Evening capital. [volume] (Annapolis, Md.) 1922-1981, 1922-12-12

misfortune 20 become aequainte,. VII.
Whi.more. who al the time WAS be-
ginning his Eastern practice. Iatler
his influence. John spent less aai less
time at his. Office and more and more
in amusement Smith was in his see
ond year at college when he received
word that his brother had died sud
denly OF heart failure in the lawyers
apartments
Heart failure?" DR.. Woods reaeat-
ed. Was that the doctors verdlcf?"
1T was. Heart failure due to high
living Smiths fortune had. al Whit
more's instgaton. been removed
from the hands of the family LAWYERS
in California. and placed his own
until the young man should become
OF age. Later. when Smith claimed
his fortune. scarcely anything re-
NAMED of what had been left him.
He complained 10 Whitmore. who ex-
planned that John had recklesslv
snuandered it before his death The
affair was brought into court. but the
necessary proofs and witnesses were
brought forward 10 slbstantiate the
lawyers claim. II was not until three
wears later that Smith discovered
John had not died a natural death.
that he had been poisoned. and his
fortune stolen. not srnandered."
John murdered" cried Jack
"You said he died of heart fsilure.
"That was the doctors verdict" s'e
answered. Johns death was carsed
bv prussic acid. obtained from phv-
stefan who was a tool of Whitmore's
II was the same doctor who signed
the death certificate. And that is not
all. Not satisfied with killing John
for his money. Whitmore planned also
to do awav with Smith himself. Prob
ably he thought that in suppressing
Smith he would remove any possible
chance OF his control of the fortune
which was quite considerable. being
contested. Accordingly. he arranged
with the same doctor. whose name is
Feland. that Smith should die in some
natural manner. and in the near fu-
ture"
How long ago was this?" inquired
Ashton with interest
Last January. On the 30th OF that
month Smith. who had free access to
Whitmore's offices called on the law
ver. Leonard Whitmore was out
Smith entered his inner office The
chief clerk. Harris. who was watch
inc Smiths movements through the
glass partition. observed him glance
hastily over the daily packet Of mail
| placed unopened on the desk. tear it
open and read it, Then he sank into
chair. and appeared greatly agitated
~ what a certain letter contained.
Five minutes later he left the o'ioo
the letter in his pocket Harris said
he remembered the envelope hecarGo
II was of different shape and shade
than the usual business stationery,
and was addressed to Whitmore bv a
certain Dr. Feland. of New York I"
"Then. evidently Smith did not
truS. this doctor. and in reading h IS
letter learned OF the dastardly plot
against his own life" remarked DR.
Woods. who was listening intently.
Exactly"
do you think. Miss Carson" ques-
toned Mr.. Ashton. that Smith had
discovered too much of Whitmore's
character. and not being under in
famous obligation to the lawyer. was
ready when the time came to make
his knowledge public?'
THAT is very probable. In fact. |
fully believe that such was the case
You see. Smith from the verv begin
ming strongly suspected foul play
He determined to abide his time. play
ignorant. and acquire sufficient proof
to demand Justice. For over f0vr
years he worked quietly, filing away