The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-07-07


drops. These are the facts l want in
your newspapers
Boyle of the Record regarded him
quizzically. whats the big idea?"
he inquired. "You know darned well
that in these poison cases, we never
print the name of the poison; we call
it a deadly poison and let it go at
that. It's public policy to keep people
in the dark, rather than take the
chance of putting bug in some read
er's ear to try it out ON himself or
some other fellow"
That's just why I'm asking you to
make an exception to the usual rule in
this case," Rankin replied. Il have a
bunch it is going to help me If the
poison becomes known. Conine isn't
so easy to get; and the criminal might
have left some trail in procuring 1t,
which this open announcement will un-
cover"
Boyle shrugged. SWELL it's perfect
ly OK. with me, if you think it ought
to be DONE" he agreed.
The other newspaper men also ex-
pressed their willingness to comply
with the detectives wish, and left. AS
they filed out of the office, the police
man Wilson entered with a telegram
1t was addressed to Mr.. Warwick, who
had forwarded it from the university;
it had been dispatched from 955 Hunter
ctpant NonI1ltn n nfa1nnK that
morning. Rankin read the reply to
the supervisors message notifying the
students residence Of his death at the
fraternity house.
DREADFUL NEWS STOP AM
COMING EAST IMMEDIATELY BY
EARLY TRAIN STOP EXPECT ME-
TOMORROW MORNING AT TEN
s O'CLOCK.
The signature was that of Howard
Merrick, Jordan's relative and guar.
dian.
Rankin had already decided upon
the course of his investigations that
day. Until Mr.. Merrick arrived with
the illumination he might throw on the
boys life, he would learn as much as
he could of Jordan's career at school.
Distinctly his first step was to search
the students room in the dormltories
and his belongings for some clue to
the tragedy. To save time, he would
question Randall, the former Aberdeen
student, while he was at the dorms;
and later call on the boy from Van
dalia, If only to make certain of neg
lecting no likely source of information.
At the fraternity house, he hoped to
elicit from Larry Palmer, now recov-
cred from his mysterious indisposi-
ton, the explanation of how and by
whom he was drugged. He could in
terview Ben Crawford at the same
time. He had still been absent at three
thirty in the morning when Rankin
left and the problem of his where
abouts remained unsettled.
1t was past noon when he entered
the dormitory grounds. He reached
Jordan's room, 315, on the third floor
by an enclosed passage, outside the
halls, resembling fire escape, and be-
gan his hunt, with the desk as the
most logical place for Jordan's private
possessions. In the drawers, an mex
tricable confusion reigned. 1t was
more than the disorder of mere care
lessness; as though hastily searched
by someone pressed for time, the boys
papers had been tossed about in tan
gle. The chamber itself, in direct con-
trast, was neat and clean as though
recently set in order.
The single hint of anything strange
in Jordan's life came from several
books of check stubs in the desk
Also representing his account with the
Philadelphia Western bank, the coun-
terfoils were carefully audited. For
a well-to-do student, the amounts were
these OUTLAWS, however, he had drawn
a check once every month to bearer
for four hundred dollars without
identifying the recipient or their pur-
pose. All he had written on the stubs
were the figures and the word 'bear-
err" Thus six times regularly since
the second of October, the boy had
paid out this sum. And without the
corresponding cancelled checks, re-
turned from the bank which had
cashed them for the unknown bearer,
there was no means of learning who
he was.
1t was in the closet in the bedroom
that the detective made his second i'm
portant discovery. Jordan kept most
of his shoes there; and on casually
inspecting them, he was startled to find
two thumb-taclls in the soles of each
pair. All were marked in exactly the
same fashion, one tack embedded in
the heel and the other in the arch.
And like those in the shoes the dead
boy wore, they were bright and new,
unscratched by rough contacts, as
though put in within the past few
days. If their purpose was to help dis
tinguish Jordan at the initiation, the
criminal was evidently taking no
chances that he might don an unrec-
ognizable pair of shoes.
Aside from this, Rankin's thorough
search Of the bedroom produced no re-