The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-08-11


night. He left about nine-thirty."
'Who composed the party that drove
Stuart out Of the city?" Rankin in
quired.
Wallace Lloyd spoke up again. II
did for one. We went in George Pat
tens car-he, George Drummon and
myself. The other PLEDGES beside
Stuart were Roy Martin and Alex Pike
both freshmen in the business
school,"
"Then you should be able to locate
the exact spot where you finally de-
serted him. How far out was 1t and
by what route did you reach it?"
AS Lloyd described the complicated
course followed three nights before,
Rankin iotted it down in his notebook.
At the same time, he asked questions
that would more definitely fix the lone
ly site of Jordan's desertion. Not
until he fully understood the students
explanation did he ask:
How late was it when you reached
this place, Mr.. Lloyd, and left Stuart
to shift for himself?"
Nearly eleven-thirty, sir" the re.
corder replied.
"And how long did it take him to get
back to the fraternity? Have you any
idea of what time of the night he
turned up here for his clothes?"
But of this, Lloyd was ignorant; he
had retired Immediately upon return
ing to the house. Nor could any other
brothers enlighten Rankin on this
point Jordan had told no one how
he had Jared the night before.
At length convinced that he had
learned all he could about the Fetch
er incident, Rankin shifted to his Sec
ond mission at the fraternity. That was
to gain private access to Ned Patter-
sons bedroom. Accordingly, as a sub
terfuge, he requested to speak again
to Larry Palmer, whose chamber ad-
Joined the sponsors; Palmer, after
being questioned among others, had
gone upstairs to 1t. AS for Patterson
himself, he had been absent all after
noon, SO that the detective knew he
could safely make the attempt.
''Tll call Larry down for you. Mr..
Rankin" Stanton volunteered. Il sup
pose he is still upstairs; he said he
had some studying to do before sup
per-"
Rankin was equally quick to refuse
the offer. "Never mind bothering
him." he halted Stanton. "I'll just run
up for few minutes" He waved
Lloyd and the president aside as they
started to accompany him. "N0," he
declared, ST want to speak to Mr.. Pal
mer alone. / know which room he
occupies"
Before they could follow, he has
tened from the chamber and assembled
the stairs to the third floor. But in
the long rear hallway, instead Of en-
tering Palmer's door, he paused out
side the closed one adjoining, the
third from the right. He turned Pat
terson's door-knob soundlessly, slipped
into the room unObserved and closed
the door as silently behind him.
The most promising place of con-
cealment for the poisOns stolen from
the chemistry laboratory was the desk.
Rankin tackled this first. But
careful If hurried scrutiny of many OBJ
jects, books and the weller of themes,
pictures and miscellaneous items that
filled the drawers and pigeonholes
proved unproductive. Nor at first
glance did his exploration of the bu-
reau seem to justify his thorough
search. In corner Of the bottom
containel, beneath soiled smoking
jacket, he uncovered an oilskin tObac-
co pouch. He inspected this with the
rest; on the verge of replacing 1t as
being barren, his sensitive fingers felt
the hard smooth surface of some
round thin articles in its folds. Eager
~ he dug once more into the shreds
of tobacco.
Two tiny test-tubes. both tightly
corked, had been concealed In the
pouch. One held an almost infinitesi-
NAL quantity Of yellow fluid and the
other a minute amount of some grain
like substance; uncorked. the fluid
gave forth a repulsive mousy odor
Without any analysis. Rankin had not
the slightest doubt that here was
portion of the missing conine and at
ropine. And 1t was equally certain
that Patterson was responsible for
their theft. Continuing his canvass
with the closet and trunk, the detec-
tive failed to find anything like a
hypodermic needle, with which the
student might have injected the
conine into Jordan's wrist.
There remained only to procure a
sample of his finger-prints to compare
with those the finger-print expert
might locate in the laboratory RAN
kin turned to Patterson's shaving kit
for clear records. The surface Of a
razor blade. held between thumb and |
forefinger, retains impressions admir-
ably; from Patterson's initiated, gold
plated box, he distracted three with |
distinct marks, that in use and two |
others. These he placed in an en-
velope and pocketed. Then returning |
the kit to its drawer, so as to leave |
nothing disturbed, he opened the door
and slipped out of the chamber as |