Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1917-06-07
mann and his companion at once.-

"YOu have TWO gentlemen nefe, ne
| said, that arrived this afternoon. One
| of them is named Gratz, the other
| Hartmann. Are they in?"
The clerk looked at his keyboard.
"Their key is not here" he said. Il
| have not seen them descend. / am
quite positive they are in their room.
| Shall / send up and find out?"
mo" Duvall approached him
closely. Il am a detective, and my
| companion here as we'll" He indicated
M. Lefevre. HE is, in fact, the pre-
| feet of police Of Paris. These men
| Gratz and Hartmann we believe to be
| desperate criminals. For the sake of
| the reputation of your hotel, monsieur,
| It would be better for us to meet them
in their rooms. A scene of shooting
here in your front hall would not be
to your liking"
''Go up at once, gentlemen, by all
MEANS" he gasped. II myself will
show you the way"
He called one of the bell-boys to
guard the desk and sprang up the old
| fashioned stairs.
| the third floor. When the party had
ascended the two flights the clerk
paused upon the landing and pointed
to a door in the front at the end Of
the hall. There, gentlemen" he said;
mo. 32."
Duvall went up to the door and
tried it. 1t was locked. He raped
sharply, but received no answer.
Again he raped, with the same re-
suit
Have you a pass-key he asked
the clerk.
I'm a moment, monsieur" cried the
latter, and disappeared.
He came back in a few moments
with bunch of keys on large wire
ring. With one of these he carefully
opened the door.
Duvall and the others stepped in.
The moment they crossed the
thresh-held they voluntarily recoiled.
The clerk, who brought up the rear,
gave cry Of horror.
1t was close to six o'clock. The sun
however, was still some distance
above the horizon, and the room was
f. - light.
On the floor, close to the farther
wall, lay the body of the man known
on the steamer as Gunther and later
as Gratz. He lay upon his face, as
though he had been struck down from
behind. A knife still projecting from
H. 1, Il. II, ~
manner of his taking off.
Duvall sprang forward and, lifting
one of his wrists, felt for his pulse.
| The clerk, white-faced and trembling,
| closed the door.
"Too late" said Duvall, letting the
mans arm fall to the floor. He is
| dead. but not for long. How the other
fellow got out l cannot imagine. Ii
must have been while we were in the
parlor talking to the maid" He turned
| TO the clerk. Did any one go out
during that time?" q
"Yes-I-I-thipk so," the fellow
| stammered. Il did not particularly
| notice. l was busy with my accounts.
But you told us that the man Hart
mann had not gone out"
"Oh. No, monsieur; he did not go
out. He was large man with heavy
| beard, and so crippled from rheuma-
tism that he could scarcely walk. am
quite sure ne did not go out"
Duvall went to the window, pulled
up the shade,s and glanced eagerly
| across the street. Would Grace rec
ognize Hartmann without his disguise,
| or would he give her the slip? He
| looked for her carefully, but she was
| not in sight. He concluded that she
! had in some way recognized the man
and followed him. He turned again
| to the room, determined to search it
| thoroughly before calling in the police.
NJ. Lefevre was examining with Gu
| riosity some reddish marks on the
| wall just above the murdered mans
head. He was writing something on
| the WALL" he said. Some message
that he did not live long enough to
| complete. He had dipped his finger in
| the blood from his wound and made
the letters that way. Can you make
| them out?"
| The letters were very irregularly
made, especially toward the end, as
though the hand that traced them had
| grown rapidly weaker.
ut appears to be Hartmann ist-''
read Duvall. THE last word he was
unable to finish. What a pity he did
not live long enough to complete it.
1t might have told US much that is
important"
What do you make of this?" ask
ed Mr. Morris, handing the detective
a lump of what appeared to be putty,
which he had taken from the table.
Duvall looked at it, then smiled and
threw it down.
Looks like what is left of our
friend Hartmann's hooked nose," he
said. He must have left in hurry
/ imagine they did not expect Yer.