Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1938-02-02

existed yesterday, and every
question that was asked now
seemed to hang in the air like a
rocket waiting to burst. It made
the cross-examination Of the peo-
pie who followed almost ilnbear-
ably tense, In fact as time went
on I began to feel that each ques-
ton was not the mere fash of a
rocket, but was q shaft Of savage
lightning, which one Of the IN
vestigators released. Then the in
sufferable pause. Then the rum
bling thunder Of . reply.
They looked harmless enough.
these three, the languid young
man, the benevolent priest, the
chirpy foreigner. But they were
aware Of things at which we
could not guess, they asked ques-
tions that we did not understand,
they carried the fear Of the I'M
known in their faces and in their
words.
So YOU must picture us, sitting
about that room. Williams and I
genuinely on tenterhooks, Ser
geant Beef stolid and q little sulky
over his notebook, and the three
investigators, who were accus-
toned to this sort of thing, calm,
but deeply interested.
A chair had been set near the
middle Of the room, and each Of
those whom we were to question
took it while he was with us. It
had been set in position that
allowed the light to fall fully
but not conspicuously on its occu-
pant.
After the telephone mechanic
had left us, the next to enter was
cashier from the neighboring
bank at which Mary Thurston had
kept her account. It was Sam
williams who had arranged for
his presence, for he, with his log
ical and legal mind, having per-
ceived that he himself could not
give the Investigators much infor-
nation, had spent the day in doing
all he could to help: He had sum-
moned everyone whose evidence
might be in the least bit interest
ing and arranged for their intro
duction to the conclave. I could
not help feeling how much more
practical this had been than my
own efforts to discover the MUIR
derer.
Before anyone could speak to
Mr.. Kingsly, the cashier himself
addressed us. He was a colorless
man in his forties, dapperly but
inexpensively dressed in gray.
saw Lord Simon suppress a shud-
der when he noticed a large gar
net in his necktie.
"Well, gentlemen" Mr.. Kingsly
said in a prim but determined
voice, "I have both the managers
and DR.. Thurston's permission to
give you what information I can.
What do you wish to know?"
gov much lad Mrs. Thurston
got in the bank ?" asked Sergeant
Beef rather coarsely. It seemed
as though he felt it incumbent
upon him to ask some sort of
question.
Mr.. Kingsly coughed. "Her &C
count was very considerably over
drawn" ess' 'e
This produced an astounded
silence, until Lord Simon said,
''Well, well Much drawn out
lately?"
''The day before yesterday, that
would be Thursday, Mrs. Thurston
arranged to overdraw to the limit
that we could allow. She drew in
cash the SUM Of f2OO."
ain little small notes 2" queried
N. Picon excitedly.
*"In FL notes." said Mr.. Kings
ly. S-''s
1.-TWO hundred FL notes. What
you call peculiar, is it not ?" went
on Picon.
cit might be for many of our
clients. Mrs. Thurston had been
in the habit lately of drawing out
quite large sums in just such de-
nominations"
IT thought so" said Beef.
F''Blackmail, I'll bet"
M. Picon looked panied. 1.-THE
good Boeuf is little direct" he
explained to Mr.. Kingsly. "But is
it not possible ?"
"It was not for me to question
the uses to which our clients put
their money" replied the cashier
priggishly.
'You say she had been doing