The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1942-04-16

"Have you ever heard of Eel
| ipe Maquinchao?"
"Our sins come home to u.s." A
jos said lightly. eyes, I have met
the good senior. What would you
like to know"
"Anything about him that you
consider interesting.
Felipe Maquinchao is a rep
resentative of the Uruguayan de-
partment of justice. He came sew
eral months ago to New York on
the trail of Martin Slopes, an es-
capped convict from Montevideo
prison."
"And how is it that man with
: the Anglican name of Slopes was
incarcerated in a Uryguayan pris-
on?"
''It seems that in 1912 Slopes,
young prospector, was senten-
ced to life imprisonment for the
murder of his wife, a native Bra
lillian. He was convicted on the
overwhelming evidence of his
three prospecting partners. They
testified they had witnessed the
murder and were forced to bind
Slopes in order to bring him to
justice by boat from their mine
in the interior. They also brought
the body and Slopes daughter,
a two-year-old child. Slopes gave
no defense. He was temporarily
deranged. The child was placed
in Montevideo convent"
did the motive for the crime
come out during the trial?" Lane
asked.
'"The three partners testified
they heard screams and ran in a
! shack just in time to see Slopes
cleave the woman's skull with
machete. He was, it seems, man
of passionate temper. In the
twelfth year of his imprisonment
he executed daring escape. It
was of such a nature that it had
obviously been planned over
period of many years. The whole
of South America was secured,
but there was no trace. Mean
while the three partners had sold
out their mine, rich one and
returned to the United States"
"Returned?" asked Lane. "Were
they Americans?"
II have forgotten to tell you
their names were Harry Long
street, Jack Dewitt and William
Crockett"
Lanes eyes were glittering. ''Do
you know that two of the part
ners of the Dewitt & Longstreet
were murdered?"
Ajos' black eyes popped. ''That
is news indeed. Then their pre-
monitions were :"
"What do you mean?"
The consul spread his hands.
''Last July Uruguayan police
received an unsigned letter from
New York, later admitted by De-
Witt to have been sent by him
self. It stated that Slopes was in
New York and suggested that u
ruguay investigate. Maquinchao
was assigned to the case. Since
he suspected that only one of the
old partners would have cause
to send such information, Mao
uinchao looked up Longstreet
and Dewitt. He had endeavored
to trace the other partner, but
Crockett had dropped out of the
triumvirate when thay returned.
Dewitt invited Maquinchao to
live at his home while in the CO..
untry and use it as a sort of head
quaters from which to operate.
Dewitt showed him a threaten
ing letter, signed by Slopes, but
both partners urged him to keep
it from the police, pleading the
story of their humble beginnings
and the sordid murder trial
would come out. Maquinchao
consulted me, and we decided be-
cause of their position to acqui-
esce. Both men had received SIM
liar letters sporadidally over a
period of some five years, all
from New York. Maquinchao
spent a month in vain searching,
then returned to Uruguay"
Lane was thoughtful. "And no
trace of Crockett was ever
found?"
''Maquinchao learned from De-
Witt that they heard from him
periodically, chiefly from Canada,
although both maintained they
had not been in communication
with him for six years."
"Of course" murmured Lane,
eve have only the word of two
dead men for this information.
Do the records contain any men
ton of the fate of Slopes daugh-
ter?"
Ajos shook his head. "Only that
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