Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-02-20

/ lIthcredEc when Gene came in will
IN" letter. ] felt that those accident:
which resulted in the deaths OF IN,
poor wife and her son with SO shor
! a time between might have been de.
| iiberately designed to appear as ac.
cid"ais. ! don't know why tho con.
| '!cti"n came To me. There was nc
on" could suspect, no motive
! could fathom: and yet ! fcl, sure a.
! the days passed after Julian'S death
| that something sinister and horribl,
lay behind it all.
I'm a plain. hard-haadcd business
! man. ANA never took any stock in this
! pSNthir stuff. but there has been an
oppression aside from our natural
Srief IN the air: the children all felt
! IL. and shouldn't wonder if Ellie
my siSter-in- law. did, too. although
she is such Il Difficult, little body tina;
! doubt IL she ever had an indcpcnd
cnt thought in her lifc
Il, was as if there We're some one
else in the house, some one whom We
could not see. who was waiting tn
pick us off one by ono like fruit from
Il tree. He paused. and the rudhy
color swept over his face. Il sup
pose that sounds like damn-fool talk
Ia you. sergeant; for as Tithcr.di;e
said. hadn't Il tangible fact To back
UP my suspicious until the portrait;
fell"
Some more facts are in my posses
SION now. Mr.. Lornc. which suBstan-
tate your Suspicions." Odcil observed
.tav".y. Il have proof that that
razor WAS not drawn across your step
sons throat by his own hand. and
strong circumstantial evidence. in
which the specialists and your fam
i'y Physician concur. that Mrs. I.ornc's
death was deliberately brought about.
Tn" attempts upon your life and
that of your other Stcpson we're self
evident. Of course"
Proof" Richard Lornc repeated.
lifting his clcnched right hand over
his head only 10 let it fall impotcnt-
~ cncc moro. christine! My poor
Christine and her boy, And I've got
to Ii" borc like this, can't make
II move To find the hcnd and get
my hands about his throat Sergeant.
I'll give YOU anything in thc world,
al that I've got. IL you'll find him for
mc and then let me have my way
with him.
Its my business To find him. sir;
that's what I'm here for" pdcl! re-
Piled rcassuringly. You're no; go
ing IT, he useless i'll this invcstiea-
you are i'll: YOU might Il" able 10
Ii.
Lornc you may not he conscious o:
/; yourself, bat there must have been
something more ihan what wc viii
call a psychic influence which mad"
your conviction Of foul play so strong.
Think. Try to remember when III"
first miSG!Ving came TO YOU and what
caused them. No matter how trivial
it may seem TO you. | want TO hear
it
1T was something my poor wife
said in her dclirium. AS | thought
a, the time AtcI. after her death,
/, kept recurring 10 my mind and
! hc"an to wonder whether she had
actually been dcIir!ous after all when
she spoke" For a moment Lorn I
turned his head away i'll an obvious
cmor: 10 control his emotion 1t
was just at dawn on tn" day before
her death. ana sh" had asked for
me. The night nurse. Miss RISKY
WAS still on duty; ANA my sistcr-in-
law. worn out. WAS asleep Oh tho
couch at the other side of the room
II S-.t down hcs!d. the bed and
lifted my wifcs hand. holding it
CLOSE She smiled family at me; then
her eyes gliticring with fever fol-
lowed The RISKY woman around tn.
room. had never liked that nurse
She was ntlcious. and she seemed
unwilling nj any time 10 leave me
alone with my wife. Now she kept
pO;tcring about moving bottles and
rattiing the cracked ice until L
thought ] should shout Then she
picked az n blanket and went over
t" the couch to place il about Ellie
Miss Mvadc--and the moment her
back WAS turned my wife's hand
frightened on mine. Dick she whia-
pcred, send her away. Don't let her
come in here any more. shes kill
ing mo tried to Soothc her,
thinking. of course, that she was off
her head; but she clawed al my hand
and the most riteous expression
came over her poor face.