The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-01-20
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IANAKY~ mUED EK CASE
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CHARACTERS

- - - WV OOUV6
CHARACTERS
john Jao FIX F.lSs Markham, district at.
torney Of New York County.
Margaret Odell (The "Canarv").
Charles Cleaver, a man-about-town
Kenneth Spotswoode, q manufac-
turer.
Louis Mannix, an importer.
Dr.. Ambrose Lindquist, q fashion
able neurologist.
Tony Skeel, q professional burglar.
William Elmer Jessup. telephone
operator.
Harry Spively, telephone operator.
Ernest Heath, sergeant Of the Homi-
The Story Thus Far
When the strangled body Of Mar.
garet Odell, known to Broadway as
the Canary" was found in heI
apartment, New York found itself
confronted with one Of the most
battling murders in its history
Vance, student of psychology and Of
crime, is taken to the apartment
by Markham. The rooms are vio-
lcntly disordered. The medical
examiner gives it as his opinion
that the murder was committed
about 1880 the night preceding.
CHAPTER v
II guess that's all, Doc" Heath
decided. "I'll get the body to the
mortuary right away. Let's have
the post-mortem as soon as you
cam"
you'll get report in the morn
ing" And despite his apparent
eagerness to be off, Doctor Uore-
mus stepped into the bedroom and
shook hands with Heath and Mark
ham and Inspector Moran before he
hurried out.
Heath followed him to the door,
and l heard him direct the officer
outside to telephone the department
Of public welfare to send an ambu-
lance at once for the girls body.
Such detachment" Vance said ia
Markham. "Here are you stew.ng
most Gistressingly over the passing
of one damsel fair and frail, and
that blithe medicus il worrying only
over a sluggish liver brought on
by early rising"
"What has he to be upset over ?"
complained Markham. 1.-THE news
papers are not riding him with
spurs. And by the way, what
was the point of your questions
about the torn dress?"
Vance lazily inspected the tip Of
his cigaret.
Consider" he said. "Thc lady
was evidently taken by surprise;
for, had there been a struggle be-
forehand, she ...uld not have been
strangled from behind while sitting
down. The. efore, her gown and
corsage were undoubtedly intact at
the time she was seized. But
despite the conclusion of your dash
ing Paracelsus-thc damage to her
toilet was not Of nature that
could have been self-inflicted in her
struggle for air. If she had felt
the cons y; -tion Of the gown across
her breast, she would have snatched
the bodice itself Ly putting hel
fingers inside the band. But, il
you noticed, her bodice was intact;
the Only thing that had been torn
was the deep lace flounce on the
outside; and it had been torn, OF
rather ripped, by a strong lateral
pull n-hereas, in the circumstances,
any wrench on her part would have
been downward or outward"
Inspector Moran was listening in
tently, but Heath seemed restless
and inpatient; apparently he re-
garded the torn gown as irrelevant
to the simple main issue.
Moreover" Vance went on. "there
is he corsage. If she herself had
torn it off while being strangled
it would doubtless have fallen t.
the floo-; for, remember, she Of.
fered considerable resistance. Her
body was twisted sidewise; her
knee was drawn up, and one slip
per had been kicked off.
"Now, no bunch of silken posies
is going to remain in y lady's lap
uuIulS SuCu a NOIuIuOCIOUs CSCts
When ladies' sit sti.l, their gloves
and handbags and handkerchiefs
and programs and serviettes are
'orever sliding off of their laps on
to the floor, don't y know"
"But if your arguments correct, E"
protested Markham, "then the tear
ing of the lace and the snatching
off Of the corsage could have been
done only after she IS dead. And
/ can't see any object in such sense
less vandalism"
"Neither can l." sighed Vance.
"It's all devilish queer"
Heath looked at him sharply.
"That's the second time you've said
that. But there's nothing what
you'd call queer about this mess.
It is straight-away case" He
spoke with an overtone of insist
ence, like a man arguing against
his own insecurity of opinion. "The
dress might've been torn almost
any time" he went on stubbornly.
"And the flower might've got
caught in the lace of her skirt SO
it couldn't roll off,
"And how would you explain the
jewel-case, Sergeant" asked
Vance.