The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1923-06-08

doctor stiffened He knew too well
what it meant. Shaking off the hand.
he slowly rose and walked, with an
effort, to where BARLEY stood.
"Mr. Barley" he said, his voice
trembling, twill you shake hands with
me? bear you no i'll will. It's a
long journey before me-"
Into Bartley's eyes came look of
comprehending pity, and even adj
miration. He grasped his hand and
silently the two men, one murderer,
the other the detective that had APP
pretended him. looked into each 9TH
er's eyes. Then slowly their hands
fell apart and Roche led Doctor King
from the room.
None Of US spoke until BARLEY
broke the silence by saying, almost in
whisper. Poor chap! God alone
knows what he has gone through"
Suddenly Currle demanded. John,
what about those states and that aw-
full ghost? l never was so scared in
my life"
For the first time a smile crossed
Bartley's face.
"The states? Why / wrote the
messages"
"You! But we washed them," Cur
rle exclaimed.
"Surely, you washed them. That
was the whole trick. I wrote those
messages with camel's hair brush
in hydrochloric acid with bit of zinc
in it. When that mixture is washed
with water, the writing is blotted out
until the slate dries again. You re-
member / always washed one side
first; that was the side with the writ
ing on it. Then let you wash the
other; and, of course, that made you
sure that there was nothing on the
slate. Had you not seen it washed
with your own eyes? When the slate
dried, the writing simply reap
peared." U>
Miss Potter had been sitting, over
come by what had taken place. But
as Bartleys explanation ceased she
cried, ",Then 1 did not receive mes
sage from Mr.. SlykeT
"No, Miss Potter" BARLEY said
apologetica1ly, you did not. You
must forgive me. knew that King
was guilty, and had to make him
confess by frightening or startling
him. He half believed in spiritual
ism. and I thought that if I could
Storo q coopca 7 y,,iob+ ,,,ol.o hin, ocp
fess. There was medium in New
York had once saved from Jail and
1 brought him here with two assist
ants"
"But the raps?" she questioned.
"Oh. I produced the raps. Almost
all of that sort of thing is a fake, you
know. You remember that I had you
place your hand on the table. Then
I rose and turned out the lights.
When 1 came back 1 slipped you the
thumb and little finger Of my right
hand. You thought, of course, that
both my hands were being held. They
were not. You only held one, while
the other was free to give the raps.
The medium was tied and gagged,
but you can't tie one of those chaps
so surely that they cannot speak and
move when they want to-"
Currie gave a long sigh of disap-
pointment. ''Then never saw a
ghost at all?''
''No. Bob" came the answer, 'you
did not. Everything was staged to
lead up to the words you heard that
figure say. What you saw was one of
the mediums assistants painted with
phosphorus SO that he would glow in
the dark. He was covered with
black velvet bag, made in sections
and another man, wearing Black
gloves and mask to make him in
visible. removed the sections Of the
bag one by one. This gave him the
appearance of Undertaking. suddenly
out of the air. The head was mask
modelled from photograph of Slyke
When the figure vanished, the second
man had simply covered him from
head to foot with black cloth, thus
plotting him from your sight. The
whole trick has been used again and
again by so-called mediums"
Black rose to his feet saying, "Mr.
BARLEY. you have solved three prob
lens by one solution-the two muir.
ders and the robbery"
AS BARLEY was about to answer
the telephone rang and he left the
room as If he had anticipated the
message. We could hear his cool,
low voice say, Eyes, this is Mr.. Bart.
ley. Yes. Roche. No. / am not sur
prised. It's the best thing, after all,
that could have happened"
When he returned to us his face
was very grave and sad, yet with
something OF relief in it.
"Roche tells me-" he said slowly,
that when he reached the station
King was dead. Suicide"
The news did not startle me. /,
too. felt relieved. BARLEY was silent
a moment, playing with the bag be-
fore him on the table. Suddenly he
raised his head.