Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1932-09-30

deep and e, .ns man. VITA me helP
of whisky he soon knew what our
novice had in his mind.
"a man like that has mastered the
arts Of making alcohol his servant
He may pretend to be drunk but he Is
always able 70 do his work. The other
fellow unbuttons his mind. The skill
full crook doesn't. Our hayseed with
a rotten soul grew confidential in ms
cups. Al;:yre was sympathetic. He
offered to help in some part OF the
proceeding that was safe and easy.
You may he sure that he was to be
well paid in cash for his trouble. He
dug into the background of the situa-
ton. He made a few expert sugges-
tons.
az have wondered a little that our
local talent should be capable of Great
ing a problem so intricate that even
a man of Colonel Blake's acumen has
been deceived. l think that the IA
nous criminal whom the Pinkertons
described conceived the plan of our
problem. The local bungler made a
mess of it. He killed the wrong party"
Shad said: Eyes. He meant to kill
Mrs. Doolittle but he had never used
that revolver. He didn't know how
to use It,"
Exactly! =" the doctor exclaimed.
''You see at a point on the road OPP
posite his canoe our crook met the
murderer, who passed the revolver to
him. He slipped across the river.
dropped the weapon near Bumpy's
shack, put the cartridges in the old
mans jacket pocket, crossed and ran
down the river half a mile. There he
left the canoe and went TO the house
of Peter Lalone, where he was spending
the night-probably playing poker with
some of our local sharps."
Shad's eyes glowed with interest and
delight as the doctor raveled out the
threads of the well-knit problem.
1.-THE colonel will be glad to hear Of
this" he said.
eff you put my theory before him,
he will naturally ask: Why would
clever criminal, involved in big things
and sought by the police. put his life
and liberty in danger in this small
affair?
II answer. that he didn't. He took
the precaution to establish an I'M
shakable alibi. At precisely seven if
teen he called at Henry Lockwood's-
more than three miles from the scene
of the crime-and asked for Mr.. Lock
wood. Learning that Lockwood was
not at home. he asked for Mrs. Lock-
wood. He was shown to the sitting
room. He gave her pair of mittens
which he had borrowed from Henry
the day before when he. Algyre. was
going off for long drive in the coun-
try. Mrs. Lockwood asked him If he
would sit down and wait for Henry.
He looked at the clock and answered:
No, thank you. l see it's a quarter
past seven and must be getting back
Shad smiled with delight. saying:
"That man is no bungler. He knows
his business"
at is all well planned and rather
admirable" the doctor went on. "But
for one trifiing accident, which had no
right to happen, these thoughts would
never have come to me. Wingate for
the FIRST time in weeks was out on the
river in his boat with a lighted dark
lantern In the hands of his soma
circumstance not to be foreseen or
expected. At this time of year It il
rare that anyone goes out on the river
after dark.
"NOw, there Is another matter to be
stressed in your talk with the dis
trict attorney. Bank robbers. how
ever successful they may be. are apt
to be in need of available cash when
they have got away from the scene Of
q daring exploit and are waiting for
the excitement to blow over. They
dare not take their loot with them. II
they are caught with negotiable bonds
or large sum Of money, it has to be
accounted for. They are safer with
q little money than with much. Their
loot is for a time concealed or turned
over to some confederate with whom
they can have no immediate COM
munication. A thief who has stolen