The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-03-13
"a 90 TB9E 90 Co., ss:s;.r
>%ANAKY" mUKDEK CASE
by T. SWAN DINE AUTHOR 90 BENSON MURDER CASE
'vThoR 81 The BENSON MURDER CASE

cations, that Spotswoode had done
away with the lady,"
"You make your case theoreti.
cally plausible. But, practically. I'm
afraid l can't accept It," Markham
was more impressed. I felt. than he
cared to admit. Damn 1t. mani"
he exploded after q moment. "Your
conclusion demolishes all the estab-
lished landmarks OF nationality
and sane credibility.-Just con.
slider the facts"
He had now reached the argu.
mentative stage OF his doubt. You
say Spotswoode is guilty. Yet we
know. on irrefutable evidence, that
five minutes after he came out of
the apartment the girl screamed
and called for help.
HE was standing by the switch.
board. and. accompanied by Jessup.
he went to the door and carried on
brief conversation with her. She
was certainly alive then. Then he
went out the front door. entered a
taxicab. and drove away. Fifteen
minutes later he was joined by
Judge Rcdfern as he alighted from
the taxicab in front of the club
here-nearly forty blocks away
from the apartment house!
1T would have been impossible
for him TO have made the trip in
less time: and. moreover. we have
the chauffeur's record. Spotswoode
simply did not have either the op-
portunity or the time to commit the
murder between half.past eleven
and ten minutes of twelve when
Judge Redfern met him. And, re-
member. he played poker in the
club here until three in the morn.
ing-hours after the murder took
place."
Markham shook his head With
emphasis.
"Vancc, there's no human way to
get round those facts. They're
firmly established: and they pre-.
clude Spotswoode's guilt as e6ec.
lively and finally as though he had
been at the North Pole that night"
Vance was unmoved.
Il admit everything you say he
rejoined. "But as I have stated be.
fore. when material facts and psy.
Geological facts conflict. the ma
terial facts are wrong. In this case,
they may not actually be wrong,
but they're deceptive"
Every well. n.dgnus Apollor' The
situation was too much for Mark.
hams exacerbated nerves. "Show
me how Spotswoode could have
strangled the girl and ransacked
the apartment. and I'll order Heath
to arrest him."
"'Pon my word. I can't do It."
expostulated Vance. "Omniscience
was denied me. But-deuce take It!
Il think I've done rather well In
pointing out the culprit. never
agreed to expound his technic,
don't y know"
so! your Wanted penetration
amounts only to that. does It? Well,
WELT"
Vance looked at him with wag.
gish Representatives,. and sighed.
Recognition Of my transcendent
genius. ! see, is destined to be
posthumous. In tho meantime l
bear the taunts and jecrs of the
multitude with q stout heart. My
head is bloody. but unbowed."
He looked at his watch. and then
seemed to become absorbed with
some line Of thought.
Markham" he said. after sew
eral minutes. 1--WE . concert at
three o'clock. but there's an hour to
spare. ] want to take another look
at that apartment and its various
approaches Spotswoode's trick
and I'm convinced It was nothing
more than = trick-was enacted
there: and Il we are ever to md
the explanation. We shall have q
look Tor It on the scene
| ! had got the Impression that
Markham. despite his emphatic a.
NAL Of the possibility Of spots
woode's guilt. was not entirely m
convinced. Therefore. ! wae MOI
surprised when.. with only : half
hearted protest, he assente0 "a
vance's proposal 70 revisit the odell
apartment.
= (TO me- CONTlNUEnl.