Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-01-17


ing he was at his home seemingly
hale and happy. Upon a morning
ne was found on a Persian rug by the
inlaid table of his rich library, living on
ms side with one hand gripping the table
cover, the bosom of his evening shirt a
deep brick red, a small hole one inch to
the left of the second stud, his glazed eyes
staring at the ceiling.
A chair nearby was overturned and
some distance away lay a revolver. 1t
was plain murder
The crime was discovered shortly after
I O'Clock in the morning and by 9 the
evening papers We're on the street with
columns of picturesque detail and theory.
For James Argyle was known from one
end of Manhattan to the other. He was
also known in San Francisco and other
places.
In the first place he was enormously
wealthy He had built a swell and not
very small place on a street in New York
where the cost of front foot would keep
an ordinary family in comfort for num-
Der OF years But beyond the mere fact
OF his riches there were other reasons.
He was probably 60 years old though
he never discussed his age with any one.
He belonged to few clubs and attended
!
merly he seemed fond of the society of
men, but in the few years preceding his
death he grew eccentric. He was likely
to quarrel and for several months before
the terrible end he did quarrel with every
one
Quarrelsome Nature.
For years the firm of Tolworthy &
Mead had looked after his legal needs,
but the elder Mr. Tolworthy died and old
Mr. Argyle severed relations with the
firm and retained an obscure attorney
named James 7. Hurley He uuarreled
with his son almost constantly; so that
the young man, who had a decided bent
toward the artistic, rented a studio in
IWenty-thlrd street where he lived a
bachelors life. He even began to find
fault with the old negro cook who had
been in his household for twenty years
and for whose cooking he was wont to
leave the club at meal times after point
eddy insulting the management in his
criticisms of the club cuisine
Much of this the newspapers learned
and the rest they guessed at They also
guessed at great deal more for the first
day or two until real facts began to spring
up that made guesswork unnecessary
There was one person intimately con-
nected with Mr.. Argyle whom he treated
with unfailing love and respect. She was
his adopted daughter, Miss Mary Mazuret
about her the newspaper reporters could
learn little, excepting that she took the
place of natural daughter in the old
mans life. What her real parentage was
remained mystery She and Bruce Ar
gyle, the son, and the other members of
the household refused absolutely to see re-
porters, so the reporters wrote things that
they didn't see, and held up the police for
everything that the police had learned.
| This was not much. The murder was
nearly a week Old, and the mystery SEEM
ed as far from solution as ever. But there
was no lack of material for lively specu-
| lation
Old Mr. Argyle had been known to quar-
rel with his son frequently the past few
months and this. fact was given due i'm
| portance., He had been out for a motor
| through the park that afternoon with Miss
| Mazuret, and seemed unusually happy and
pleased when he returned. He had tele-
phoned to his son and invited him to the
house for dinner that night
With His Son.
After dinner the father and son had a
| long talk in the library Miss Mazuret
dined with them and said that it was a
very happy party-that Mr.. Argyle and
! his son were on unusually friendly foot
ing, and that the past differences seemed
to have been forgotten. She denied that
she knew what these differences might
| have been.
She left Mr.. Argyle and Bruce talking
in the library and went up to her room.
Later she was certain that she heard
Bruce leave the house, and after that she