Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1916-02-04

One morning in August, Wnen FeIlX
Hazard was as yet only a capable OPP
erative of the Sutherland Detective
agency, he was summoned to the off1ce
of his chief, where he was surprised at
being confronted by one of the guild
ing spirits Of the city's banking and
commercial activities-Mr. Howard
Kendall Only within the week had the
name come to occupy an unenviable
notoriety in the newspapers and the
public mind, by reason of it's close as
sociation Nth a particularly atrocious
murder.
Following an annual custom, the
Kendals and most of their establish
ment had gone to their summer home,
near Harbor Springs, Michigan. Dur
ing these summertime hegiras their
Lake Shore mansion was left in charge
of the houcekeeper, middle-aged
widow of education and refinement,
who had long been a trusted servant
of the Kendall menage; as a matter of
fact, her position was more like a
member of the family than Of merely
a servant This lady's name was Mrs.
Constance Fleuroy-or Connie" as
she was affectionately called by mem
bers of the family.
Felix Hazard Immediately surmised
the object of the millionaire's visit.
Early in the morning of Thursday,
August 81, Mrs. Fleuroy's lifeless body
was found by a grocer's solicitor and
he T oIz
home. They had reasons for believing
her to be in the house, and when re-
peated ringing OF the door bell and a
final recourse to the telephone ELECTED
no response, they we're filled with
alarm. After some debate one of the
party assumed the responsibility of
forcing an entrance to investigate.
Their apprehensions were amply
justified. Mrs Fleuroy was discovered
lying quite dead and cold at the foot
of the principal staircase, clad only in
a nightrobe, over which she had
thrown a kimona and pair of COM
Portable mules"
That she had been the victim of a
brutal murder the most cursory glance
was sufficient to determine. Upon the
floor near the body was found bronze
statuette, a replica of the familiar
Winged Victory" which was perhaps
twenty inche@ in height and very
heavy. 1t manifestly had been
snatched from its pedestal and used
with deadly purpose, as clots of blood
and wisps of the dead woman's hair
were yet clinging to it, as we'll as the
bruised and battered condition of the
body itself mutely testified
Discoveries began to crop up at the
very beginning of the police examina-
ton to inculpate Mr.. Kendals nephew,
Howard Gentry, young man of TWEEN
ty-six
That so many tradesmen CHANGED
to be present at a time when the house
was ostensibly closed was accounted
for by the proprietor of neighbor-
hood delicatessen, whose statement
was corroborated by the others.
On the previous day "wednesday
Mr. Fleuroy had received a letter
from Mr.. Kendall announcing that his
nephew, Howard Gentry, had returned
to America after a long sojourn
abroad, and was expected to arrive
in Chicago on the day the letter came
to her hands. She was instructed to
open the house, prepare a specified
suite of rooms for Towards entertain
ment and notify the tradesmen that
the family would curtail their vacation
and follow shortly.
This letter was found in Mrs. Fleu-
roy's room.
It also contained two other details
of interest, which the housekeeper
did not confide to the tradesmen,
namely, that Howard would make him
letter written to him by Mr.. Kendall,
the obvious inference being that Mrs.
Fleuroy personally did not know the
young man.
The second detail was found in
postscript appended by feminine
hand, presumably Margaret Kendals,
who was twenty-five and the million
aires only child. 1t averred that How
ards engagement to Miss Gladys
Rutherford, whom he had met abroad,
mad been announced, and that he had
returned to America in contemplation
of the wedding.
Several sheets of the letter to young
Gentry from his uncle were discovered
in the bedroom occupied by him at
least a part of the fatal night. This
was the letter that served to iden-
tify the young man to Mrs. Fleuroy. 1t
was unquestionably written in the
millionaire's characteristic hand, sug-
costing that there was no typewriter
convenient
Numerous references and illusions
contained therein made it clear that
uncle and nephew had carried on
correspondence continuing over con-
siderable nnriod of time But the most