Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1934-02-21
By MONTE BARRETT

his sympathies to her side made
him doubtful OF his Judgment
"Yes. But" she fastened eagerly
to explain, "he was trying to stop
1t by informing his father about this
actress. If he had planned a muir
der. would he have gone to the
church, where he quarreled with
Franklin before two w~itnessesf
Would he have left him there to
hurry home In search Of his fatherf
Those aren't the actions Of a muir
derer, Mr.. Cardigan. Murderers
don't leave q trail as plain as that"
mot usually. Not unless the muir
der was a last resort. after every
thing else had failed"
Calls restrained a gesture of i'm
patience. "You admit that he was
trying to stop the wedding by other
means. That's why he hurried home
In search of his father. Mr. Car
digan. And If he returned to the
church In time to commit the crime,
he was there In time to see his IA
Their and stop the wedding by more
peaceable means. Even IL he had
been ready to commit a crime to
stop that wedding, 1t wasn't neces-
sary. Can't you see thatf All he
had TO do was see his father and
his purpose would have been ac-
complished."
1t was a telling argument, as far
as Rylie Carmody went. But 1t did
not absolve Webster Spears Of COM
plicity In the crime. Why had he,
as was shown, left the church at
the last minute? Was this girls
first interest really In young Car
modyf Was that the sole reason
for her surreptitious visit to Spears
home the previous evening? Peter
hazarded a shot in the dark.
Where did Webster Spears go
when he left the church, Miss Ship
ley? Why did he leave, just when
he didT'
HE told me he went straight
home, because he didn't want to
stay and e Doris marry Jim
Franklin. Web was in love with her
had been, always"
HE was rather late In deciding
he didn't want to see the ceremony,
wasn't he?"
Il think" the girl spoke very
slowly now, II think he hoped Rylie
would find a way to stop the wed.
ding, after what he had told him.
But as the time approached and II
became evident that Rylie had
failed, he decided to leave. That's
why he made the remark he did. He
couldn't understand what had hap.
pened to Rylie. You see, up to the
very last. he hoped the wedding
would be stopped"
Then perhaps it was he who took
the only method left to stop it." de
clared the novelist grimly. 1T be
gins to appear that Sergeant Kilday
isn't far Off the track, after all"
Would he have made such a re.
mark as he did had he been on the
way to murder franklin" demand.
ed Calls incredulously.
Possibly. A man on his way tC
commit a crime isn't thinking ra
tionally or he'd abandon his errand
"No." Peter rose with an air o.
flnallty. I'm sorry, Miss Shipley
but I'm afraid / can't be of much
service. Your argument concerning
Rylie is very convincing. 1t seems
logical to believe that he wouldn'
have killed Franklin. but instead
would have gone to his father anC
halted the wedding In that way.
"But with Spears 1t was differ
ent. He had already gone to every
one he could. He had ever tele
phoned Ambrose Carmody, anony
mously, telling him about Choo Chot
Train. Everything we know abou'
the case clearly demonstrates tina
Webster Spears was doing every
thing In his power to stop that wed
ing. There Is no good reason to be
lieve he was not the man who founC
In Franklin's death the only pos
sible means of preventing his mar
riage to Doris Carmody."