PAOE FJfiHT
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, MAY 29, 1934.
I -gST i
bo
MOCKING HOUSE
BY WALTER C. BROWN
SYNOPSIS: Sergeant Harper
hoe found two bite of evidence to
support Me theory that the two
men found ehot to death in Pierre
Dureene't breakfaet room did not
shoot each other, in epile of ap
peorancee. One ts the fact that a
certain bullet doee not fit a certain
bullet hole; the other i a drop of
water In a aloes. Nouj he hae found
. where the murdered obtained the
spent bullet he substituted for the
one actually used.
Chapter 23
MISSING REVOLVER
T WAS a srjuat roll of old stair
carpet. There was a scorched
hole through the tough fabrle and a
turther search showed a acar on the
whitewashed uoards where the spent
bullet had hit
"We're on the right road now,'
Harper exclaimed exultantly. "It we
could only And that steel-Jacket bul
let, we'd have our proof complete.'
"I'm afraid the killer would hold
on to that." was Lafferty'i surmise,
"There's a natural urge to get rid
of that sort of evidence," Harper
countered, "and I'm counting on
that"
They swung their flashlight about
at random. "What's In that little
cubby-hole over there?"
Lafferty poked his head down.
"Logs tor the fireplace," he ar
nounced.
They moved those from one side
of the narrow bin to the other but
found nothing hidden beneath them.
Harper flashed his light around the
sides of the bin and the beam came
to rest on a rough board barrier set
flush Into the wall.
The detective unfastened the
rusty hooks and pulled It free, after
struggle. A dark space filled with
rubble was revealed, greeting them
with a damp, musty odor.
"That must be the space under the
front steps,", said Harper. Lafferty
suddenly raised his band. "Listen!
tie whispered. "There's some one on
the stairs. I heard a board creak I"
He tiptoed silently In that direc
tion, while Harper snapped off the
light and listened, waiting. In a little
-while Lafferty returned, dlegrun.
tied. "There wasn't a soul In sight"
be growled, "but I'm sure somebody
was listening in."
"I'm going to look In that hole,
Harper declared. "Give me a boost
up to the ledge." With his assist
ant's aid he scrambled on to the
shoulder-high ledge. Thrusting the
torch ahead, ha crawled forward on
bis knees. Lafferty heard a grunt of
disgust as he brushed aside a black
thing that crawled out from under a
dislodged lump of mortar.
There was a cry, a scramble back
wards, and Harper slid down to the
cellar floor In a shower of small
. stones and dirt. His clothes were
soiled with lime and the soft, mossy
dirt and bis hands were brushing at
the thick cobwebs caught around
his head and shoulders, but in his
stained fingers be held a lump of
metal.
"Carlln was right!" he exclaimed,
. It was a discharged .45 caliber
steel-Jacket bullet!
"DUT, Steve, I tell you I saw It
right there, burled under those
handkerchiefs!"
Lafferty pointed to the open draw
er of the highboy In Pierre Du
fresne's dressing-room. There was
palpably nothing there now but the
aeatly stacked handkerchiefs.
"I couldn't be mistaken about any
thing as Important s that It was
not an automatic, but a heavy cali
per revolver. Andrews was looking
for Dufresne's extra pairs of glasses
and they were In the drawer on the
ether side. The gun was not In a
holster. I'd bet a month's pay the
bullets would be .45'."
"I don't get this at all," Harper
mused. "We went off by ourselves
and made an Important discovery
that has to do with the gun used for
this crime. No one knew anything
about our suspicions, yet when we
return to this room less than an
bout later the revolver has been
spirited away. That's more than a
coincidence!"
Harper looked through the other'
drawers in the highboy. The con
tents were In meticulous order and
It was apparent at a glance that
nothing as bulky as the revolver
Lafferty had described could be bid
den there now.
To be doubly auie that Lafferty
jnd be had overlooked nothing,
Harper went through the drawers
once more, and gave the pleasant
room a hati general search before
either spoke agalr There was noth
ing. "Don't forget" LaCjrty advised
drily, "that there was a noise on the
stairs while we were poking around
the cellar. Some one In this house
Is trying to keep an eye on us. I
think it's Andrews. That fellow can
move around with less noise than a
snake."
"If that was the revolver we're
looking for." Harper went on, "1
don't see . ould be left lying
around all that time."
"But this gun was too big to ba
carried around easily. It really need
ed a bolster. 1 think you'd better
tackle Dufresne on the question."
"Not so fast. Let me think. If Du
fresne did It and we tax blm with It,
he'll certainly deny there evor was
such a gun. If Andrews did it he'll
lie, too. But 11 he didn't do it and
doesn't know It's gone you stay
here, Jack, and look through these
two rooms tor that gun."
Harper went downstairs. He met
Officer Albright who had stood
guard over Dufresne's room, stand
ing In the hall, about to go off duty.
"Has any one gone up or down these
stairs Is the last fifteen or twenty
minutes?"
"Not a soul, sir."
"I want you to do something for
me. I want to find out If any one, left
this house In the last hour, and if so,
where they went Can yon manage
that without arousing suspicion?"
Albright signified that he could.
The officer at the front door In
formed Harper that no one had gone
out by that way, whereupon the de
tective returned to the breakfast
room. He pressed the servants' bell
and signed to O'Connell to leave the
Held clear.
When Andrews entered be found
the detective bent over the table,
carefully examining under the lens
the fingerprints the dead man had
left on the twin decanters. Sergeant
Harper looked around, as If sur
prised, then said, "Oh, yes. Sit down,
Andrews. I want to ask you a couple
of questions."
"ANDREWS, we are trying to
trace the movements of this
man who was killed here last night
Wa know thai he changed into some
of your master's clothing. We as
sume that he lit the fire In the
hearth. By the way. was that al
ways prepared for the next light'
tag?" . .
"Yes, sir. In the season It would
be cleaned early every morning and
freshly packed."
"Wa noticed that there was quite,
an accumulation of ashes In the pit
in the cellar. Was this hearth in use
while the re-decoratlng was going
onr
"I couldn't say, sir. I have not been
In this house for some weeks."
"How long hss Mr. Dufresne been
at the Austerllts, Andrews?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Dufresne spent the
summer at Moose Head Lodge, sir.
That's on a small island off the coast
of Maine. We came back early In
October, but we bad only been here
a week or two when we went to the
Austerllts."
But Mrs. Dufresne has been stay
ing at Mrs. Morlock's."
Since the holidays, sir. The dec
orators have been very slow. Of
course, I sometimes came up here
with Mr, Dufresne to see how things
were progressing. . Donaghy was
here much oftener to bring back
things that were needed."
Was the house closed up while
the Dufresnes were at Moose Head
Lodge?"..
"Oh, no, sir. The Whltmores
looked after. It all summer."
How many keys are there to this
house and who has them?" :
Mrs. Whltmore baa the only com
plete set of keys, I believe, but I
suppose you are more Interested in
door keys. Mr. Dufresne has a set
and so has Mrs. Dufresne. I have
keys to the front dooi and back door.
Donaghy has a key to the back doqr.
That la all. air."
"The household keys seem to be
fairly well scattered around," Har
per remarked.
"Not unusually so, Andrews re-
pltod, with some asperity.
Oh, I m not criticising. An
drews," Harper replied easily. "This
man who was killed showed a sur
prising familiarity with the place.
He knew, for Instance, how to get
hold ot those liquor bottles without
turning the place inside out."
The butler looked at the twin de
canters." Then he must have found
his way to the wine cellar. Those
bottles were not kept filled. They
were empty last time I saw them."
But your wine cellar Is kept un
der lock and key? When we searched
down there we found the door se
curely locked."
Yes, hut the key hangs behind a
beam, easy to reach, but out ot
sight You would have to know
where to look tor It
That's what I thought Now, An
drews, one more question. I must file
a report of whatever firearms are
kept on these premises. Mr. Du
fresne reports that he keeps a revol
ver in the house, a .45 caliber. Tbat
Is correct Isn't it?"
Harper glanced up covertly but
the butler's face was as impassive
as ever, nor did he hesitate over his
reply. "Yes, sir."
fCopyrijaf, tm, by Walter 0. Brawn)
Harper turns up mora putillra
Information, tomorrow.
FLEET'S ARRIVAL
KB WYORK, May as (UP) Fath
er Knickerbocker duated oft his beat
silk topper today and the young
wonwn of Manhattan began sprucing
themselves up for the big naval
ahow which opens Thursday.
The mightiest display of tea
strength ever scan here will be put
on by the navy In the bay and the
Hudson river, with a proceaelon of BA
worships through the narrows and
past President Roosevelt.
Aboard these ships, which will
range In else from the huge airplane
carriers a-id battleships to orulaers
and gunboats, will be 3000 officers
and 83.000 men, all primed for a lot
of fun In Manhattan. They will be
swarming over the Island, taking In
Brosdwsy and strolling along River
side Drive until June nth when the
big show will be over.
STRICKEN EXPLORER
, BALBOA. C. Z , May 3 (CP) The
United States destroyer Hale returned
to port Sunder bearing William A.
Robinson. Ameretan explorer, ssved
by an emergency operation by naval
surgeons, who flew to his rescue In
the Otlapsgos Islands, In the Pacific.
Robinson was rushed Immediately
to the Oorgas hospital, where he ex
pects to recuperate after a narrow
escape from death.
STUDENT BODY FEES
REQUIRE STATUTE TO
ENFORCE PAYMENTS
SALEM, Ore., May 28. MP) Ad
ministration of a. compulsory $0 Xm
for student activities ot extra currlc
ular classification in the state's high
er Institutions of learning are pos
sible only by statute, Attorney Gen
eral I. H. Van Wlnwle held today In
a second opinion on the matter of
fee charges.
The opinion was given Chancellor
W. J. Kerr following a report of a
special committee of college authori
ties on a plan for the charging of
the extra-curricula fees.
Van Winkle held he was "unable
to arrive at a conclusion that the cre
ation of a fund for the establishment
and maintenance of musical organi
zations, athletic contests, a dally
newspaper, and other activities re
ferred to as extra-curricular, it In
cidental to the curriculum of stu
dents In all departments of the uni
versity or college, and in view of the
lack of direct connection I am
of the opinion that all such activities
are not Incidental to the education
of all students."
Van Winkle added that the only
suggestion he could make would be
the aame as In the former opinion
"the enactment of a statute author
izing the collection of such fees."
WALLA WALLA.Wash. (UP) Po
licemen here faced the probability of
wiping their hands on their handker- I
chiefs or blue uniforms following an '
"economic" action of the police de
partment. No towels were provided
in the washroom.
TAKE CHAIRMANSHIP
PORTLAND, Ore., May 39. (API
IT. B. Van Duzer, Portland lumber
man, today advised Governor Meier
of hla Inability, because of press of
private affairs, to accept appointment
as chairman of the state unemploy
( ment committee to succeed Raymond
B. Wilcox, resigned.
I Estea Bnedecor. who was named to
' succeed Alex Barry, resigned, had pre
viously declined to serve.
J. M. Chambers of Balem was the
third appointee, named In place of
Paul V. Marls.
HITCH-HIKER KILLED
WHEN LIGHTS HIDDEN
CENTRALIA. Wash. (UP) Joey
King, 18, walked along a highway
last night, attempting to hail a ride
from passing motorists. Two cars
approached him from opposite direc
tions at the same time. Joey raised
his right arm. The 'lights from the
first car blinded the driver of the
second. Joey was run down and
killed.
By GLUYA5 W0X1AM5
SUBURBAN HEIGHTS .
FRED PERLtV IS 50 f J5SV ABOUT PE0PIE . WAUON6
ON HIS LMW THAT THE NEIGHBORS THOROUGHLY"
ENJOYED WaTCHIMS HIS MISERY" WHEM HIS BOSS '
CAME OUT TO VISIT HIM RECENTLY 'AND TRAMPED ALL
ODER fur PLACE, FRED KoT PARIKS To SAY A WORD
'(Copyright," 1B34, by The BeTl Syndicate, Inc
Mb
S 'MATTER POP
By Hal Forrest
By Edwin Alger
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TAILSPIN TOMMY Wllking "Washes Out"
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