Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-14

and in most cases. II Is recorded that
the catacausis took place among gin
drinkers. old and obese. n
within the past few years casss
are on record which seem to estah-
lish catacausis beyond doubt. In one
case the heat was 90 great az to
explode . pistol In the pocket of the
victims husband was asphyxiatsd by
the smoke. The woman weighed $50
pounds In life. but the ashes weighed
only twelve pounda In all these
| cases the proof OF spontaneous COM
bustion seems conclusive.
AS Craig finished reading, We look
ed blanhSy. Mortified. at one another.
It was too dreadful to realize.
whist do you think of 1t, Profess.
sor?" asked James Langley. ut length.
'Yve read somewhere of such cases.
and to my own brother. Do you
really think Lewis could have met
his death in this terrible manner"
Kennedy made no reply. Harring-
ton seemed absorbed In thought A
ssSaasr t. o Ss Us es
1t was H. was evident that the pub
| lication u the story in the Record
| had relieved the feelings of the
family group In one respect--it at
least seemed to offer an explanation.
1t was noticeable that the suspicious
air with which every one had regard
ed every one else was considerably
Tom Bald nothing until the others
had withdrawn. Kennedy" he burst
combustion is absolutely spontane-
GUS? Don't you believe that some
thing else Is necessary to start it?"
"Td rather not express an opinion
| just yet Tom" answered Craig care
fully. Now. II you can get Harring-
/ Dat
the house for g short time. as you
did with your uncle and cousin this
| morning, l may be able to tell you
| something about this case Soon"
| Again Kennedy stole Into another
bedroom and returned to our room
had done before, he carefully washed
It of with the gauze soaked in the
aalt solution and quickly returned the
coat, repeating the process with
Doctor Putnam's coat and, last. that
Of Tom himself. Finally he turned
his back while 1 sealed the glasses
and marked and recorded them on my
slip; . ..v w.. .,srt mainly in
preparations for the Journey to New
York with the body OF Lewis Lang
tIey. Kennedy was very busy on what
seemed to me to be preparations Tor
some mysterious chemical experiment
| I found myself fully occupied ip keeping
special correspondents from all over the
| country at bay.
all sitting In the open summer house
| over the boathouse. Smudges OF green
pine were burning and smoking on little
! artificial islands OF stone near the lake
shore, lighting up the trees on every
side with a red glare. Tom and his
myself on one side. while 4ome distance
from US Harrington was engaged IN
earnest conversation with Isabelle. The
other members Of the family were FUR
me Of the way the family group split up.
"Mr. Kennedy" remarked Grace IN
a thoughtful, low tone, what do you
make Of that Record article?
Very clever. no doubt" replied
But don't you think it strange about
the will?''
Hush" whispered Tom, for Isabella
and Harrington had ceased talking and
might perhaps be listening.
Just then one Of the servants came UP
Tom hassiiy opened it and read the
messate eagerly in the corner Of the
| summer house nearest one OF the glow
ing smudges. l felt instinctively that It
was FROM his lawyer. He turned and
beckoned to Kennedy and myself
What do you think Of that? he
whispered hoarsely.
| we bent over and in the pickering
light read the message.
New York papers full Of spontaneous
combustion story. Record had exclusive
feature even more. Is it true? Please
wire additional details at once. Also
Immediate instructions regarding loss OF
will. Has been distracted from safe.
Could Lewis Langley have taken it him
self. Unless new facts soon must make
loss public or issue statement Lewis
Langley interstate. DANIEL CLARK.
Tom looked blankly at Kennedy, and
then at his sister, wno was sitting alone.
I thought could read what was passing
in his mind. With all his faults Lewis
Langley had bsen a, good fostsr-parent
over now II the will was lost.
What can I dor asked Tom hope
lessly. Il have nothing to reply to aim. u
But I have" quietly returned Ken
f 6 up the tp:
ali to be in the library in fifteen min
utes. This message hurries me a bit,
but I am prepared. You will have some
thing to wire Mr.. Clark after that. u
Then he strobe off toward the house.
leaving us to gather the group together
in considerable bewilderment.
i A quarter Of an hour later We had
all assembled in the library. across the
hall from the room in which Lewis
Langley had been found. A. usual.
Kennedy began by le.ping straight into
EARLY in the eighteenth century"
he commenced slowly. "a woman was
| found burned to death. There were
no clues, and the scientists OF that
time suggested spontaneous combus-
ton. This explanation was accepted.
! process Of respiration by which the
tissues of the body ere used up and
| got rid Of gives the body a tempera-
| ture, and 1t has seemed that 1t may
be possible, by preventing the es-
l'capa of this heat, to set fire to the
We were leaning forward expectant-
lily, iiorrifed by the thought that per-
| haps, after all, the Record was cor
rect.
changing, suppose we try little ex-
convincingly by the immortal Liebig.
Here is a sponge. am going to
soak it in gin from this bottle. the
same that Mr.. Langley was drinking
from on the night OF the-er-the
Kennedy took the saturated sponge
and placed 1t In an agate-tron pan
from the kitchen. Then he lighted 1t.
The blush flame shot upward. and
in tense silence we watched II burn
lower and lower. till all the alcohol
was consumed Then he picked mp
was dry, but the sponge ITSELF had
1--WE now know he continued.
chat from the naturerof combustion
II fs possible for the human body to
undergo spontaneous ignition or COM
bustion In the way the scientific ex-
perts of the past century believed:
S.-.AL> SAA hA6V In tina thtckeAt of