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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 25, 1934)
P2TGE FOURTEEN MOCKING HOUSE .BY WALTER C. BROWN. " SYNOPSIS: Ihe evidence (nu to the tact that the two men found ehot dead in Pierre Dureene'e breakfast room killed each other. Sergeant Harper doea not oellai.'. that, however, althouoh the onlv loot that evpporte hie theory eo lar . aeeme to implicate ilre. Dufresne ' hererlf. The Serpeant beatne a rc eonttruction ot the crime. Chapter 20 RECONSTRUCTION ." A LIj right, let'i try to recoil- i ilruct the whole thing," (aid Harper, "We're got certain basic facta to serve aa foundations and we'll fit them In as we go along, We'll take eight o'clock last night aa our starting point. Hamlll bad Just made his report from the call box. It waa snowing hearlly, there was a cold, hlgb wind. "Hamlll walked along on his beat for three blocks. That would bring it to say, ten minutes past eight. He crossed the atreet above bere but halfway over he changed bla mind and came down Powhatan Terrace Instead. What made him do that? Obviously, something he saw or something be heard. "From the spot where Hamlll turned oft it Is doubtful that he could hare heard any sound from Inside this house, eren a shot or a acream. It there had been a noise loud enough tor blm to bear, cer tainly some of the neighbors would have been up and Investigating, .We'll have to make Inquiries about that." Harper Jotted down a memo randum, adding other pertinent questions from time to time aa he pursued the course ot the mystery. "It Is much more likely, be con, tinned, "that Hamlll saw something. What could It have beenT A light In the house? The electric switch bad been turned off at tbe source. The eurtalns of this one lighted room were drawn close. That fireplace here's an Idea, Jack. Suppose that man stirred up the Are, poked tbe logs. Ton know hearth fires don't burn so well on a rainy or snowy olght, tor a damp chimney chokes oft the normal draught "A shower ot sparks would shoot out the top ot the chimney. I've often seen It on winter nights. There would be something to draw HamlU'a attention. Tbla la assum ing that Hamlll knew the house was unoccupied. The whole idea hinges on that. We've got to find out whether be knew the Dufresnes were staying elsewhere." "That's a seat piece of deduc tion," Lafferty advised, "but you've overlooked an Important point What Hamlll heard waa the front . door banging about in the wind. That was the sound that led Con nally and Hllleary here so quickly." "I doubt that" waa Harper's re Joinder. "I've not overlooked that banging door. The Idea that a heavy door Ilka this one could go on booming from a Quarter past eight to nearly ten o'clock without arous ing the other resident of Powhatan Terrace Is nearly Impossible. But there again la something we can In quire about "However, be that aa it may, we bare Officer Hamlll coming up the walk. We're safe in assuming that his suspicions were aroused. Now, did he find the door abut and locked er open and banging? It should have been shut and locked. It Hamlll found it that way, be knocked or .rang the belL" ...(Wrong again, Steve," Lafferty objected. "It he were auspicious he'd go first and have a quiet look around tbe outside of the house. But the footprints in the anow prove that he didn't he walked straight up to the front door without any de tours." HARPER thought that over. "You're right about that, Jaok. .We're not clear about that door. Assuming that it was locked, from the mere fact that Hamlll entered some one must necessarily have opened to him. Here, then, we have our unknown man facing the police man. That would hare been the logical place for any ahootlng It the fellow had been a homicidal maniac, for Instance. "Instead, they go Into tbe break-'fast-room, through an unllghted hall Why, In Hoaven'a name? Surely Hamlll would have beon aus picious and kept bis gun In his hand. Our mystery man then alta down In that chair, lights a cigarette, whips out his gun and shoots Hamlll in cold blood I "On the other hand, assuming that the door was unlocked, and possibly banging, as HamlU'a direct approach might Indicate, then he'd probably step inside and try to turn on the lights. That resulting In noth ing, he'd probably call or whistle to attract attention. Perhaps be no ticed the light shining under the broafast-room door. He would open it and look inside. HJXENA, Mont., May JS. (AP) William Lefore, 33; formerly of Free water, Ore., muat spend nine yrsrs In Montana state prison tor a robbery which netted blm not more than ?. Lefore pleaded guilty to a garage rob bery In which he got ISO. of which URIGIsGY'S SUM m "Our stranger is sitting very com fortably at the table, drinking and smoking, very much at home and at ease. Everything is In normal order. The man Is In formal dress and bears a startling resemblance to Mr. Dufresne. So, it Hamlll recognized him at all, he would mistake him for the master ot the bouse. Cer tainly there is no reason why Hamlll should want to shoot Dufresne, but nevertheless tbey killed each other with a remarkable unity ot purpose. That's a pretty stiff dose ot theory to swallow!" "It sounds craty to me," Lafferty agreed. "As you say, a door could hardly be banging away for nearly two hours without some ot the neighbors doing something about It On the other hand, doors don't open ot themselves and set their locks so that they can't shut again. It Hamlll had left the door unlatched behind him, it would hare banged shnt just once and locked Itself." "Well, like it or not all our evi dence atates that the door could not have been touched after the shoot ing, alnce both men were dead. We bave only to examine the snow to see that Connally and Hllleary were tbe next to enter the house. Con slderlng the shooting as a separate action, we get into another maze. "Our mystery man must have shot Hamlll twice before Hamlll fired at him, for Ooo Miller assured me that death must bare been In stantaneous and bis position in that chair confirms it But there we hare the dilemma either our Intruder shot Hamlll after he himself waa shot through the brain, which is surely Impossible, or else Hamlll flred with extraordinary accuracy after being shot In the breast twice, once through the heart "MOW in a single exchange ot ' shots there exists a bare mathe matical chance for two men to plug each other ao neatly, but that third bullet throws It Into contusion. It has me guessing and It has Carltn guessing, too." Tbey sat silent for a few momenta and both pairs of eyes were thought fully focused on the little row ot twisted bullets. The thin wires tbat held their tags glistened brightly in the pleasant morning sun. Harper atralghtened up with de termination. "Let's pass on to the unknown man's movements," be suggested. "So far aa we know, he was not hiding bere In the house all the time. Assuming that he waa tbe writer of the threatening letters to Dufresne, it works out something like this: "He somehow managed to trad Dufresne when the latter left the city. On the return trip, he must hare followed his Intended victim until he learned which route he waa taking, then passed him and hurried ahead to pick out a good spot for the ambush, where he waited." "That meana he bad a car at his disposal," Lafferty Interjected. "Yes. After he had flred at Du fresne and the latter made good his escape, be returned to bla car and came back to the city by some other road. That would be easy. "The autopsy has shown that he ate about five o'clock. As this was a ' cooked meal, he could not hare come directly here and foraged tor food. By the time he got to this house, say between five-thirty and six, the snow was coming down in earnest, but the tall was still so thin that bis tracks were completely cov ered over later." "It would not hare been sate for him to come sooner," Lafferty said. "Remember, there were painters working on the third floor rooms until four o'clock and the Whit mores did not lock up and go to their rooms over the garage until Ore." "We don't know how he got In," Harper resumed, "but there are no marks of forcible entry anywhere and there were neither keys nor bur glar tools found In his possession. Is fact so little was found on hla per son that I'ra come to the conclusion bis pockets were looted or else he Is wearing some one else's clothing." "That's an Ideal It he put on a facial disguise to look like Dufresnea perhaps he put on one ot Dufresne'a suits." "Exactly. There must be more traces of him In this house than we hare found. For Instance. It ia al most certain tbat he shaved himself after he got here." Lafferty whistled. "One up on me there, Stove. Tbat one got past me." "If you had looked closely at hla face, you'd hare aeen that he waa rery freshly sharen. Here and there he missed a hair, which no self-respecting barber would hare done." (Copyright, 2f5, ey ITatffr c. Brown; The murdircd strinosr't sloths tomorrow, toll teles. 83 was recovered when he waa ar rested. 4- A Maltese cat In the home of Sher iff O. M. Barnes of Hickory, N. O., adopted a brood of mice and raised them. Womim 1 1 iW nr il ,yKir f -imsKA ffi E PORTLAND, May as. CP An ad ditional $500,000 for ths Oregon coast highway bridge system, representing the difference between material prices a year ago, and the current higher prices, will be made available by the federal government to the Oregon highway commission, according to 0. O. Hockley, PWA engineer for Ore gon. This will bring the amount avail able for construction of the five bridges to $9,600,000. The S500.000 may be available by Saturday, it wao said. It la badly needed If the state la to take advantage of the low bid, already tentatively accepted, on the Coos Bay bridge. -f- SEEK NEW NAME L A 110 Brim la bains' nttrA h. ffc. Southern Oregon Brewing company iur tno oeai suggestion of a new name for the beer. The beverage Is to be known as Pllserur company lc anxloua for any Ideas to be twnfc to the company. The contest clone iu n m vr. 31,. and entries muat be Into the Southern Oregon Brewing company by that time. Thoae aent by mall muit not be postmarked later than May 81. wen contestant will be restricted to tt suggestion of five namea. BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER S MATTER POP By 0. ft I TAJXSPIH TOMMY "Shooting" Under Difficulty! By Hal Forrest ' JWszx5 JsUsY J to SET-tooTrx J, he's SQotcEH c Se r me &4?e. fH SsssS" yw !(c.&Q&Mz? 'iZz&?W7Z' rVT ca '' zwrt k AS--- A rxon tas' 2 0ov, but if? W"5 sii&sirC Jl ySi1r?',!fGLW ) pvueJ wsr wt ff Jffi vl 4ms3teD a to take xeneestfm P J pp j ' i i 1 us o- 111 1 1 'vuwrp1 ix- v' I -Lidf . . . . . . -v I IT -. TSTrsAf f-r f- rNr Kit VIIAC I I . r Wk.ltTMJ tll QQlM.rT C Wffl V n MAN.AN'AS6ECHVO'IS ENTITLED ENGINE WHAVIN'DE SCIENTIFIC ASPECTS BRICANT? 1 DEJ BOSSO' DE INJI.NE.H TO KNCAWDE ORIGINATION O'MAH ROOM? ( O' COMBUSTIBLE NAVIGATION Wnu5 f KUUW, rVNI'aiAH BtN DAT gffl n J nwcoa ou'Bumflrs.TUPV mwp 1 i DnWT i'Pl AIMED BV MISTAH Jll HE? B MAN 5HO'60T A POVJ'FUL Ml lolPtCl CONTAGIONI2ED AE FUST IN DE J GET SOU. H. BRICANT AN' d LOT O' KNOWLEDGE M mmi rz mmmmm THE NEBBS who'g Who? ( -SIS' t'5.'1' ,WRITE,UP OBIES SOO STRUCK. OIL UJKEN VOU OT KTWE KIO'5 A SOOO f VOUK IDEAS ? IPTWEVY lwtSia "5 Vi THAT K.D TO COM6 OOVWM MERE.VOUA SoToiER WE'S OUST V ARE VOO MUST HAva VSmwS.LTJ fnS55PJi, J WALKED AROOMO WERE FOR A LOTOPVEARsi f CAB.O.V1K1& OUT MV A TUICK MEAO lf IT V jYJ TEl-UKlG. EVERVBODV WHAT A BIG FELLER ) I ORDERS. THIS SOCCe5sJ TOOK ALL THAT TIM J XMENJTIOKJ VOOR NAME. " V VOL) AJAS BUT VOL) NEVER DID NOTHlW S ALL ODE. TO VIY yVrO WORK THROLXSWV XN. TZT? -L50" TO PROVE IT AKIO THEN THE KIDCOMES . IDEAS f J- ' BRINOINQ DP FATHER ' By George McMantH I ( M( CHURCHILL, DOWSia 1 I r WEOJ-O . OKjGS. 1 OU&T 1 1 I I i " 1 NAMED A-MORSE IN PROM TME J r. OlGG ? THAT WORSE AFTER ME AND t WEAR I TRACWi I'M AVORK-f s J - DID I WAS NT N THE RACE HE WAS TO START lrXr.. 1 (ZTZT, OIQGS WE HAI II , TuiP , - J I I 1 . . . . - 1 i i ritLr.c j i Yvu.k.i fl l l . . , . . I 111 - i I l i uuftY) mo i Ofc. I unhwi , , . ,. ' TELL- ME fl I wim ri jWKINIKL-INlO . 1 I TILLAMOOK, Ore., May 28. fyp, Mrs. Orace Christiansen of Port land was elected president of the Oregon Rebekah Assembly here Wed nesday at the Joint meeting of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the women's organization, Alonzo 'a Story 1 After serving for 3 years consecu tively as secretary of the Hebekab assembly, Mrs. Ora L. Gosper of Dal las resigned In favor of Dora Bexton of The Dalles. Nearly 1000 delegates are bere for the two conventions. Grand lodge and past grand degrees were confer red on about 400 persons yesterday, and tbe Rebekah assembly granted obout the same number of degrees. Profits from workshops In the Vir ginia penitentiary at Richmond to taled 3,893 for a. six-month period and the entire amount was spent for the benefit of prisoners. VUAUIMAAI AAV I fc w - - " 1 FOOLED HI fx f hp niriKi'-r Kunw fx TAklUfPO IID AJITM J STANDARD CrWJULINfc WITH TETRAETrM-. iUNSURPASSEP 1HE WORLD AT ITS WORST WoNDERlKG WHAT PEOPir- ARE 5R1NHIH& ffl. WHEN, TO MEIf A SUPDEK CRISI5 AT OUNlOtfS BIRfUDAV PARTY, VOU HAVE DASHED DOWM TO 1HE CORNER DRUG STORE FOR- N AMTrVER QUAR'i' OF ICE CREAM JT-25 '.wayngut, 1934, by Ths Bell Syndicate, Inc.) EF"N SUE ALL eOUNO FROM MOMENT. M1STAH BEN.MAH NERVES BEEN CARRVIN'ON LIKE TWO NESTS & HORNETS ARGUtFVIN OVER WHICH BUNCH DE LANDLORDS AN' WHICH DE TENANTS By CLUYAS WILLIAMS 6UJVA&. WIUAf M. Payne) - By Edwin Alges COME HOME AFE AN' DIS VOVAGE, HE SHO'GWINE By Sol Hes 151
