The Washington herald., 1919-02-01

ianey jumped into a taxi and hur-
permitted Perhaps the call cam.
from the same booth I don't think
so. though"
THE one at Forty-second street
and Broadway"
II don't think 50. Nichols. Thi,
fellow seems 10 pick a new one every
time. He's very crafty. That alone
shows a criminal mind"
J Drew paced the floor with soft
gliding. He turned at the portieres
and crossed TO the tapestries He re-
turned and stood before Loris ana
Nichols
I Captain" he said, we can now
begin TO reconstruct this case Wei
lean get some OF the desdwood from
our minds. il is apparent TO me that
one Of Mr.. Stockbridge's sworn en-
lemies-Morphy. for instsnce-confned
In States prison, set ABOUT 20 slay
both members Of the family. He Sc
cured confederate whom he knew.
This confederate has never been ar
rested in the State. We have that
from the finger prints in the booth
that this confederate is the trouble
man. He is probably an expert cleo
trician. He either tapped in on the
wires the night Mr.. stockbridge was
murdered or got behind the switch
board and called up the library
phone"
The switchboard?'' asked Loris.
l"YOu mean the big place where the
girls are?''
Not exactly there. The wires run
down and are tagged. II would be
possible for him TO cut In some
Where between the switchboard and
the conduits. Now I don't know how
il was done. There's several ways
But wherever he tapped in. rIe must
have used magnetic TO ring Mr.
Stockbridge up. and Afterwards a
battery-set to do the talking An this,
Westlake says II would be necessarv'
TO do. so that the operator would not
notice a permanent signal on the
board" "
What was his object" asked
Nichols
To cover himself He first dis
connected the wires and waited til
sent for a troUbIe-msn. Frosty, or
Frisby. was sent The troubIe-man
took his place. He came here and
looked the place over. He lied 10
/. Mr.. Stockbridge and when he told
US about that tall German in the
alley. II there was such a man there
before the snow froze we would have
his foot prints"
You haven't them asked Logl.
b No. Delaney has a set made by
this troUble-hunter when he was AZ
the junction box This musl have
been the time he either cut the con
nections so that I would send for
him. or il was the time when he
called W and threatened Nr. StocE-
bridge with death within twelve
hours. You remember that the tc'o-
phone company have no record OF the
call. Nov the next call"
Was there another" the Er-
asked.
"Yes-to your father At or about
the moment he died. That was from
the Grand Central station ut For.y-
second street. There's a good record
Of that Your father knocked the
telephone down when he dropped
dead. The operator noticed that the
connection was open and put on tho
bowler. The record is clear on that"
! But what is all this twisting and
turning for"
ITO throw US on. Miss Stock. dse
Were dealing with a crafty, cunning
mind. This mind took the extreug
lprecaUJion OF connecting two booth1
at Grand Central 80 that A mar in
Sing Sing could talk to YOU without
leaving a record at the WeStChestcr
exchange or at Gramercy Hill ov-
change How this was done ! don't
know. II could be done with auxiliary
batteries and looping so that thu
Gramercy Hin operator thought the
Westchester call was 10 a slot booth
while another call from the next
booth to this house was really tho
same connection shUnted or looped
through Westlake. vice president o.
the telephone company. says ths'
there would be several ways OF doing
this. He added It would take an eI-
pert in telephony"
I'm all twisted up. Mr.. Drew.
suppose you understand IL But wha-
about that call tonight-the one that
frightened me-"
The man was sure OF himself"
said Drew without thinking. He has
his plans made. He figures they vii,
not fall
''Oh. you mean"
Il mean. Miss Stockb-idEe, that la
expects 10 slsy you in the same man
ner your father was slain. We have
this advantage. You are not alone
in this room or these rooms Your
father was alone. The murderer will
have Mr.. Nichols and myself TO deal
with this time Be calm"
Butt don't see how he could
get in here
Nor do L Tho point is that he,
got into the library and out aEaiu'
without trace He had an hour %
do his work in. Here, he is running
every risk
But h" has already been here. Mr.
Drew"
Tho detective glanced kcenI, ,,
Nichols. who had shot the state
ment straight through clean white
teeth
II know IT," Drew said with a
trace OF anxiety in his voice. .sTha.
il disquieting. But VIC have searched
these rooms and found absolutely M
trace Of tampering with locks or
Ivenulators or window catches"
Gould he climb up herer He might
have climbing irons" added Nichols
glancing toward the windows.
a good porch climber could do
| it," Drew unused. with his eyes sueer-
ing the curtains. "A very good ono
could. There are only three or four
good ones out Of prison. They never
go in for murder"
Wouldn't money buy them" asked
Loris. Mr.. Morphy may have re-
tanned one-with some Of the sod he
stole from poor father"
7 Retained" repeatad Drpu- frrr-,-