Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1933-10-19

the fact that 1t was the weapon with
which Stuart Jordan had been No,
soned. That same evening ha 10
turned with it to headquarters ana
demanded of Mr.. Sykes. the city chem.
list, prompt, microscopic examination
in the laboratory. Mr.. Sykes an
nounced that the syringe had las.
held a solution of CONNIE. The chem.
lists experiments removed Rankin,o
last misgiving about suspectinp Mr.
Fletcher.
At the same time, he gave Mr.
Sykes to analyze and measure, the two
walls Ned Patterson had concealed IN
the tobacco pouch in his bedroom.
And then, after leaving the chemist
he received another report which inn
plicated the lawyer still more deen,v
in Jordan's death.
This was the product of Detective
Gordon's visit to the dormitories to IN.
terview the charwoman and the stn.
dent occupants in Croft hall. With
the students at the dormitory. he had
been unsuccessful; they knew no in.
innate details concerning Jordan's
past. But the questions he was In.
structed to ask the cleaning woman
Q Mrs Molly Hogan. had resulted In
startling information.
"You mean, Lester, with regard to
someone getting at the boys shoes to
put in those thumb-tacks?" Rankin Ia.
Quired eagerly, at this statement
ibid she ever notice any person
around his rooms she thought sus.
picious?"
Eyes, she did, Tommy" his colleague
replied. Personally. can't decide
how important 1t is; don't know
enough about the case to Judge. Still.
1t was mighty curious"
Gordon produced a notebook and
began his recital in a routine. mechan.
ical manner.
1T seems" he narrated. "that on
Tuesday morning at eleven-ffteen,
soon after Jordan quit his room to 70
to class, well-dressed. middle-aged
gentleman appeared in the hall and
knocked on his door. Hearing him,
Mrs. Hogan, who was Strengthening
the next room. hurried out to tell him
the boy had left. At that, the visitor
identified himself as Jordan's uncle
and claimed he was to have met him
there at eleven. But II he came late,
he was to get the charwoman to open
the door for him and wait for the boy
In his rooms. Accordingly, she un.
locked the door,"
Rankin heard with growing aston.
ishment this unexpected intimation
that Howard Merrick was in Phila.
delphia the day of his nephew's death.
"And he declared he was Jordans
uncleT' he asked. wonderingly. "What
was he like? OF course. you obtained
q full description from Mrs. Hogan"
"She placed his age at fifty; he had
q thin furrOwed face. bony nose and
piercing eyes. Though of medium
height, he seemed rather short. What
impressed her the most was his severe
wrathful look that made her hesitate
70 displease him. His hair was gray
and struggling, tending to badness"
The detectives frown Of perplexity
deepened. "Gray hair and not talli
That doesn't sound like Mr.. Merrick.
Are you positive his hair wasn't
whittier?
"No. Tommy" Gordon shook his
head emphatically. "Mrs. Hogan de-
scribed it as steely gray. And he was
certainly not a large man."
"And she first noticed him in the
hallway at quarter after eleven?"
"About that-or i've minutes later
Gordon answered. He left at eleven
thirty-five or So"
Rankin now realized that the stran-
ger had been Mr.. Fletcher and not
the guardian at all He had repre-
scented himself rs Jordan's uncle.
merely as 4 subterfuge to gain the
weman's confidence and access to his
rooms. And he must have sought the
boys apartment Immediately after re-
gaining his roadster at the Shawnee
garage. But what was his motive for
entering 315 Croft hall In Jordan's abb
sence, unless to tamper with the shoes
he had left there?
swell, was that all Mrs. Hogan had
to tell?" Rankin asked. "She didn't.
by any chance. see what this man did
in .Jordan'R rOomT'
"As a matter Of fact" Gordon re-
lated, "she looked in once after he
had been inside alone for ten min
utes. She said he was standing in the
boys study by his desk; he had one
drawer open. Her entrance startled
him and he closed It quickly. Then be
explained he had changed his mind
about waiting for his nephew and
would get in touch with him instead.
She followed him out 4 few minutes
later. Jordan never heard of the incl
dent, because he was dead before she
saw him again."
Besides that, the apartment hadn't
been disturbed in any way, GordonT
Rankin's assistant smiled Quizzical'
~. II was coming to that. Tommy
he returned. Before she left it, MIS-
Hogan had swept it carefully ana
put everything in place. And 1t was
still just as tidy. except for this very
peculiar difference. Three pairs Of