Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-08-24


a grim emphasis in the remark tnH'
did not escape the problemlst' Nc
Mann had confidence, and more ona
the usual allotment OF pohce-ue'e0
i've ability. +ba
cantain waited for the two unitorneo
men the plain-clothes man naI LIZ
moned, and he placed them AT lie NJ
chen and main doors Oh the -
Then an unnecessary snap OIL ms ~
gers attracted the attention OIL tme
Sandful Of diners who were still SIT
ting at the tables waiting for n ae-
no1ement they were sure woulo coile;
"CIesr out!' he ordered. Get!
You'll find out all about II IN 'he
morning papers, l suppose
Meekly, d~isappointedly, tney toId
| the blue uniform, and q glance tolo
the waiting detective to hnd OUT
whether or not they knew enough TO
make them valuable as Witnesses.
Then the three men, with
Carl almost on the verge OF
collapse bringing up the rear slai'eu
The bearded man still sat in ms
chair: his relaxed hand was sun
around the stem OF the wtneglass' IN
which the bubbles a ceased 10 rise
His eyes, bright, with none OF tne
fshy dullness that cvmes TO deao eSes
USUALLY, stared bLEdlShI oAASO -
bearded chin was still held high. Inc
arm with the slashed wrist was un-
moved. Nothing was changed; yet
everything was different. An hour
before. there had been laughter and
gaiety on every side. NOW deatn
reigned supreme in the big olnlns-
room. The walters, the captains
Ieaden-footed and torpid-brained with
the decentralization that had sent the
diners busting away, were gathered
in small groups, whispering, glanclnS
apprehensively at the single occupant
of the big room. Empty dishes empty
glasses were still on the taples' De-
cause discipline had gone
Captain McMann's eyes LOOK IN
every detail of the picture as ne
walked to the table. Then he turned
over the hand that was palm down
and whistled a combination OF sur
prise and professional satisfaction as
he saw the three gaping slaSnes
across the wrist artery. Then INES
of puzzlement came to his florid
brow.
How long ago did this happen"
he demanded of the nervous
who stood back, wringing his hands,
I don't know" stammered Carl.
Mr.. Cotton says that he has beer
dead for hours"
came scowlingly from the coroner,
who had lifted the glass of dead wine
from the relaxed fingers, and was feel-
ing II e wrist hat was uncut.
'"Why didn't you notify US before
then ?" asked the policeman sharply.
Don't you know that there's a JAN
penalty for c~oncealing crime? 2"
You came within three-quarters of
an hour after the discovery" put in
the blind man quietly.
"How's that? The mans been dead
hours! How'd he get here?"
walked" answered Cotton shortly.
An exclamation came from the cor
oner, as he rolled up a sleeve to the
elbow and ran his hands up the arm
to the shoulder and then down the
back. 1.-THE body 10 in a metal brace!"
he calculated. "Silver, by the Lord
Harry" He exposed the silver, clev-
erly hinged double c~Irclets around the
arm above and below the elbow.
Mr.. Cotton said it was STEEL" de-
clared the manager nervously.
Mistake number one" admitted the
problemist candidly; then he spoke
to Bierbauer: Those gaping slashes
weren't made after death, were they,
coroner.
Bierbauer darted him a sharp
glance before he took the wrist in
hand to examine it.
mol" The negative came with an
air of finality, and he explanation
that followed showed that he aspect
ed the ability Of the blind man. The
lay of the slashes vas made by the
flow of blood from the artery. If the
cuts had been made after death, they
would be straight, and cleanly open.
These lip" a trifle where the blood
has forced them up over the arterial
passage"
Then death was caused by arter-
iotomy?"
yes" nodded Bierbauer. mo
doubt of it"
whats that arter-omy thing?"
growled Captain McMann.
Bleeding to death" Cotton put it
into simple words. Then he spoke
again to the coroner: Aren't his eyes
unusually bright?"
How'd you know that, if your
blindness isn't bunk?" snapped the
short-tempered police captain. Thorn
ley Cotton had taken the principal
part away from him, and he resented
it.
THE dullness of lead eyes would
have attracted immediate attention"
Cotton explained frankly.
Chemical" declared the coroner, a
he were old friends. But he was 60
ing to show the interloper that he
knew his business, and knew it we'll.
"Atropine," he added.
"Uh!" Cotton turned away and
spoke over his shoulder as he went
to the mex table. IT thought BELLA
donna merely dilated the eye pupils,
TO make them lustrous. I had no
idea it would act on dead eyes!"
The ~coroner's face flushed as he
realized his mistake, and he muttered
something under his breath. But the
blind man had apparently forgotten
the two men. His back was toward
them, and his sensitive finger tips
were gingerly brushing a damp spot
on the cloth of the next table, NOV
ing gently the sharp fragments of a
broken wineglass. With a quick mo-
ton, he thrust his fingers into his
vest pocket; not quickly enough, how
ever, to escape the sharp eyes of Nc
Mann.
What was that?" he demanded.
as he strobe over. What was it?"
Thornley, Cotton reached into his
pocket again and held out the thing
he had picked up. Merely a frag-
ment of broken wineglass, captain.
There are others there; lake all you
want
McMann took the small piece of
glass from the outstretched palm with
no word of apology. His brows bead
ed as he o at it, trying to puzzle
out the lSind mans object in ATTEMPT
ing to conceal it. 1t was nothing but
a broker piece of thin wineglass stem.
like half a dozen Others on the table
/ nnVf IN che - 49,