Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1913-07-25
Observation-Disclosures
The MYSTERY, Of the
MATE GROUNDS


=:. .5s
nome. Margaret was busy in the k1tch-
on and says she heard or. saw moth:
Ing. Al Dickinson returned after not
more than. 80 minutes absence ID
found the front door open % hs had
left It. but . man came out, lit . cigar
rstts lefsurely and walked away. All
three saw him and thought nothing
strange Of It until little Robert gun
ming in to his grandfather to beg some
favor could ct no answer. and bsosan.
ing alarmed shrieked for Dickinson.
The butler found my father sitting b..
side his tea table In tho library. lean.
ln8 back % II asleep In big leather
chair, and It was soonsplsia that he
was dead. s:s @ ss$-s
II have bachelor chambers over my
once In Central Park west. and TAX
ine my runaboat hurried: & down
whom the butler telephoneds me. I
told Dickinson. when no called me.
to leave tho room entirely undtsturhed.
tho mention Of tho strange visitor hav.
Ing given me. the hint that all was not
we'll. Little Robert had run out i'm
mediately. Dickinson had made but
ono trip to ny fathers side and I
merely walked from the door to his
chair and back again after having sat
isded myself that death was due to
paralysis Of tho heart caused by cyan
fde of potassium or some kind Of
poison administered through tho
mouth. Now, nay father had few
friends and no enemies. He lived
solely with his books and his g>And-
children. and II he had any passion
it was for tea and good cigars. His
small fortune was long since placed In
trust for the two children. a. I have
NO need Of 1t. and II I were to specu-
late from now to this day 4 year hence
I could not advance the slightest sur.
mise a. to why any ono should want
to kill him or no should take his own
life. That makes the mystery all the
moro profound and terrible and am
determined to 80 to tho bottom of it
and want you to lead tho way. Mr..
Rand"
"very we'll, doctor. there Is one very
direct method which my relations With
the New York police will allow mo to
employ. will have them find and
detain the man who left the house.
You will be astounded to find how per.
feet a dragnet Mulberry street can
throw out. Bring the butler and the
two children to my apartments in the
Plaza at once. will have them pick
out Of our private r0gues' gallery the
man that looks the most like the man
they saw leaving the house. Tho po-
lice will do tho rest"
Half an hour after we reached home
DR.. Macleod appeared with the two
children and the servants, and taking.
them to the cases of pictures set 120
to the side of hinged wooden frames,
Rand began turning wooden pages. It
was soon plain that each had clear
picture in mind, that the type was
most unusual one, for there was no
hesitancy in passing several thousand
pictures. Then came group OF Ital-
ian criminals. One Of them had
spade-shaped beard. All three said
the resemblance was great only that
this man, though having q very dark
skin, had blue eyes and blonde hair
and beard. At last In the fifteenth
thousand section we came upon tho
picture Of August Weidenecke, the IN
sane inventor and murderer, then safe
ly In Matteawan. With one voice they
declared that his picture was the
perfect double Of tho man whom they
had seen. A big. broad-shouldered man
with Z spade-shaped blonde beard.
The servants and children were
then sent to DR.. MacLeod's chambers
for the night and we three went to the
house Of death for careful survey.
The hardwood floors and tiled vest'
bule retained NO footprints that would
assist us. 1t was easy to see the
print of the strangers large body b
tho cushions of . lounging chair
whore he had sat talking to tho old
man. We found tho ashes from one
whole cigarette and part Of anothef
whore he had laid them calmly In On
ash tray within reach Of his chair. Hia
nerves must have been very cool. A.
20 there was {leck Of the same ash
behind the old mans chair. ~ It the
stranger had. risen and stood there Z
moment and being otherwise engaged
had dropped the ash on the door
There were two tea cups. both drained,
and the samovar in which the old
man always brewed his afternoon bev.
erage still more than half full. They
had had quiet cup Of tea together
| In the gloamsug. The old mans cur
had been foYr-dfths drained. Fiji
spoon reposed or the side Of It on the
tea table. The strangers cup had had
the grounds dumEed and the spoon
Tow ~, tho Anny. NJ XhA 0ld mana feet