The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1942-04-23
74 4 l;;!:1 ~:

discovered a manganese mine,
while he and his partner, Crock
EFT, were prospecting in the in
terror of Uruguay. Because the
two men needed capital to work
it they had taken in as partners,
on smaller percentages, two 9TH
er prospectors-Longstreet and
Dewitt. Slopes made it clear that
the crime he had been accused of
subsequently, was committed by
Crockett. Crockett had attacked
| Slopes wife one night in drunk
en- lust, while Slopes was at the
nearby mine, and when she re-
sisted, had killed her. Longstreet
had concocted the plan whereby
the three were to accuse Slopes
of the murder, and, since no one
knew the mine legally belonged
to Slopes, they could take over
the mine themselves-it had been
/ unregistered. Crockett was shak-
| n by his crime and accepted the
plan eagerly. Dewitt, Slopes
said, was dominated by Long
street and forced by threats to
join the conspiracy.
The shock of his wife's death,
the realization Of his partners
perfidy had unbalanced the young
geologist. It was not until after
| his conviction and imprisonment
that he regained his normal fac
ulties. From that moment his
thoughts were diverted to re-
venge. BY the time of his es-
cape, close confinement had TAX
en- toll of his features, although
his body was as strong as ever,
and he felt reasonably certain he
would not be recognized by his
intended victims.
sThese things, however" con-
cluded Bruno, "aren't nearly so
important now-to me, at least
as your uncanny solution?"
an the street car murder one
inference stood out at once" said
Lane, land I cannot comprehend
how it escaped the intelligence
of both of you. The nature of the
weapon was such as to make it
apparent that it could not be
handled with the bare hand with
out fatal results to the handler.
I felt certain then, that when the
murderer slipped the needld cork
into Longstreet's pocket, he must
have worn a glove. Now we knew
the cork was dropped in the pock-
ct after Longstreet boarded the
car. Please recall, Inspector, that
I specifically asked you at the
termination of your recital wheth-
er gloves, among other Things,
had been found; and you replied
in the negative. So, although the
murder was still in the street car,
there was the peculiar situation
of an object, which must nave
been used in the commission OF
the crime, not being found after
the crime. It could not have
been used in the commission OF
the crime, not being found after
the crime. It could not have been
thrown out of window; no win
dow was open from a period even
prior to the boarding Of the
Longstreet party. 1t could not
have been thrown through a door,
because Duffy opened and closed
the doors on the only occasions
when they were used. If the
glove could not have been thrown
out of the car; and yet it left the
car, it could have done so only
on the person of someone. But
only one person left the car! That
was the conductor, Charles Wood,
sent by Sergeant Duffy to sum-
mon Officer Morrow and notify
headquarters.
$50 I was forced to conclude
wild, as it seemed-that Wood had
taken the glove from the scene
of the crime and disposed of it
somewhere. That reasoning made
him either the murderer or an
accomplice. Naturally, he could
not have anticipated being grant
ed the opportunity to leave the
car and dispose of the glove. So
he must have accepted the posi-
bility of having the glove found
on him if there were scarce and
he had had no opportunity to
throw it away. But as conduc-
tor, handling money all day long,
he knew glove on his person
would not excite suspicion.
(TO RF TONTTNTIFD)