Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-24

L cases from the DOI as ne spoke, ana
c set them before the chief, who rapidly
= compared their contents with the list in
Y his hand.
"All here" he commented, as he
checked of the last article. 'If it's
= = necessary to trace 'cm III put Lumedcn
on it, the lad who helped you in the
Van Nrenken case. Did you locate all
p the loose CASH.
, 81 think So" Paul drew n huge roll
of bills from the receptacle before him,
eve ransacked every box and trunk
i and drawer in the house, looked in every
y, vase and ornament and run through all
: the books on the library shelves. Un-
, less she had some hidden in the cnh or
1, on the roof I've got it all; $1,000, to be
exact"
"Whcw!" whistlcd the chief as he
: examined the roll. "No wonder she
, kept n gun in the house and was afraid
of burglars! Why didn't she bank all
this?"
I'm afraid we're going to ask our
selves a lot of questions about the
lady before we discover who killed her. "
, Paul shrugged. "1Iere are all the papers
{ found in the house; receiptcd bills,
bank books, memoranda and accounts,
an engagement pad aad handful of
inv NitatiOns and social letters. Nothing
, in the lot that gives us the slightest
clue and not ono Of them dates back
before the 9th of last November. The
trunks and barrels in the storeroom
, contained only packing materials, straw
and excelsior: there wasn't even an old
newspaper among them
Chief Burke moved impatiently in his
; chair.
but weren't there some old photo
graphs lying around?"
Not even picture of the lady her
self. We haven't a shred of evidence to
connect her with any other place on
earth except the statement of the
Bcnoit woman that she was engaged
from the Hotel Bclmonde, in New
York"
"Wcll ring them up now," the chief
announced, reaching for the telephone,
but his young colleague stopped him.
Il did, before | came down here.
Matilde's story seems to have been
straight enough. She or some woman
~
, ancc was employed at the Belmonde as
supervisor of the linen room when Mrs.
Alison Hartshornc arrived on October
T." A
> Where did she register from? ?" de-
+ mandcd the chief.
From Eastopolis, Paul grinned
family at his colleagues expression.
Gave me a bit of jolt, too, for
r thought she wasn't known here until
six months ago. She stayed at the
l'rlmonde until the 4th of November,
| when she left, taking the Benoit WON
an with her as maid. I'll take n run on
, TO New York if it proves necessary, but
J think wei re going to find the solution
of this thing right here in Eastopois
, I've traced her back to the very day she
arrived in town.
''llOw?' Tho chief eyed him keenly.
''If you found nothing more definite in
the house than you've told me"
"Oh. I'm not holding out on you,
chief laughed Paul. II looked up
the real estate firm who negotiated the
sale of the Farragut street house to
Mrs. HartshOrne. 1t was Brinkerhoff
& Hammond. l got old man Brinker-
hoff, the senior partner, on the phone
at his home. He hadn't any trouble
in recalling the deal after the extras
that have been coming out all after
noon. Mrs. Hartshorne bought the
house late in November and moved in
on December / she paid $40, ,O0C
> outright for it. by check on the Trust
Company of Eastopolis. She was then
staying at the Granville Hotel here,
y Brirkerhoff told me. / stopped there on
: the way downtown and found she had
. registered with her maid on the sGtl
OF November SO she must have come
Y directly from New York"
n What did they know of her there
at the Granvile?" The chief selected
a gaudiy banded cigar from the boz
Y at his elbow and sat turning it alb
scntly in his fingers.
- II had a little talk with the man
Y ager. He wasn't anxious to get tn,
n sort of advertising for the hotel that
u this case would give it, but persuaded
him he'd better talk to me-" Pau
produced his own cigarette case from
V his pocket. mo one called on hcl
Il there at first, though the suite of roomi
C she had taken was suitable for enter
/. tanning; to all intents and purposes
IL she was a total stranger here. Th,
h rector of st. Georges Church, DR.. Al,
II vim Perrine, was the first person t
g send up his card to her, as far as tn,
u manager can remember; I'll look tn,
:. reverend doctor up later. After it wa
known that she had purchased the Fak
is ragut street house and her name wa
y mentioned in the papers on one or tY,
= charity subscription lists, Mrs. AmGa
Il Ledyard called, then several other so
T. ciety women. 1t didn't take her long
of evidently, to get a foothold with tn
1t wealthiest people here. I'm going t,
TO interview a few of them tomorrow ant
s. get line on her if ! can"
l but look here, Paul" Chief Burk
0, clipped the end off his cigar with ai
:! emphatic snap. That's good work a
I'd far as it goes, but it don't get IL
l. anywhere. / suppose she registered a
l. the Granville as coming from Nev
re York;"
I'd Paul nodded.
9; There, you see?" The chief sprea
~ his hands in an eloquent gesture. "Go
us running around in circles already