The Topeka state journal., 1919-12-20


to the single, motionIess figure which
lay upon the bed with vacant, staring
eyes, looking up at the ceiling. Even
in death the face was beautiful, but
the rigid tense muscles and the agon-
lied expression on. her face showed
that she had evidently realized what
her end had to be. Nothing in the
room was disturbed.
Tylock Homes took a general sur
vey of the room, studied carefully the
position of the body. and the expires,
sion of the face, leaned over and
smelled of her lips, appeared greatly
interested in the discoloration on her
throat, and turning to the CHIEF asked
IL that had been there when he had
first made an examination OF the room
and he answered that it must have
developed afterwards for this was the
first he had seen of it.
The dressing table revealed moth
ing except a burnt match lying near
the edge, for which there seemed to
be no occasion. considering the num-
Der of electric lights in the room. The
books on her table seemed to inter
est Homes, as he picked up several
and glanced thru them. and he also
seemed particularly interested in an
antique wardrobe set over to one cor
ner OF the room, and inquired OF Miss
Draper, who was following us about
the room, whether the clothes in the
wardrobe belonged to Josephine, and
was told that they did but that she
herself had used it ever since her ar
rival.
Just as he was about to leave the
room Homes stopped down to
straighten out the fringe OF a rug that
lay beside the bed and picked up a
cigarette stub which had evidently
been showed under the bed by the
family when they tried to arouse
NIT ~ III
pocket with a curious smile and, turn
ing to Josephine's mother, asked her
IL she had noticed anything different
in her daughters manner lately; had
she seemed abstracted and dreamy,
morose. especially nervous or fearful
of noises? She admitted that Jose
phine had appeared somewhat alb
stracted. but she had supposed that to
be due to the fact that she was soon
to leave them for a home of her own,
and that she was planning on the
things for her new home. He asked if
Josephine had been absent from home
for any length of time in the past few
months, and her mother said that she
had been in Kansas City many times
completing her shopping and visiting
the dressnaker, but that she had
never been away from home over
night, and altho her trips were fire.
quent, they were only for several
hours at a time. 'I think that is all
that l want to know" said TyloeI,
Homes. "and nothing more will be
gained by keeping her and the room
as it now is.''
Jack HazeIton's Trouble.
Turning to Mr.. Homes, the chief re-
marked: You will now want to see
the condition in which Jack Hazelton
was brought home. just a few hours
ago by some farmers who lived some
ten miles from here" He was found
in a ditch. under his car, clad only in
his underclothing, coat. vest and rain
c. IT and when asked his name and
where he lived, he could not remem-
Der but would only beg: Don't let
me be SEEN" Don't let me be seer, -
then humble, Poor Josephine, poor
Jose phine."
The farmers had traced his identity
from the number on the car and
brought back here where he had been
placed in his room and had ever since
been trying to find something, mutter-
ing to himself: Don't let me be seen,
don't let me be seem We found his
room practically the same as it was
when Olive Draper first rushed in to
tell him the news, one chair over
turned and general disorder. We
gained nothing in talking to him, ex-
cept that we formed an opinion of his
mental condition. could see no other
clue of interest in the room but Ty-
lock Homes did. for he took out his
magnifying glass and closely observed
the overturned chair, rubbing his hand
quickly over the surface. However,
we could not see that he found any
/ thing.
He then turned to the chief and
said: Well, I guess that is all there
| is to be found. What is your opinion
Hargraves; who is the guilty party %
Z Y,r- faI
no question at all but Jack Hazel
ton killed her. Had not his card case
and key ring been found in her room,
and did not his absence and the
condition of his mind, which indicated
clearly that he did not want to be
! caught, together with the remorse he
seemed to feel in his semi-conscious
Jack, was the guilty party, and his
escape was only hindered by ProVi-
dence, who blocked his way by an ac-
cident Hargraves admitted how
ever, that he was at a loss to under
stand what could have been the mo-
tive for the crime.
But chief" said Homes, How dc
you account for the fact that the card
case and key ring were found on the
| opposite side of the room from where
Josephine lay and by what method dc
you think he killed herr"
The place in the room where they
were discovered is not material" said
Hargraves, but think it is very evil
dent from the discoloration of her
neck that she Strangled her"
Turning to Homes the chief asked:
Are you not OF the same opinion ??
Homes replied that he preferred d
reserve his conclusions in the case un-
til the next day when all the links
would be completed.
In the meantime he said, "Dr