The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-05-29
Chapter IT TRACKS IN SNOW

TRACKS IN SNOW
 CESGEANT HARPER spread out
 blank piece of paper and drew hasty. but recognizable. plan of the ground floor of the Dufresne mansion, with the adjacent grounds. All windows and doors were desig- hated. Now. before we look at those reports. let's get this matter of the footprints in the snow firmly in our heads. I've made a complete circuit of the house. I'll mark in the tracks s as tell you about them, then you can go out yourself and check over my work before the sur gets busy and destroys them.
 First. here is the back of the house. There are two doors, both giv. ing onto 6 porch. There are two sets of hesvlly-marked tracks. leading from the side door of the garage builcing to the back door of this house.
 "They were made by MT. and Mrs. Whitmore. coming over in response to Andrews call. There are no othe CT footprints at the back of the house and. naturally. there are none in tho snow 10 either the right or the ipft cido of tho houso
 Secondly. there is confusion of tracks from the pavement to the front door. There is one set. filled in and almost covered by the later snow. Mixed in with these are two sets of fresher tracks. partly filed in. The first set Is the original trail left by Hamill. the second lot were made by Connally and Hilleary as they followed.
 Then there is a second group, fortunately to one side of the ottiers. They were made by Clymer. Smith. Doyle and myself. the second group to arrive on the scene. After that l had Connally shove, path and ev cry one entering or leaving has had to use the path.
 Furthermore, 1t was Connally who actually traced uamill's foot steps from the call.box and he swears that when he and Hilleary arrived here there was one, and only one. set of prints leading up to the door.
 This gives us an accounting for every single person who entered this house before the path was cleared. except the unidentified man. He must have come in before the snow started. or before 1t was deep enough to retain the impression of a footprint.
 We know the snow started fall. ing about half-past three yesterday afternoon. but 1t didn't really begin showing heavily until an hour or SO later. It Is almost certain that this. man was in this house before half. past five. Otherwise shapeless. but noticeable. ridges would have been left in the snow. Officer Hamill must have been killed as soon as he en- tered this room. Miller puts the hour of his death as between seven and nine.
 "As you see. that leaves the most important questions unanswered, When and why did the murdered man break in? What drew Hamil's attention to this house? We have the record of all who entered this house last night between. say. half. past five and half-past ten. always excepting ou- mysterious dead man. As far as ! can see it's an unassail. able record and 1t doesn't furnish much ground for the suspicion that all is not as 1t seems on the sur face"
 "Do you feel sure that these marks in the snow weren't tempered with?" asked Lafferty. "Can you rely on them entirely?" i,
 'l can see no room for doubt" Harper replied. You cannot walk through snow of any depth without leaving traces. Try it. and see for yourself. The snow can go on for hours after a track has been made and 1t will still be visible. That orig. inal. unbroken surface of a fall of snow cannot be duplicated"
 "HoLD cn minute." Lafferty in. II terjected. couldn't some one tread in previously made tracks and get out that way?"
 Harper shook his head. "One look at Hamilrs marks will convince you that that wasn't done. l know that trick has been used. but I'll swear 1t didn't happen in this instance. I've looked at those marks very care fully and they are absolutely bona fide. Not even a cat walked across those grounds last night"
 Lafferty thought 1t over. Well, wes went over every hole and corner of