The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-05-04
FERRETING OUT A
MYSTERY
Strange Case That Had Many
Puzzling Features.


from the most remote cew," he said.
That's the Dickens case"
Tell me about it."
Henry Dickens was very rich old
nan. He had a daughter who had
married against his will, and he was
supposed to have disinherited her.
Some one of several nephews and nieces
was supposed to be his heir, but no one
knew. One day he was found dead In
his bed with bottle Of prussic acid
on the table beside him. will was
found leaving a small part of his for
tune to his daughter, the rest to char
table institutions.
"Opinion was divided as to whether
he had been murdered by poison. The
daughters husband, Edward Clarke,
took charge Of his effects Immediately,
and the first thing he did was to send
for me. | looked through the house,
picking up bit of paper, half burned
match, a vial-anything. everything
that might possibly furnish a clew. In
the kitchen i noticed some white dust
on the floor that looked as If -four
had been spilled and taken up, leaving
trace. One of the servants told me
that a tin can Of starch had been
left on table the night before. 1t was
found where it had been left. The
white space on the floor was in an
other part of the Kitchen. OF course |
took the bottle of prussic acid.
~ confess that after looking through
everything, including the private let
ters and papers. was as much at a
loss where to begin rs before entered
upon my work. | did not suspect any
one. The daughte. vac very much cut
up over her fathers death. and her
husband told me that he suspected
that the old mans death was connect
ed with an abortive attempt on the
part of some one to get possession OF
his property. Since the daughter and
son-ln-law got only a small portion of
1t, there was not sufficient interest to
implicate them.
"The poison bottle | examined with a
magnifying glass. There were traces
on 1t of something colorless; l could
not tell what. 1t might have been q
powder softened by moisture. took
/ the bottle to chemist and asked him
to analyZe the substance on the label
Taking off very small piece of the
label. he busted himself in his labora
tory while | waited
| h. nd
last.
'StarchT repeated, thinking
Starch? Where has starch turned uT
in this case? All, have it! Professor
there was some starch spilled on the
kitchen floor
"Indeed? Well, whoever spilled
that starch may have grasped the bot
tie of poison
"'Can you test for it on the fingers
of the dead manY
Certainly
"'Vcry welt He Is to be buried a,
3 o'clock. 1t is now 9. You had better
go at once.
HE did 50, going with him and
waiting below while he went upstairs
to make the test When he returned
he reported that there was no trace OF
starch on the fingers of either hand.
$50 far. so good Probably the dead
man had not held the bottle which he
was supposed to have used to commit
suicide, but some one else had held 1t
some one who had upset tin can OF
\ to In, "a l.itphnn | hnni
with the professor to his laboratory.
"I will develop this label he said
with iodine and see what result we
| get
| "Iia did so, and a blue thumb and
two finger marks appeared. The par
where the two lower fingers had press
ed we had torn away in the first test.
81 was now in a position to brinl
strong proof against any one ] sus
pected. But unfortunately there was
no especial reason to distrust any one
Half Il dozen people had been In the
house within twelve hours before thu
murder. ! had taken a memorandum
Of their names and on looking it ovel
| found no name of any one who coulC
have had the slightest interest In thu
death OF Mr.. Dickens. informed the
son-in-law of the condition of things
and he Immediately insisted on his ant
his wife's thumbs and fingers being ex
amlned This was done. and they wer'
found to be entirely unlike those OF
the bottle. From this time forward
had valuable suggestions from thu
daughter aS to those who posslbl.
might have been trying to secure he
fathers fortune. There were six o
them, | called on each one separated.
and examined the thumb and fingers
None OF the marks agreed with thos'
on the label,
ut was not till years afterward tina
! finished the case, 1t was reported 4
me that lunatlc In a state asylum
was referring strangely to Henry Dick
| want "a oaa him and ynminp,