The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-01-24

them. Her final complete Confession
OF her suspicious concerning Mr.. Stan.
ley.
6. Hubert Hands unnecessary con.
feSsiOn concerning his past life.
Clews of least Importance:
L O. Caufields powers of ventriIo-
quism. Probably greatly overrated by
members of household.
2 Playing Of radio between two
and four o'clock that afternoon.
3. Martha's reference to surprit.
In which she and Chadwick Caufield
were involved. Possibly untrue.
4. Mrs. Magin's evident antagonism
toward the victim.
8. Mr.. StanIey's prompt action I'm
locking the attic door and his refusal
to have the body touched until the
arrival of coroner.
6. Reason for victims having Civ
en- bracelet to Martha Stanley at that
time?
Negatives:
1. No clews of any sort discover
able In victims room.
2. No clews of any sort discover
able In attic.
3. Lack of motives for crime by
persons at present instinctively sus-
picioned.
4. No dogs on ranch of this size.
Now. as | read over these notes,
my good opinion of myself rises I'M
til 1t runs over the pan. | declare to
goodness, the list Of clews made out
by Lynn Macdonald, crime analyst,
Is not much better than the list made
out by Mary Magin, cook and house
keeper. She has done hers in better
form, and she has included a few
things that | left out But, most of
the included things were unknown to
me at the time | made my list. Many
Of the other included things did not
amount to shucks. For instance, we
have no dogs on the ranch because
the dogs in northeastern Nevada have
a habit of running out and associat-
Ing with rabid coyotes, contracting
rabies, coming home and biting who
ever is conveniently to hand. For
instance-but never mind AS l said
before, poor girl, no wonder she was
discouraged.
AS indicated by her notes for July
eleventh, IN that afternoon Miss Mac
Donald had cleaned the attic, thor
oughly, and had found nothing to pay
her for her trouble. Keeping me In
the dark, as she had. supposed,
when she said early next morning that
she wanted to clean the living room,
that she had got at least hat full
Of clews from the attic.
Land knows, the way had been
neglecting things, the living room was
badly in need of good cleaning. l
wanted her to allow me to help her,
but she would not. 1t was luck that
| happened to come in with the floor
wax just as she was looking at some
thing that she had dug out of the
ashes In the fireplace.
"What's that?" questioned.
II believe" she answered, "that 1t
Is the missing key to the attic door,"
She got up, shook out her skirts.
and went straight upstairs. trailed
along. l stood by and watched her
while she fitted the blackened key
into the lock. 1t turned both ways. as
smoothly as you please.
Without bothering to say anything
to me, she went up and down the hall,
trying the key in the locks of the
other doors. 1t fitted none of them.
She went downstairs again, with me
trailing after her. and tried the key
In all the locks downstairs. 1t fitted
none of them. either.
"Do you know" she asked. show
ing at last that she was conscious Of
my presence, which ! was beginning
to doubt. when you last had a fire
in that fireplace?"
l thought a minute, and then told
her on the night of the fourth of July,
during the storm.
"Do you remember who kindled the
fre?"
the match, for weeks. Things have
gone to rack and ruin here lately; but
always used to see to it that the fire
was set In the fireplace, ready to light
when needed"
''Do you happen to know who APP
night?"
"Sam did"
"But surely. even though the rain
had come up, fire on the fourth OF
July could not have been necessary"
"We don't have fires here when they
are necessary" told her. 1--WE have
them when they are possible without
absolute suffocation. Half a pint OF
rain is plenty of excuse for Sam to
light fire at any time, even If he
has to open all the doors and win
dows to cool off,"
What was saying was the honest
truth; but l had a mean feeling that
she didn't believe me.
Right here, with apologies to Miss
Macdonald and others Of her profess
sion, want to say that IL they would
just remember that nine times out OF
ten a person who pretends to be tell
ing the truth is telling It, IT would
save them a lot Of mistakes, and
lot of worry. The man who spends
his time biting his money to see
whether or not 1t is genuine doesn't,
usually, have much of It to bite; to
say nothing of the wear and tear on
his own teeth, which would be con-
siderable.
was standing by the living room
windows. trying to keep my temper
down, with some such cOnsoling
thoughts as these, when ] saw a car
drive up and the coroner and the un.
dertaker getting out Of It.
AolA 10 thu