The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1923-05-25
CHAPTER xiI-continued.

robbery he had gone to the post office
for the mail, and a copy of the Boston
Evening Times, paper to which
SIyke did not subscribe, had been
handed to him by mistake. He had
been reading a book only few days
before. filled with murders and the
like and he remembered the account
Of robbery in it and how the evil
dence was manufactured. On his way
home he stopped at the police station
for information and offered to drive
the police OUT to the home of the
men who had been arrested. 1t seems
that the state. police had taken them
+ to their own homes and allowed one
Of the men to change his. coat be-
fore taking him to Jail. The local
police wanted to search the coat
which had been left behind. 1t was
here that the chauffeur had his first
idea Of planting the. evidence. He
tore the corner off the paper, ard at
the mans house managed to slip the
newspaper into the pocket of tne coat
before the police examined it.. Later.
at Sykes, he threw the: little torn
piece of paper on the floor so that
they could find that. too.
When he had finished, / wondered
If the boy had not been right when
he thought that the man had been
simply foolng him. But If it were
true. his story, taken with the dying
words of the chauffeur. would be
enough to free the inen in prison.
decided to take him with me to the
police station and let him tell his
story to Roche.
On our arrival in Saratoga we were
lucky enough to; find both Roche and
Black together. : Without any com
ment on my. part, had Theology repeat
I his story to the two officers. They
listened with good deal of interest.
Roche. of course, had handled the rob-
berry, and knew more about it than
Black; but Black. knew, believed
that Briffeur was the murderer Of
Slyke. and the boys story confirmed
his belief.
We debated the story for an hour,
Roche taking the view that the chauf-
feur might have been fooiing the boy,
and Black that the chauffeur had told
the truth and was stoo drunk to real
lie What he had said.
Roche clinched his argument by de-
manding, "NVhy, under heaven. should
Slyke owe Briffeur a large sum Of
money!
=. That was, we all agreed, the weak
point in the story,
my Eord," Roche exclaimed as a
thought occurred to him, do you
realize that it was Briffeur that found
the torn pieces of cloth on the rose
BUSH. the piece that fitted into the
man't pants?"
In establishment l asked, ut was?"
1T sure. was. He came into the
police station few days later with it
and told us where he had discovered
it, and asked if we knew what it was.
We found later that it fitted into a
: hole in the pants one of the fellows
was wearing"
WAS he ever in the cell with those
men?" Black asked. with glance at
me.
Yes. several times. Slyke asked
that we let him go in and talk to
them"
Black threw out his hands in dis
gust "My G., Roche. one would
think you kept a hotel. You let any
one go in and out that wanted to-"
Roche flushed. and replied angrly.
well, Slyke had lots of pull here.
and i don't think it did any harm to
let his chauffeur see those men,"
None" said Black dryly. 1T only
gave him chance to snip a piece
from one of the mems trousers"
'That's foolish" Roche laughed.
"Oh.' don't know" was Blacks
answer. "You can't prove he did not
You never saw the piece of cloth I'M
I'll he brought"it in to you. He was
In the cell alone with them. and had
the chance to cut out the piece of
cloth. you can't prove that the chauf-
feur's story Is not true. It fits in
better with facts than the evidence
that sent those, men to Jail. But, oh
boy. the easy way you run this jail!"
Roche scowled at US. and was about
TO retort when he was called from the
room. Black and lighted cigars and
smoked in silence.
"Mr. Pelt," he asked at last, what
do you think of my theory that Brit
feur murdered Slyke?"
! had given little thought to the
matter and said as much. Black sur
prised me by adding. "You know that
Doctor, King and the district attorney
think that the only verdict that. can
be brought in in the Slyke case is
suicide?"
Blacks remarks aStoniShed me.
True, realized that it was almost i'm
possible to present convincing legal
proof that Slyke had been murdered.
but there was still the chauffeur's
death to be explained. If he hao
been killed. as BARLEY thought, be,
cause he knew too much about Sykes