Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1940-12-29

They mug along -hurrying, pushing, each
intent upon his own little world until some
thing snaps and - wham! You've got a
murderer"
Halliday nodded That's just about the
size of it," he said. I'm this job you get to
expect that sort Of thing. If Rock or the
others, had used gun or grabbed it in fit
of rage and blazed away could have under
stood that But poison! Don't you see, Abel
poison means generalization. II means one
of those men conceived the idea, nursed it.
worked all the possibilities, and when
the opportunity presented itself deliberately
killed Therese Blandon. That's murder with
a capital NJ. the kind that sticks out like a
bruised thumb"
And it should make it easier for you.
Tom" said Wheems I've gone over all
that, in this thing use for a mind and my
guess is Rock could never get around to
poison Martin Gow"-he looked at the ash
his cigarette flcked it onto the floor and
grinned now there's bird with all the ear
marks of a calculating murderer He's fat
jovial. easy to like, in fact he's so plain
harmless that he must have done it,"
Thank the Lord. Donovan doesn't work
along the same lines said Halliday. I'D
never get a conviction
"A right, let's take the other suspect
strung, vain egotistic In other words, a
complete ham. He'd enjoy killing Tess. He's
undoubtedly thought of dozen ways of doing
it. But that's just as far as he'd ever get
thinking about it. He lacks the final thing
called quits. No. Preeble didn't do it."
What about Rock ?" said Halliday
Rock didn't, he couldn't" said Wheems.
Besides he had no reason"
Halliday picked up set of papers from his
of a han He rod
looked for moment at Wheems and then
went back to the papers
Know what this is ?" he asked
A long-winded speech to be delivered at a
testimonial dinner. probably"
Il wish it were, Abel" said Halli-
day 1t happens to be Don Rock
woods confession"
What" cried Wheems
His confession" repeated Halli-
day. Listen, I'll read it to you" He
. rested one elbow on the desk glanced
down at the papers and placed
forefinger on the top line of tipping
=, Don lockwood and so on
through the usual legal premnaries
at the restaurant known as the
Thirty Three. did kill Therese
Blandon'."
Hes crazy" snapped wheems
Iy\Y/AIT," said Halliday. Listen to the rest
w of it before you say anything. I have
wanted to do this for the past two years." he
continued, and after careful consideration
decided upon the Thirty-Three as the proper
place to bring the plan to a elimination. It
is not generally known that / am the owner
of the building in which the Thrty-Three is
located. However, it once my home.
But when my first play became a success
closed this home. then rented it furnished to
Louis Ravigni Through an AGENT TO be used
a restaurant
=" The crystal used at the dinner at which
Therese Blandon killed was a very old
set had purchased in Rome. 1t is said to
have been at one time the property of the
Borgia family. and to have been used to
administer poison to enemies of that family
:" The particular glass from which Therese
Blandon drank known as the Poison
Crystal. In the base of the bowl. where il
joins the stem, slight imperfection can be
found. 1t is a small, half bubble in which a
poison was secreted and then covered with a
light film of gelatin The action of the
alcohol melted the gelatin and allowed the
poison to be dissolved by the wine.
81 allowed Therese Blandon to seemingly
force to go to the Thirty-Three / drew
her attention to the crystal knowing these
glasses would then be used. l deliberately
FORCED That glass upon Therese Blandon by
engaging unknown actress to stop at my
table and pretend to drink from my glass;
This confession is and so on through
the rest of it,"
Halliday smiled. handed the papers tc
Wheems, and leaned back in his chair.
There it is. Abel he said. Now dc
you know why I'm feeling just trifle i'll p
Wheems was glancing through the con
fesson. He recognized the wording as thai
of lockwood The playwright had covered
the main points of the murder in few briei
paragraphs. That was typical of lockwood
thought Wheems His dialogue was Away,
crisp and to the point. There were no lengthy
speeches for the characters. no repetition JUS
sharp. meaty lines that carried a punch anc
still left something to the imagination.
Wheems knew without asking there wa
an mperfection in the glass, slight cavit,
which would hold a sufficient quantity o
poison. He knew lockwood was the owne
of the ThirtyThree. The playwright woul,
not lie about that. But he also knew Rock