The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1942-04-30
74 4 G;i!:1 2!.,e

And that explained why it was
found in the inside breast pock-
ct. If the conductor were the
murderer, he naturally could not
allow the ticket to remain in De-
Wits bandits presence at the
time of instant death would have
indicated the very thing he wish
ed to avoid-that Dewitt was a.
ware of his approach and had
been killed Immediately after"
Lanes voice took on a fresh
note. ''Now, I had deducted a
conductor as the murderer in the
third crime, and the murderer in
the first crime was also con-
ductor. Was it possible they
were one and the same? Forget
ting the red hair and the scar,
the first of which could easily
have been artificial, and second
unquestionably sol knew Wood
was tall and burly. Thompson
therefore, was our man.
1.-The next step was plain-tc
examine the back history of both
Dewitt and Longstreet in an eff
fort to uncover someone who had
sufficient motive to desire the
death of both and plan for years
to that end. That story you know
now, but for the first time, to me
it linked Longstreet and Dewitt
with two other men-Martir
Slopes, escaped convict, and Will
liam Crockett, who turned out
to be silent third partner OF
Dewitt & Longstreet. Of the
two, Slopes must be Wood,
Thompson. His motive-revenge
directed equally against al.
three of the Others. So Slopes
| concluded, was the conductor
and Crockett the man killed or
the ferry. How Crockett was
decoyed by Slopes into posi-,
ton to be murdered, I do not
know. Did Slopes explain, Mr.
Bruno?"
Eyes" said the District Attorn-
ey huskily. 'He communicated
with Crockett in the guise of 6
discharged bookkeeper of Dewitt
& Longstreet, writing that Crock
EFT was being defrauded Of 6
large part of his rightful one
third share of the firms net, de-
spite the large checks sent Crock
EFT by the two men twice a year
For Crockett, when the three O.
riginally returned to the States
insisted on sharing whatever sue
cess the other two attained; anC
rather than have Crockett, q reck-
less, irresponsible sort, spill the
story Of the Uruguayan frame-up
Longstreet and Dewitt consented
to his investing One-third of the
capital required to swing the bus
mess and giving him a third share
of their profits. I take it that on
ly DeWitt's insistence prevented
Longstreet from reniging through
the years. At any rate, the let
ter went on to say that he, the
bookkeeper, had proof of this
fraudulency and was willing tc
sell the proof to Crockett
'Not only that" put in In
spect or Thumm, "but Slopes told
us how he telephoned Dewitt that
morning posing as Crockett, and
demanded that Dewitt be on the
lower deck of the 10:40 ferry that
night. He cautioned Dewitt tc
be careful not to be seen-there-
by minimizing the chances o1
Dewitt and Crockett meeting."
GLOW did Slopes arrange his
three personalities-Wood, Nixon
Thompson-so he was physically
able to keep them separator
Lane asked.
1T wasn't as hard as it looks,
said the District Attorney. GAS
Wood he worked from 2:3O tC
1890 p. M, and as Thompson
from IL to 1:40 a. m. on the short
railroad shift, a special job. AS
Wood he lived in Weehawken for
convenience in changing his
clothes and disguise before TAX
ing up his train duties; as Thomp-
son he lived in West Waverstraw
the last stop of his run, sleeping