Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1933-08-31
MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL

oersUn." He paused. refiecting a mo
ment. "Arthur Wilson. I believe. was
on his immediate right"
"Then suppose this er
Patterson put Jordan's pin on himr
the detective Queried. At Stanton's
affirmation, he signed for him to finish
his statement.
That's all there really is. sir" the
president stated. stuart was seized
shortly after that part Of the cere.
mony. The final rite of the evening
was toast; all the PLEDGES had been
united and stood up. so they could
drink 1t with me. While I pronounced
1t. he staggered and dropped to the
floor"
Rankin, suddenly alert, sat forward
in his chair, grasping the arm tightly.
"A toast?" he demanded sharply.
what kind Of toast?"
Stanton glanced watchfully at the
supervisor, as though to note his re-
action.
"From bottle Of wine, prepared nv
a special recipe with unusual ingre-
dents. only for chapters of Mu Beta
Sigma. We keep it locked in a Gun.
board in the meeting chamber. IT'S
used just for these particular occa.
sions and otherwise never touched.
I've got the single key to the cupboard
door"
$50 you took 1t out yourself, Mr..
Stanton? Did anyone else handle itY"
mo. that was the duty of two other
otncers of the fraternity" the boy cor
rected Rankin. 1.-The secretary and the
treasurer. They poured out the wine
and gave glass to each initiate. !"
Startled. he perceived the trend of
the detectives conjectures. But that
didn't kill Stuart. sir" he added
hastily, IF that's what's in your mind,
He collapsed before he had a chance
to taste a drop
The detective sat back, expressing his
chagrin with brief shrug.
Nevertheless, l want to examine
both the wine and the glass he used
to drink FROM" he said. "They may
have to be analysed. What has be-
come Of them?"
HE broke the glass, when he fell
But the bottle is still on the altar In
the chapter ROOM"
At the detectives request, Stanton
described the exact location Of this
chamber. Rankin summoned the Sec
ond officer from the hall.
go out and stand guard at the first
door on your right across the hail." he
instructed him. 1.-THE one nearest the
entrance. Stay there until l dismiss
you, and meanwhile don't let anyone
inside or disturb anything"
He turned again to the president, as
his subordinate went to obey.
"Can you suggest any other part Of
the ceremony that might be connected
with the tragedy? Or anything that
happened, no matter how trivial, the
least unusual?"
Unusual, sirf' Stanton shook his
head wonderingly. "No, the ritual
went off without a hitch"
"Try to remember" the detective
urged. Couldn't any incident possibly
have bearing on Jordan's deathr
II don't think so; nothing that -"
The boy stopped short, as though at a
recollection; when he continued, the
finality Of his tone had wavered.
"Come to think of 1t, there was some
delay in untying Stuart's wrists. Who
ever freed him had trouble with his
cords and we had to wait a minute
till he got done. But that couldn't be
Of any Importance"
Rankin spoke with renewed eager
ness. "Pm not so sure about that.
Just when was he unbound?"
"Soon after the main part Of the
ritual, but before the wine was brought
out for the toast. I gave the order
and ten brothers in the chairs behind
came forward; each united one
pledge. Then they also removed their
blindfolds and returned to their places"
"Do you mean by that you don't know
which particular chap tended to Jor-
DAMP
mo, sir, l DON'T" Stanton answered.
~In fact, can't say Just who undid
any Of the initiates. Don't forget they
all wore hoods" He hesitated an in
slant. 1T is a matter Of volunteering.
Whoever is nearest in the circle be-
hind can get up to assist"
"But whoever freed the boy took an
exceptionally long time about it?" the
detective observed.
Ted Stanton nodded, a growing ex.
preston Of distress on his handsome
features; and Rankin rose.
Il think. before I go any further"
he said, addressing the supervisor. 81
ought to see the body. I'll want a
look through his belongings; and I'd
specially like to examine his wrists"
CHAPTER TT