The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1942-04-30

So1 -O1u dPPC11O4SACAS oNoA, JCC l
discovered Wood had worked
every working day for five years
without vacation"
Lanes voice throbbed: 'At once
all the elements of the second
murder rearranged themselves.
Wood literally had killed two
birds with one stont. The body
supposed to be his had a peculiar
scar on the calf of one leg, and
red hair; other features being so
mauled and smashed as to be USE
less for Identification. We knew
that Wood had red hair and, from
Motorman Guinness, an identical
scar. Yet the body was not his!
Woods scar then must have been
false-and false for at least five
years, sonce he showed the scar
to Guinness Immediately after
going to work for the car COM
pany. That meant the plan for the
ferry-boat crime must have been
of at least fove years duration.
But since it was the result of the
Longstreet murder, then that also
must have been planned five
years or more before. Another
conclusion: Since Wood was seen
boarding the ferry and was not
killed, he must have slipped off
the boat before Thumm gave in
structions to hold everyone or
GAS a matter of fact" interrupt
ed Bruno, "your Correlative sup
position is the true one. Actual
ly, he was one of those who were
detained on the boat. Slopes says
he was Henry Nixon, the jewelry
salesman"
''Nixon, eh?" murmured Drury
Lane. Every clever. Thus he
could carry off the ferry the
cheap handbag which as Wood
the conductor he had carried onto
the ferry to transport the sales
man-disguise, a blunt instrument
and weights with which to sink
the victims clothing after having
framed Dewitt with the cigar
band. Patiently DeWitt's strong
motive against Longstreet made
him the most natural suspect in
the eyes of the police, or Woods
motive against Longstreet also ap-
piled to Dewitt. If the frame-up
were successful and Dewitt was
tried but acquitted, there was ev-
cry reason to expect an attack on
Dewitt. This was why I was
willing to allow his trial to be
prosecuted, despite my know
ledge of his innocence For so
long as Dewitt was in danger Of
conviction by the legal method,
he was physically safe. Also I
had not the slightest idea of what
form Wood was taking and I hop
ed that the seriousness of DeWitt's
predicament would force him to
reveal facts, which I knew him
Ito be withholding about the still
obscure motive
Lanes face clouded. II have
tried to convince myself that
was not to blame for DeWitt's
death. never dreamed he would
be attacked the very night he was
acquitted. I considered Wood had
weeks, months in which to find
his opportunity to kill Dewitt.
(which brings us to the third
murder. If Dewitt had not pur-
chased a new fifty-trip ticket
book that night there is no telling
whether this case ever would
have been satisfactorily solved,
for should never have known
in what disguise Slopes commit
ed the murder of Dewitt.
"The primary point was the To-
cation of this ticket on DeWitt's
person. He had placed it in the
upper left pocket of his vest, but
when his corpse was searched by
Inspector Thumm I noticed with
establishment the ticket-book was
in the inside breast pocket of the
coat! The bullet had pierced the
upper vest pocket, but the book
contained no bullet-hole which
brought up the question of how
and why it had been removed
from one pocket to another be-
fore Dewitt was shot?
"Recall the condition of the
body. DeWitt's left hand formed
some sort of sign by the overlap
ping of his middle and index fin
gers. AS DR.. Schilling affirmed
he had died instantly, the over
tapping fingers indicated that De-
Witt made the sign before he was
shot; that, since he was right
handed and the sign was made
with his left hand, therefore his
right hand was occupied when he
decided to make the sign, and
that, since he was not supersti-
tious, it must have related not
to himself but to his murderer.