The Columbus commercial., 1915-03-21

Poisoned Room.
spite of the fact that 1t was broad
daylight, it was running. His face
puckered
They are using no current at pres
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 Clutchng Hand"
he muttered.
Eagerly he followed the wires to
the furnace and around to the back.
There they led right into little
water tank. Kennedy yanked them
out. AS he did so he pulled some
thing with them.
1.-TWO electrodes the villain placed
there" he exclaimed, holding them up
triumphantly for me to see.
"Y-yes," | replied, obviously. but
| what does it all mean?"
why don't you see? Under the in
fluence of the electric current the wa
ter was decomposed and gave off oxy-
gen and hydrogen. The free hydrogen
passed up the furnace pipe and COM
bining with the arsenic in the wall
paper formed the deadly arseniuretted
hydrogen"
He cast the whole improvised elec-
trolysis apparatus on the floor and
dashed up the cellar steps.
I've found it," he crie,, hurrying
into Elaine's room. ITS in this room
"a deadly gas-arseniurettet hydro
gen."
He tore open the windows.
Have her moved" he shouted to
Aunt Josephine Then have vac
uum cleaner go over every inch of
wall, carpet and upholstery"
Standing beside her, he breathless-
ly explained his discovery. THAT wall
paper has been loaded down with
arsenic, probably paris green or
Schweinfurth green, which is acetoar-
senite OF copper. Every minute you
are here you are breathing arseniuret-
ted hydrogen. This Clutching Hand
is a diabolical genius. Think of it
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 9
cry.
Their faces had been several inches
apart. Something had whizzed between
them and literally impaled the tive
notes on the wall
Down the street, on the roof Of |
carriage house, back of a neighbors 8
, might have been seen the uncouth fig
ure of the shabby South American In
dian crouching behind a chimney an,
gazing intently at the Dodge house
!. As Craig had thrown open Elaine
window and turned to Elaine the figur
had crouched closer to the chimney.
Then with an uncanny determine
tion, he slowly raised the blowgun t
his lips
|. jumped forward, followed by Dot
= tor Hayward, Aunt Josephine an
Marie. Kennedy had peculiar loo
a as he pulled out from the wall blow
gun dart similar in every way to tina
a which had killed Michael.
"Craig!" gasped Elaine, reaching u
IA and laying her soft, white hand on hi
a arm In undisguised fear for him, "yo
r. you must give up this chase for tn
>, Clutching Hand"
"Give up the chase for the Clutcl
.. ing Hand?' he repeated in surprls
m Never! Not until either he or I
7 dead"
I There was both fear and admiratio
AZ mingled in her look. as he reache
down and patted her dainty should'
"A slcourasinsly.
- To BE coNT1NuEpl