The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1934-03-08

A''bhe pciohB 10 DOy or small
man." His tone was doubtful.
Nor did they find any prints which
corresponded with those of Rylie Car.
mody and his father. Apparently
neither had left any marks In the
study.
odd" said Peter.
kilday raised bushy eyebrows
i mean that I'm more suspicious
when man leaves no fnRer-prints y
.he novelist explained ~ have ALWAYS
ieit that the guilty man, or the man
VINO knew that a crime had been or
would be committed, took precautions
against leaving finger-prlnts which
'hight later Identify him. The person
VINO scatters finger-prints about either
mas clear conscience or is very fool
ism. don't think we are dealing
win the latter class here"
Then how do you explain the nrint
on the gung demanded Kilday.
ihats what | asked you q bit ago.
can't explain 1t. I'm not even trying
to. yet
Inc work went patiently on. Daniel
Buiiis' were the next prints identified
ihey discovered that he had left marks
oh Doth the front and rear doors OF
the study, as we'll as on the desk. But
this was or scant value. They ALREADY
hhe" ne had been In the room, and
tney were able to prove nothing fur
ther. The thumb-print was very DIFF
rerent from the one on the revolver.
YET none OF the other prints would
match. OF all those found In thu
room, only those Of Doctor Alternately.
NICK Royce and Dan Bulls matched.
AS Tor the others, Ambrose Carmody
and bis son. Rylie: Choo Choo Train
and Calls Shipley had none of them
LETT prints. OF the two unidentified
sets, one were those Kilday had been
SO sure were made by a woman
The thumb-print on the gun had
been identified with prints found In
the room, but not with those OF any OF
these persons under suspicion.
kilday pulled thoughtfully. his at
tention apparently conferred on the
blue clouds that encircled him. 1.-TWO
sets still unidentified" he mused
aloud. One of them apparently be-
longing to woman. but neither Calls
shipley's nor Choo Choo Trains. That
would be our woman In blue.
THE other set matches the print on
the gun. and that doesn't fit any OF
our previous notions OF the crime.
Who else was there, whose specimens
we haven't got7 Why did the MUIR
derer 90 there with revolver, then
change his mind and use Doctor Aber-
nafhy's dagger? How does 1t happen
that the murderer left a thumb-print
on the revolver although he wiped the
dagger clean of prints? This doesn't
make sense.
And he continued, "why Is Calls
shipley trying to protect Webster
Spears7 BY all the laws OF reason.
that should be his thumb-print on the
revolver"
Peter was equally puzzled. Did the
fact that this print on the revolver re-
malned unidentified absoIve all those
whose finger-prlnts did not match it
from suspicion? How about Calls
Shipiey? Reluctantly. he was forced
to admit that Kilday had ample
grounds for his mistrust or her. But
II both Rylie Carmody and Webster
Spears were cleared of suspicion, what
was the girl trying to conceal? And
If that print on the gun was clue
las 1t certainly seemed to be) who
else should they suspect? What other
finger-nrints could they match against
It? The woman In blue? Who was
she? How could they obtain a speci-
men of her f1nger-prints7 Daniel
Bulls was the only person who could
identify her and 1t seemed certain that
they could expect little help from him
along that line. Was there anyone
else? Fletcher. Franklin's servant?
That was absurd. He hadn't been
near the church There was Milo
Dunbar. too. He had been there. but
he had been the dead mans partner.
What motive could be manufactured
from TINT? Resides. there was no evil
dence that he Ind been In the sacrIsty
Mt any time other than the doubtful
testimony OF Nick Royce that he had
been unable to find the man in the
church. short time before the we'd
ding. As Kilday had pointed out, this
was not important evidence. inasmuch
as 1t would have been almost sur
prislng II Royce had been able to
pick him out OF all that throng which
had crowded the church.
All these and many other doubts
assalled the novelist. He could not
shake his skeptlcIsm concerning finger
prints. either. II there were none on
the knife With which the crime had
been committed. why should they have
expected the murderer to have left any
elsewhere7 RI that were true, how ac-
count for the thumh-print on the gum
He was irritated by the manner In
which his reasoning led him In circles.
There seemed to be no end and no be-
ginning Nowhere could he find a
tangible fact to which he might cling
or from which he might argue.
.s1.s .f..lx Atx-A 4. x{.-lxa