Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1937-08-12


that have taken place here, and to
hear why it was necessity for me
to conduct the investigation in the
manner I did. To begin with, I
knew from the first that was deal
ing with a very shrewd and I'M
scrupulous person.
II was inclined to suspect Miss
Beeton almost from the first, for,
although everyone here had,
through some act, drawn suspicion
upon himself, only the nurse had the
time and the unhampered opportu-
nifty to commit the initial crime.
She was entirely unobserved when
she put her plan into execution;
and so thoroughly familiar was she
with every arrangement of the
household, that she had no difficulty
in timing her every step so as to
insure this essential privacy.
Subsequent events and circun-
stances added irresistibly to my
suspicion of her. For instance, when
Mr.. Floyd Garden informed me
where the key to the vault was
kept, I sent her to see if it was in
it's place, without indicating to her
where it's place was, in order to
ascertain if she knew where the key
hung. Only someone who knew ex-
actly how to get into the vault at a
moments notice could have been
gully of killing Swift.
incidentally, one of my great diff
ficulties in the case has been to
act in such way, at all times, that
her suspicious would not be aroused
at any point.
"Her motive was not clear at
first" Vance explained, "and, UNI
fortunately, thought that by Swift's
death alone she had accomplished
her purpose. But after my talk
with Doctor Siefert this morning,
I was able to understand fully her
whole hideous plot. Doctor Siefert
pointed out definitely her interest
in Floyd Garden, although I had
had hints of it before. For instance,
Floyd Garden was the only person
here about whom she spoke to me
with admiration. Her motive was
based on colossal ambition-the
desire for financial security, ease
and luxury; and mixed with this
over-weaning desire was strange
twisted love. These facts became
clear to me only today"
Vance glanced at young Garden.
''It was you she wanted" he con-
tinued. "And I believe her self
assurance was such that she did not
doubt for a minute that she would
be successful in attaining her goal"
Garden sprang to his feet.
"Good God, Vance!" he ex-
claimed. "You're right. I see the
thing now She has been making
up to me for a long time; and,
to be honest with you, may have
said and done things which she
could have construed as encourage
ment-God help mel" He sat down
again in detected embarrassment.
'No one can blame you," Vance
said kindly. "She was one of the
shrewdest women I have ever en-
countered. But the point of it all
is, she did not want only you-she
wanted the Garden fortune as well.
That's why, having learned that
Swift would share in the inner
itance, she decided to eliminate him
and leave you the sole beneficiary.
But this murder did not, by any
means constitute the whole of her
scheme"
Vance again addressed us in gen.
eral.
''Her whole terrible plot was clar-
flied by some other facts that Doc
tor Siefert brought out this morn
ing during my talk with him. The
death, either now or later, of Mrs.
Garden was also an important in
teger of that plot; and Mrs. Gar
denis physical condition had, for
some time, shown certain symptoms
of poisoning. Of late these symp-
toms have increased in intensity.
Doctor Siefert informed me that
Miss Beeton had been a laborat'ry
assistant to Professor Garden dur
ing his experiments with radio-ac-
tive sodium, and had often come to
the apartment here for the purpose
of tipping notes and attending to 9TH
er duties which could not conven-
iently be performed at the univer-
sity. Doctor Siefert also informed
me that she had actually entered
the household here about two
months ago, to take personal charge
of Mrs. Gardens case. She had,
however, continued to assist Pro-
fessor Garden occasionally in his
work and naturally had access to
the radioactive sodium he had be-
gun to produce"
Vance turned his eyes to Profess
sor Garden.
"And you too, sir" he said,
"were, as I see it, one of her in
tended victims. When she planned
to shoot Swift believe she planned
double murder-that is, you and
Swift were to be shot at the same
time. But, luckily, you had not re-
turned to your study"
"But-but," stanmered the pro-
fessor, chow could she have killed
me and Woody too?"
ITO BE CONTINUED)