The Dickinson press., 1915-04-24

Kennedy Discovers the Secret of the
Poisoned Room.
spite Of the fact that it was broad
daylight, it was running. His face.
puckered. ,
"They are using no current at pres1
ent in the house," he ruminated, yet
the meter Is running"
, He continued to examine the meter.
Then he began to follow the electric
wires along. At last he discovered a.
place where they had been tampered)
with and tapped by other wires.
THE work of the Clutching Hand!"|
he muttered.
Eagerly he followed the wires to|
the furnace and around to the back
There they led right into a little
water tank. Kennedy yanked them
out. AS he did so he pulled some1
thing with them.
1.-TWO electrodes the villain placed
there" he exclaimed, holding them up}
triumphantly for me to see.
"Y-yes," I replied, obviously, "but
what does it all mean?"
"Why, don't you see? Under the in
fuence Of the electric current the wa
ter was ~decomposed and gave off oxy1
gen and hydrogen. The free hydrogen
passed up the furnace pipe and conf
bining with the arsenic in the WALL
paper formed the deadly arseniuretted|
hydrogen
He cast the whole improvised elec1
trolysis apparatus on the floor and
dashed up the cellar steps.
"Ive found it," he cried, hurrying
into Elaine's room. TITS in this room
"a deadly gas-arseniurettef hydro7
gen."
He tore open the windows. ,
Have her moved" he shouted to-
Aunt Josephine. "Then have a vac4
uum cleaner go owe every inch off
wall, carpet and upholstery" !
Standing beside her, he breathless7
ly explained his discovery. THAT wall
paper has been loaded down with
arsenic, probably paris green or;
Schweinfurth green, which is acetoar-I
semitic of copper. Every minute you
are here you n breathing arseniuret1
ted hydrogen. This Clutching Hand
Is a diabolical genius. Think Of tt
poisoned wall paper!"
No one said a word. Kennedy
reached down and took the two
Clutching Hand messages Elaine had
received. Il shall want to study
these notes, more, too" he said, hold.
Ing them up to the wall at the head
of the bed as he flashed his pocket
lens at them. "You see, Elaine, / may
be able to get something from study
Ing the ink, the paper, the hand writ
ing"
Suddenly both leaped back. with a.
cry. f<=a2 -: .].%Ei "S"
Their faces had been several incheG
apart. Something had whizzed hetween
them and literally impaled the two
notes on the wall. e. =
Down the street, on the roof of a
carriage house, back Of a neighbor'sd
might have been seen the uncouth fig1
are Of the shabby South American I'M
dian %crouching behind a chimney and
gazing intently at the Dodge house.
AS Craig had thrown open Nlaine's.
window and turned to Elaine the figure,
had crouched closer to the chimney.
Then with an uncanny determine.
tion, he slowly raised the blowgun, to
his lips. +
1 jumped forward, followed by. Doc
tor Hayward, Aunt Josephine and
Marie. Kennedy had a peculiar look
as he pulled out from the wall a blow4.
gun dart similar In every way to that
which had killed Michael.
"Craig!" gasped Elaihe, reaching uu
and laying her soft, white hand on hid
arm in un~disguised fear for him, "you
you must give pip. this chase for thd,
Clutching Hand!"
"Give up the chase for the Clutch.
ing Hand?" he repeated in surprisel
Never! Not until either he or I i'd:
dead!" "l 49,
There was both fear and admiration,
mingled in her look, az lie reached
down and patted her dainty shoulder
encouragingly.
eTo BID QQMT1NUAp1 l..