Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 1938)
r r ITDFOTID MAnTTlTBTTNTE, METTFOTtD, OREGON. TTEDNESD AY. SEPTEFBER Y 1938. I I By MAX SALTMARSHj Hugo Stern; fiandfom author, living on tht French Riviera. Archie Lamiden, mytl, Hu qo'i friend. Rene Geiss, a singularly un pleasant cartoonist. Testerdmy: Geise ft alibied for the murder of the mannequin, te Monet, and the American de tective, O'Donnelt, by a party at hie home. Chapter Ssven Jean-Francoit THE next morning u I was eat ing breakfast on the terrace, Hugo came towards me, an unlit pipe between his teeth, his face lomber. "The police chief wants us down at the town hall at noon," he went on. "I've Just been talking to him on the phone. The examining mag istrate arrived from Grasse at some unearthly hour this morning. Now he proposes to put us all through the hoop." He broke off to pack some to bacco into his pipe. "I don't think we need worry about the inquiry," he added rather dubiously, so long as we stick to the truth and nothing but the truth, but not quite the whole truth which means that I'm still not mention ing the message O'Donnell left for me. 1 know the French police. They're devilish sharp, but they're suspicious by nature and still more suspicious by cultivated habit of thought as witness their Code Na poleon, which considers a man fiuilty until he can prove himself nnocent. If I mentioned Pat's mes sage, I should have to tell them the contents of it, and the 'des perately urgent counting on you' bit would at once make them smell something fishy." He paused to ap ply a match to his pipe. "I've warned Penelope to keep her niouth shut about the message," aid he, "and there the matter ends until I've discovered what poor Pat meant by it." i starea at mm. Am j to take It from that, that you're proposing to carry out an independent inves tigation into O'Donnell's death?" "Just that," he agreed grimly. "As far as the local authorities are ware, ODonnell was a bond salesman, presumably on a vaca tion, but I'm taking run In the tar this afternoon across the Ital ian frontier. I know a fellow in Now York who was a close friend of Pat's and I'll send him a cable from Ventimiglia, reporting his death. He'll know what to do about it If Pat was over here on busi ness, it's probable his firm will lend someone over to investigate ind finish off the Job. but it'll be a mn'.::r of ten days before he can arrive, and meanwhile the scent'll be cold. I Intend to carry on my self in the meantime, though fll be working pretty much in the dark. Archie " He swung round on me suddenly. "Are you dead let on finishing yur yachting trip? I'd be uncommonly glad if you'd itay on here to give me a hand. After all, you took that girl's death to heart, and I've a strong feeling the two crimes are connected." I hesitated. Mark Lumsden would, I knew, be more than an noyed if I did as Hugo asked, for we had planned this trip on his little ketch for over a year. But on the other hand, there were two other fellows on board, so that I should in no sense be leaving him In the lurch, and even as the last excusing thought came to me, I knew that I had decided. "All right," I said, "I'll stay," nd felt as I spoke the words a aueer, premonitory tingle, half read, half excitement run through me. "Good man!" said he, and held out a muscular hand. "Shake on Itl" He broke off sharply, gave a sudden, inarticulate howl of rage, and swung his legs over the balus trade. Next instant from the lower terrace came sounds closely re sembling a dog-fight I disentan gled myself from my breakfast ta ble and in two strides was at the marble rail, peering over. For a moment all I could see were two stniRRling bodies, one In red and black, the other In dingy gray, rolling over and over at the foot of a gnarled and ancient olive tree; but as I looked they disentangled themselves and Hugo got to his feet dragging with him by the coat-collar a crumo'ed figure. 'A Little Investigating IT WAS a young lad, hardly more 1 than a boy, with a sallow, hand lome face, long, sloe-like eyes, and a mop of rullled black hair, and to my surprise he made no effort to struggle against the rough-house he was going through, but hung limp In Hugo's hands, making what appeared to be deprecating and conciliatory noises. "Pardon, monsieur," he gasped. "I beg of you to let me gol I apolo gire for the intrusion." Hiiro snorted with disgust. "Another of these French re porters," he observed to me. ''Couldn't get in at the front and comes snooping round over the wall to see what he could eaves drop." He swung back on the lad, raising a menacing fist. "Be off with you now," he said warning ly. "And make it snappy if you rant to keep a whole seat to your pants." The lad looked from one to the other of us appealingly. "But monsieur," he Implored, "one little word is ail I ask one small pho tograph," and he stooped, agile as a monkey, but with a cautious eye on Hugo s foot and retrieved from the long grass something that I saw to be a bulky press-camera. "Just a minute, I said quickly. "Let me handle thU. will you?" Hugo stared at me. "As you like," he agreed grudgingly, and added on a warning note: "but watch your step, Archie. Don't give anything away." "Not on your life," I reassured him, and I motioned to the lad to follow me along the terrace to the boundary wall. "Now then," I said, "let's get this straightened out What paper do you represent?" "The Marseille Soir, monsieur." he answered nervously. "The Marseille Soir?" I repeat ed. "Not a big paper, I take it, and this, I wouldn't wonder, is your first job?" He nodded. "I see." said L "Your first big chance, and you would risk any thing to make good. Well, now, just what did you want a photo graph or two?" "And a story, monsieur," ha said eagerly. "A small, little wordl It would mean" he drew himself up, throwing out his puny cheat "my future my careerl" "Oho," said I, reflecting that the paper must indeed be a small one if ft combined cameraman and re- Eorter in one person, "well, see ere. I've a proposition to make to you. I can't give you a story, but I might come to an arrange ment with you. How much does your paper pay you?" He flushed at that. There is no regular emolument," he admitted. "It is a matter of commission." "Better and better," said L "Then you're a free-lance and your time is your own? 1 take it you would be able, it funds were avail able, to stay on here in Cannes story to be written up at the end of the time?" Ha nodded vigorously. His face was puzzled, but his eyes were brightly intelligent. "Well," I said, "the position Is this. I may want certain informa tion that I'm not In a position to oDtain mysell, and ir, in the mean time, I allow you to take a photo graph of me, and if, say for the next fortnight I pay you a certain sum per day to enable'you to stay on here, I take it that you'd be willing to do a little investigating for me in your spare time?" The Red Delage THE boy stared at me, and for a moment I fancied there were tears in his eyes. "Monsieur." he said very solemnly, "I am your man, L Jean-Francois Lubec! Though I am Marseillais, my frandmother lives in Cannes, and know the town as I know this," and he kissed the back of his hand "I can stay with her without com ment and what you wish to know I can discover for you." "May it be so!" I assented pious ly. presented him with a couple of hundred-franc notes. "That's for the first two days," I said. "You can meet me by the wall here every evening at say, ten o'clock and report progress, and now take your blooming photograph and be off with you'' He posed me with artistic care against the wall and did his stuff: and then, as he unslung his big Instrument, he looked ud at me curiously. "And the information, monsieur?" he asked. "What is the first Inquiry to be?" Just this, I told him. "1 want you to find out whatever you can about Monsieur Ren6 Geiss: his habits of life, his domestic staff and arrangements, and his friends; and particularly I want to hear something about the party he was giving last night" ne gave mo another sharp up ward look, full of comprehension. "Monsieur," he said softly, "1 will find out what I can, and especially I will try to find out where Mon sieur Geiss was from the time he . left his villa at ten-thirty last night until he returned to it at midnight" It was very still there on the sun-filled terrace among the olive trees, ror an instant i stared at the lad: then I took a swift step forward and gripped him by the shoulder. "And what the devil do you mean by that?" I demanded. He disengaged himself, grimac ing with pain. "Nothing more than I said, but you understand that Monsieur Geiss is always news, and in the course of talk this morning with my confreres" Again he threw out his chest proudly. "One mentioned that at half past ten last night he had seen Monsieur Geiss slip out on foot from the small garden door that lead., into the I. ne at the side of his house. Then another colleague spoke up and said that he had seen Monsieur Geiss return In his car at midnight and leave it in the garage at the corner of the rue du Dragon, where he is nccustomcd to keep it I was sufficiently Im pressed by the discrepancy in the stories to offer a cigarette to the mechanic at the garage and heard from him that It wai so. The car of Monsieur Geiss, a red Delate, was taken out by another con eman. a dark gentleman of medium height here he eyed me oddly at nine In the evening " "Jean-Francois." I said solemn ly, "you're worth your weight in more than cigarettes Get on with the Job. I feel, somehow, that you uuii i uccu any uiuio uiau uiuuu. from me." fCorvHeM l.t. Uitt Snllmnrik; Tomorrow: The InqalrT. Roscburg Power Cut By Tree Fall nODEBUHO, Ore., Sept. 7. (API Rjspburg was without elrctrlc power tor two hours Tuesday when a Iree lell across the Rosebura-Proepect transmission line about ftve miles south nt Dlxonvllle. The Springfield power plant was unable to assume the additional load, while a pari of the equipment was down at the Marshfleld steam plant and eneray could not be ob tained ovei fie R'ehuin-MM"i.hl:e!d lire u rjl fir mirMi-ry there could be restored to service. 13 Months Sentence For Farmer's Kidnap BPOKAM!. Sept. 7. (AIM-I'.nd-Inn guilty to a kidnap conspiracy charge Involving an Idaho farmer, Lee Wallace TomblMon, 36. wns sen tenced toda In U. a district court to 1 months In McNeil Island fed eral penitentiary. I. O. Ansells. Portland attomet. and Anthony oargutlo pleaded Inuo cent. They were Indicted on the sumo charge All were arretted t P.i t -land The Knverntiirnt ac.i.l tlicm ft bringing Thomas Low-e, Benewah STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By JOHN HIX For farther proof address the author, Inclosing a stamped envelope for reply. Kef. V. 8. Pat. Off. phase tumi oh all Lights mot is,r:J?!JV Aw A . m. ?- I 1 a 1ta IS POSTED THR0U6HOUT &OULDER DAM' LbRGtt ELBCTRlCfbHERPM IN THZ WORLD 1 .JT- v . V Jr. .1? I SWZ K Hi or IN IHm EKKIICKy, TkfeN WrYs-friE FIRST 'MPhl IH OKLkHoMh To &E TRfED FOR , I MURDER UNPER HlSOWN LhVJj 1 First fHty WERE NTeRP oHmZAMBPAV mo- ' FLoor OF THemPIRE9tffi eUILDtH3 AMD Wf ItfPiRP ON Tri STREET. I05OFKT&LOW f -IQ12 - Mightiest concentration of elec trical energy ever achieved .Is Boulder Dam, Nevada, containing 15 gener ators of 82,500 kllovolt -ampere ca pacity and two of 40.000 kllovolt- amnere capacity a total of more than 1,000,000 kva. Each of the larger genernotrs Is alone- capable of lighting 15 cities the atze of Denver, Colo.; water turn ing the giant turbines flows from spillways at a rate of 10.000 gallons each second, frilling farther than the waters of Niagara. A visitor to this super-spectacle of electrical engineering, rendered speechless by the Immensity of It all. Is but mildly shocked as a con sequence on beholding numerous signs posted throughout the Boulder power station, reading: "PLEASE TURN OPP ALL LIGHTS NOT AC TUALLY IN USE." Convicted I ntler Own Ijiu. f.rst man indicted and tried for murder under the provisions of a law which he had Introduced Into the Oklahoma legislature was Ira N Terrill, member of that body. . Terrlll, after successfully Introduc ing and sponsoring a law providing for capital punishment by hanging, for first degree murder, was himself convicted of murder in 1892. Once condemned to the gallows, his sen tence later was changed to a term of 12 years Imprisonment. He served out 10 years and three months before being released. THE WORLD AT ITS WORST BY GLUYAS WILLIAMS JUSf AS V0U FINISH TTEMONSlfcAT- JLX ' IMS 1b Y0l)R WIFE HOW EASV Jyff W b TO LOCK "THE CAR POORS Li' MANIPULATING fHF HANDLES YOl Q.f DISCOVER "THAT 5HE LEPf -fH KEY 7 to IN -THE IGNrflOrt . CWAS (Copyright, 1938, by The Bell Syndicate, Inc.) 8 MATTER POI By 0 tVl PAYNE Tomorrow: The Blind Postman, county, Idaho, farmer, to Spokane under pretense of arrest last July 5 and extorting $795 from him for ball." COMPANION OF MRS. F. R. GETS CAPITAL DIVORCE WASHINGTON. Sept. 7. ( AP) Mrs. Malvlna Thompson Schelder, personal secretnry and traveling com panion of Mrs. Franklin D. Roose velt, has obtained a divorce from Frank J. Schelder, of New York. The decree, which becomes abso lute In six months, was entered Fri day, but was not disclosed until to day. It was based on a District of Columbia law which defines five years voluntary separation as grounds for divorce. 150 PICKERS BUSY IN APPLEGATE HOP YARD BIO APPLEOATE. .Sept. 7. (Spl The supervised activity of the hop field at harvest time may be observed now at the B. M. Ctute yards, wher? picking of the fat green clusters is in full swing. About 150 pickers are working, most of them southern Ore gon people. A few children are em ployed. Two new cabins have been added to the set up. making 15 cabins occu pied as living quarters for pickers and their families. Mrs. Maude Har riott Is In charge of a commissary on the grounds. The crop Is good thts year, and free from spiders, aphis and other pests. - - . Use Mall moune Want Adi. r NOW- MICE, iTJlJ- fo MARVELOU5! V int&tlockin6) ' 7 Just like. 7 V TAILSPIN TOMMY Ominous Letter I By HAL FORREST BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER-Earthquaka Coming? By EDWIN ALGE -Sj (HOW'D V0U COME f PRETTY 6000, RUSTY- Y.. AND WEU SAWPIeA Uw&iCwE'U BUST THE JIPPEmI f OH, BOY, T OKAY LET'S XJw -7 0UT IM X COME ON IN THE I EVERY HOUSE AND TEIL fcwjsc 5 HOLD OH THE MARKET 6 W UT'S Ll START W&i?y8$m-W ZTLS VT7 BEN? J HOUSE AND I'LL TELL I FOLKS LOU SAXTON WLLN-JJ. -f-f wit 0PENERN--'N . 60IN1' rlfe SATHERlNS &'S4witl SL. iVfT VOU- Y HAVE THE E6GS FOR ZhJL r Va EARTHQUAKI "WllJ UfejF ft 5 J vil " lS uOJJ AC VOU WMT 15 'S? AC ( WELU.SAMMV, F VOU A PL-ES& STtNe, 1 STEVE , VOURE A GREAT GUV N fp.yeo eiMMCiLLVjOu imquisitive ore V A little cough X DOnjt pOu mo fsou mavemt much CflmoKiX SOT 7 (IS IT A TOUCH ? M HEQES A HUMORED APRIL. FOOL 0OHSy ( Pi RSulCST i PLEMTV OF V50 LOt iM CARtV,WG, J BUCKS TV4EREV5 SEPTEMBER J E " ,D J fta I nmiru n- VVWASWERS IM MY MPFrr OF wot PkFiMft ... .yfj TWJIST THAT ROLL OUT OF VOUR j FT. ) THE NEBBS Just Great Guy By SOL HEP"
