The Tomahawk., 1916-02-10

X
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
tial modern affair, and it had been
blown open with soup" in recognized
"peter-man" fashion. If it had con-
tanned $4,000 or any other amount, or
anything of value at all, both money
and valuables had vanished before the
police arrived upon the scene.
The sole theory upon which the po-
lice were working, naturally enough,
was that Gentry blew the safe, and
the noise having awakened Mrs. Fleu-
roy, she stole down the main stairs
and surprised him in the act Of loot
ing the money-drawer. Thereupon the
burglar snatched up the statuette, the
nearest available weapon, and in q
twinkling became a red-handed MUIR
derer. He then had made good his
escape.
Although Felix Hazard was &C.
quainted with the published accounts
Of the crime, he wanted to hear the
story from Mr.. Kendal's own lips.
Before departing, however, he sup
piled certain details not contained In
the published report.
Some time on Wednesday, the
twentieth" Mr.. Kendall averred, How
ard presented himself at the house and
gave Mrs. Fleuroy my letter. A sheet
or two Of it was found by the police.
But the portion Of it that would ex-
plain away the very worst feature
against Howard has not come to light.
AS a matt r of fact, If you had the
entire letter you would see at once
that it constituted strong evidence in
his favor. I will explain.
His purpose in coming to Chicago
was twofold-to visit me and my
family, and to approve Of my choice of
a piece of property that was to be
my wedding present to him and his
wife. For this purpose I had drawn
on my bank for $4,000. The bargain
was too good a one to risk any chance
of somebody else stepping in and
swapping it up. So I informed him
in the same letter that the money had
been sent to the house to be placed
in the library safe by Mrs. Fleuroy
subject to his demand.
"Now then, somebody-God knows
it was not Howard; he never could
have done such a thing-somebody
during the night of the twentieth
forced the safe door and took not
only the money, but certain Of my
wife's and daughters jewels, which
were not in my safe-deposit box; most
ly priceless heirlooms that we always
keep by us, but none the less intrin-
sically worth thousands of dollars.
"A description of these has been
furnished the police. Among the miss
ing trinkets are three onedollar gold
pieces whose dates I remember-1S67.
1870 and 1881.
There was no sign that the house
had been broken into; but next morn
ing Howard was missing and has been
ever since; it's four days now. Why
was he not there to prevent the das-
tardly crime, or at least to give the
alarm?"
Both Felix Hazard and his chief re-
NAMED discreetly silent in the face OF
this outburst, and in moment the
harassed old gentleman continued.
"Now I want you to consider this:
Howard did not have to force my
safe nor commit murder to obtain the
$4,000; Constance had received ex-
plicit instructions to give 1t to him
whenever he asked for it. AS for the
stolen jewels, they did not offer a
sufficient additional inducement for
him to have resorted to the graver
crime Besides, while not man of
affluence, my nephew enjoys sub
stantial income; he has always lived
within it, and the girl he is engaged to
marry is well-to-do in her own right.
There is positively no motive that i'm
plicates Howard in this crime.
IT want you to find him-find him
before the police do-and try to get
from him the information that will
clear him. Spare no expense"
How about this young lady to
whom Mr.. Gentry is engaged?" Felix
Hazard inquired. Can she throw any
light upon the matter-where he now
is, for instance?"
''No, none at all. She absolutely
refuses to talk about it further than
to maintain an unshakable belief in
his innocence"
Hazards eyes narrowed; but he
didn't press this phase except to get
Miss Gladys Rutherford's address.
After Mr.. Kendall had departed,
Hazard went through the general Of
flee, where the. clicking of many type
writer's blended in a rafting blur, and
down a short corridor to a door
marked "Private" He raped light
ly upon the frosted glass panel. and
when a pleasant ccItralto voice babe