The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1934-03-29

would be committed, took precautions
against leaving fnger-prints which
might later identify him. The person
who scatters finger-prints about either
has clear conscience or Is very fool
ish. don't think we are dealing
with the latter class here"
Then how do you explain the print
on the gun?" demanded Kilday.
That's what.I asked you bit ago.
l can't explain 1t. I'm not even trying
to. yet
The work went patiently on. Daniel
Bulls were the next prints identified.
They discovered that he had left marks
on both the front and rear doors of
the study, as well as on the desk But
this was Of scant value. They already
knew he had been in the room, and
they were able to prove nothing fur
ther. The thumb-print was very diff
ferent from the one on the revolver.
Yet none of the other prints would
match. OF all those found in the
room. only those of Doctor Alternately,
| Nick Royce and Dan Bulls matched.
AS for the others, Ambrose Carmody
and his son, Rylie; Choo Choo Train
and Calls Shipley had none of them
left prints. OF the two unidentified
| sets, one were those Kilday had been
so sure were made by 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 unused
aloud. Zone 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 got? Why did the MUIR
derer go there with revolver, then
| change his mind and use Doctor Aber-
nathy's dagger? How does it happen
that the murderer left 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
| Spears? 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-
manned unidentified absolve all those
whose finger-prints did not match 1t
from suspicion? How about Calls
Shipley? Reluctantly, he was forced
to admit that Kilday had ample
grounds for his mistrust of her. But
If 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 a clue
Gas it certainly seemed to be) who
else should they suspect? What other
f1nger-prints could they match against
It? The woman in blue? Who was
she? How could they obtain q speci-
men of her finger-prints? Daniel
Bulls was the only person who could
identity her and 1t seemed certain that
they could expect little help from him
along that line. Was there anyone
else? Fletcher, Franklin's servantf
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 that? Besides, there was no evil
dence that he had been in the sacristy
ut 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 It would have been almost sur
prising IL Royce had been able to
pick him out of all that throng which
had crowded the church.
All these and many other doubts
assailed the novelist. He could not
shake his skepticism 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
| elsewhere? If that were true, how &C
count for the thumb-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 .
tangible fact to which he might cling
or from which he might argue.
He almost wished that he might
share Kilday's confidence in that
thumb-print.
The door behind them was flung
open by an excited subordinate.
sWe've found 1t, Sergeant" the man
exclaimed. aWe have discovered who
registered that revolver when 1t was
| purchased"
Kildax made no attemnt to conceal