The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1938-12-08
WITHOUT OBITUARY
Daily Short Story
Nv DENIS MORRISON


MY NAME is Frederick
IVA Carse. was attorney and
personal representative of DR..
George Barthols, the we'll
known eccentric mining mil
lionaire, until his death several
months ago at the age of "a.
am setting down this record
partly for my own satisfaction
and partly to please one Juan Vas,
quez, deaf mute TaraScan Indian
who was bodyservant to DR.. Bar
thols for some 35 years and who
has weird notion that DR.. Bar
thols somehow had him under q
malign influence.
Perhaps 1 should explain that
being personal counsel and rep
resentative of DR.. BartholS did not
carry with it the close personal
relationship ordinarily implied IN
such a position. The fact IS,
saw little of DR.. Barthols IN the
flesh for 20 years or SO prior to
his death.
MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER
No one, in my view, knew or
knows much about either Barthols
or his mysterious pal, John Ord.
No one suspected that he was
q physician, indeed a physician
of rare skill, until one day a crisis
provided him with his opportunity
Bill Graham, who discovered an
immensely rich ore deposit not lar
from the present site of Oatman
Ariz., about the year 1910, was
Barthols' employer.
On the day in question, Ora.
ham accidentally shot himself
with a pistol. He doubtless would
have persisted had not Barthols
thrown his skill into the balance
and saved his life.
Bill Graham was exceedingly
grateful, and his gratitude touno
practical expression. He promoteo
Barthols rapidly, made the III
starred medico his confidential
factotum. When Graham died q
bachelor. he left all his holdings
to Barthols, turning the man over
night, almost, into a mllIlonalre'
Ord, according to the few that
can remember him, was a tai.
florid man, built like barrel and
having a demons laugh. He had
thick lips and a large mouth that
spread across his face above a
prognathous jaw. He, like Dr.
Barthols, had made his way into
the mining country as prospec-
tor.
Due probably to some whimsical
uuirk in his nature, Barthols SIN
gled out the man Ord for his ia
vors. Ord grew side whiskers and
was, according to Juan Vasquez,
of great distinction in appearance,
with an uncanny resemblance to
portraits of the late AuStro-Hun.
Eventually, when BartholS built
the huge mansion on Gold Hill
where he passed his last years, he
established John Ord there as his
companion.
And then one day word came to
me from Barthols that Ord had
died.
Barthols must have been a
lonely old man after that, perched
on his crag like some ancient eagle
the last of his race, without hui
man companionship except for the
Tarascan, rolling in wealth. He
died, as I have said, early this
year; alone an. in his sleep. ]
was sent for.
was affected. I don't mind ad.
hitting it. Here was the unsung
end of one of the strange odysseys
of our time.
STRANGE DOCUMENT
am not at liberty to disclose
how he left his large fortune but
it was in bizarre manner, con
Sonant with his life. I am moved
to set down this chronicle solely
because of a document I found
among his papers, an envelope
carefully sealed with wax and ad
dressed: FREDERICK CARSE
READ AND DESTROY.
Well I remember my feeling!
when I discovered this document
I was seated alone at the enormous
mahogany desk in DR.. Barthols
library. The hour was late.
Before Sitting open the en-
velope I signaled Juan Vasquez
waiting in his quarters below. H,
brought me a bottle of champagne
After fortifying myself I read tn,
following written in Bathols
characteristic mincing script:
THE DEATH OF JOHN ORD
I am not a murderer. There i
a suspicion afoot that I causet
the death of my friend, John Ord
This is not true. John Ord was