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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1937)
PACT? TEN MEDFOKD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OR EG ON,' THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1937. the dark ships BY HULBERT FOOTMIR wigriri SYNOPSIS: NeiU, a vouwj . oral agent, findt hit beloved .' locked in cabin on Pre:t Tanning' yacht at Absalom Harbor. With her are a gun an: Fanning"! freshly shot body. NeiU nidet her nearby in a disused Uner, then joint Mark Bonniger, Iceen local investigator, to keep tab on developments. He thinks Janet shot the fiathy swindler until he learns a man wot hiding on the yacht. Then he ruspects Queer little Eyster, who hated Fanning. Alto in the picture are Kettering, a Baltimore lawyer down to fith, and Ira Bucklea, a .tough who trails NeiU. Bonniger decides to search the darlc ships, " asking Weill to help. Weill offers . M excuse to breik away. Chapter 29 We Are Trapped I "yOU don't mind rowing your- self ashore, do you?" Bon niger asked. "I don't want to take another man off the job." "Sure, that's all right," NeiU as anted. "Take one of the can and get back as quick as you can." Meanwhile Captain Bickel had unlocked a cabin door and the search party passed into the Mont morenci. Nelll turned the other way. The constable guarding the ' first gangway spoke to him as he came over. "Are you leaving us?" 1 "Got to go to the village," said NeiU casually. "Back in an hour." This man's beat was back and forth across the forward deck of the Montpelier so that he could watch the gangway on one side and the ladder on the other. He leaned over the rail watching , while NeiU ran down the ladder and cast off a skiff. Nelll headed for the shore. There was fresh southerly breeze to. night which capped the whole sur. (ace of the water with a gentle phosphorescence. This helped neui in one way, ninaerea mm in nofher. Amidst the general phos phorescence the dip of his oars could not be distinguished; but on the other hand he realized that the akirr itself must be silhouetted against the faintly luminous water. He went all the way to the land big. Satisfied then that he was out of sight, he rowed up river keep ing close to the beach for a hun dred yards or so, and headed back for the stern of the Montpelier. If the man on the after bridge caught light of him it was all up. He gained the shadow of the averhanging stern without any alarm being raised. Keeping as close as possible to the vessel, he rowed on around the bow of the Montmorenci and into the narrow ipace between the second and the third ships. It was like a chasm be tween the towering walls of steel, with a narrow slit of the night sky showing overhead. He had chosen to board the Montmorenci because the two out r vessels were of a newer style ef construction, built so high he eould not hope to climb to the deck. The Montmorenci had two promenade decks and he thought be could make the lower one. Amidships only about four feet separated the two vessels. He soft ly took in his oars, and pushed himself along with his hands. At Intervals heavy square cribs of Umber had been lowered between the vessels to keen them from chafing. NeiU tied his skiff to one of these, and climbed upon it By the aid of one of the ropes sus pending It from above, he hauled himself up to the promenade deck, and crouched under the rail, lis tening. The Alarm Goes Up ALL was still. Alongside ran the smooth steel hull of the Co lumbia with a row of dark port holes. Her promenade was some 10 feet higher. There were 11 men itattoned about the decks of the vessels but NeiU had the advan tage of knowing where each was placed. At the moment he was safe under cover of the promenade, but he would have to expose himself when he leaped over to the Co lumbia, and again from the Co lumbia to the Abraham Lincoln. Aft of where he crouched, he eould see a faint radiance issuing from the windows opening on deck. It came and went. This would be the searching party in side the ship. He crept to a ladder and ascended to the upper prom enade. He was now on a level with the Columbia's promenade. Be tween four and Ave feet separated rail from rail. He took off his boots and hung them around his neck. He made the first leap in safety and ran noiselessly aft along the promenade of the Columbia and around her stern. A roof overhead shielded him from the observa tion of the watcher on the after bridge. The promenade deck of the Abraham Lincoln alongside was on the same level. At NeiU made his second leap a surprised voice from above rang out: '"Heyl What's that? Haiti" and the light of a flash struck down between the vessels. The flash didn't pick him up. He ran forward on the promenade you a deer. (The Uncu,n ai nting upstream). To get around e bow, he had to expose himsell .j the watcher above, out this man .-.ad been drawn aft by the cry ol alarm and NeiU was not seen. The men on the different ship.' were shouting back and forth to each other, and NeiU could heai running feet converging on the Lincoln. He worked with feverish haste. First to count windows on the promenade; 12 from the bow There was plenty of rope. He un rolled a coil and tied it in a slip knot to a stanchion opposite the twelfth window, letting both ends hang overboard. He lowered himself over the rail. His calculations were right: he came down opposite the open window of the veranda outside Janet's suite. Swinging his legs In side, he caught hold of the top ol the frame and dropped to the deck The suite was dark, but he was aware of Janet's presence. He heard her catch her breath in mor tal fear, and snatch up the gun. "Jen!" he whispered. 'It's me. NeiU!" A shuddering breath escaped hei and the gun dropped to the floor. NeiU jerked the rope, bringing it free above, and let the whole thing fall in the river. The tide would carry it away. He caught Janet in his arms and held her close. 'There's Always A Way' OH, N-NEILLI" she stuttered, trying to laugh. "I thought they had mel ... I thought they had mel" "It's all right, Honey." "Why did you come that way?" "I had no choice. Thev are searching the ships." searching the ships!" He laughed to reassure her. "I'm one of the searching party!" un, new!" "It's all right! We'll fool them yet!" She clung to him silently. Aftei a moment she murmured, speak ing with difficulty: "No! . . . You must go back to them, NeiU!" "What!" "When I am found you must make out that you never saw me before." He laughed, rubbing his cheek In her hair. "Don't be foolish!" "I mean it, NeiU I There is nc need for you to be drawn into it You can help me more if you are free and unsuspected." "I m not going to leave We're in this togetherl" UU, 4, Oil . . .1 "Listen! Let's see If we can't dope out what they're up to." ne arew ner out on me veranda and they stood listenine at the open window. In the intense still ness, voices came drifting down from the boat deck. They distin guished Bonniger's voice. "You say you saw somebody aboard this vessel?" "I saw something, Mr. Bonniger A shadow, like, flitting across from rail to rail. When I turned my light that way, it was gone." Somebody else said: "I heard n splash." "We'll search this vpmpI " xaiH Bonniger. "If he was On deck he couldn't get down below," put in Bickel. "There is always a way, captain. I have already found one unlocked door, yonder. It leads into the en gine room." I here was a silence while Bickel presumably examined the door. ''Well, I'll be darned!" he said. "I'll rope this uo riant now. If he wen: down here he can't get out again.' "Forsythe," said Bonniger, "g. back to the Montmorenci anci bring over tru- rest of the searcl party. You men who are posted on deck, go back to your stations and keep a sharp lookout." The voices moved away out ol hearing. "We are trapped!" murmured Janet. "As Bonniger says, "there is al ways a way, said NeiU with more confidence than he felt. "Let us go down the rope ladder and swim for it." "Useless, Honey. The ladder would be found and we wouldn't get far." "Then let us give ourselves up and be done with it. What's the use of prolonging the agony?" "Nor "Have you any plan?" "Wait! I'm not going to give up until I am forced to. . . . Quick! We've got to clean up this cabin. We must leave It looking exactly as we found it." He snapped on the flashlight and laid it on the floor. He closed the windows on the veranda and the French windows, and they set about gathering up everything they had brought into the suite: ropes, bucket, spare clothes. The remains of the food and water were put in the bread box. It made a considerable load to divide be tween them. When they were ready, Nelll unbolted all the doors giving on the corridor as they had been when they came. They stole out, carrying their belongings. (CmiH, Hit, h Hmltwrt SaM Janet and Nelll play hide and seek with the searchers, tomorrow. 1 WASHINGTON. Oct. 7. (API Army engineer! said today they will aak the budget Bureau to Include 1130.000 in the nest war department civil functions appropriations bill for the conttructlnn of Mwe.il at Crescent City, Calif. The project. Involving construction of a rubble mound sand barrier from Whaler rock to the easterly shore of the harbor, has congressional ap proval. However, It must wait Its turn, and army engineer eeld "budget limitations" might force II out of lb aWtoprauoM UU next Jou. VETERINARY EXAMINER GIVEN REAPPOINTMENT SALEM. Oct. 7. (AP, John T. Rankin, Astoria, tortpv was imp pointtxj by Oovrrnor CharlfB H. Mar tin member of tn stAt veterinary medic examiner board. He will serv until July 33. 1941. Dr. A. O. Paddock, la Grande, m-a appointed a member of the board to succeed Dr. W. H. Lytle. now at the hrad of the enlniaj hunbawtry ritvi Blon of the state agricultural depart ment. Dr. B. T. Blmt, Oregon But col ten, aucceeda Dr. C. H. 9ft grave of Oregon City. Indict (iarr Itrnlhera. SHELBYV1IXE.' Ky.. Oct. 7. (AP) The Oarr Brother, Roy, Jack and Dr. B. 8.. were charjtM with wilful murder ol Brls. Oen. Ilrnry H. On hard t in an Indictment here late today by the Shelby county arena STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By JOHN HIX For farther proof addreae the author, taeloalnf a stamped envelop for reply. Bee. TJ. 8. Pat Off. THE WORLD AT ITS WORST By GLUYAS WILLIAMS Lucky eisveN tlTrt month or i.e4 K n i I A K rv. trwteiue tun &mt cjtWSWlRc3 fVSMN UHTU.1i 21 ioiAiMM i in sn't ar r r irtii-' fi f , I I I - - k LWQ. 9 .."'.vr Strange Nohnra. A land of strange contrasts U the "Mighty Sahara" of northern Africa. Covering an area of some 3,300.000 square miles, nearly equal In size to Europe, It la not. as popularly sup posed, a vast "sea of sand." Actually, more than half the sur face of the Sahara la composed of Jutting rocky plateaus, reaching from above the 1,000-foot line to an alti tude of 8.800 feot In tho volcanic cone of Tusldde. Mnny of the hlghsr des ert peaks ore crested with snow dur ing the winter months. The lower reaches of the desert are covered by vast stretches of sand that piles Into shifting dunos higher than the Washington monument. The 8a- MORS fwCn vURrnCc ilihn SfiND,, WDDie Of"fle f3REPT tTTiESr ZNOW-COVBREP MOUNTHNS hara Is crossed by the Great Rift val ley, the longest valley In the world, which stretches nearly 5.000 mile from one end of Africa to the other. One section In the Sahara dips to 100 feet below eea levell The sands of Sahara, once thought to be on marine origin, are now known to be otherwise. Scientists have learned that the sands were de posited In the Quartenary geological period, long after the last recorded marine transgression of pre-tortlary time. It Is believed that they are the product of changing meteorolog ical conditions which accompanied the retreat of Europe's great tee-cap toward the end of the Ice age. Tho Sahara changed from a moist, trop ical region to one of dry winds and Intense heat that left its soil to the elements. Mystery will. "To my wife. If she be living with me at the time of my death, I be queath all my monies, stock and Jewelry, my automobile and house hold effects." Three weeks before he died. June 7, 1037. Monroe Owsley, Hollywood screen actor, drew a will that In cluded this paragraph. Yet, strange as It seems, his "wife" did not claim his effects, because Owsley never had married 1 If tho "phintom bride" was a real person In Owsley's mind, her Identity remains a mystery. lo-l AFTER 1YTH6 UNCOMFORTABLY OH VOUR STOMACH UNDER fHC F6R HALF AN' HOUR V01) DISCOVER TftPfTTME REST" OF The hide-ant- seek plavers have sot tired of the 6am e and have 60ne off somewhere (OopTrlght, 1937, by The Bell Byadlcata, Ine.) VuiUlrXfTS 3 MATTER POf By 0 M PAYNE Tomorrow: Kurope's "Mass .thill-cntlon." Girl Shoots Suitor, Suicides In Quarrel EMMETT. Ida. Oct. 7. (API With a bullet In her suitors' back and an other through her own heart. 15-year-od Anna Jean Phlpps ended a romance that blo.ssomed for a year, authorities mild today. Mlae Phlppe, preety daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William J. Phlpps of Em met I died with a bullet through her heart. Audle RObrett, 31, of Kansas City. Mo., was taken to a Boise hos pital where physicians termed hla condition favorable. Coroner Merle Bucknum said the shooting occurred late last night near Ola, In western Idaho. "Prom all we can gather." he said, "the two went for a ride. Apparently they quarrelled. SINGAPORE, Strait Settlement. Oct. 7. (API Three members of the crew of a K. L. M. Royal Dutch Air ways plane and one passenger were killed today when the craft crashed near Pnlembang, Sumatra, TAILSPIN TOMMY Tommy Concerned About Betty-Lou! ff b i VSjr'a3! Bsj. (Copyright, 1W7, by The Bell Syndicate, Inc.) A it is night at the bemtly dude ranch... and the re6ular week- end dance is being meld. .tommy and betty-lou have managed to get into the good gmces of bentiy especially the pretty girl pilot, much to the obvious jealousy op rita duval . as the scene now opens , we see tommy and his sweetheart dancima ' 2935 Bv HAL FORRJ,0 AThV-N ;HNmTE0H,M l f .TLL 1 ' Jl ito'HAPs' E'LL-Iirl 17 BEmT j BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER Great Expectations? By ED WIN ALGER THE NEBBS H m, MP., y RAV.6. I'VE. r-ff 4 1 HOW PIP TO BE PERFECTLY "SI II I JASOM JOH6. TMfc -SI U 0H, BUT.MI&TtB. U WHaVre YOU- fc 6Eer,E!k YWE r M- l T y THEV OOUTfiJ aMOUWT 0F FREIGHT WE T YJt&WER, YOU'LL OOIVJG, W00IVJ6 P MU&GET HUE- J MISTER. 1 n 1 LOOK VERY 6OO0 - L CARRY IS HARDLY EW0U6H R "500U CHAKi6E THIUflS.' I 7 ME? JL-J V4E65TER- j T0 EPENESW ' Stranger to Me ?AV BOUCE DO VOU - ?'V7'; ' iF 1X5 PUMMV. WE W&D OTHEK 'i.'jT vMT MDENOU "tf WO,l MELVEIR f" E.VE1R. MEET A FELLER ffitf'Jy?-- W PEOPLE ASK ME TUE SAME ? f ASK TWAT OUEStlONJ, MET HIM. 1 NrlYEQ BV TUE NAME OP JOMM J ' ''i' , QUESTlONsI TMEV SAV ME LOOkT5 Zlr'Z SWEET HEART- DlO VOU SEED UlM KJElTHER IlKJIBROC TUEV CALLEO I r-:':: U MV TW1M AMD 1 S MEET HIM AMD WAS ..M5. ME65 ASKED HIM DAtOCrV MIBROC J lW I UMOEQSTAN4D HE'S A 1 HE BRAG&'NJe 4 ME TO ASK YOU By SOt HESS
