The Washington herald., 1921-02-28
Deductions ofHarveyHunt
By Philip Francis Nswlan.

down to business. here's the claim
showing that Preston evidently
went down past the junction toward
the river where he left his false
leg on the bank and jumped over
board. leaving a note which YOU will
hnd attached to the claim"
Il think / understand your nm
easiness, said the criminal investi-
gator. I'll run out to Pipervine
and see what I can find out"
A study. of the company's rec
ords. coupled with an Investigation
on the ground, enabled Hunt to
piece the situation together as fol-
lows:
-Four years before, Ira Preston had
taken out a policy for $4,000. The
companys doctors had approved
MIN as good risk in spite of ms
missing leg. At that time he had
oeen living in Chicago. A wear
later he moved to Piperville, bought
a house and settled down to an &C.
onomical existence.
me policy record showed that he
mad been a jeweler by trade, bur
apparently he had saved up enough
TO live very modestly in the little
country community, where he had
become quite a character.
FOR SIX months or more. how
ever the villagers testified that he
mad been getting more and more
morose. 1t appeared to be money
matters that were troubling hin,
NOBODY knew how much or how
little he had. He never gave anv
checks in Piperville. but about eyery
three months went to Chicago for a
day and always settled up anv lit
Tie bills he might have running
upon his return. His last trim ba5
oeen but few days before he van
ished, and he had returned from n
much depressed.
The note briefly explained that
ne was worth more dead than alive
that he couldn't continue hfs nav
ment of premiums. and that he wa
going to ''end it ALL" The note had
been found tucked into the false
leg one of those hollow metal af-
1airs over which the shoe and cloth
ing may be worn. Preston had
Dragged about the artistry of that
leg often, and several times had
exhibited it to his Piperville friends.
He had seemed quite proud of it.
Ihe company, of course, didn't
want to pay until actual proof of
death had been obtained. But
though all effortssto drag the river
had been unproductive, suicide
seemed to be the only explanation.
track. The signal man at the tower
He had gone down the railroad
back! The signal man at the tower
had seen him. He had not come
around the bend on the other side
of the railroad had not seen him
pass, though a sound and husky
laborer or two had. The nature of
the ground with the steep cliffs, Of
fered no other explanation than
that he had plunged into the
rapids below.
Harvey Hunt went back to Pres
toms house following his examina-
tion of the ground. and just for
luck made a thorough examination
of the house. In the cellar he
found earth freshly turned up and
stamped down again Getting a
couple of helpers, he proceeded to
dig 1t up again, thinking it might
reveal the body of the supposed
suicide. To his disgust, however,
they dug up only some ten pairs of
shoes. Strangely enough. though,
they had evidently not been worn.
And more strange, the rights and
lefts in each pair were different
sizes.
81 guess his tin leg and foot was
bigger than his other" ventured one
of the diggers. But Harvey Hunt
was already on his way to the tele-
graph office.
Do you know why.
The ansxNer will nnnear tom rraxx.