The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-06-04

The Wards apartment is on the
seventh floor. remember, and An
drew Ward was playing bridge with
the Delaneys, on the second. No
hotel employe saw him; he surely
would have been missed, and-nost
important Of all-MrS. Ward, as her
daughters have testified, had NOR
bid fear Of being poisoned and al
ways refused to take a dose Of medl-
cine or a bite Of food that had not
been prepared by nurse. No, I'm
afraid that's Washout, partner"
It's just tnat he's the only per-
son who really lad motive for
killing the old lady Nan worried.
Here he is: A young man, who fan
/ cies himself a sheik. married to a
Wheel-chair invalid OF Sd, whom he
/ can't divorce without losing the for
tune he married her for, and in love
with pretty young nurse who, he
figures, wouldn't be so Indifferent to
him if he we're free and rich in his
own right. Gobs Of motive"
And apparently not one ounce of
opportunity" Morgan supplemented.
It's a pity, Nan, but I'm afraid we
can't pin the murder on Sheik Andy.
But to get back to my story: Brain
erd deity extracted only the facts
that would help his case, then had
to turn Ward over to me. I thought
the boy was going to rise up out Ct
the witness chair and embrace me.
he looked so glad Of a chance to be
ss-eXamined. Brainerd had I'M
doubtedly warned Ward that he
could easily get himself indicted as
an accessory if he tried very hard
to help Lois from the witness stand.
but he evidently cares more for the
girl than"
OR believes her innocent. as we
do Nan interrupted eagerly. If
Lois is acquitted they'll be no
| basis for an action against Ward
as an accessory before the fact, but
he may find himself indicted for
/ the murder itself. Somebody killed
the old lady! But go on! Sorry!"
Ward admitted, with the utmost
/ willingness on cross examination,
/ that Lois had never encouraged his
loVe-making; that she told him she
had a sweetheart already; that he
had defended the girl to his wife,
taking all the blame upon himself.
/ The old lady had seen him trying
to kiss the nurse, you know"
And what 7 can't see" Nan in
terrupted is why Mrs. Ward didn't
fire the girl then and there, since
she was APPARENTLY so crazy about
her husband that she didn't want
to kick him out. Lois incists that
she had no quarrel with Mrs Ward,
but that when Andrew told her his
wife was insaneiy jealous Of her she
wanted to quit and told Mrs Ward
so the very night the old lady died.
IVES" Morgan frowned. Her
i daughters have admitted as
much on cross examination. They
say the old lady was going to
change nurses the next day, but
asked Lois to stay until she had
some one else. OF course Brainerd
viii contend that Lois knowing she
would be there Just one more night,
took advantage of her opportunity
and slipped the strychnine into the
old lady's sleeping medicine"
which Lois says she never gave
her" Nan interrupted. We'll, it's
obvious that some one gave it to
her. I tell you Mr. Morgan, our
only bet is those flngerprints on
the medicine bottles and on the
bathroom cabinet. I've been hop
ing that something would point to-
ward Ward as the guilty party,
since he had the strongest possible
motive, but as long as that's out,
Well have to trust to those finger
prints to create a reasonable doubt
in the minds of the jury.
Funny there were no finger
prints at all on the glass. 1t looks
as if the murderer would have
thought of f1ngerprints in the cab
met and on the bottles if he re-
membered to wipe them off the
glass on the bedside table"
Hold on" Morgan admonished
her. You're forgetting that those
mysterious prints were made by a
Woman's fingers. It's she not he
Well, we must be thankful for what
we have. Those fingerprints prove
that some Woman-we know they
weren't made by Lois Downs, either
of the two daughters, or by any
woman servant that had access to
the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES woman was in
that bathroom handling poison
bottles and touching the cabinet.
But how in heavens name she got
there without being seen or heard,
mixed a lethal dose for the old lady
and persuaded her to take it, as
morbidly afraid as Mrs. Ward was
of being poisoned
"Wait!" Nan cried. TT think
I've hit on something! Don't
breathe for a minute"
Nan screwed up her eyes and
browS in a fierce froWn, tWined the
fingers of her right hand in her
short, tumbled brown hair, and
fairly radiated thought waves, while
the man opposite her leaned back
in his chair and regarded her with
fond indulgence, but with a gleam
of excited anticipation in his black
eyes.
The sound of sudden, violent
pounding on the outside door Of the
suite penetrated into the inner Of
fee. Nan started to rise, but Nor
gan pushed her back into her seat.
Keep on with that heavy think
ing" he commended, laughing. I'll
coo u-bO II *