Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1932-09-09


right" the de-, -. uegan. A, is curl
GUS case think that the officials
have been misled by strong proDa-
bilities. Now in the case of an ANA
teur, crude, bungling criminal, proba-
bilities may lead to the truth. But
when you are dealing with an able
offender il is an axiom of the best
procedure that you must distrust what
ever is probable. 1t will lead you
astray. think that | know the case
of the district attorney. 1t would
seem to be strong enough to hang
Bumpy Brown unless"
The doctor paused. They waited
but he sat looking downward gravely
and said no more.
what are we to do?" Shad asked.
"I'll tell you what l would do. l
would follow that broad-brimmed hat
down the road tomorrow morning. If
it was worn by the criminal, he prob
ably hid the colored handkerchief and
perhaps the hat somewhere on or near
the road. Look in every hole and I'M
der every culvert. Examine the fence
corners and the crevices in the stone
walls. Go and find that hired girl at
the Bensons'. What kind of a man
was it who passed her in the road
that night? Did he limp? How was
he dressed? Did he wear a broad
brimmed haiti"
"Supposing we found the hand
kerchief?" Shad asked.
"Take 1t to the district attorney
with all the information you have been
able to gather. You know Colonel
Blake. / have heard that he has the
revolver and the bullets discharged In
committing the crime. If this is true,
tell him that you would like to know
where the revolver came from. No
doubt it came from some store in this
part Of the country. Who bought It
and whenT
The good man left them.
there's the greatest man 1 ever
knew" said Bony. Hes so gor
burned smart an kind o. solemn I'm
always 4 little scairt when he talks
to me-"
"H it's possible to love a man, l
love him." Shad answered, but Bony
never praised so lavishly.
In the morning the boys set out on
the familiar road to Ashfeld. They
went behind Doty's barn and back to
the highway. They searched the thick
cts and culverts along that thorough
fare. They came to a stone wall on
the east side of the highway. Shad
took one side Of the wall and Bony
the other. They looked into every
hole and crevice. They had surveyed
a long stretch of wall when Bony on
the side toward the fields shouted:
"Here it isl"
He leaped over the wall with the
colored handkerchief and q small,
light-eolored SLOUGH hat in his hand.
He held them up before him. There
were the eye-holes in the handker-
chief.
There was q touch Of awe in the
excitement Of the two boys. Shad
looked OFF at the river.
"This don't do Bumpy any good"
he remarked. His place is below
here He might have hid the hat and
the handkerchief and then cut across
to the river and got into his boat"
But he didn't. You forgit the man
In the broad-brimmed hat. He was
seen away below here. 1 know 1t
amt the best place fer these things
to be hid, but we can't help that.
Facts is facts. The murderer went
on down the road, tell .ye"
Bony put the hat and handkerchief
in his coat pocket. They went on
down the road. Bony suggested:
"Supposin' they thought 1 had killed
Oscar Perry an they come an took
US up an found that hat an banker
chief in my pocket. / couldn't prove
no allerby. was down settin' on the
OIL dam all lone studyin' astronomy
an stealth q smoke. I heard the
shots / didn't stir cause l thought
Deacon Meriwether was out shootin'
at q coon in the his chicken yard. I
didn't come up to the store till I
heard the women bawlin'. 1 couldn't
prove no allerby."
"Well, 1t washes my hands. left
the Daytons at just five minutes Of
seven by their clock"
"Then / guess you better keep these
things" said Bony as he passed them
to Shad.
They passed the Benson mansions