Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-01-02
The Man Who Judged

shifted. Then thrust the thing at me
"D'you see? Dyou smell" he de-
manded.
l did see. The tobacco inside the
end was moist. When l smelled 1t my
nose got an odor that certainly was
not tobacco.
Ben opened another cigar-and found
the same thing. And a third one.
The third one he held out to me
Look at the end. See the little hole?
Used a hypodermic to get the stun in
Think it was %hydrocvanic acid"
asked.
IF that's what Sylvester died OF, II
must be. Come on-weH see Doc
Hardy
Ben put the stub and the cigars he
had opened into the box, and then
locked the Office door as We went out
again.
Doc Hardy took one good sniff at
the cigar Ben handed him and gave
his verdict without hesitation. "Hy-
drocyanic acid. Where did you get
these cigars?"
Ben told him.
That is how Sylvester died, then"
Doc Hardy declared. He put the
cigar in his mouth, and it took a mo-
ment or SO for the acid to work out
of the tobacco. Then he died sud-
denly"
Ben's face was hard as we went out
in the street once more. His car was
parked near headquarters. We got in
it and went to the jail. There Ben
had the judge brought out for QueS-
tioning.
Where did you buy your cigars
judge?" he asked.
"Eh?" The judge looked at Ben In
surprise; then said: Il buy my cigars
at the corner store. Why do you aSk?'
Just curious. What did these last
ones cost you?"
Nothing" said the judge. They
we're sent as a gift of congratulatioT
yesterday morning"
Ben's face remained blank. "Whc
sent them?"
The mayor. He wrote a nice little
card of congratulation inside. Rather
surprised me, to tell the truth. l didn't
look for congratulations from the Other
side of the fence"
Rather unusual, from the mayor,
Ben agreed. Did you ave his card?'
NO. l had Miss Jones write him 6
letter of thanks, and forgot about the
matter. I will say his cigars were
good
How did you like the ones Stanton
brought your
asEina Tbay oro tho ~, Hro-I
Ben talked a few minutes more o.
inconsequential things and then VIZ
left. But at the first corner drug store
Ben got out and went in to make 6
telephone call.
He returned in a few minutes. Hi.
face was graver than ever.
Il located the mayor at his house
He says he didn't send the Judge any
cigars. Says he received a letter o.
thanks from the judge this morning
and didn't know what to make of it
In fact, his honor said plainly he'c
be more likely to send a lemon or {
paving brick than cigars"
THAT means the judge is lying some
more?"
Trying for some kind of an alibi,
Ben stated. Notice he didn't say any
thing about the cigars he sent Stan.
ton for"
We were about half way back tt
headquarters when I spoke a convic-
ton that persisted in lingering in tht
back of my mind.
"Ben-dammit-I can't think thu
judge is as rotten as he seems. HI
said there was a card, and he threw
it away"
Very careful to throw it away, vol
notice"
Il know. But / also know that the
Second National saves all its waste
paper for three days. Each office has
a numbered bag in which the paper
is put. They do that SO no valuable
papers will be burnt up before the loss
is discovered"
Down in the hot endorsement of the
Second National we burrowed through
severalsacks of waste paper that hao
come from the Office of Lewis & Stan
ton.
Ben presently drew out a crumpleo
sheet of brown wrapping paper, shifted
it, smoothed it out, and inspected it
Addressed to Judge Lewis. Smells
like tobacco" he said noncommittally
and began to sort through the papers
again. In less than a minute he
plucked out a small card.
On the card, printed in small, neat
letters, was the message: "Nlany sincere
congratulations over your victory. ]
hope these cigars will be as satisfying
as our relations. John Gadsell."
Gadsell was the mayor.
THE mayor had no reason to SEND
Judge Lewis poisoned cigars" Ben sale
positively. I'm more inclined to think
the judge sent them to himself to builc
up an alibi. He knows the waste paper
will be held three days and proof OF
his alibi will be good that long"
Ben stuffed the wrapping paper and
card in his coat pocket. Come on
let's go up in the fresh air."
What are you going to do now?'
I asked Ben when we reached the side
walk.
He was still in the grip Of some in
ternal process of thought. II think II
go home and eat" he told me vaguely
After supper I'll call you up at the
Star Office"
I ate, also, and then settled myself
in the editorial rooms of the Star with
a magazine to wait for Ben's call. II