Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1918-01-03

kerchief, ramm1ng 1t with pencil
through the barrel. 1t came out black
with powder stain.
1.-THE gun has been fired" declared
Holme. He took the bit Of cloth to the
window. when did you shoot this
revolver last?"
"Not recently enough to leave pow
der stains if / never cleaned it, and
l do keep it clean, Holme. Until last
| night that gun has been part Of my
clothes for eighteen years. l wasn't
| dressed until it was in my hip pocket,
and it came out only when l undressed
for bed. Until I laid it aside on my
resignation from newspaper work it
was as much part of me as my trous-
| ers."
"This stain is greasy fresh," said the
reporter, handing me the rag. you
see what this leads up TOT"
"Of course. My revolver was used
to kill the girl"
Looks like that. Look a bit far
ther."
1 saw, and jumped from my chair in
excitement.
"You don't believe it Holme?" I
cried.
mo. Because I'm here and have
seen you do what you never would do
II you had" He was ambiguous, but
his hand clasping mine made 1t clear
what he meant. "But we're not going
to tell of this empty SHE'LL" he contin-
ued, land suggest you clean that gun
now"
/ knew what his decision Of silence
meant to him, and my hand closed
tightly over his. "Thank you, Holme,"
I said.
For time we sat in silence, while
cleaned the weapon, both our minds
working on the problem of the cart
ridge. Put 1t before me straight" l
said finally, 'just as the police would
see it-Marcus, for instance"
II was thinking that. You came
home at two o'clock or few minutes
earlier and found the girl in ysur room
waiting for you. Within twenty min
utes you shot her"
"She was shot from above" / broke
In.
"Or sitting in that chair leaning well
forward, ysu standing"
"No shot was heard"
"No one but you awake, and the
sound muffled by the walls. You car
ried her to the elevator, laid her On
the seat, ran it down, and called the
police. Then you went to supper-or
somewhere"
looked at Holme with suspicion
that he must believe what he told so
glibly, but there WAS no doubt of me
in his return glance. He was simply
viewing it as another might, and had
to agree it was one possible, plausible
solution of the killing. If / were the
murderer, not its innocent discoverer,
many things were explained, and my
stories of the descending elevator, the
position of the body, that, awake, / had
heard no shot, We're merely lies and
valueless.
But Holme had not finished "You
had suddenly resigned your position
on the day of the murder" he con-
tinued, grinning cheerfully. "after
eighteen years on the paper, and no
definite reason for it; and you immc-
diately decided on extended travel"
I groaned. Il mooched a pass on
the Thurston steamers this after
noon," I admitted. WAS going to
South America somewhere"
"There you are" he declared.
''Flight planned and getaway arrang,
ed. You'd have made it, too, clean as
a whistle, If the astute detective had
not discovered an empty shell in your
gun. Stick ball cartridge in there
quick, Gill, and stow those powder
stained rags
l did, reloading the weapon, and
handed the empty shell to Holme.
"Yours for evidence should you ever
change your mind" / said.
IT'S better in my hands than yours"
he rejoined. Let's see if that lock on.
your bedroom door has been tamper.
ed with"
1t showed no sign. No one, to my
knowledge, had key save myself.
The door between 1t and the front
room where sat had been open dur
ing the time in question, and / should
have heard any sound within, even
the slightest. 1t was just an added
mystery to the greater one, and with
out beginning OF solution. On hands
and knees Holme and went over inch
Of floor in that chamber, searching
clue, and there wasn't one.
"Well?" queried Holme when we
had finished.
"Elither one of two things" replied.
SOMEBODY shot the girl with my re-
volver or else II has been made to
look as though l shot her with it,"
ANY one know you had quit pack
ing it?"
"No one. l decided suddenly last
night that I'd give up that bad habit
with the other one of reporting. No
reasonable being carries gun, and
I'm going to be that henceforth."
'Did you keep 1t usually in that