The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1914-01-22

nor Parks had mentioned doing So
turned back to the outer room.
could feel Rogers jerk with nervous
II Just wanted to ask Won did you
help move any Of the furniture In the
room yonderT' said.
"No. sir; haven't touched any of It.
sir"
That's all right. then" | said. and
turned back into the inner room.
vantine had said that he intended
examining the cabinet In detail at the
first opportunity. He and the woman
had entered the anteroom together.
He had closed the door. and then
Like a lightning fash, thought leap
ed into my brain-a reason-an ex-
planation-wild, improbable, absurd,
but still an explanation. Fascinated
fss by deadly serpent, | stood staring
at the cabinet There, l felt certain.
lay the clew to the mystery!
Grady, Simmonds and Goldberger ex-
amined the room minutely l heard
Grady comment upon the fact that
there was no door except the one open
ing into the anteroom. and saw them
examine the window catches.
Nobody could raise these windows
without alarming the house." Grady
said. and pointed to tiny wire run
ming along the woodwork. There's a
burglar alarm"
Simmonds assented, and finally the
trio returned to the anteroom.
"We'd like to look over the rest Of
the house." Grady saia to Rogers, who
was sitting erect again. looking more
like himself. and the four men went
out into the hall together. | remain
ed behind with Hughes and Freyling-
huisen. They had lifted the body to
the couch and were making a careful
examination of it. Heavy at heart,
sat down near by and watched them.
That Philip vantine should have
been killed by enthusiasm for the hob
by which had given him so much
pleasure seemed the very irony of fate,
yet such believe to be the case. Frey
linghuisen's voice brought me out Of
my reverie.
"The two cases are precisely alike"
he was saying. 1.-The symptoms are
Identical And I'm certain we shall
find paralysis of the heart and spinal
cord in this case. just as | did in the
other. Both men were killed by the
same poison-some variant of hydro
cyanic acid. 1 fancy. The odor indi-
Gates that, but 1t must be about fifty
times as deadly as hydrocyanic acid is"
They wandered away into a discus
sion of possible variants so technical
and besprinkled with abstruse words
and formulas that l could not follow
them. The two detectives and the
coroner came back while the discus
sion was still in progress and listened
in silence to Freylinghuisens state
ment of the case Grady's mahogany
face told absolutely nothing Of what
was passing in his brain, but Sim
monds was plainly bewildered. So.
suspected, was Grady, but he was too
self composed to betray 1t.
The coroner drew the two physicians
aside and talked to them for a few
moments in low tone. Then he turn
ed to Grady.
"Freylinghuisen thinks there is no
necessity for postmortem," he said.
"The symptoms are in every way iden-
teal with those of the other man who
was killed here this afternoon. There
can be no question that both Of them
died from the same cause. He is
ready to make his return to that ef-
feet"
Every WELL" assented Grady. "The
body can be turned over to the rela-
tives, then"
"There aren't any relatives" said;
"at least, no near ones. ,vantine was
the last of this branch of the family.
i happen to know that our firm has
been named as his executors In his
will. SO, if there is no objection, I'll
take charge of things"
"Very WELL Mr.. Lester said Grady
again, and then he looked at me. do
you know the provisions of the will?"
he asked.
81 do"
"In the light of those provisions, do
you know of any one who would have
an interest in Vantine's death%
81 think may tell you the proyi-
sions," / said after a moment. with
the exception of a few legacies to his
servants, his whole fortune is left to
the Metropolitan Museum Of Art"
Have you ever learned that he had
an enemy?"
mo" answered instantly.
HE was never married, believer"
mo"
"Was he ever, to your knowledge, In
volved with womanY
mo-" ! said again. II was ast0und
ed when l heard Rogers story"
"Phank you. Mr.. Lester" and Grady
turned to Simmonds. II don't see that
there is, anything more we can dc
here" he added. There's one thing
though. Mr.. Lester, will have to ask
you to do. That is to keep all the serv