The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-11-06
BEGIN HERE TODAY

When Sharfes Morden, report
err for The Blade, is found dead
Dan Blocker, publisher, employs
Sidney Griff. famous criminolog.
list, to solve the murder.
Morden had been investigating
the affairs of Frank B. Cathay,
wealthy and prominent, follow
ing the arrest of an impostor
claiming to be Cathay and ac-
eomPanied by girl. called Mary
Briggs.
The day following Morden's
death Cathay dies of poisoning.
! Griff learns Morden had visit
red the apartment of Alice Lor-
ton; who has reported the disap-
fpearance of her roommate, Esth-
er Ordway. Griff questions Alice
and instructs detectives to shadow
her.
Griff and Blocker 60 to the
apartment occupied by Kenneth
Boone, friend of Aice's. Boone
denies knowing Morden. Griff
moves toward another door of
the room and Boone threatens
him with a gun.
NOW co ON WITH THE STORY
! 49,. CHAPTER xxx
Dan Bleeker's voice was strain
ed and harsh. drop that gum"
he Said. cor Pll make sieve out
off you"
Boone hesitated. Bleeker's gun
was covering him. Boone's gun
was covering the criminologist.
Griff was cool and smiling.
"You don't want to do that,
you, know, Boone" Griff said.
"The place is surrounded. We
took that precaution before we
came up. There are two detec-
tives downstairs. You can't pos
sibly kill us both. You may stand
some chance of beating the other
murder case but you stand no
chance of beating this
The door of the closet burst
open. Alice Lorton pushed her
way into the room, disregarding
Griff and Becker, running
straight to Boone.
Don't do it, Kennyw she said.
I'Please don't do it. Please drop
the gun. | got you into this.
Don't let me get you in any
deeper. I'll take my medicine"
The mans extended arm slow
ly dropped.
"Now drop the gum" Griff
said in a kindly tone.
Boone let the gun slip to the
carpet.
"Now," Griff said, .1et's come
down to. earth. Boone, you took
Morden's body out to the place
where it was found and planted
lit. Personally, / don't think you
killed him. I think the girl kill
ed him and you did it to protect
her"
"fm not making any state
ments," Boone said.
The girl started to say some
thing. Griff silenced with a mo-
ton of his hand.
whats the use of lying?" he
said. you're just going to make
things worse. a. Let me sum up
the case the way it stands. Nor
den is murdered. His body is
found in. an abandoned subdivi-
son. 1t has been taken there in
an automobile and dumped. Obvi-
ously, woman wouldn't have
had the strength to carry the
body to the automobile and dump
it. We know something of Nor
denis movements on the day he
was killed. We have absolute
proof that he was in the apart
lnent of Esther Ordway. We To-
cate that apartment and find a
young woman there who swears
that she is Alice Lortoh, room
mate of this mysterious Esther
Ordway. 90. ..-.. +
r'"She can't make her story quite
convincing enough until after
she's planted a few more alibis,
so she gets you, Boone, to go
down to Summer7ille and write
a letter to Esther Ordway to
which you sign the name of Rob
ert Chelton and in which you
mention Alice Lortoii. She thinks
the authorities will get that let
ter and that it may help establish
her secondary identity, Thu weak
point in her whole alibi is the
bank account that is kept under
the name of Esther Ordway. She
.triesg to clean that account out
and get the checks delivered as
soon as the account is closed out
and balanced. It took a day or
two TO do that. The fact that a
Saturday afternoon and a Sun
day interyened enabled us to pet