Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-09-23

-ne sheets from his bunk. OF the three
he was the most mutilated The maid.
Karen. showed only one injury.
smashing blow on the head. probably
from the head of the ax, for ak IL tnd
been beyond doubt
AT three bells the cook brought coffee
and some of the men took IL. tried
TO swallow. but il choked me.
find II hard TO recall calmly the
events OF that morning: the three still
and shrouded figures. prone on deck:
the crew. bareheaded, standing around.
eying each other stenlthily. with panic
ready to leap free and grip ench or
them by the throat: the grim determi-
nation. the renson for which ! did not
yet know. to put the first mite In
irons. and. over all. the clear sunrise
OF an August morning on the ocean.
rails and decks cleaning. an odor OF
coffee in the air. the Joyous lift and
splash OF the bowsprit as the Ella.
headed back on her course. seemed to
make for home like nag for the
stable.
Surely none of these men. some weep
ing, all grieving. could be the tend
who had committed the crimes. One
by one. l looked in their faces-at
Burns, youngest member of the crew. a
blue eyed. sandy haired Scot; at Clarke
and Adams and Charlie Jones. old In
the service OF the Turner line; at Nc
Namara. a shrewd little Irishman; at
Oleson the Swede. And. In spite OF
myself. i could not help comparing
them with the heavy shouidered. sod
den faced man below in his ca bin. the
owner of the ship
One explanation came to me. and 4
leaped at 1.-THE possibility of stow
away hidden in the hold, some mani
acal fugitive who had found in the
little cargo boats empty hull ample
room to hide. The men. too. seized at
the idea. One and all volunteered for
what might prove TO be a dangerous
service.
chose Charlie Jones and Clarke as
being most familiar with the ship. and
we went down into the hold. Clarke
carried lantern. Charlie Jones held
SingIeton's broken revolver. / carried
a belaying pin. But. although we
searched every foot of space. we found
nothing. The formaldehyde with
which Turner had fumigated the ship
chung here tenaciously, and. mixed
with the odors of bilge water and the
INDISPENSABLE heavy smells left by
tropical cargOes. made me dizzy and Ill.
We were stumbling along. Clarke
with the lantern, l next and Charlie
Jones behind. on our way TO the lad
der again, when | received a stunning
blow on the back of the head. 1 turn
ed dizzy. expecting nothing less than
sudden death. when it developed that
Jones. having stumbled over a loose
plank. had fallen forward, the revolver
in his outstretched hand striking my
head.
He picked himself up sheepishly. and
we went on. But so unnerved was by
this fresh shock that it was moment
or two before | could essay the ladder.
Burns was waiting ar the hatchway.
peerinG down. Beside him on the deck
lay blood stained AK
Elsa Lee. on hearing the story of
Henrietta Sloane. had gone to the |
maids cabin and had found it where |
it had been flung into the berth of the |
stewardess.
But. after all, the story of Henrietta !
Sloane only added to the mystery. She |
told ii TO me. sitting propped in
chair in Mrs. Johns room. her face |
white. her lips dry and twitching. The |
crew was making such breakfast as |
they could on deck. and Mr.. Turner |
was still in stupor in his room across |
the main cabin. The four women. |
drawn together in their distress. were
huddied in the center of the room.
touching hands now and then. as If |
finding comfort in contact. and reas-
surance.
II went TO bed early" said the stew
ardess. .'about 10 O'Clock. think.
Karen had not come down; l Weakened
when the watch changed 1t was hot.
and the window from our room to the
deck was open. There is curtain
over it to keep the helmsman from look
ing init is close TO the wheel. The
bell. striking every half hour. does not
waken me any more. although it did at