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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (July 2, 1937)
PAGE FOURTEEN" MEDFORD MAIL TRIBTJXE, SfEDFORD, OREGON. FRIDAY. JULY 2. 1937. E3UDDGD OD TOG DLUC7F irM rVI24 Chapter 50 Mike Faces the Teat "VTOT i lunkhead." Gy said in withering voice. "Just a moron!" Walking back into Biggins' room, the went the far wall with eager eyes and moved straight to the bole In the plaster. "Here you are, aleuth. Some time when you're short of cash, why don't you sell that head of yours for a curiosity? You wouldn't miss It." I tried to look crushed and 1 man aged to beam like an idiot "1 must be getting old," 1 murmured. "Or feeble-minded," said Gay. "Come on to breakfast." . "Go ahead down. I'll collect Mi chael and the aunt. I think the Skip per will bo ail right for halt an hour." There was one danger that 1 had overlooked the likelihood of our be ing intercepted In the hall. But Gay solved my problem before I could be gin to tusclo with It "I'll go through the kitchen and tee if they need help," she said. "Do you think you can get two whole people down the stairs before another brain storm strikes you?" I turned my back on her, but I didn't move until 1 heard her reach the kitchen. Then I turned and gal loped down tho hall at full speed. Outside Michael's room I paused long enough to screw my face into a glum expression and thrust my hands de jectedly Into my pockets. Michael turned a red face from his ene-handed struggle with a tie. "It's about time," he said. "Fix this damn thing, will you, before I go completely nuts?" mrm "Here you are, sleuth," I fixed It, sank gloomily upon the bed, and took to a studious contem plation of the floor. Michael grunted into a vest, twore himself into a coat, elected a handkerchief to his taste, ind Anally became conscious of me. This Damned Murder Feat "tlTELL," he said Irritably, "now I what's til mntter. Aren't things bad enough without any high tragedy from you?" "Mike," I said, "1 don't like it." "You don't say. No" look at me. I lust lovo itl Another minute and I'll be turning handsprings." That mood always annoyed me. 1 lei my irritation go with a vengeance. "Don't be any more of an Imbecile than you have to!" 1 mapped. "And keep your voUro down. There's no crying necessity for waking the Skip per that I can see." "Who's waking the Skipper?" He flipped open his cigarette case, found It empty and flung It violently on the bed. "Damn it, Jimmie, 1 simply re quest that you do something besides run around looking like Banquo's ghost. For God's sake get over the idea that you're the only person with a headachel I'm the host of this damned murder (est, If you recall." 1 was asnamea ui myself. It was bad enough to plaa cold-bloodedly the proof that your best friend was a murderer, but to bait him was inex cusable. Stealing a glance at him, 1 nearlv abandoned the whole Idea. He looked terrible. "I'm sorry," I said. "I'm I'm sorry." He stared at ma a moment. "Don t look ilka that!" he growled. "It's my fault. I'm Jumpy. Forget it." "All right" I shoved my cigarettes at him. "Any sound from the Skip per?" "No. I wish wa could get a doctor here now. Jim" The flare of the match lighted up his drawn face. "You don't suppose this will have any after eflecta heart or anything do you?" "I don't see why It should," 1 said. "If It does," said Michael bitterly, "I'll never forgive myself." "You?" Great Godl Was the craiy fool going to confide hit guilt to ma just at 1 was busily trying to prove It for myself? "Don't be absurd, manl What have you got to do with It?" "If I'd Insisted on her going south, sha would have been forced to tell me what was on her mind, and my father would have been sent back where be belonged." It took me fully 10 seconds to get my breath. "You think your father's presence caused all this?" "It must have. It was the only un usual thing that I can think of." Michael crushed his barely lighted cigarette. I studied his face. "Do you think that also explains Hlgglns' extraordinary behavior?" "No." The face was cloudy. "Damn it, it doesn't explain anything. Jim, what could have ailed him?" "You've got me, Mike," 1 said truthfully. Has It occurred to you that there's something mighty pecu liar about the way Higglns died?" He whirled on me. "What do you mean?" "Well," I was picking my words with care, "when a bullet goes through a man's head, It lands some where. Of course, the police will be better than I was, but I'll be damned If I can And It anywhere." His eyes were boring into my face. "Are you sure it went through?" "Positive. There's a mark where It want in and a gash where It came out." I delivered the end of that sentence to an empty room. Michael had start ed for Higglns' door, and if he got a glimpse of the face under that blan ket before I had staged my act it was all over. Everything I had went Into the sprint that brought me up to him just as ha halted at tha side of the bed. Two seconds later and 1 would not have been in time to grat the hand he reached toward the blanket Masterly Acting, Or "pvONT, Mike. It's pretty bad." J-S Ordinarily wild horses couldn't have stopped him. Was it exhaustion or was It guilt in his face and trem bling hands? "Perhaps you're right." His voice waa mufTled. There was a silence and then he straightened up. "All we have to do Is reconstruct the scene. He must have been either on the bed or beside It unless someone moved him. Did anyone touch him?" "Not so far as I know," I said In the steadiest voice 1 could muster. "Thrn ha must have been doing one of the two. That means that the bullet" His eyes turned to the far wall and picked out the splotch in the plaster Immediately. His voice stopped. The next Instant his grasp on my arm made me wince. "Whal the devil la the big Idea?" I was fighting to keep my voice down. "What do you mean7" 'That bullet Is right where II should be. What kind of damned stunt is this?" I shook him off. "I don't know whal you're talking about." I grated. 'There Isn't any Bullet. I've been ovet this door a dozen times even moved the bed and looked In the hall. If you find anything, you're better than ami" There was an awful moment of si lence, and then Michael began to chuckle a chuckle that sent tht blood back Into my singing head. "Jimmie" he said. "Jlmmle you're a dudl Higglns was oh, Lord! left-handed! Look." He pointed to the far wall. ".Here's your bullet, right where it ought to be." Either 1 was witnessing some mas terly acting or Michael had no con ception of the state In which the body had been found. I stared at that tiny section of cracked plaster as If I had never seen It before in my life. "Come along," he said at last "You need food!" If my little attempt did nothing else, It had at least restored Michael to a good humor. He was still chuck ling when we reached the stairs. "Go look after your love-life," I said. "I'll get the aunt I'U cough when " "It won't be necessary," said Mi chael, clattering down the stairs. M. Farrlngton atone remained, and I rather relished the Idea of an en counter with the Irascible old lady. 1 knocked on her door and called. "It's Jimmie, Aunt fartha." There was a slight pause and then a truculent voice said, "Come in." fCopiWeai. HIT. Iitasr rIr Aunt Martha drplrts the drain scene In lllsflna' room, Mondar. CHARGE OIL IN DODGED TAX LAW WASHINGTON. July 3. ( AP A trfMtiry Attorney told the conarw lonal tux committer todAy UjuIb B'auMfln, a tlnltimorr. Md,, oil man. had rffeotrd tn Mvttwa of at leaM $100 000 tnnrc 1934 by rnntlnn ol 04 triinU for hit wife And children. Paul W. Burton, mi internal rev enue bureau attorney, anld BluuetcUl. founder of the Lord flaltlniuro Rll 1114 aiattww, Inc., and a pioneer In the field of "hi-;h tent" pswline, cre ated tl:r true-U ahortly before nr ij hia oil IntereftA to the Stnr.dttru Oil romps nr of Indiana in ifl.u profit or 3.f.P7,2. D rut on aid 19 of tv tr.iM were for BlauMaln'a wife, rr hi rn. Jarob. 1? for v.t dnr.riifs Hah. and 14 lor tola duutiuiu l-auuy. STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By JOHN HIX Tor further proof address tha a nth or, iaelattac a stamped envelop (or reply. Kef. V. 8. Pat Oat J 1 1 1 Ihe AMZIH& comcmct OF 2 HtQR0$ MTti Trie rW WSRe IMPRISONED IH 1He $AMB PBHlTSHTlARi leftveNwoRiH, foRiHeeAMB CVMS, MDRPER HbD SIMILAR iOOYSQ S0 MUCH rSUKS THAT prison Off iciM$Trt0U6nT1HeM 0 &E QHE AND THB $AM MAN - Yfcf NEiTHER Htt? EVER SEEM . Ok KEftRP OETHE OTHER UNTiU THEY Met IH PRISON REPRESENTMMS, MORS HATS IN C0N6R&S Tetaz, ViAiiPPOSEPTo&E NhrAeO RoVPftUfc. c MISSPELLED iTrSNPfrlS, ERROR STUCK Film Honeymooners Mobbed In Hawaii HONOLULU, July 3. (AP Morr t!ian IVO00 exoltrd person jammed tin waterfront today to welcome Molly wood'a neweat honey moo ner. Mnry Pirkford and rharlr "Buddy" It. vera, and Jeanette MarOonald and leno Itaymond. They reached the inlands ou the aanie liner. Raymond and Mtaa MacOonald i-ame aahore Immediately. They a-ere nearly mobbed and acre finally t tken ay py police eacort around their automobile. rtiry aald they would remain about alx wi-ekB. Mtaa Picfcrord and Roera stayed tuoard the ahlp, uppnrently to avoid trr crowd on the docka. Wrestler Detton Injured In Match MINNEAPOLIS. Mlun.. July 3.-f AP Jaek Washburn, manager of ln J O-tton, who loat hia claima to the J world heavyweight rmptomhip I iMewlnj niRht. Mid the wit-Mirr sul- ; Jcici Ul&located. vertebrae wlieu Ue I West Sleets Wes-t Convict numbers 2620 And 3426 stared across the room at each other. So far as appearances went, they might well have been looking Into mirrors. Pew Identical twins could have borne a greflter resemblance. To make matters still more fantastic, their names were almost Identical. Convict 2626 waa William West. Con vict 3426 waa Will Weal. They met under amazing circumstances. Will West, a convicted murderer, was brought to Leavenworth In 1003 and taken to the record office to be photographed and measured. The clerlt In charge, thinking that he rec ognlzed the prisoner, naked him why he was being recorded Agnln. The prisoner denied having gone through the Identification process before. Un believingly, the elok went to his flten. looked under the name the negro had given and found photogrnphs and measurements of a convict nam ed William West. The photogrnphs gave an almost perfect likeness of the prisoner In front of the desk and the Bertlllon measurements were almost exactly the same, but Will West sttll denied having been previously re corded. The cleric refused to believe him in the face of the evidence. A cll was put through to the war den's office. "What's the gag being pulled here by convict West?" was the query. Hc'a already been record ed, yet he's here In the office claim ing he's a new prisoner." A hasty check-up was made and William Wcs was found to be at his work. He was brought to the Identification office. There the weird coincidence between the two convict was dis closed. William West had been com mitted to a life sentence in the prison two years before for murder, the same crime that had brought Will West there. The convicts had never seen or heard of each other be fore they met In the record office. Known as the "History of the West Brothers' Identification," the case Is cited by John Edgar Hoover, director of the federal bureau of Investiga tion, as an Illustration of the fact that Bertlllon measurements are not an infallible means of Identification. Based on such physical measure ments as the length of the head, width of the ears, height, color of hair, etc., the Bertlllon system has been largely superseded by the mod ern system of fingerprinting. A difference was found in a comparison of the "West Brothers' " fingerprints. No two sets of fingerprints have ever been found to be the same. waa defeated by Bronko Nag ur ski. Physicians advised Detton to re main out of wrestling for at least 60 daye, Washburn mild. Detton left by plane for Los Angeles, where he Is to be further examined. A baseball derailed a street car In Pratt City. Ala. Big Apricot Crop In Dalles Sector THE DALLES. July 2 AP) Orch erdlsts made preparations today to pick approximately 1200 tons of apricots, the heaviest crop In 10 years. Growers' pools have signed SO per cnt of the output. Marketing will be divided between can ne rs and the fresh fruit trade. Early peaches are now reaching the market. The crop Is of outstanding quality and the tonnage greater than expected after the sub-zero tempera tures lost winter. WHOSE DEAL? By GLUYAS WILLIAMS wiuArtS $1AR-ft KAUN6 8KISKI.V CFr&NEHf M HER RIGHT REMARKS SHE POESN'f TrtlrtK IfS HER DEAL CLAIMS rf MUST BE HE.R DEAL.-fHE CURDS WERE HERE Af HER LEFf tilS OPENS UP LIVELY FOtfR-WAY DEBRTE AS lb WH6 MACE fHE CARDS UP AMDWHODEftLf Lft&f fiME 5" fT IIf PEBPfTE, AMD RE- 6ET5 $Tl?AI6H1lENED OUT, OPPONENT REMARKS IP if SUMES DEAUH6 BUTCaHT AND 60K ON DEALING WEPE PXAllV HFR DEAL SHE'D BE U5lNe THE RED CARDS, N&T -THE BLUE. ARGU MENT is Wipe open awn REMEMBER WHO SHCULD 6E-T NEW CAW?, WnfERS HWlt06lb COUNT -THEIR. CARDS fiERVONE A6REEIN6 AT LAST IT DOESN'T MATTER, FINISHES DEAL, COMING OOT Wifrt ONE CARD LEFT OVEK (Copyright, 1837, by Th Bell Syndicate. Inc.) S 'MATTER POP By C. M. PAYNE rr-Pc t-4elis.il o-tta 7- J 1 I I x. . I DO VA IMKVAOUCD) 'JCVl ) M J 1 iT 6E.COMD J Y) ( l) 'T0OJ ni CO oa ) TAILSPIN TOMMY Deeper Into Danger I By HAL FORREST MeriACE-D B V "mbe-rs op- THE- tSPIOMAGE- SAMG, TOMMY, ALTHOUGH SE-NSIMG THE- TE-MSE-ne-ss THE- SITUATIOn, HOPES TO COhVlriCE-JOStf- ORT THAT HE" IS TOMY LACEY, SLAIh SPY PILOT, WHO GRE-ATLY RESEMBLED HIM. il 2652 OKAY. LACE-Y.. I JUST WAriTE-D TO BE- SURE- THIS I WASMT A PLAMT.' WHEN CAN YOU FLY?J I 1 K SIT S AMD LE-T'S SEE- YOUR N " DOWM, VPILOT'S LICE-MSE-... I VM.. h FLYER .' ) ' : l .nav AP1Y TIME'N . . I TOMIGHT, (GOOD.'V LawbamjaaBsMia i ims&sa&inn I'LL BE; READY TO GO WITH I YOU.1 ..THE CHIEF- HAS A VERY SPECIAL JOB ON F-OR TOMIGHT. J- Si ' BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER Big Surprise! By EDWIN ALGER WIWC O'CLOCK. AUO I'm . . I r n.rr. . . . ' 1 ' purrucw vu oc Uf AT SIK AMD ' IHC WORE EVEU VJOWDER. WW TWt ALARM DIDU'T fio ofp ? . . , . , 7A id i ur -i Mil A ' AWID THi le, Tu MOOUlwlft V N KIOT I COULD ViCX Me,tLF FOR. OVER- LtePIUC3 r' CjEE,'A c.OR.Ry I'M LATE, U0CilU9, 6UT- AK1' Me PICiftF-aPD VOH uiit ) W0RK.Wi' TOO HARD SO WE TURWEO OFP THE ALARM OU OLl-AV0' VOUR OVtRS,LEePlM I PROVES VUE v RIGHT, TOC THE ) S SREAD ? J COME AUD CjOWE.'sOW ! EVtRV LAV LOAF E,OLD.' IT'S A WOW 7t$ 'fU IIKE AT 90) THE NEBBS-It's for Money and It's Funny SOT FTES3 Y i exxrr care iht i "X NOu donjt tell) I 50T LAIO OPF-THE OJLY Me ? LOJO ,s J ' TWSJG MISS IS TWE IV ,T T Mowev, amd ew the ujav J. Z FPl.LPO UAMcn PsPLJCP 1 WSM eOMEPODV UjOULD :"cvcrow r.w c ,er , . . ,. OUT 1 TWINJ HE PUT J.B A eOX Oe ( K,TCHENJ vismiOS. KEEPuufi TW!T SCME MONJEV INJ MAX'S rVL 'T ' ' UCT d rrcrn -ruc-.o x..r-o -7. 1 rccr.M 10 Nv 1-1- ljc-c. o-erivi -m i-KCln )UWVJ -tJUtoWT L I . . -. . i u-v . V- Y fevn MET A BOX or CANJDY AX)' PAPPY A CAKJ OP ' - ' - J' w - OEALOUS BOTiC ATE ALMOST j DV 1 ANJU I D'1JT A?X MO I o.-esTiosjs 1 lVI - ' i i ArxcTv V b, 'Blk rff . - Y I 1 ft tSt 15T TV Bnt U.) V TEAR. TVE &-L- IN V
