The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1923-04-27
CHAPTER TX
is
The Cry in the Dark.

took his seat In the witness cnalr
Every one was eager to see him, and
ne became at once the center of all
eyes.
Doctor King did not trouble Barley
with questions, but allowed him to tell
his story in his own way. He recount
edsour arrival at the house and our ex-
animation of the body. AS he told of
his reasons for thinking that Slyke had
been murdered, the room became very
still. He described our search fog
clues in the tower rooms, and what he
had found on the balcony. Slowly the
audience. realized that Slyke had not
been killed in any Of the rooms of the
house, but on tower sixty feet in the
air
sA He pictured in short, concise words
how the body had been carried
down two flights of stairs, undressed
and put into bed. gasp went around
the room at his words, and could
see from the faces of the listeners
that they could scarcely believe the
story he was telling them. The sensa-
tion was increased when he spoke of
the removal of the revolver from the
dead mans hand while we were in the
upper room of the tower. This was,
without doubt, so far the most dra-
matte moment of the inquest.
While BARLEY had been giving his
testimony, the storm had come nearer.
A thunderstorm Is never. cheerful
thing at the best, and this one was
making every one very uneasy. AT
each clap Of thunder, someone would
give a start and glance nervously
around. 49,
The next witness, the photographer,
was only on the stand short time. He
told of taking the pictures of the room
in which the body lay and of the body
itself, and stated that he had seen NO
revolver in the dead mans hand.
The testimony of the following wit
ness was also brief, The boy who
worked around the garage, although
very much frightened stuck to his
story that he was getting into bed
. when he heard a shot, and that it
sounded as If it were up in the air.
The time, he thought, was somewhere
between two and three in the morn
ing.
When he had returned to his seat
the step-daughter took his place. Her
youthful face flushed under the many
eyes that were turned upon her, and
she never looked up. Her story was
the one that she had told to BARLEY
and she added nothing new to it. In
answer TO a question as to whether
she had glanced. at her step-father's
door when she passed it the night of
the murder, she replied that she had
and that 1t was closed Catching the
district attorneys eye at this point,
BARLEY m0ti0ned him to his side and
they. whispered together for a moment.
The district attorney then asked the
girl If she had seen the dog when she
came in. Rather surprised at the
question, she answered that the dog
had met her at the front door, smelled
Of her dress, and followed her to the
stairway before going back to his rug.
When she left the stand, her testi-
mony had not added anything to what
we already knew
! realized suddenly that we knew
no more about the crime than we had
when the inquest began. Though I
was sure in my own mind that Slyke
had been murdered. had grave doubts
if it could be proved satisfactorily to-
others. The almost entire absence of
clues made it seem more mysterious
than it had at first, if that were pos
sible. Even the next witness, Mr.. Law
renee, added nothing to our knowledge.
He said that, at the close of the party,
Mr.. Slyke had asked him to stay be-
hind, for what he did not know at the
time. After the others had left. Mr..
Slyke had taken him up to-his room in
! the tower, and had asked him if he
would like to buy little whisky, as he
had more than he needed.
There was a ripple of laughter at
this unexpected statement Though 1t
was the nrSe time that whisky had
been introduced into the case, doubt
IL anyone regarded its mention as i'm
portant The laughter made Lawrence
more nervous than ever, and he talked
faster and more indistinctly. He had
stayed only few moments, he said.
though Slyke had urged him to remain
longer A moment after ne had been
released from the stand, remembered
that he had not mentioned the fact
that Slyke had told him he was expect
ing another visitor. Whether Law
renee had forgotten it or did not wish
to volunteer the information, / could
not decides 1t seemed to me to be a
very important point for him to have
omitted.
The butler, who came next. took his
seat to the accompaniment of one Of
the worst claps of thunder that we
had yet had. clap that seemed al
most In the room. Then burst of
rain swept against the windows. All
through his testimony the thunder