The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-04-20
FERRE TING OUT A
MYSTERY
Strange Case That Had Many
PuzzIing Features.

his strongest case.
Il can give You the case worked up
from the most remote ciew," he said
That's the Dickens case
Tell NE about it,
Henry Dickens was very rich old
man. He had daughter who had
married against his viii, and he was
supposed to have disinherited her.
Some one of several nephews and neces
was supposed to be his heir but no one
knew. One day he WAS found dead in
his bed with bottle OF prussic acid
Oh the table beside him. A will was
found leaving IL small part of his for
tune to his daughter, the rest to char
table institutions.
"Opinlon 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 10 send
FOR me- looked through the house.
picking up Il bit of paper, half burned
match. vial--anything, everything
that might possibly furnish clew. Ia
the kitchen noticed some white dust
on the floor that looked ms if -four
had been spilled and taken up, leaving
that Il tin can of starch had been
left on table the night before. 1t was
found where II 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.
Il confess that after looking through
everything, including the private let
ters and papers, | was as much at a
loss where to begin as before ] entered
upon my work. | did not suspect any
one. The daughter was 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-in.aw got only small portion OF
it, there was not sufficient interest to
implicate them.
The poison bottle examined with a
magnifying glass. There were traces
on 1t Of something colorless: ] could
not tell what II might have been a
powder softeued by moisture took
the bottle To a chemist and asked him
to analyze the substance on the label.
Taking of very small piece of the
label, he busted himself In his labora-
tory while ! waited. 70"
There's starch in it, he said at
last
Starch?' repeated, thinking,
Starch? Where has starch turned up
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 mani
Certainly
"'Very well. He is 10 be buried at
IL. -
30 at once.
He did so, 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 II,
some one who had upset tin can of
starch in the kitchen. | went back
with the professor to his laboratory.
81 will develop this label he said.
with iodine and see what result we
get
HE did so, and a blue thumb and
two finger marks appeared. The part
where the two lower fingers had press
ed we had torn away in the first tost.
IL was now in position to bring
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 the
murder. | had taken memorandum
Of their names and on looking it over
found no name of any one who could
have had the slightest interest in the
death of Mr.. Dickens. | informed the
sOn-in-law of the condition of things.
and he Immediately insisted on his and
his wifes thumbs and fingers being ex-
amined This was done. and they were
found TO be entirely unlike those OH
the bottle. From this time forward |
had valuable suggestions from the
daughter as to those who possibly
might have been trying to secure her
fathers fortune. There were six OF
them called on each one separately
and examined the thumb and fingers.
None of the marks agreed with those
on the label
at was not till years afterward that
finished the case. II was reported to
me that Il lunatic in state asylum
was referring strangely to Henry Dick
ems. went to see him and examined
the markings on his thumb and fingers.
they agreed with those on the label
Exactly. secured the mans papers
and found letters from Mr.. Dickens
agreeing to make over certain property
to him in case of his Nir. DickensO
MI, .,.o,,, xrrittat, ubant thn