The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-09-13

lnJecleo INTO the Ludlngton case. he
did not see fit to enlighten me. He
called for me at the bank the next
day.
"A witness is sometimes handy" he
observed, and as we went spinning
along the boulevard south he briefly
told of his success in locating this
new woman in the case.
"The name of the photographer was
guiding clew," he advised me. He
did not know 'Idalia,' but he knew
friend of hers, an actress From this
friend learned the whereabouts of
the original of the picture She is the
inmate of the reformatory, on a sem
tence for robbery. We are going
there"
A woman clad in light blue cotton
uniform was called to us, after we had
reached the place in question. She
came into the room where we awaited
her, her eyes roaming everywhere in
an attempt to surmise the motive of
our visit. Promptly Marvel drew the
photograph Miss Ludington had sup
piled him from his pocket
81 have come to ask you ques-
tion," he said. How long have you
known, the man to whom you gave
this photograph"
In an instant the prison restraint, the
forced reserve of discipline, all self
control went to the winds. The wo-
man first attempted to wrest the pic
ture from the hand that held it to-
wards her to tear it to atoms. Her
eyes glared like tigers, her face
became distorted, she raved. she
trembled from head to foot, she
poured out curses upon the man
memory of whom the photograph had
evoked.
Listen" she cried. Mark me,
here, be it when it may-I will kill
him!"
You are too late." observed Marvel
quietly.
II am too later" she repeated, skep-
tically.
"Yes, he has been dead for weeks"
She laughed, this Idalia, this woman
who made men shrink whom she did
not cause to weep.
"You came to draw me out, to de-
Jude me-" she scoffed From him! /
see through you. Dead? Do you
think l do not keep track of him
through my friends on the outside, to
be ready to know when, and where.
and how I shall strike when the hour
comes? Go back and tell Abel Wanda
mann that from me-"
! A low whistle, so low that it would
have been difficult to trace its source,
proceeded from the lips of Resilius
Marvel. He restored the photograph
to his pocket. He made a motion to
the attendant that his mission was &C.
complished. He said to me:
"The case is complete"
| What he meant CROPPED vaguely In
my mind to find out. He left me to
think out one fact; that the photo
graph was the property of Abel
Vandamann, not of dead Royal Lud-
ington Then how had it come into
the possession of his daughter?
The great man proved his last state
ment to me the following evening. l
was seated in the office of the United
Bankers Protective association when
there came commotion in it's ante
room Then a man was thrust into
the private office by two officers in
uniform. Marvel followed, and the
one policeman retired at his words:
IT will be responsible for this man.
Now then, my friend. sit down and get
your breath"
At a glance I knew the prisoner. It
was Edward Briggs. He was frowsy,
unkempt, savage looking, somewhat
the worse for drink, and Of lowering
brow and set pugnacious lips.
whats all this?" he growled out.
"You have been arrested for deadly
assault upon one certain Vandamann,"
observed Marvel.
ct would have been more certain if
I'd had the show" retorted the fell
low.
did you hurt him much?"
Worse luck, no. The next time"
the man glared across his knotted
fist m
"On top of your last exploit" re-
marked Marvel, "it may be six months
or a year this time. Unless you have
left a case of mayhem behind you
down at Vandamann's, / can promise
you chance to get out of this mix-up
on conditions"
What conditions?" muttered the
| fellow, an evil eye fixed on both OF
us-suspicious and leery.
"As the Fourteenth Man"
whats that" calculated Briggs
with start, and then he shrank back
| within himself, the barrier up, like
man in a trap.
LAS the Fourteenth Man, you of
course knew Royal Ludington."
Suppose I did?''
What did you take to his house
| the day of his funeral?"
Briggs bored into the questioner's
face with his shrewd ferret eyes. He
shook his head. "This is some kind
of a frame-up," he declared. II don't
say word till I know what's doing"
After some persuasion the man told.
1t amounted to this: Scoundrelhearted
Abel Vandamann had seen an oppor-
tunity in the sudden death of one OF
his victims to press fictitious claims.
He had utilized the fourteenth Man
in his plot. This had been to have
| Briggs visit the Ludington home
| surrentifious1v nJaca the uhOtOgraph