Bisbee daily review., 1922-01-22
Beain Here Today

Dc9%n iOody
 The report of a revolver, fol-
 lowed by hurrying footsteps on
 the stairs, caused Detective Bar
 " and his, friend, Professor
 Semyonov, to rush from the lat
 ter's rooms on the fifth floor Of
 New York apartment house.
 They discovered that beautiful
 Miriam Vane, society portrait
 painter, has been murdered in her
 studio apartment on the third
 floor Ladd, young artist on
 the second floor, Griswold,
 bachelor on the fourth, ands Pa
 tricia Shaw, a writer on the sixth
 deny having heard the shot. Gris-
 wold states that Ladd had been
 friendly with Miss Vane. This,
 Ladd denies.
 Go On With the Story
 Well" Gordon Ladd moistened his lips and spoke slowly, weighing each word with care "I let myself in at the entrance with my house key and had reached the door of my apart ment outside here when glancing up the stairs I caught a glimpse of Mrs. Vane in the hall above, just outside her own door.
 "As I had not seen her in. several days I went halfway up the stairS and greeted her, with the half-formed in tention of paying her short call if it were not too late, but she said that she was too busy and must work upon a portrait, or words to that effect, so Dade her goodnight and coming back to my own apartment, let my self in and closed the door.
 Tt seemed almost the next mo- ment, as I have stated, that the com motion arose, and as no one else seemed likely to rer!y to that bang ing on the entrance door I went down and admitted the policeman We heard voices and saw lights coming from Mrs, Vane's apartment and went up together, but had heard no shot and of course had no suspicion of the truth. That is why it floored me so when-when I saw the body
 It was only at the conclusion of his long explanation that the young man faltered and into his eyes there came again that swift, fleeting look of sheer, stark horror which Barry had noted earlier, when he had collapsed at the discovery of the murder.
 T.. suavely. How was Mrs. Vane dre ss- cd when you saw her in the landing above? The same as when her body was found?"
 "Of course," The artist stared.
 Did you see anyone else ih the railways or on the stairs, either above or below?"
 No one" The Eeply was decisive but the pause before it came was fraction too long apd Barry seized upon it.
 Then. MT. Ladd, what in your es- timation was the reason for Mrs. Vane's presence out there in the pub lie hall? Did she offer any explana- tion?"
 Certainly not and thought noth- ing of it," Ladd replied hotly. ''lt is ridiculously trivial notion to quibble over, There might have been hundred unimportant reasons
 There might have been hundred reasons, MT. Ladd," Again there came that maddening repetition of his name which had so often helped in breaking a stubborn witness under the third degree. But in this case there was only one, and you know it! Mrs. Vane was either receiving or .ejecting a guest. and if you saw no Tone else, you yourself must have been that guest! We have purposely in terrogated the other tenants of the house before approaching you and we have learned more than you think. The saying that walls have ears is true also of ceilings"
 He paused significantly while S"r- geant Craig stared at him in genuine surprise, but the shot found it's mark. Leaping to his feet, with his hand some face darkened and distorted in a paroxysm of rage, Ladd cried: i'sSo that's what you two have been trying to get at, is it? That misera- ble wretch Griswold has noted my ac- quaintanceship with Mrs. Vane and d. liberately tried to blacken her char acter in your eyes, I admit that 1 was in love with her: all our world in Paris as well as here wi,l tell you of my long attempt to make her my wife, but they will also tell you that she has laughed at my love for her. as she has at that of all others. l would have said nothing, but now that he has spoken, ask what claim he has upon her, gentlemen, for lied to you, did see someone upon the stairs! It was he whom I saw leav- ing her apartment moment before entered my own and the shot was fired which must have ended her life,'
 V
 Sergeant Barry felt that the mo- ment was too tense and the possible issue too important to give his col league an opportunity to interrupt. I Without glance at Craig he demand ed of the almost distraught young artist before him:
 "That being the case, Mir. Ladd, tell us the truth of what happened last night! Why did you go halfway up the flight of stairs leading to Mrs.