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


7 T pom a day James Argyle was about
his usual haunts. Upon an even
- ing he was at his home seemingly
hale and happy Upon q morning
he was found on d Persian rug 10y the
inlaid table Of his rich library, lying on
his 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. II
was a plain murder
The crime was discovered shortly after
I o'clock in the morning and by the
evening papers were 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 lie had built a swell and not
very small place on street in New York
where the cost of a front foot would keep
an ordinary family in comfort for a num-
Der Of years. But beyond the mere fact
Of his riches there were other reasons.
lie was probably so years old. though
he never discussed his age with any one
lie belonged to a few clubs and attended
only one This was in later years. For
merry he seemed fond of the society of
men, hut in the few years preceding his
death he grew eccentric. lie was likely
to quarrel and for several months before
the terrible end he did quarrel with every
one.
ouarrelsome Nature.
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 T. Hurley He quarreled
with his son almost constantly; so that
the young man, who had a decided bent
toward the artistic, rented a studio in
Twenty third 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
edly 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
Eyle, the son, and the other members of
me 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 'rnotor
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 ii 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