Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-10

police Sergeant's wife"
Give me another four days. think
she'll talk" pleaded John and had his
way in the end.
Now the four days were over, and
Mrs. Oaks had been brought early in
the morning from Holloway and lodged
in a cell. As was the custom, she was
allowed to have her, breakfast sent in,
and at half past eight a. waitress from
a nearby coffee-houSe arrived with a
tray. which was taken into Mrs. Oaks S
cell by the matron. John Wade came
in. few minutes after this. and was IN
the corridor leading TO the women S
division when the matron rushed past
him. He heard her ask the desk serg-
cant for a doctor, and, as she passed
him again. he caught her by the arm.
Anybody ill?"
THAT woman in No. e-your case,
Mr.. Wade ! think she's tainted. l
wouldn't have known. but she turned
over the breakfast-tray."
Wade hurried to the women's section.
The door of Mrs Oaks cell was open
and the jailer was inside. He had just
lifted Mum" to the wooden bench that
served as a bed. Her face was gray,
her lips colorless Bending over, Wade
felt her hands. They were cold, and he
could detect no pulse. While he was
there, the divisional surgeon, who had
been at the station, came hurrying in.
His examination was brief and his
verdict definite.
shes dead"
He shifted several times and looked
at Wade. do you detect a slight sour
SmeIl?" he asked. IF that's not
hydrocyanic acid, I'm Dutchman. She
has committed Suicidel j
But a search of the dead woman's
dress and the cell did not bring to
light anything In the shape of a phial
or bottle. Fortunately, before the tray
had been overturned, the teapot and
pitcher of milk had been put on the
wooden bed.
''Izeep those for analysis" said Wade.
He could hardly believe his eyes. Mrs.
Oaks was a healthy woman-the last
person in the world to commit suicide
and she died. because-zfor the same
reason Lord Siniferd had died lew
days earlier. = : g. $50 = - !.
reSs. Wade went In search of her with
the jailer and found her in the. drab
little eating house that had supplied
the breakfast. She had little information
to give In accordance with her In
structiens, she had carried the tray to
the Police Court cells which were only
fifty yards from the eating house, and
she had taken the tea, haphazard, from
several partly filed pots. i
Whom did youp meet on the street2 q
asked Wade. EN q
She could not remember meeting any
body, at first, but aftaEsa maaile; SHE
said that she had met two naEfI One
had asked her to direct him to High
street. She had turned around and
indicated, With jerk of her head
the direction he should follow.
1T was pretty simple" Wade told
Elk. Zone man held her attention while
the other dropped the stuff into the
teapot or the milk. I should think it
was the milk"
Have you got a good description Of
the men?" asked Elk.
The most she could tell me was that
they were rough-looking. I'm getting
one of the local constables to make q
sketch :. Of the TIVE faces from the
woman's description There's no doubt
that Mrs. Oaks was poisoned. They
thought she was ready to Squeal,. and
think that they were right"
Wade was half dead from want of
sleep and anxiety, but he threw him
self into the task of trying to find the
two strangers who had been seen in the
vicinity OF the, Police Court that morn
ing. (. B@x
In the AFTERNOON two men, stroIling
casually along the Rfixton Road, sud
denly found themselves surrounded by
policemen. They were hustled to Brix-
ton police headquarters and searched.
Wade drove down to interview them.
They gave French names, but were
undoubtedly Americans. Wade thought.
When an interpreter addressed them in
French, they replied haltingly
We been living In France since last
Fall" said one.
Why did you leave the United
Etates?" asked Wade.
They were very vague about this.
OF the poisoning they said they knew
nothing. They tried to explain their
loaded pistols by pleading ignorance of
the law, and they said that they did not
know Mrs. Oaks. nor had they heard
Of the india rubber men, They had
come to London for the purpose of
buying old French furniture cheaply,
but they could not tell Wade where
there was to be a sale of old French
furniture.
Imperturbable, thin-iipped. they
showed no signs of anxiety until they
were handcuffed and en- route to Scot
land Yard. Then the terror Of the Iin-
known descended upon them, and one
Of them protested, but not in French.
In the meantime a squad OF detectives
had gone to the address they gave, only
to learn that no one with those names
lived there. But again fortune favored
the police. The men had given as their
address the lodging house in which they
intended staying when they reached
London. The place, however, was full
when they arrived. and they had been
directed elsewhere. Fortunately, the
janitor of the lodging house remember
ed the three lodgings he had recon-
mended and to one of these the prison.
erS were traced.
In their room Wade found three
little crystal TASKS. one of which was
empty. The other two were filled with
Q liquid that had a slightly blush tinge
Under the false bottom of a trunk he
uneart1ed a rife with q short barre
and a; particularly long grip-more like
q pistol grip. 1t was an automatic rife
and had never been fired. The car
tridges were still wrapped in damp
"Ws'n take these fellows down t.
woolwich station-by, river" said Elk
Don't let them know where they're
going Dig EN- out 2 in the morning
tie 'em up, hand and foot, and take
'em to Woolwich."
What good would that do?" asked
Wade.
Suggestions everything" said Ell
calmly Il know everything abou
psychology, except the way to spell it,
The closest questioning at Scotland
Yard by the adept cross-examiner
brought no result. The prisoner
maintained silence, when it was polio,
to do. so, and misunderstood question!
when they wished to gain time. The,
knew nothing of the pistols, nothing
of the phials they suggested that thi
evidence had been manufactured an.