Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1938-02-02
[ACASE EQRRgl Detectives
~ LEO BRUCE 90
copYRlCHI BRUCE; PRESS ssocIAToN

this pretty regularity" asked
Lord Simon! EE'l'ag Ts'-r :,
ION i've occasions. The sums
varied from ESQ to E2OO." Is aasss
when was the first occasion ?"
"About three months ago."t.'
"And did she always come in
person to draw these sums ?'', Il.
always" 'fSf '''Sse n.y.
"Otherwise there was nothing
remarkable about her account?
Nothing worth rnentionin'?"
Nothing at all. It was quite
Regularly conducted" 's'ss<
Were you actually at the bank
when Mrs. Thurston came down to
draw that E200?" ''*
81 was"
"You actually handed it to her,
perhaps 2" ''s'% Aa''
"I did. That is, after she had
been in to see the manager. He
Instructed me to cash her check
for that amount. I have since
learned that she wanted a rather
larger sum, but that we were un-
able to arrange it"
"And now-this is really impor-
tant. At what time did Mrs.
Thurston leave the bank ?"
"It cannot have been many
minutes before three o'clock"
"Certain?"
Absolutely"
zone other little point, Mr..
Kings1y," said Lord Simon. do
you happen to remember whether
at any time the name Sidney
Sewell appeared on your books?
I know, OF course, that it would
be the merest chance if you re-
|membered it, but I should like to
know whether Mrs. Thurston was
in the habit Of making checks
payable to a Mr.. Sidney Sewell."
The cashier shifted almost i'm
Iperceptibly. "That, of course, I
cannot say. But if the matter is
Of Importance to your re-
searches, will find out tomorrow
whether that name appears"
THANK you. I should be most
grateful"
There is no other point on
which I can enlighten your" His
use of the word "enlighten''
struck me as characteristic. It
carried in it suggestion Of all the
self-importance of men whose life
is spent with matters of money.
He was probably convinced that
the answer to our problem was to
be found in the books of his bank.
Lord Simon glanced round in
quiringly. mo. I think that is
all, thanks" he said, and Mr..
Kingsly left us.
Sergeant Beef sucked his mus
tache. $50 she was being black
mailed, was she 2"
Williams turned on him. THAT
is wild assumption" he snapped.
"She might have had other reason
for drawing money in that way"
"What other reasons ?" asked
Beef truculently. "Only book
makers and people as are being
blackmailed want it like that"
81 knew Mary Thurston WELL"
said Williams, land I am certain
that there was nothing in her life
for which she could be black
mailed. She was a good woman,
essentially"
eff she was being blackmailed,"
I said, why did she show no sign
of it? She was always quite
cheerful-one might say care
free" - sk $500 &zS's~
"a very brave prince also bore
blackmail'' at was, Of course, Mgr.
Smith who was speaking), land
bore it lightly ss.5 s1a's
Lord Simon answered this some
what irnpatiently. I already knew
that in his methods he was MOTH
ing if not practical, and had little
sympathy with such utterances.
"At any rate" he said, 1--WE shall
probably know before the end Of
the evening whether or not Mrs
Thurston was being blaclmaiied,
and if she was. why. and by whom.
So surely we might leave the
point. 7 am far more anxious to
know something of her stepson.
and the identity of Mr.. Sidney
Sewell." sFelf[s%
Sergeant Beef sighed. Cant
see no reason for you to get onto
that" he said. - e 'ad nothink to
do with the murder, 'ooever e
was"