The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-03-31

arrested that night. Tuesday,
and this time it was murder. !
know now that the police were
taking long chances. They had
no strong motive for the crime.
AS Mr.. Holcombe said, they had
provocation, but not motive, which
is different. They had opportun-
ity, and they had a lot of stray
Cling links of clues, which in the
total made a fair chain of cir
cumstantial evidence. But that
was all.
That is the way the case stood
on Tuesday, March the thirteenth.
Mr.. Ladley was taken away at
nine o'clock. He was perfectly
cool, asked me to help him pack
suit case, and whistled while 1t
was being done. He requested to
be allowed to walk to the Jail, and
went quietly, with a detective on
one side and think a sheriff's
officer on the other.
Just before he left, he asked
for a word or two with me, and
when he paid his bill up to date,
and gave me an extra dollar for
taking care of Peter, | was almost
overcome. He took the manu-
script of his play with him, and
| remember his asking If he could
have any typing done in the Jail.
l had never seen a man arrested
for murder before, but | think
he was probably the coolest sus-
pect the officers had ever seen.
They hardly knew what to make
of It.
Mr.. Reynolds and | had a cup
of tea after all the excitement,
and were sitting at the dining
room table drinking it, when the
bell rang. 1t was Mr.. Howell!
He half staggered into the hall
when | opened the door, and was
for going into the parlor bed
room without word.
Mr.. Ladley's gone, IL you want
him. l said. l thought his face
cleared.
"Gone!" he said. "Where?"
ITO jail"
He did not reply at once. He
stood there, tapping the palm of
one hand with the forefinger of
the other. He was dirty and I'M
shaven. His clothes looked as IL
he had been sleeping in them.
so they've got him!" he NUT
tered finally, and turning, was
about to go out the front door
without another word, but /
caught his arm.
you're sick, Mr.. Howell" /
said. You'd better not go out
just yet"
"Oh, I'm all right" He took
his handkerchief out and wiped
his face. saw that his hands
were shaking.
Come back and have a cup of
tea, and a slice of home-ma AIDE
bread"
He hesitated and looked at his
watch. I'll do it, Mrs. Pitman,"
he said. Il suppose I'd better
throw a little fuel into this en-
CINE of mine. It's been going
hard for several days"
He ate like wolf. / cut half a
loaf into slices for him, and he
drank the rest of the tea. Mr..
Reynolds creaked up to bed and
left him still eating, and me still
cutting and spreading. Now that
/ had a chance to see him, was
shocked. The rims of his eyes
were red, his collar was black, and
his hair hung over his forehead.
But when he finally sat back and
looked at me, his color was bet
ter.
80 they've canned hint" he
said.
Thine enough, too" said I.
He leaned forward and put
both his elbows on the table.
Mrs. Pitman," he said earnest
ly, II don't like him any more
than you do. But he never killed
that woman"
Somebody killed her."
"How do you know? How do
you know she is dead?"
well. didn't. Of course
only felt It.
THE police haven't even
proved crime. They can't hold
man for supposititious MUIR
der"
Perhaps they can't but they're
doing it," l retorted. IF the
woman's alive, she won't let him
hang"
I'm not so sure OF that" he
said heavily. and got up. He
looked In the little mirror over the
sideboard. and brushed back his
hair. II look bad enough he
said, "but l feel worse. Well,
you've saved my life, Mrs. Pitman.
Thank YOU"
How is INFLOW is Miss Har-