Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-02-06

7 a pIain-ciotncs msn from rne precfwcs
detective force keeping it under watch
and ward.
To this house came Captain Mc1cs
and Rosalie lie Grange. They ap-
preached with all the caution OF fore
thought, entering the block through an
Office building on the next street. open,
| ing the area door with pass-key. go
ing into the house by the basement
door at the rear.
ugh! / hate to touch It," said Ro-
sale, drawing her skirts away from
the wreckage of the cellar I'm glad
wore my old clothes. Guess Mrs.
Moore never kept this place any too
well--an' with this dust an your un-
tidy cops, Martin McGee. it's just scan
dalous now. Well, come on!" And 80
she dragged her police escort through
floor after floor. room after room-at
first superficial survey and then a
minute search.
AS they came to Captain Hanska's
room, Inspector MCGEE stopped and
made Grafton.
You can see," he said, that 1t was
an inside job. Beginning on the roof,
there's no way to enter except by the
hatch which goes down into the lum-
Der room. On account of the fire regu-
lations, the hatch couldn't be locked,
but 1t was closed inside by bolt. That
hadn't been monkeyed with. In fact,
the dirt around the edges showed that
the hatch hadn't been opened for .
long time"
"And the fire escape?" asked Rosa
lie, pursuing her brows with concentra-
ton.
Runs from the lumber room
straight down. Passes at the third
floor the windows of Captain Hanska's
room. The corresponding room on the
second floor is vacant. No one entered
by the basement, either. Windows and
doors all bolted inside and showed no
signs of being tempered with. You
see, 1t was this Wade fellow, or an In
side job. And while we're talking about
locks"-here Martin MCGEE opened
Captain Hanska's door and stood with
foot on either side Of the threshold
this is little piece Of evidence I've
figured out myself. Notice. he had q
spring lock. Mrs. Moore says he put
1t on himself. That indicates he was
afraid Of carbohydrates, probably.
Him being so particular on that point,
It was only natural he should keep 1t
locked when he was asleep. Now. look
here"
This was an inside" spring lock Of
the ordinary pattern. 1t could be
controlled from without only by the
key. Within, however. was knob and
button by which one could turn back
the catch and render 1t temporarily
useless as lock. well, now" said
MCGEE, "the catch was back when they
found the body, and the door wasn't
locked at all. If he'd been alive after
Wade left him. he wouldn't have gone
to sleep without seeing that his door
was locked. My idea ie. he turned the
knob and shut the catch back when he
let Wade in-the way person does
with spring lock. Anyhow" con-
cluded MCGEE, Its a suspicious fact"
Very" said Resale; and MCGEE
did not catch the flatness in her tone.
But anyone who got on to that fire
escape, one way or another, could have
entered Hanska's room by the window.
couldn't her.
YES" said Inspector MCGEE, "if
Hanska'e window was open. But the
windows were closed when they found
the body. Most of the witnesses say
that They remember because when
this Mrs. Moore tainted those girls
opened both windows to give her air.
They say they had to open the catches
to get the sashes up"
"Stuffy muggy night an both win
dows closed-an' him an Americana"
well, there's nothing particularly
strange about that, LIS there?" said In
spector MCGEE.
MOT to you'll" replied Resale re
Grange, dimpling on him. II guess
we'll, / guess before we do anything
else we'll go over everything in that
room"
They entered. The bed was as Rosa
lie had seen it on the night Of the
tragedy-the sheets and quilts turned
back as though one had risen quietly
and naturally. 1t was to the bed that
Rosalie turned her first attention. At
the foot of the white counterpart, her
eyes stopped-stopped and rested.
Its spotted" she said almost under
her breath.
Inspector MCGEE looked also.
ITO RE CONTINITEDl