The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-07-11
A CLEVER TRAP
CHAPTER "

Gingerly Dawson unwrapped 1t and found a cardboard box. He lift ed the lid and looked at the con- tents <. sudden nausea rushing over him.
 It was a human hand-hacked off at the wrist. But what left his stomach feeling troubled was the horrible realization that he recog- nized that hand beyond any shadow of doubt.
 The one badly twisted "baseball' knuckle and the partially twisted one told Dawson that hand had be- 1onged to the hanged Lemoy Stat- Ter!
 It all seemed like chapter out of "Oracula" or a cheap horror movie. But the awful thing lying in the box was undeniably the right hand chopped of Lemoy Statler's body. The stump indicated clean hard blow, as with sharp ax.
 Clyde Dawson shook of sud- den wave of repulsion at the whole situation. A little fresh air would have helped but the port holes were sealed. Abruptly he laid the box aside, probed into his suit case until he found flask, Tipped off the cap and drank deeply. A cigaret followed and the investigator drew deep breath.
 That's better!" he spoke aloud. Now let's see what poor Lemoy's hand will tell"
 Using towel, Dawson picked the hand out of the box and turned 1t around slowly. There was some thing odd in its shape that sug- gested that's it . the fingers had been strengthened out! When Statler was hanged his hands had clenched during the terrible drop. Rigor mortis had almost cemented the mans hands in that shape. Dawson recalled how difficult it had been to unclench them for the post mortem examination. But here the fingers were strengthened out.
 Carefully he put aside the hand, wrapped in the towel, and turned to the box and paper, taking pains to keep his own fingers under the folds of a handkerchief-the was always a chance that the experts at Ottawa could pick off finger print or two unless they had been smudged when he opened the package.
 Just what purpose lay behind this ghoulish act? Why had the hand been hacked off Statlers body in the first place? It must have been done within the last 36 hours because Dawsonn, after ordering Statler's body kept in re- frigeration pending further inves- tigation, had finally released 1t for burial only two mornings ago.
 Had the unknown individual risked detection in daylight hours at the graveyard by breaking into the vault just to get the hand in an attempt to scare the investi- gator?
 Dawson shook his head. No, that didn't make sense-after all there had been the knifing episode on ' try to kill first and then scare prospective victims on the second attempt . it would be the other way around.
 T seem to be getting nowhere fast" unused Dawson, "but one thing is certain the ghoul is on this ship now. He certainly trav- eled on the train with me from St. Johns, because the hand couldn't have come to Port-auxes- -Basques ahead of him unles sit was flown and that wasn't possible because there is no air service. There is one way :"
 Dawson hopped to his feet, packed the hand carefully and hid 1t under 8 bunk. Leaving the light turned on, he slipped quietly into the passageway and walked up to the captains quarters.
 The captain inspected his cre- dentials and Dawson explained what he wanted, without men, tioning the hand episode. In two minutes the purser had brought the long sheets ill on which are compiled all data on the passen- gers.
 "As I understand 1t, sir" the purser repeated, you are seeking man who came from St. Johns on the same train. There are many, of course, but you want to try wedding them down to the most likely prospects. That should be fairly easy because there are only 123 passengers aboard, and 42 are Canadian or American mil- tary, naval and air force men. Each section has one officer in charge who can tell about his
 Good" exclaimed Dawson. Let's start from there!"
 One by one the officers were asked to report and each vouched for his men personally. That cut the number of prospects to 81.
 Bit by bit, they eliminated many others. Seven men were accom- panied by their wives and children = totalling 9 persons. Twelve more were either well known business men or wives or daugh- ters of prominent families known personally to the purser, veteran of three decades on the Cabot Strait run. The list was now down to AT.
 Another party of IA men had boarded the train at Bishops Falls. their credentials showed they had been employed on ore concentrates work at Botwood. A fast check up with the head man of the party revealed all IA had been at Bot wood since autumn. Two other men were newspaper team from Montreal. Four men were Amer ican engineers from the U. s. naval base at Argentia Twelve more passengers were either wives ~.ak,xsxA{v1~ fWaSrN xNcfffrn fha{1s