Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-05-28

imagine what happens theny Young
communicates with him at once. You
used the telephone, didn't your
Sure" he said. the telephone ev-
cry time. 1t leaves no records behind
It and the Bertillon system can't
Identify a voice"
Now" the inspector went on,
what does Young say over the tele-
phone to Elser? Something like this
You're an old thief. I've got the
proof. You are stealing somebody's
money. Steal some more and give
II to me or I'll tell Unfortunately,
in old Elser's case there was no more
money left to steal, so he killed him
self. Am l right, Young?"
Again the prisoner nodded, and
again he demanded another dose of
morphine. His muscles we're again
getting beyond his control. As Davis
fixed the hypodermic. | asked: But
where does the old maid from Con
necticut come in? Surely she wasn't
defaulter."
II suspect It was the brother with
whom she made her home" said the
inspector.
Damn her." said Young bitterly, 1T
was she who queered the whole game.
We tackled her brother for FIVE hun
dred and It came so easily we de-
cided to make another try. The weak.
kneed old thief, in his terror of us,
told his sister all about It. She in
sisted on coming down here. She
saw Rouser and tried to find the sign
or OF the letter. Rouser denied know
ing him. She was a wise old creature
and pointed out that as postmaster he
must know who got the mall. Her
suspicion Of Rouser scared him stiff.
He wanted to give her the money
back, but at first l wouldn't hear to
1t. She was threatening to commit
suicide II We didn't. He was SO
scared that l finally consented to let
him square her. l wanted to use him
still further and wasn't ready to have
him get cold feet. gave him the
money, and he went to the hotel late
in the afternoon to see the old girl.
He slipped up to her room and found
her hanging there. 1t gave him such
shock that he dashed back to the
post office, grabbed his bicycle and
hustled out here as fast as he could
come, where was waiting to meet
Katharine Parrish"
With difficulty l suppressed an ex-
clamation of establishment. could
not doubt that he was telling the
truth, for his story dovetailed so well
with what Louise had told me. Yet
1t seemed impossible to believe, II
surely was preposterous to imagine
that General Parrish, wealthy and
honorable as he was, could have
been a thief. l refused to believe It.
decided to demand an explanation
from Young of why he had sought q
meeting with Katharine.
IT'S too bad Rouser was so easily
frightened" Davis was saying sar
castically. "He was so scared that he
left behind in the cash drawer five
thousand he had Just received from
Henry Eberle."
The accursed fool!" screamed
Young in a frenzy Of rage that he hat
failed to get his hands on this bit Of
plumber. The sneak didn't tell me
that. All he said was that Dora Hast
ings, who was a restaurant cashier
had insisted that 1t was utterly i'm
possible for her to pay up. The dirty
damned sneak!"
In a fit Of madness he cursed anC
cursed again his dead associate, fou
oaths rolling in streams from hi
parched lips. Anxiously ! waited foI
his fury to subside to ask him abou
Katharine and Hugh Crandall. 1
seemed a dissertation of her woman
hood to mention Katharine's name il
the presence Of such a man, so as h,
subsidized l merely asked: but .wha
about Hugh Crandall?"
Damn him." he cried, that wa
another Of my mistakes! l knew
Crandall in college When I got tn,
goods on old Parrish I thought coult
rely on Crandall to help me to turl
the trick. didn't know he was II
love with the daughter. When l toll,
him about it he refused to have any
thing to do with it and rushed of anc
squealed to the general. Much thank
he got for it! The naughty old gen
eral ordered him out Of the hous
and wouldn't let the daughter hav
anything more to do with him.
J tried then to get him in on tn
scheme, but II was no go. For week
he kept trying to worm my secre
, from me. l fired yellow letter afte
} yellow letter at the general, but h
kept defying me. and all the Will
Crandall kept after me to make m
give up the papers. / was afraid L.
weaken. There are times the dep
| gets me and hardly know what In
doing, so l vanished. It struck m
that If the general wouldn't com
across maybe the daughter would.
put 1t up to Crandall and we arrange
a meeting. l was to put the papers 1
her hands and she was to pay owe
J the money. slipped up on the frs
appointment and I guess you mus
have spoiled the second"
l still was puzzled. What could b
= the terrible mystery in proud oil
General Farrish's life that gave thl
, miscreant such q hold on him?
: was beyond my imagination to COZ
! lecture, so put the question blunt
/ to the prisoner.
! why ask me7" he snarled. 'You'v
: got the whole thing-every pape
| bearing on It in your pocket there"
Quickly / snatchSd the envelop