New Britain herald., 1929-07-05

strychnine and bromide cocktail ana leave tell-taIe fingerprints behind her except old Mrs. Ward herself always excepting Lois Downs?" Nan demanded.
 Tn the bathroom 2" Morgan scoffed. Aren't you forgetting that the old dame was paralyzed? To leave fingerprints on the medicine cabinet she would have had to walk at least 20 feet from her bed to the bathroom-'
 (Which is exactly what she did," Nan contended eXcitedly. Brain crd had her doctor on the stand-he reached the old lady's bedside just before she died-and he reeled off a swell medical line in answer to the question Braincrd asked him, 2s to what ailed the old shreW before she was poisoned. It was paralysis all right, in the doctors opinion, but a sort of psychological paralysis, if you know what l mean. She couldn't walk because she didn't think she could. You can call Dr. Holtzmann init that if she had tried hard enough and suddenly believed that she could walk, she could have walked, all right. And I'll bet you can make him admit that he'd told her so. Then when she wanted to walk, so that she could reach poison with which to commit suicide, she remembered what he said. and walked. Are you with me-" she challenged, her brown eyes very bright.
 "Limping along slightly in the rear" Morgan grinned faintly.
 "Lct me reconstruct the crime as believe it happened" Nan urged. And crime is right! That old fe- male fiend ought to he brought back 10 life, just so she could be hanged She married gay young dog of 2G she knows that he's going 10 kick over the traces; he left her. you know, and she brought him back by playing paralyZed.
 She wanted him around, no mat ter how she held him, and she fig ured he'd stick if he thought she might die any time. Then after three years of pretended invalidism, she has the bad luck to draw a pretty nurse that Andrew Ward goes crazy about. He's pretty careful at first, of course, but one day the old lady sees him making love to the girl. and she has an awful row with him about it. He admits that he's in love with the girl, and the old woman won't believe him when he tells her that the girl cant see him at all. Mrs. Ward goes off her head"
 Hold on" Morgan commanded. Isn't the old danes motive for sui eide pretty weak? Why not simply fire the nurse and"
 And see her husband walk out of tn" house the same day." Nan scoff"I Don't you see? Mrs. Ward honestly thought that the nurse and Andrew were in love with each other, that no matter if she fired the nurse Andy would simply wait until his paralyzcd old wife kicked the bucket to marry Lois? Imagine how Mrs. Ward felt-old, just as much condemned 10 invalidism as if she were really paralyzed, because she would be too proud 10 admit hat shed been shamming; jealous 10 the point Of murdorjng Lois . Downs. She didn't have q lot to live 'or did she' Maybe I'll end up by heIng sorry for the old lady ycf,"
 'I think l can understand her motive for committing suicide" Nor gan said slowly and with such sig mileanc" that Nons heart thudded with fear Then he added. as if ohIlqueIy giving her reassurance. T suppose questioned your theory be- cause if has always been hard for me to excuse tho weakness of sui- cide-iho easiest way out of trouble. ."
 Nan carefully kept oxuuation out Of her voice, "Mo. toe" she agreed 'Bnt there's nothing 10 show that Mrs. Ward was a nice old woman, and believe she did commit suicide, with the deliberate intention of mak-