The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1913-06-14

belonging to fanny WHO had been
abroad for three Years This estate
was vacant The house was some
distance from the stream, and stood
on q knoll that gave a view of the
ocean. 1t was surrounded ty weeds
and overgrowth.
The detect .es decided to inspect
this house A careful search. how
ever, proved conclusively that no one
had been rear the place. The house
was secur.ly suffered, its shutters
and porches thick with dust. There
was no indication anywhere of the
weeds having been trampled. 1t was
reasonably certain that the house
neither was nor had been occupied
for some time. But the police took
the responsibility of tearing off a shut
ter and searching. Inside was the
same coating OF dust. no footprints
tnywhere. no signs of anything hav-
ing been disturbed
The search from that time on
seemed to stand still. Bill and the
milkman were sent back to the stable
handsomely rewarded, but the story
came to naught, just as everything
else had. We were no nearer finding
10 than we had been the morning OF
her disappearance.
John still expected a demand for
ransom. SO did Mr.. Partridge, who
broke two pairs of glasses the morn
ing he came, rubbing them. had
ceased to hope. | nursed my broken
arm and cried every time l looked
and ! looked often-at JOS long, slim
gowns hanging on their pegs Just
how it happened the newspapers
hadn't discovered JOS connection
with Nine. Gautier. Robes ct Man
teaux. do not know. It's fact that
all the stories referred to her as
Mrs. Hazards guest, the beautiful
Miss Goldman. Perhaps 1t made bet.
ter story.
We dragged through Sunday Win
throp had taken the reporters into
his home. for there was no such thing
as hotel near us. We discovered
that Sam Dick was an OF, and Sun
day evening Mrs. Hazard brought him
in to see me-she's soft-hearted about
reporters anyhow He told me he
wouldn't print anything | said If l
didn't wish it. but he simply had to
be able to tell his city editor that he
had seen me; that he would like to
take message to the other boys. l
told him I'd stand for what he chose
to tell them. He's a dandy chap.
Monday morning Mrs. Hazard au-
thorized the newspaper men to say
that twenty-five thousand dollars
would be paid for 10 returned alive.
| didn't have to he told who had
offered to pay it.
Monday noon something happened
that we could not see had any bearing
on JOS disappearance. but which took
the newspaper men and photographers
to the rustic bridge on the run. A
passing automobile party had found
an unconscious man beside the road
just at the rustic bridge He had
been shot in the throat How he
came there no one knew. He could
not speak and no one could identify
him. Afterward a trail of blood was
found leading into the woods along
the stream, but before it had been
followed many things had happened
The wounded man was taken to DR..
Graham's, where it was not thought
he could live. as he was terribly ex-
hausted from loss of blood, and he
evidently had dragged himself from
the place where he had been shot, to
the road for assistance
While we were digesting this new
horror John, who was pacing up and
down Mrs. Hazards sitting room, sud-
denly gave a short, sharp cry, and
the next instant he was tearing madly
tearing madly is exactly what he
was doing-down the steps and across
the lawn. Coming from the direction
of the beach, stumbling. weary, ex.
hausted, was 10,
tTO BE CONTINUED)