Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-05

still gave expression. AS we watched,
she began stirring restlessly and her
hands twltched nervously. Suddenly
her eyes opened wide, not with the
ligh. Of intelligence, but with the bril-
liancy of hysteria or the excitement
of fever She made an Intellectual at
tempt to rise in bed, but she was too
weak. Sinking back on the pillow she
shrieked: Promise me, Hugh, prom
Use me, you'll do 1t at once"
After that one sentence she re-
lapsed into Inconsistencies. l feared
for q moment that she was dead. The
doctor hastened to her side and be-
gan to feel her pulse and listen to her
heart. 1t seemed many minutes be-
fore he turned to us with q reassur-
ing whisper:
1T Is nothing serious-a relapse to
be expected after that outburst. Her
heart Is stronger than expected. she
will not likely regain consciousness
for many hours, but there is no imme'
date danger"
His manner, rather than his words,
invited us to 60, so Louise and roll
lowed Davis from the room.
The inspector Seemed to have for.
gotten his haste to depart. He sat
down abruptly on a divan In the upper
hall, with his face resting IN his
hands, and gave himself up to intent
thought.
Louise and stood a little apart, dis
cussing in whispers Katharine's
strange outcry. What could' she have
meant?
"she meant Crandall, of course,
said Louise. "She mentioned Hugh
did you hear it?"
nodded assent.
| Probably she was repeating q con-
versation she had with him just be
fore she shot herself" suggested
What do you suppose she wanted him
to promise herr"
| Louise shook her head. I racked my
brain In vain for some theory to III
her words to her own desperate act,
to Crandalrs flight, to her fathers ter.
ror. judged from Davis ABSTRACT
manner that he, too, was similarly en-
gagged.
Everything" said to Louise,
"eyery single thing we have learned
points to Crandall's connection with
! the mystery that has hung over your
father and Katharine. When we have
found him we shall learn what 1t was.
I am more and more convinced that
he is guilty of some crime, something
terrible, something that your father
and sister knew"
The inspector laughed aloud.
! We turned toward him, IN indigna.
! ton, Louise in establishment, to r1no
him looking at us with an amused
smile.
Don't be too sure" he said quizzi'
cally. "Crandall doesn't seem to have
been left-handed."
CHAPTER v.
where are we going now?' ! asked
sarcastically.
was thoroughly indignant at the
levity with which the inspector had re-
ceived my theory of CrandalPs guilt
Firmly convinced Of my sound logic
the thought Of Davis laughing at me
! before Louise ranked. AS I began tc
expound, as forcefully as / could, the
reasons for my belief, he cut me short
.Come along, Harding" he said II
authoritative tones, we've no time to
lose"
/ Almost before I knew it found my.
self by his side in the taxicab he had
hailed. In my indignation had failed
ito hear the direction he gave the
chauffeur.
according to your theory, Mr.. De
itectiye Kent" he said with assumed
lnravity: for he was still In a chatting
mod, "where would be the best place
{ for us to go next?"
"To Hugh Crandall's apartments"
4 cried determined to convince him Of
my view Of the case.
'.That is exactly where we are
bound he replied to my amazement
"But." stammered, II thought from
your manner that you disagreed with
me as to Crandall's guilt"
~ do. doubt every mans guilt I'M
til 1t is definitely proved. I admit there
is plenty Of evidence of Crandalls
connection with the case. do not adj
nit that any of the evidence yet
shows 1t to be guilty connection"
Again I started to explain my rea
sons for thinking Crandall guilty, but
again he refused to listen.
"My dear fellow" he said, I'm my
years of investigating crimes I have
thoroughly learned one lesson, and
that is the unwisdom Of jumping al
/; COnCluSlOUS. 1 ucTc 10 Ouly OIlC ! ui0 IAo
never fails. Collect all the evidence
possible first and then see to whom
it points. Most detectives. both pro
fessional and amateur, make the fatal
mistake of deciding on a theory and
then setting out to prove It, That is
the reason so many innocent men are
convicted and so many guilty ones es
cape You can prove almost anything
about anybody If you work hard
enough. Starting out with the theory
that no such man as Napoleon ever
lived, I could gather many convictine
proofs"
He stopped at the corner long
enough to gather an armful Of after
noon papers from newsboy, and be
gan scanning their first pages and
throwing them aside. From the disap
pointment in his face judged he mad
not found what he was looking for.
what did you expect to find?"
asked wonderingly.
"Other suicides" he said tersely
keeping on with his hasty reading.