The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-10-13

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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 II
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?"
II let in two fellows during the cere-
mony, MIR. Rankin. The first one came
in only ten minutes or so after 1t
started; that was halt 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. I'm
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, so
opened the door for them BOTH"
"At least you have some idea of
when this second late arrival entered
the roOm"
ITO the moment, sir; looked at my
watch just 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 refiectively. See if you can
discover which it 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.
AS he previously suggested, the main
danger to the criminals otherwise per-
feet plot lay In the boys reaction to
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; If Jordan jumped or gave
vent to grunt, neither act would at.
tract much attention. But he would
make no sound at all If he supposed
that the prick he felt was part and
parcel of the ritual And therein was
his slayer's assurance of safety.
Fifteen minutes elapsed before Lew
Kurly returned to the chapter room
with the information after which
Rankin had sent him. His eyes blazed
in excitement and he looked troubled
and perplexed.
Its darned funny" he burst out ;
the words tumbled over one another,
"but the second chap who came to the
meeting late Wasn't either Larry or
Ben. don't know who he could have
been. They aren't In the house at all /;
I've asked the other fellows but no
body remembers seeing them around
tonight"
The presidents surprise at the news
verged on alarm. "But that is impos-
sible! No one left and thirty-two men,
bers were in this room when the ritual
ended"
Though Immediately alert, Rankin
was more composed. Probably one
of them attended the ceremony" he
suggested, land has gone out since, for
some reason. | should say that is
what has happened; it would explain
everything"
"No, no one could have done that,
Kurly asserted positively. That's
what makes it so peculiar. If either
Larry or Ben was In the house this
evening, some of the boys would have
seen him go out afterward. But they'll
all swear that net soul did that since
Jordan collapsed, and only thirty-one
brothers are in the house."
Its certain no one tried to leave
after | arrived" the detective agreed
"or the officers would have prevented
it and reported to me. But how can
you be so positive he hadn't slipped
away before that timer"
Because as soon as Chuck Saun.
ders went to phone Doctor Thompson,
someone was always at the door,
watching for him." the half-back re-
lated. II waited there myself for q
while and am sure no one got out
then. And while the doctor made his
examination. several of us stood In the
downstairs hallway. discussing what
had happened. They all say the same
thing"
II suppose you appreciate what that
indicates. Mr.. Rankin" the supervisor
declared solemnly. "a stranger, moi
belonging to the acknowledgements
with no right-was present In this
room. That completely changes the
scope of your investigation"
Eyes, that seems to be the alterna-
tive" Rankin agreed. equally grave
But 1t would be wise to verify Mr.
Kurly's report before we accept tina,
conclusion. I'll have to check up the
evidence of every boy. anyhow; there
are a number of other points ! must
settle"
He spent the following forty-fiye
minutes In meeting and quickly inter
viewing one yonng man after another
In the chapter room. OF each member
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