Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1923-04-21
CHAPTER IlI-continued.

AS II answering my thoughts, he
said. ayes, Slyke was murdered here"
Though l had been sure he would
SAY that, it did not seem reasonable
fiat any person should select the bal
cony of a tower, fifty or more feet
in the air, as a place in which to
commit q murder. II became still
more pulling when l remembered
that Slyke had been carried down
two fights of stairs, undressed,
placed in bed and a revolver clasped
4 In bis hand. Roche, his fat face puz-
zled, gave me a bewiIdered glance.
could sympathize with his astonsh-
meut as I felt much the same way
myself.
1 expressed my surprise to BARLEY
and lie responded. Il know Pelt, all
that you have said ana all that you
are thinking. 1t does seem out of all
reason that anyone should pick the
top Of this tower for murder. Yet
here are the spots of blood, and there
are none anywhere else. am sure
he was not killed downstairs it must
have been here and"
He paused and, bending over, picked
something up. At first | could not
make out what it was; then saw that
It was a gold-plated collar-button such
as q man wears in he front Of his
shirt. Roche needed only one look
to Identify it, "Slyze'sl"
BARLEY did not speak until he had
walked entirely around the tower and
was again beside US.
Chief" he said, I'VE may say there
ia no doubt that Slyke was killed
un here. / do not know why such a
strange place was chosen, but l do
know that he was dragged down these
stairs after his death and placed in
his he'd to make his death appear to
be suicide The odds were very much
ia favor Of the criminals being able
10 succeed in his design, too. But he
slipped up-slipped up in the manner
In Which he put the gun In the hand
ard 10 the way IN which he closed
the eyes But why he should have
killed Slyke up here cannot under
stald."
Hs paused for a moment, as If
thinning, then continued, "Slyke gave
q patty last evening. The crime must
have been committed after the party
broke up That was probably be-
tween one and two o'clock in the
morning, One man, perhaps two,
STAYED behind to talk with Slyke We
can't say positively that they did, but
they may have. Roche thinks that
tils man, or men, committed the muir
DER One man may have stayed and
uen gone away before the murder. or
someone else may have come later.
LAey may have come up here to see
me view, and one of them shot him.
AIter the crime the body, at any rate,
was taken downstairs again and I'M
dressed, the nightshirt placed on it,
ana 1t laid in bed AS he wanted it
= appear like suicide, the murderer
paced the gun in the dead mans fin
gers but he either did not remember,
Y perhaps did not know, how the eyes
should look after a sudden death The
very things done to make US think IT
"@s dcide prove that It could not
1sFe possibly been one"
AS BARLEY was now ready to go
downstairs again, we all returned to
tae room below. The first thing we
q" when we entered, was a brown
stocking, the mate to the one in the
room below. We had not noticed II
~ cur way to the balcony as II lay
ai under the rug and the opened
I3F MD 1t. BARLEY picked it up,
se1eed at It, smiled, and was going
70 say something when a voice called
e rs from below.
"a second we were down the
s%ss and in Sykes bedroom. The
45aT 70 the stairway was closed just
Is We had leit It; BARLEY. opened it
'' ma a young man with big cam
"a under his arm on the landing. He
Us an Inqufring glance. then
-s Roche. whom he seemed to
-oa he announced, Doctor King
l you wanted ne up here to take
ers,4~ 1'' s''a" 'aAs
"a.''eE glanced at the bed ard I
ave Slight start. The bed
That had been drawn down.
Sykes waist when we were
ing the revolver in his hand
sea replaced BY Barley, before
ai TO the noor above. ia the
n which they were when we
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