. Chelsea.
had no objection whatever to Talman
being reused at one in the morning.
BY all means let the old rascal be
turned out Of bed and cross-examined.
His language would be a revelation to
the police-it would, really.
The inspector left me on the door
step for a few minutes. while he Wills
pered to two shabbily dressed men
who lounged out of the darkness, and
disappeared with the same lack OF
ostentauon. Then we entered our
cab, which had waited. and trotted
westward, the very air growing clear
er, as 1t seemed to me, when the I'M
derworld of poverty fell away behind
us. It was some time before spoke.
and then It was to ask for solution
to certain puzzles that had been form
ing In my brain.
you said he had been robbedr I
began.
Eyes, Mr.. Phillips. They had gone
through his pockets with every atten.
ton to detail"
"Then how did you know he was q
SCULPTOR"
"He had been called away In a hur.
~. There was modelling clay in his