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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 5, 1934)
PAGE SIX MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 1934. JUT MOCKING HOUSE r by WALTER C. BROWN SYNOPSIS: The gun mat killed one ot the two men found murdered in Pierre Dufreene'e house i still about the place, although Sergeant Harper haa not been able to find it. He has found a wet piece ol etrlno. however, which eeeme to have a connection ictth the myeteru. How he hat located the coetumer Uiho sold a dieaulee to one of the mur dered men, eo that he might re temble Dufresne, Chapter 29 CRANK LETTERS "THIS man came In with a pie- ture." Pagliottl added, "a clip ping from a newspaper, showing a man with a beard. He aald It waa a friend of his and that he wanted to make himself up like him as a Joke. We studied over the picture and f myself trimmed the beard and mous tache to match as he wished." "Was there a name printed under the clipping? Would you recognise the picture again?" . Pagliottl shrugged hla regrets. "1 do not remember. 1 would have for gotten all, except for the clipping." Harper pondered a moment "Can you recall anything else about this man? Was he well-dressed? Did he come In an automobile? Was his manner norvous or secretive?" "There was nothing out ot the way about his manner. The other Ques tions I cannot answer." The detective took a long pull on his pipe. "One more question, Mr. Pagliottl. You know the man who bought that disguise from you has been killed. It has been suggested that he was crazy a dangerous ma niac. What do you say to that?" Fagllottl's answer was Immediate, explosive. "Oh, no, no. I do not be lieve It Not that man." Harper smiled. "I'm Inclined to agree with you. Thank you very much. Vour Information should be bolpful to us." The Italian bowed politely, shook , hands, and departed with the alert Mr. Harris, leaving Harper with a new and puzzling addition to his col' , lection of data concerning this mys terious affair. The detective began to look through the packet ot crank letters which Dufresne had turned over to the police. There were eight of them In all, the earliest postmarked November (th, a little more than Ova weeks after the purchase of the disguise. What had the masquerader been do ing those five weeks? Why had such a long Interval elapsed before his alleged lottera began bombarding his Intended victim? Dufresne bad not even been back In the elty from his summer vacation when this man had appeared at Pagllottl's. If this nameless man had really Intended to kill Dufresne, why had he not done so without all this fan- -fare of threats and hard language? " His course had certainly been that ot the cowardly "crank," not that of the determined killer. ' ; ; The butler appeared. "Mrs. Oroy- den thought you might like a bite of lunch, sir. It can be served In here, o that It will not Interrupt your work. Is there anything special you would like?" - "That's fine, Andrews. Anything you happen to be serving will be quite all right Thank Mrs. Croyden for me, please." , . . , "It will be ready in halt an hour, lr." . "Fine; In the meantime, will you. ask Mrs. Whttmore to come here?" ' MRS. WHITMORB took at least " ten minutes to make her ap pearance. The detective wondered what the servants were saying about the murders, for he knew that In the sanctity ot their own quarters every tongue would be wagging unrestraln. edly. A great deal ot the talk would be mare Idle gossip and conjecture, but mixed with this must necessa rily be many Items' ot first-hand knowledge that would be Invaluable to him, could he bu hear them. When Mrs. Whltniore did make her appearance, her attitude and the expression ot her face left no doubt as to her persona1 stand. The bet llgerent gleam In her eye, the twist ot her tightly shut Hps promised lit tle aid and no sustenance for the police processes. "Mrs. Whltniore, I have some ques tions to ask. As all ot you now know, thero was a double murder here last night To withhold Information of any kind Is a serious matter. In a caso like this It can mean prison. 1 want you and all the others to un derstand that clearly." Harper pausod, feeling that this prologue was wasted on the de termined woman. Mrs. Whltmore nodded curtly, "1 understand that, but I didn't have anything to do with It and 1 don't know anything about It she answered haughtily. "Ot course not Don't misunder stand my purpose In sending for you. Let us start a little way back, EN. EFFECTS REMAIN (fly the Associated Press) The parched middle-west cooled off totay under June showers, but the effecu of Msy's unparalleled aridity remained. While week-end rains brought the mercury well below the century mark In sections where It soared to record heights last week, government orilclsls met In Washington at the eall of President Roosevelt to con sider various proposals for alleviating the distress of farmers and stock men In the devastated areas. The weather men aided with a promise of continuation of cooler weatue and rains. As I understand it, you and Mr. Whltmore were left In sole charge of this house while Mr. and Mrs. Dufresne went to their summer home at Moose Head Lodge?" "Yes, sir." "The Dufresnes left early In July and did, not return until late Oc tober?" "That's right "During all the time ot their ab sence, there were no disturbances, no attempted burglaries, no prowl ers at night nor suspicious charac ters seen In the grounds?" "No." "Did you have any visitors of your own, relatives, or friends?' "We did not" . "The house was never left unoc cupied, then, even for a day?" "Never." The housekeeper waa rapping out her staccato replies as quickly as the detective Bred bis questions. "Which rooms did you occupy?" "Our usual ones the double bed room on the third floor, front" 'Oh, I thought your quarters wert over the garage?" Those are only temporary." ; . . . HARPER struck off on a new line. "Did you know Officer Hamlll, the policeman who was killed?" "Only by sight 1 remember seeing him about the neighborhood. I didn't know his name." "Did he ever atop to talk?" "John, my husband, talked to him several times over the fence In the evenings. He never came Into the grounds, that I saw." 'How did you know when the house waa to be opened again?" "Mr. Dufresne sent me a telegram the day they started home. All the preparation needed was to replenish the food supply and notify the maid." , . 'Oh, there was a maid? What be came of her?" "She left" "Discharged?" "No, she left of her own accord." "What reason did she give? Had she been with the Dufresnes long?" "About a year and a halt. I didn't ask her reasons for leaving. She gave Mrs. Dufresne the usual two weeks' notice." Mrs. Whltmore'a tone made It plain that she had not been overly friendly with the maid. "What was her name?" "Ellen Becker." "Do you have her 'present ad dress?" "I do not I believe she has rela tives somewhere In the city, but I'm not sure. Mrs. Dufresne would know." 'Surely you have some Idea as to why she left, Mrs. Whltmore? It seems very unusual that she should wait all summer to resume her du ties here In the fall and then leave after a few weeks. Surely she bad some explanation to make?" . Ellen was always olose-mouthed and stand-offlsh," the housekeeper replied. "She never made friends with any one.". "Why waan't she replaced?" "By that time the re-decoratlna been decided upon and started. Mr. and Mrs. Dufresne went to the Austerllts. There waa no need for a maid until, the house was opened again." I understand Mrs. 'Dufresne di rected the ehanges. I suppose she was here a great deal while the work waa going on?" "Oh, yea, she was In and out all the time, consulting about this and that But Mrs. Croyden helped a lot with It, too." "Did Mr. Dufresne come out often?" 'Perhapa twice a week, to aee how things were going. He left all the de cisions to Mrs. Dufresne, though." "Well, that gives me a pretty clear Idea ot how things stood over the summer but I need a tew more de tails about this re-decoratlng. It sooms to have been a thorongh un dertaking. Was the whole thing han dled by one Arm or were the various Jobs given out to different firms?" "No. Johnson A Caraw handled everything, the painting, papering, upholstery, even the outside paint ing." "Then the only workmen who were In this house were In their em ploy?" "Yes. There was quite a lot ot them, working at various times. Per haps a doien altogether." "They were under supervision all the time?" "Yes, Indeed. A Mr. Holllday bad charge ot the whole Job. He was up here every day." "What were the working hours?" "From halt-past eight to four o'clock." fCenvrisM, Jilt, ev Walter 0. BroumJ Tomorrow, Harper elves Mrs Whltmore some atartllna tttforma tlon. PORTLAND, Ore., June 8. (UP) The federal PWA In Washington, D. C, haa approved the Mo.OOO bond Issue for the Klamath Palls armory. 0. O. Hockley, public works engineer for Oregon, notified R. X. Bradbury, In charge of negotiations tor the loan for the city of Klamath Palls, to thst effect today. Legal objections threatened for a time to prevent the loan's approval Bradbury made first application tor the loan In September of 1933, through the Portland PWA office. Children's "bean bags" may be fill ed with corn In Qulncjr, Mass., play grounds, because it la obeapef, KLAMATH ARMORY FUNDS APPROVED 0. S. C. GRADUATES CORVALLLS, Ore., June S. (P) Nearly four hundred students of Ore gon State college were awarded de grees, and four honorary degrees con ferred as the 65th annual commence ment exerclacs at the college reached their climax. At the baccalaureate services yes terday Dr. Titus Lowe of Portland, bishop of the Methodist Episcopal church, made an appeal for Individ ual and progressive thinking by American youth. David A. Wright of Salem was elected president of the Oregon State College Alumni association at the annual meeting here Saturday. At the graduating exercises today 396 students were awarded degrees, and senior honors conferred by the administrative council upon members of the class who had maintained the highest scholastic average throughout the year were announced. DILLINGER HIDING IN HOSPITAL IS BELIEF BOSTON, Jun 8. (AP) Th Bos ton American today quoted Joseph B. Keenan, asaiatant United States at torney general, as saying that John Dllltnger, notorious mid -western out law, Is In hiding in an Illinois hospi tal eufferng from gunshot wounds. Keenan, & native New Englander, was In Boston to address the Massachu setts Credit Union league and to sur vey the affairs of the closed Federal National bank. It has been ruled Illegal to ship slot machines Into New York state. S 'MATTER POP if TAH.SPIN TOMMY---Who Is HIE 'M MLLEi OF THIS WYSTEDV TUt ARTST HAS PfxvDeo you toim helpfll HO DO yoey TWAIK IS TiV GUILTY ONE ? Ufa MAN OR A U?orAN ? '89 ALLOT US! -"V r M.N6! rflCK" MV ALT; JT V. VDCK 0OI61AS , KIUD INADVEOTEAITIY-THE REAL MUSDEGE-D SUBSTITUTED VAI aeCIS BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER r. r-IINW uu 1 Y7 yc-3, cnuuum lu tJMT, ruw, HAvc YUU 'Jttn SBS- WcLL.WHILri we. WA'a WAFT M ANYTHING, V MAKE ME JUST A MR-PITTS? HIM AN' CAP'N IKE kH PAST CATFISH KEY. I SEEN CAP"N ' BEN ? Jl LITTLE MORE I MUSTVE HAD A SET-TO, AN' TM W IKE SHUSH SHIFTY INTO HIS Sctawy JimfflrtmL SUSPICIOUS. DAVE-J! THINKIN' SHIFTV COME OUT CABIN, AN' MAYBE SOME RUMPUS M lllllfTteT liSSBST DIDN'T START BEHIND THE CLOSED THE NEBBS Get Anotlier Boy rl &.IESS I'LL TELL MIM I HA-TE TO TE.LL ( MR. kJeBS, IT WAS MI&HTV BME OP VOO'RE RIGMT.-BOV, AkJOVMGL&O THAT TM MELP OBOECT TO 3 7 WIM AFTER ME SAVE ME VOO TO 6IVS MS TMS OKTOrTV WRE BIG Eu6uC-,W TO SEE IT- VOU HIS DICTATORIAL. MAWMERl f A CHA.KICE AKJD I'VE. j B,, WCe JSoTSme Oo5 1 ( SVM -Wwe AMO VU. TELL. Twe CASHIER AHO' MAV&E WE'LL GET MAO OMLV SOT TMEOOa HALP J V?,! "lS V TJS "y TO 6IVE VOU AM 6VTRA HUNDRED ) AMD QOT - BUT MO, WE'LL ( A 7-" oGrV TO GO TO WEti . DOLLARS TO BUY HER A LITTLE SI T ) SAW VOL) OUST LET ME S TO GO TO MV V- OUry TO 5Q TO WEH.. I TMAT OUGHT TO GET VOU BACK IM tT J HANIOLE TWEM AKJOTWEIsJ f 'VJr,Fe -rmr If ? I 71 ess. TAKES A LOKIGER. AR&LJMEKJT " a -11 BRINOINO UP FATHER ' By Oeorge McManuB THE SAME SMELT2 AN' f 1 . s fyES. VDU SAY THEY BROKE A. PHOOy y0? OIGGSIMTHE I VOu oomma (t2eE? HOLE 1NTHEWALLAMSOJWANT I I OF BACK ROOM-f- 4 bp A Ilaov US TO COMB AND BRING THEM Vr V ' J LyWOT I '.BIO. 1 IN"? NOTHIN-DOIN' THEYLL , , Tf M HMW muws UOAtK Vvrii: -J rr. . DO THE SAME THING HERE r-7 anw, L-fSO imymm jm i Jk JUBILEE FEATURE One of the most complete displays of Oregon Industrial products ever presented In the state ie Included In the Industrial exhibit which opened Monday afternoon In tho Natatorlum building for Jubilee week. Several hours can be spent Inspect- Guilty? flAlWHt GOV OJf. Shifty 's Shiner 1 ML'iiAuyi!! ,,ls "WnER CASTANET A 1$$, WON'T KNOCK-1 PUTJ Ing the numerous exhibition booths, some of which are unusually out standing. The list of exhibitors Is so extensive It Is difficult to announce and do Justice to all. The exhibit must be seen to be fully appreciated. Free entertainment will be pre sented during the afternoon and eve ning programs. Doors will be open dally at 1:30 and will close at 11 o'clock at night. Merchandise gifts j will be given to visitors throughout the week as well as thousands of samples of food, etc. Siamese kittens usually are . left with their mothers until they are three months old. IQeTTY0" eSrfWfiS KSV-eI7SJ CMXAIO WfjHUfE' MU. , I 'Wti6 "SOne DAY VOiy V"7 SOSV COUL0YT VllKAS-j SAIS"AK3 OA MIL.L PAY roZ HAV BEAT AXWTYiS SE SWtl HIVS V- THATjGetCS VtAKS-." 77ME VSOCArm COiA:.'" AVn1AZEiS-- iBUSiSAN HEIGHTS FRED PERLEV WAS CARRIED PASt MIS SfVtiOM THE OTHER NI6HT BECAUSE WHEK he tried to set" off he found his ooat was cftu&rt fast under a fellow "passek6er $0lm asleep ' (Copyright, 1834, by The Bell Syndicate, Inc.) If war i ICopyrlf bt. IBM. b The Bell TndlcU, Mll-"F YOU EVEQ LAY A iVAVO MISS GAQABS AGAA ni Ljyy&u may - FINALLY. OUT HOLOIN' HIS EVE AN' IF I'rA ANY JUDGE O' SHINERS, SHIFTY'S GOT THE NEATEST RAZZMATAZZ ON ONE O' HIS BLINKERS THAT EVER 1 SEE By GLUYAS WILLIAMS 6-S By 0. M. Paynej By Hal Forrest Is 3d QV " (OOiLD SIVE ANY lAIIAJGfD Gtr Rti) OP ' FFUOUJ3 MLKNSA By Edwin Alger -"ajB COAAE9 SHIFTS'. A MAN CARRY By Sol Hess
