The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-09-11
CHAPTER VII.
Beckonings.

are not facts" pronounced
Chester Kent.
Fumes of tobacco were ris-
Ing from three pipes lowered about
the porch Of the Nook where kent.
Sedgwick and Lawyer Balm were hold
ing late council. A discouraged Obser-
walton from the artist had elected
Kent's epigram.
Not all Of them, anyhow" said
Balm. THE chore in this case is to
find facts enough to work on
'On the contrary" declared Kent.
facts in this case are as plentiful as
blackberries. The trouble is that we
have no pail to put them in
Maybe we could borrow Ler
~Schlager's." suggested the lawyer
dryly.
I'VE don't seem to be getting mucn
of anywhere" complained Sedgwick.
complicated cases don't clear them
selves ND in a day" remarked Kent.
.'In this case we've got opponents who
know more than We do
"~Schlager?" asked the lawyer.
And DR.. Breed. Also. | think,
Gansett Jim. What do you think. Mr..
Balm. is the handspring of the slleriff'>
actiOn?"
Money said the lawyer with con
viction. He's as crooked as a snake
with the collie"
Would it require much money to in
luence him."
AS much as he could get. II the
case was in the line of blackmail. he'd
hold out strong. He's shrewd.'
DIR. Breed must be getting some
of it,
"Oh, Tim Breed is Lens little dog
He takes orders. OF course hell take
money. too. if it comes his way. Like
master. like man"
Those two" said Kent slowly,
know the identity of the body. For
good and sufficient reasons. they are
keeping that information to them
selves. Those reasons We aren't likely
to find out from them"
Murderer has bribed en-" Opined
Balm.
POSSIBLY. But that presuppOses
that the sheriff found something on
the body which led him to the muir
derer. which isn't likely. How improb-
able it is that a murderer allowing for
argument. that there has been murder
who would go as far AS to owe his
trail and the nature of the crime by
binding the body on a grating. would
overlook anything like a letter incrim.
mating himself"
What did the sheriff find. then. il
the dead wOman's pocket?
"Perhaps a handkerchief with 4 dis
tinctive mark"
And that would lead him to the
identity OF the bOdy?"
presumably. Also to some one
We may assume, who vas willing t.
pay rOundIy to have that identity con
cealed.'
That would naturally be the muir
derer. wouldn't it," asked Sedgwick.
NO. 1 don't think So"
1T looks to me So said the lawyer
Hes the one naturally interested il
cOncealment.'
I'm almost ready to dismiss the no
ton Of a murderer at all"
Why So" demanded both the 9th
ers.
Because there was no murder, :.
ably"
How do you make that out:' que
ried Balm.
From the nature Of the wounds tina
caused DEATH
They look to me to be just sucl
wounds as would be made by a blow
with a heavy club
Several blows with a heavy clu!
might have caused such wounds. Blu
the blows would ha We had to be deIiv
cred peculiarly. A circle on the sku'
six inches in diameter. impinging Vi
the right ear, is crushed in. If 70,
can imagine a man swinging a base
ball bat at the height OF his shoulder
repeatedly and with great force at tn
victims head you can infer such
crushing in Of the bone. My imagina
ton hardly carries me so far
beating down from above would b
the natural way" said Balm.
Certainly. No such blow ever mad
that wound"
Then now was it nader aske,