Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1933-09-14

L undlly agreed 10 JOIN, II only De-
cause l regarded the group highly"
you witnessed what took place In
this room tonight?" Rankin inquired.
"Yes-that is, what / could, under
the circumstances. Remember, ! was
blindfolded and kneeling in line with
the other PLEDGES, listening to the
ceremony"
How far away, Mr.. Fletcher" the
detective asked. "were you from young
Jordan when he collaspedr'
II knelt on his left, facing the al
tar" the lawyer replied, "that is, next
to his sponsor or whoever took
Patterson's place; he was the only
one between us. George Patten was
my sponsor and stood on my left"
"Can you suggest any details of the
tragedy" Rankin wanted to know,
shat Mr.. Stanton has neglected to
mentionr
mo. l can't, Rankin" The lawyer
shook his head. "His story seems to
have covered everything bearing on
1t accurately and quite substantially"
do you know anything about young
Jordan that so far has not been
brought out?"
Barely perceptibly. Mr.. Fletcher hes
itated; but again he answered in the
negative. Rankin's forehead furrowed
In thought as he once more addressed
the president.
"Please have your sergeant at arms
called in, Mr.. Stanton" he requested.
Before l question any of the other
boys, want to find out about the exact
attendance"
When the officer arrived, he proved
to be young man of medium height
and stocky build, with broad shoulders
and long muscular arms Even before
he was introduced, Rankin, an ardent
football fan, recognized Lew Kurly.
ace halfback Of the university eleven.
He waited until Kurly closed the
door of the chapter room behind him.
Il am making inquiries, Mr.. Kurly,"
he then explained, "about the men,
bers present at the Initiation and who
they were. Your president informs
me that. as sergeant at arms, you
guard the door at meetings and after it
has begun, let in only those who can
give the proper signals and pass
words. / have already consulted the
roll-book, and ascertained that when
the roll was taken, thirty men an
swered- Now, can you tell me who ar
rived after this check-up and when
they came in?"
Il let In two fellows during the cere-
mony, Mr.. Rankin. The first one came
in only ten minutes or so after II
started; that was half past eight"
According to his account, that
would be Mr.. Patterson" the detective
observed. what about the second
chap?"
But Kurly shook his head. II don't
know who he was" he answered. "In
fact, couldn't tell Patterson, either.
They were both completely masked by
their robes and hoods. Anyhow, they
knocked on the door correctly and ex-
changed the password with me, 90 I
opened the door for them both"
didn't you recognize their voices
at all?" Rankin's manner revealed his
disappointment.
mo. I never had a chance to-" the
sergeant at arms returned. "The pass
word is just single word; not enough
to let me identify anybody by his
speech"
AT least you have some idea of
when this second late arrival entered
the room?"
ITO the moment, sir; looked at my
watch just a few seconds before he
signaled outside. 1t was exactly eight
forty-five."
Rankin rubbed his chin. "Well, he
evidently must have been either this
Ben Crawford or Larry Palmer" he
stated reflectively. "See II you can
discover which 1t was, Mr.. Kurly," he
requested. "And when you've learned
report to me-"
As his investigation progressed
eliciting various new facts, he grad
ually modified his impression of the
murderer's unusual rashness and dar-
ing. Actually. he realized, the initia-
ton made the crime comparatively
safe, provided the criminal managed
to reach his intended victim. osten-
sibly to unite him, before anyone else
Though one of limited group of
thirty-two, that group, by it's very mum.
bers, was his chief protection. II no
one had observed him the previous
night, tampering with Jordan's shoes
there was nothing to single him out
from any other member. a
Rankin considered it futile to search
the chamber for tlnger-prints. and rea-
sonably expect those he might find to
forward his quest in any way.
AS he previously suggested, the main
danger to the criminals otherwise per.
feet plot lay in the boys reaction 10
the jab of the needle. But he also
perceived the situation on which the
plotter relied to make even that risk
negligible. A quick stab was not very
painful; IL Jordan jumped or gave
vent to a grunt. neither act would M
tract much attention. But he would
make no sound at al IL he supposed