Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1913-01-15
William
Johnston.
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I was so deep in thought that there
was neither sight in my eyes nor hear
ing in my ears. Yet the eyes will not
be denied their rights. A feeling came
over me that some part Of my brain
was trying to tell me something. II
came more and more forcefully. My
eyes were seeing something which
they were trying to compel me to no
tice.
What was it?
pulled myself together with start
and looked about me.
With all exclamation of horror
sprang from the bench and gaZed into
the lake just in front of me. Floating
on the surface, not fifty feet from
where l had been sitting, was the
body of a woman.
"Other suicides, other suicides
Davis remark Of two days before kept
jigging through my brain. Other sui
cides! Katharine Elser, the woman
at Ardway-his prophecy had been
right-and was this another in the
terrible chain?
l ran like a mailman toward the
park entrance, where l remembered
l had passed a policeman. 1t was
with relief that l found him still
there.
There's a woman-drowned-in the
lake!" I gasped, pointing over my
shoulder.
He ran back to the lake with me
and together we waded out in the shall
low water where the body lay. In my
horror at the unexpected sight ! had
not stopped to note her appearance,
nor could. have told whether she
was young or old, dark or fair.
looked at her now with more than
interest-with a feeling of sorrow, of
understanding. The deed Of Katha-
rine Parrish had brought me to a
closer sympathy with unfortunate per.
sons influenced to seek death. As
saw that this poor girl was young and
fair l sadly wondered what tragedy
had driven her to drowning.
& Never shall forget the impression
the picture Of this suicide made on
blonde tresses Of well-kept hair Aoat.
ing out on either side of her shapely
head Her eyes were closed, but her
shapely brows and long dark lashes
made her face comely even In death
Her clothing, l observed, was we'll
made. and though wet and soiled as 1t
was by the water it still gave the i'm
preston of neatness.
We grasped the body gently by the
arms and drew it in to the bank, where
we lifted it to the park bench on
which l had been sitting.
II wonder if there is anything about
her to identify her by? said the po'
liceman, and together we looked.
Apparently there was nothing. There
were no rings on her hands, though
the fingers We're those of woman OF
refinement The officer turned back
the collar of her coat, but the name
Of the maker had been cut away. ,e
''She didn't want nobody to know
who she was, guess" he said after a
hasty examination. They generally
try to hide their Names" ~"
Yes, suppose they do" I said
alphabetically. r ~
I've got to go over to the arsenal
and report this and send for the wag-
on. Will you wait till come back?
I won't be long"
I'll wait" said.
He disappeared up the path and I
was left alone with the body. AS l
sat there, meditating on the mystery
that had caused so many other trag-
edies, became conscious of the fact
that one of this girls hands was
closed, as if, even in death, she was
striving to conceal something.
STOPPING over, gently pressed back
the stiffening fingers.
An exclamation Of horror came to
my lips as l saw what had been con-
cealed there.
1t was little scrap of yellow paper.
l could hardly believe my eyes. 1t
must be that this poor girl here was
another of the victims in the battling
chain of crime I was seeking to I'M
ravel. I. held the water-soaked frag-
ment up to the light, but there was
nothing on it-not a word. Yet there
was no installing the color and tex
ture of the paper. 1t was undoubtedly
the same that Louise and had found
in Katharine's room after she had
tried to kill herself. 1t was the same
that the police had discovered in An
drew Elsler's room. There was no
question in my mind but that it was
the same that the woman in Ardway
had torn up before she hanged herself
in the little hotel. But what was the
tie between them? What could be the
mysterious import Of this yellow let
ter that drove its recipients to death :?
Here was one fragment. Perhaps l
could find other scraps-perhaps the
whole letter. ran down to the bank
of the lake and began a systematic
search of the water along shore. Foot
by foot studied it carefully. For ten
minutes searched unavailingly and
then 1 caught glimpse of something
yellow half hidden by an overhanging
tree. Carefully parted the branches.
Sure enough, submerged in six inches
Of water, were more of the yellow
scraps. l waded in and, scooping
them up carefully in my hands, laid