The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-09-22
Copyright


sational at my first impetuous view Of
it. He made a brief notation now
and than on tab of paper Of the dry
details | gave him Of the Ludington
affair. | had brought the folder with
me, the dossier in which the credit
department was supposed to store
up everything concerning a client and
keep it up to date AS | closed it he
asked the question:
That Is all you have"
Except the newspaper clippings ro-
ferring to the death of Mr.. Luding-
ton" | replied.
Tho newspaper story was simple
and plain. 1t was only because the
circumstances were out Of the ordf-
nary and the decedent an apparently
successful business man, that the pub
lie prints had given any space to the
death Of the exchange trader
1t was a chill March evening when
he had been found dead. lying against
a building. There was no evidence
whatever that he had been assailed.
The contents of his pockets were I'M
disturbed There were no marks or
violence on his body. He carried no
life insurance. but an autopsy was
held By the coroner. The inquest
developed nothing new. According to
two expert physicians Royal Ludlng-
ton had died from heart failure. He
had been ailing and depressed for
some time preceding his demise.
There was not the slightest hint at
suicide.
The police. tracing the movements
Of the dccedent previous TO his death,
testified at the inquest that Luding-
ton had been one OF a small party Of
friends who had met at the home Of
Abel EaEdamann. The latter was an
apparently reputable business man Of
the city OF some wealth and social
standing. The occasion of the social
function was the grouping up OF a
! number of business men to whom
Vandanaun wished to present a stock
selling scheme to float copper mine
in Northern Michigan. A pleasant
evening had passed, a few cigars,
not too much wine, and the guests
had departed in pleasant humor and
seemingly all in the best of health.
| Two OF the guests had walked some
distance with Ludington, and had
| babe him good night about square
| and a half from the spot where his
| body was later discovered.
Mrs. Ludington had testified that
| she knew her husband to have had
business dealings for long time pre-
yious to his death with Mr.. Wanda
mann. The latter she understood had
loaned her husband money. This was
not a new phase Of the character OF
| Vandamann. His business was that
of a high interest rate note shaver,
but he had been always shrewd
enough to conceal his usurious trans
actions under the guise of expenses,
commissions and the like.
This was the story told by the
newspaper clippings handed to Resi-
| Illus Marvel Pasted to it was a
briefer item dated two days later. II
had been preserved in the folder be
cause it mentioned the name of Royal
Ludington 1t covered strange hap
pepiDg On the evening Of the tuner
| al Of the dead trader, a man had
been detected in leaving by the win
dow route the room Ludington for
merly occupied at his home. A watch
man had trapped him as the mid
night marauder dropped to the ground
He was held until the police were
| summoned and was sent to the near
est police station. Upon searching
| him nothing whatever was found up
en- him. He seemed to be some home
less tramp, he had taken nothing
from the room he had entered, anC
| when questioned declared with a fool
| ish grin that he had been looking 1ol
something to eat, struck a sleeping
chamber instead Of pantry, and was
too honest to steal anything more
than a bite Of food.
| The contention Of the man was car
| ried out in the main by circumstances
The room he had entered had MOI
been at all disturbed. Upon the bu
reau lay the traders purse with some
money and papers in 1t. This hat
been opened, but nothing removed. a
suit of clothes in a closet had beer
looked over, 1t seemed, but not ever
the pockets had been searched.
The marauder, giving the name o
Edward Briggs, had been brought be
fore a police magistrate, charged witt
vagrancy, and sent to the house o
correction for sixty days.
l noticed that my friend read ant
re-read the little clipping telling al
this. / noticed him mark on the pat
the name-"Edward Briggs l saw
also that he copied the names of thu
two guests who had left the Wanda
mann home with the trader the nigh
of his death. Then he arose, and
could tell by the expression Of hi!
eve that he was ready for work
Further, regarded him with the ad
miration his ability always evoked
within me, for although l could no
guess how, l was sure that out o
the bare skeleton fabric of an unpait
note at bank, a weeping girl and TIVE
newspaper clippings, Resilius Marve
had already discovered a divergln,
suggestion, direct and important.
Drop around in the morning" n
said casually. You were right t
bring this case to my notice"