The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-07-12

uOOh. uCh e qulSh yCi DAouSAL IL flying back over the wall, much like cracking a long whip.
 However, the jerk wasn't quite quick enough, and the free end of the rope dropped into the snow mo- mentarily. Do you remember that odd gash we found in the snow when we were checking up the footprints? There was our clue, but we couldn't make anything of it.''
 Lafferty became pensive. That's all right as far as it goes, but it doesn't clear up everything. What about MT. Dufresne-and Mrs. Du- fresne-the ambush-the crank let ters-the phoney alibis?"
 Harper put the articles back in the bundle. "We'll clear all that up later" he said. There must be a fantastic kind of misunderstanding between some of the persons in this house. Bring Andrews and the Whit mores in here, will you?'
 In few moments they all filed In, and Harper invited them to be seat ed They looked at Sergeant Harper expectantly.
 You know what has happened" he began; there's no need to go into that. Now, which one O. you was the last to see Joseph Donaghy alive?"
 There was a rapid interchange of questioning glances, then Andrews spoke up. q believe that I was"
 Harper looked at them. "We'l consider 1t settled, then, that An. drews was the last to see Joseph Donaghy alive. He left the house about six o'clock. Did any of you see 8 light in his room during the night?"
 THERE was no answer. Harper 'A leaned back in his chair. "Tell ne about the discovery of the body" q Mrs. Whitmore took up the tale. i've are the first up in the morning." she explained. "I came downstairs a few minutes after seven tLis morn ing and John soon after that. There are a number of things that need doing right away. regulating the thermostat and things like that At quarter to eight rang the garage on the house phone
 "Was that usual?" Harper inter rupted.
 "Oh. yes. We always get Joseph up that way. He has to get 6ut of bed to answer the phone, and let it ring till he answers"
 How long did you ling this morn ingg'
 "Quite a while Tuen got angry at him aud hung up When John came up iron the cellar told him to go across and get him up."
 Placid John Whitmore nodded sagely to this account. The detec- tive turned to him. Tell us your part"
 T went out to the garage" Whit more began, never dreaming what l Was going to run into"
 fWere there any footprints in the snow when you went there?'
 'No. sir"
 'a fWas the door locked?"
 "Of course. had taken the key from the rack in the kitchen. l went upstairs and walked right into Joes room. When saw what was on the bed l guess just stood there dumb founded"
 Did you move the body? Or touch anything in the room?"
 "Oh. no, sir" John answered hast fly. Il felt queer all over, sort of faint. I must have run down the steps and back to the house." It was Mrs. Whitmore's turn to nod confirmation.
 Twas there when Whitmore came back. Sergeant" O'Connell hroke in. He looked like he'd just seen a ghost. As soon as l understood what had happened ran out to the garage. There were only two tracks in the snow. Whitmore's going and coming back. I looked around the room, saw the letter in the type writer and read it, then I came back here and called you up. That's the whole story. Sergeant"
 Harper exhibited the skein of brownish rope with the metal rings on the ends. "Can any of you iden- tify this piece of rope? Do you have any rope like this in the house?"
 The three servants passed the coll from hand to hand. Mrs. Whitmore spoke for them. we never had rope like this in the house. We use the ordinary wash-line kind. Ineyer saw rope like that before"
 The detective addressed his next question to the Whitmores. Did you see Donaghy up here the day of the murders? have reason to be- lieve that he came here then, proba- bly, late in the afternoon" ss Both John and Martha shook their heads emphatically.
 1Copyrf0ht. Issl. by Walter c. BrotcnJ