New Britain herald., 1927-05-09

Persian or Turkish country
 There was 6 stir in the back ol the room, and a man rose in hi.
 place.
 May l interrupt" he said. ir
 q low. clear voice. ito ask if the 1 pichaq in question will fit this scabbard?"
 Stepping forward. he handed tc the coroner $ scabbard of metal ! and covered with worn velvet Of violet color. The pichaq. as it was called. fitted 1t so perfectly there could be no doubt they were made for each other.
 James Hubbard. the coroner, ex- perienced decided feeling of sat- isfaction as he inserted the wicked looking blade into the ornate scab- bard and found them a perfect fit.
 At last" he thought to him- self. i've have clue"
 Aloud he said:
 twill you give me your name, siro"
 Certainly" returned the man who had produced the scabbard. l am Everard Meeker. of Portland, Me. l am staying at the Victoria Hotel. in Ocean Town. I have been here fortnight or so.'
 And where did you get the scabhard you have just handed me-"
 T found it in the ocean yester- day soon after Mir. Folsom had been carried ashore"
 Near where Mir. Folsom had been standing by the rope?"
 "Not very near that spot. Per- kaps a hundred feet away"
 Mr. Meeker was a tail. portly gentleman. with the general effect of q prosperous business man. He had a pleasant address and ge- nial twinkle in his eye. Although he seemed to realize the gravity of the situation. he also seemed to enjoy the mild sensation he was creating. His interested gaze swept the crowd of attentive faces as he stood with one hand on the coro- ners table.
 You found this In the ocean?"
 "Yes. 1Ehanced to step on 1t in much the same way, I suppose. as Mir. Tracy stepped on the knife that belongs to it. As has been said. MT. Coroner. that knife or dagger is the weapon known as pichaq and is of Oriental manufacture. Now. person. ally. I can tell you no more of the matter than that, except that l can tell you where that dagger came from"
 "Please do so. Mir. Mecker."
 A hush fell over the assembly as they waited the first real in formation regarding the weapon that. in all probability. was the one that had killed Garrett Folsom.
 Miss Folsom stared at the wit ness, until it almost seemed her eyes would bore into his very soul. She. looked like an averaging fate as her strong, stern face set itsel: into an expression of accusation.
 Yet it was obvlous that the man. Mecker. could not have been in the crime, or he would not have offered the scab- bard of the weapon as evidence.
 'It came," Everard Mceker stated, from q shop on the board walk. It was sold there Thursday evening. at an auction of Oriental curios. was at the auction as l am. in 8 small way. collector Of rare objects of art. and especially interested in Oriental metal work
 And you know this dagger and it's scabbard. together. were sold there that night?' Hubbard eagerly inquired.
 T know 1t was in tho, collection that was sold that night. I ex- amined the whole collection be- 1 fore the sale. and I remember per fcctly well that pichaq. with its carved ivory hilt and its worn violet velvet scabbard. A p.chaq, as you may or may not know. is a shaped almost exactly like a small carving knife. It has a 1 straight blade, not curved. and Is a type made in India, Persia or Turkey in the eighteenth and nine teenth centuries. Any collector of l arms would recognize it at once, out to the layman it looks ston- i ishingly like a steak carver"
 Your information. Mr. Meeker, | Have you any idea who bought ! his-er--pichaq?
 No. 1t was sold after left the | ,uction room. l went there for the l express purpose of acquiring an Indian parade dagger. that l de- tired. bought 1t within the price 1 ! had set as my limit. and greatly 1 pleased with my purchase, l went <, homc."
 {To Be Continued)
 More developments are brought