Evening star., 1922-02-16


Office.
'This is a most battling case. Prof:
Kennedy, this case of Kerr farker'
said the inspector, launching at once
into his subject. Here is broker
heavily interested in Mexican rub
Der. 1t looks like a good thing
plantations right in the same terri
tory as those of the rubber trust
Now, in addition to that. ne ls
branching out into coastwlSe steam
with him is heavily engaged IN
railway scheme from the United
States down into Mexico. Altogether,
/ the steamships and railroads are tap
ping rubber, oil. copper. and don't
know what other regions. Here in
New York they have been pyramiding
stocks. borrowing money from the
two trust companies which they con-
troll. It's lovely schemc--youFe
read about 1t, I suppose. Also you've
[ read that it comes into coinPe,ltion
with a certain group Of capitalists
whom we will call the system.
We'll, this depression in the mar
ket comes along. At once rumorS are
spread about the weakness OF the
trust companies; runs start on both
| them-make great show OF sup
| porting the market. Yet the runs
| continue. God knows whether theY
will spread or the trust companies
stand up under it tomorrow after
| what hoppened today. 1t was a good
| thing the market was closed when II
happened.
Kerr Parker was surrounded by
group of people who were IN ms
schemes with him. They are hoiolhS
| council of war in the directors
ROOM Suddenly Parker rises. stag
dead before doctor can get TO hlm.
, Every effort is made to keep the
| thing quiet. 1t is given out that ne
/ committed suicide. The papers don
seem to accept the suicide theory.
however Neither do we. The cor
oner, who is working with us. has
kept his mouth shut SO far. ana VIII
say nothing till the inquest. For,
| Prof Kennedy, my first man on the
spot found that-Kerr-Parker
murdered.
"Now. here comes the amazing part
: of the story. The doors To the onices
on both sides were open at the tune.
There were lots of people in each OF
1 flee, There was the usual Click OF
typewriters, and the buzz OF the
! ticker. and the hum of conversation:
We have any number OF witnesses ot
the whole affair, but as lar as any VI
them knows no shot was Hred' no
smoke was seen. no noise was heaTd.
| nor was any weapon found: 1et mere
on my desk is .32-Caiioer puiie'.
The coroner'S physician proped II gu,
! Of ParkerS neck thIs afternoon ahu
turned ii over to US.
Kennedy reached for the bullet, and
turned IL thoughtfully in his fingers
| for a moment One side OF II had ap-
parently struck bone in the neck VI
the murdered man. and was natteheu.
The other side was still per1ecti5
smooth. With his inevitable magni-
tying glass he scrutinized the ouliet
on every side. 1 watched his race
anxiously, and I could see that ne
/ was very intent and very excited.
"Extraordinary most extraordt-
| nary'--he said to himself as he turn
. ed it over. and over. w mere uiu Sou
say this bullet struck?
.In the fieshy part of the neck
quite a little back of and below ms
collar There wasn't much bieealns.
l think it must have struck the pdse
of his brain.
"It didn't str;ke his collar or hair!
NO" replied the inspector:
"Inspector. / think we shall be able
to put our hands on the murderer-l
think we can get conviction. Sir, on
the evidence that shall get from this
bullet in my laboratory
That's pretty much; like q story
book" drawled the inspector incred-
ulously. shaking his head.
"Perhaps," smiled Kennedy. But
| there will still be plenty OF Work TOT
! the police to do. too. I'VE only got
clue to the murderer. 1t will tax the
whole organization to follow it up.
believe me. Now. inspector can you
snare the time to go down to Par-
ker's Office and take me over ,he
ground? No doubt we can develop
something else there. o.c ,d
Sure" answered OConnor: anu
within five minutes We were hurry
| ing down town in one OF the depart
ment automobiles
We found the Office under guard OF
one of the central office men. while
\ in the outside office Parkers conn
dc ntiaI clerk and a few assistants
we're still at work in a subdued and
awed manner. Men were working IN
many other Wall street Offices that
night during the panic, but in none
was there more reason Ior II tnan
| hert. Later learned that 1t was tns
quiet tenacity of this confidential
clerk that saved even as much of
Parker's estate as was saved for his
vidow-little enough it was, too
What ho saved for the clients OF the
| firm no one will ever know. Some
how or other. / liked John Dowhes'
| the clerk, from the moment was IN
| troduced to him. He seemed to me:
at least. to be the typical confidential
clerk who would carry secret worth
millions and keep IT.
The officer in charge touched ms
/ nat 10 tne Inspector. dho ~ So
| fastened to put himself at our serV-
ice. 1t was plain that the murder
had completely mystified him. ana
that he was as anxious as we were
| to get at the bottom of 1t.
"Mr. Downey." began Kennedy; i
| understand you were present when
this sad event took place"
"Yes, sir, sitting right here at the
directors table" he replied, taking a
chair, like this"
"Now, can you recollect just how
Mr.. Parker acted when he was shot?
Could you-er-could you take his
! place and show us just how it hap
, pened?"
"Yes, SIR" said Downey. He was
sitting here at the head OF the tao,e.
frm had been sitting here at his
right; l was at the left. The in
spector has a list of all the others
present. That door to the right was
open, and Mrs. Parker and some other
| ladies' were in the room
Mrs. Parker" broke in Kennedy.
Eyes. like good many brokerage
firms, we have a ladies' room. Many
, ladies are among our clients. We
! make a point of catering to them.
At that time, recollect the door was
open-all the doors were open. 1t
was not secret meeting. MI Bruce
| had just gone into the ladies' depart
ment, I think, to ask some of them
to stand by the firm-he was an ar
tist at smoothing over the fears of
customers, particularly women. Just
before he went in / had seen the
ladies 60 in a group toward the far
end Of the room-to look down at
the line of depositors on the street,
from one Of the trust companies. I