rRTO'R'n MATL TRTRWP!, rFTPT'OTm, OT?T!GQy. THTD'STO'D'AY. iOCTOBTTE 5. T938.
, By M A X J ALTM A R SH J"
The Character
Archie Luawlen, myself, ut
ifor to fh Frmeh Riuiero.
Rent Gelu, master mind be
hind a murder plot.
. Venner, on o Getu's confed
erates, who objected to killing
me.
Yeeterdiyi The hotel tenant
comet out of Venner't room with
bloody hands.
Chapter 31
Grcnmstantlal Evidence
THE door was locked. I lent
Amedie for the key to the room
next door, unlocked It, and en
tered Venner't room from the bal
cony. The bed lay directly before
me, and a tumbled heap of blank
ets upon it showed me that for once
Mr. Venner had overslept But as
I took a step forward, something
brought me up with a Jerk, and
wave after wave of cold terror
cwep' over me.
It waa a human leg. With one
stride I was beside the bed and had
dragged aside the shrouding blank
its. Blood was everywhere.
My nerve cracked. I made one
bolt for the door, tore it open,
wrestled with the lock of the ante
room, and flung througl into the
corridor, sending the tray crashing
rrom Ameaee s hands.
"What is It, monsieur?" he
gasped.
"It's death," I said soberly. "Lis-
it, an. jvut jjutfift lias uceu
murdered. I'm sorry for you, but
you must come and see.
I gripped him by one shaking
arm, dragged him into that dread
ful darkened place, and showed
him what lay there. Next minute
we were both back in the corridor,
Staring at each other's gray faces.
'The police, I said. You must
telephone at once for them and a
doctor, but first the door must be
locked.
After he had locked th . door and
pocketed the key, I drew him into
my room and gave him a pull from
my flask.
Then I propelled him gently
from the room, but as I turned to
follow him, something caught my
eye, and halted me sharply in my
tracks. My room was small and
bare; apart from thr bed, a dresser,
and a couple of chairs, the only
furnishing was the somewhat lurid
floral decoration of the walls, but
now, as 1 took a step towards the
door, my eye lighted on a pecu
liarly gaudy rose, half-hidden by
the wooden head-board of the bed.
Straight across It showed a lone
scratch of white, and as I looked
more closely I saw the narrow
sliver of torn paper hanging from
it It was a fresh scratch, and it
seemed to me that it had been
made by shifting the bed from its
accustomed position.
I gave the bed an experimental
shove, and something heavy fell
with a muffled thud on the pol
ished boards. In a flash I was on
my knees beside the bed, and next
instant i neld It In my hands a
foot-long roll of brown paper that
held something heavy. I unrolled
it carefully and found myself
staring at a formidable-looking
wrench, whose end was clogged
with dried blood.
I laid the grisly thing on the
floor, still in its paper wrapping,
sprang to the door, and shut and
locked it; then 1 sat down on the
edge of the bed and took my head
between my hands. Here was
Gelss's final effort the murder that
I should, as he had told the tunc
d'instruction, Inevitably commit
Here was the damning evidence
that would, if it hadn't been for
that single scratch on the wall
paper, infallibly have sent me to
the guillotine; but somehow I
didn't think that the weapon alone
would be considered evidence
enough There would be something
else, something to suggest a mo
tive fo" the crime.
Framed
TORE open the drawers of the
heavy walnut dresser and found
them empty. I flung wide the
doors of the hanging cupboard and
found nothing. The bed was
quickly examined, but it was
equally unproductive, and there
remained only my suitcase. I
dragged it out, unsnapped the
locks, and there, neatly tucked
into the folds of a clean shirt was
a thick morocco wallet with gold
"V" tamped in one corner.
It was full of notes. English and
French, of all denominations, but
it was not its contents that worried
me; I had to And some safe hiding
place for it and the wrench and
find it quickly, for even now Am6
doe must be wondering at my ab
sence. I could not tell which ot the
ether bedrooms were occupied,
and 1 dared not take the risk of
opening strange doors. There was
only one solution the loose tile
In the corridor. 1 peered out cau
tiously, found no one in sight, and
lipped wallet and grisly weapon
Into the friendly hole.
Amedec was emerging from the
ofllce as I came down the stairs.
"They are coming." said he "The
police chief himself and the police
surgeon and the rest" He broke
off, looking at me with a troubled
face.
"Well," I said Impatiently,
"what's up, man?"
"Monsieur," he answered hesi
tantly, "I do not understand itl
The first question they asked was
If you were In the holel."
Oh. well," said I, "they doubt
less wanted to be sure of having a
reliable witness," but though I
spoke cheerfully enough, I was
conscious of a distinct uneasiness
In the pit of the stomach.
My chief desire at the moment
was to get some clothes on, for I
was stilisketchily attired in bath
ing shorts and a damp towel, but
I had a feeling that the farther I
kept away from my room until the
arrival of the police, the better, so
for the next half-hour I kicked my
heels in Amedee's little pantry,
until, with a grinding of brakes,
two big cars pulled up on the
gravel sweep outside.
They came pouring into the hall,
the commtssane in the lead and a
stout cheerful-looking man at his
heels to whom he seemed to pay a
certain deference. Following them
came the doctor, and after him a
horde of men in uniform, men In
plain clothes, men with cameras,
men with attache-cases.
The commissaire bowed form
ally to me, but it was to Amedee
he turned.
"The key of the room?" he de
manded, and when the big fellow
handed it over: "You, my friend,
will accompany us upstairs, but
you, on the other hand, Monsieur
Lumsden, will remain here until I
send for you."
After about half an hour I saw
a uniformed gendarme coming
down the stairs, and when he
beckoned me to follow him back
to the first floor, ' obeyed with as
good a grace as I could.
The windows of the bedroom
were flung wide. The blanket: had
been decently drawn over the hud
dled shape on the bed, but as 1
pushed my way through the crowd
of men who seemed to fill the
room, I saw something black
stretched on the floor beneath it
and paused on my way across the
window, where the commissairs
sat installed behind a table, to
drop on one knee and see what it
war.
Fingerprinted
IT WAS the big black dog, Lulu, '
and he lay on his back, glazed
eyes half-closed. But as I laid a
hand on his big chest, 1 felt the
heart still faintly beating, and
when I lifted his head I saw that
though he had a nasty crack over
one eye, he was otherwise un
touched. "Great Scottl" I said wrathfully.
"Thi nnnr hrnla is til1 alia mil
you leave him lying therel Ame
dee, get a man to help you carry
him down to the kitchen and tell
the women to look after him.
The commijsaire siened to me
to be seated, and in the same ges
ture indicated the stout man who
had entered with him and was
now sitting on his right "This is
Monsieur Flcuriot head of the
police mobile of Marseille." he ex
plained "All we wish from you at
the moment Monsieur Lumsden,
is to tell us your story and to allow
us to take you fingerprints."
"Surely, said 1 and in as few
words as I could. told him what
had happened from the time I had
returned from my swim.
He nodded. "That will do," he
said Indifferently, and added, with
a certain emphasis: for the pres
ent" And so, after I had read
through my statement and signed
it ana allowed my fingers to be
pressed on a black, oilv oad and
several sheets of paper, I made my
way once more down the stairs.
It was more than an hour before
1 was sent for again, and as I fol
lowed the gendarme up the stairs
for the second time. I reflected that
1 must watch my step and keep a
curb on my tongue if I didn't want
to 'and myself deeper in the mo
rass. ,
My room door was ODen as 1
passed It and a hasty glance in
side showed me the bedclothes
tumbled untidily on the floor and
the content o' my suitcase strewn
over the uncovered mattress, but
the broken tile cracked reassur
ingly under mv tread as I walked
on, and I entered the place of In-'
quisition with my head held high.
I realized, with an unpleasant
shock, that the juoe d'iiMtmctton
was aisc. present We exchanged
formal bows, but I saw by the
;unt in nis eye mat he had not
brgotten our last exchange of
compliments and bore me no love
tor it
"Monsieur Lumsden." he said.
and tapped a closely written sheet
of paper on the table before -him.
I iiave here your account of yout
movements this morning, from the
time that you went for a bathe,
but I find that Monsieur le Com-
missntre ha omitted to ask what
you wore doing yesterday evening
and through the night.'.'
mats easy, said l. 1 started
the evening by calling, with my
frieni Mr. Stern, on Monsleui
Rene (ieiss at his villa."
My eye was uoot. him. and I
saw him start at the cartoonist'l
name. "Indeed, said he, "and may
I ask what took you there?"
I grinned at him. "Surely! 1
retorted "A friend of Mr Stern's.
Mr virooe Wills, was alarmed be
cause his niece had not returned
from a sitting she was giving tc
Monsieur Geiss. He did not al
together care for what he had
heard of Monsieur Geiss's reputa
tion and asked us to fetch her
which we were lelighted to do
After that I returned to the hotel
here, had a short talk with Mr.
Venner, and went to the Chalel
d'Amour where I remained until
ten
'And the subject of your con
versation with Monsieur Venner!
What did you speak of during the
half-hour you spent with him?"
The subject of that conversatior,
was the last thing I was prepared
to disclose.
fCoplirtpM. IMS. lla gdllmariflj
Tomorrow: Suipectcdt
PLANE HUNTS FOR
P
PLACERVILI.E. Cal.. Oct. 6. (AP
Two airplanes today joined In the
pnrch for Jamet Mortimer, 31, nils
Ing for 48 houri In the heavily wood
d Cat creek country. ?S mile aouth
nt of here.
Tha plane, piloted by two local
men, Jark Olanellt and Dr. D. W.
Bibcock, were aent out to circle over
the area In which Mortimer had start
ed out on a hunt.
A ground crew of 100 men entered
the area on a aoarch they estimated
would take aeven hour. It wa
feared Mortimer had Buffered an in
Jury and waa unaMe to make hia
way to a ranch or town.
. ....
Riinw At Timt'crllne
OOVCKNMKNT CAMP. IVt. 6.
(API Two lncnra of snow covered
TlmVrllne lodge today. FVret offic
ials mU the fall wita hc.nvier at
higher delation on Mount Hood.
STRANGE AS IT SEEMS By JOHN HIX
For farther proof address the author, Inclosing a stamped envelope for reply. Reg. V. 8. Pat Off.
KJUXfNj"
ONMNOVBL
Tbn Houses cm finish ft r&c
oveT? 300,000,000 DimRBtflUMsj
'VflGVIM, ,
&NoTM iupimj Word
IT 1rte WHtTe MhM'S
CORRUPTION Of V&
iNw&M "weruoMucK,
Jfcl
WrSflNS BUT ft mcTioH OF A SECOND,
CmtV 4 93,000, 000 DAMMB'
3i Lsks Denmark, M J,, ,
DiARlMe ft 51MMR SfaRlA IN fflbm
tf STRUCK a HloH-PDMR U.6.NWftlfMMUNlTlOH
DSPoT 1HCR6,4fftRTiN6 ft$i6S OF EXPLOSIONS
ft
IN AROUND TQK AN EtfRA CHAIR ON THE
DAV OF THE FALL TtA PARfV AY THE COMMUNITY CLUB,
THE COMMITTEE CAME UPOtf IRE BROWN BftG
IN WHICH THEV HAD SEEW FRED PERLEV STUFF THE
NOTICES THE DAY HE HAD PROMISED To MAlLTriEM
(Copyright. 1938, by The Bell Syndicate, Inc.)
vVLUAtfS
3 'MATTER POI
$!)3,no0.000 Bolt.
Costliest lightning bolt on record
waa a flash which struck the U. 8.
naval ammunition depot at Lake
Denmark, N. J., on July 10, 1926.
The terrible consequences of this
flash, which occurred at A o'clock
In the afternoon, were a serlea of
explosions that shook the country
side for 30 miles and cost 31 Uvea.
Shells from the depot exploded In
the Picatlnny army arsenal, one-half
mile away. For five miles around
the landscape resembled a battle
field. Entire villages were destroyed;
damage was estimated by a board of
Inquiry at $93,000,000.'
Damage to the naval arsenal and
ammunition depot Itself, however,
totaled 47 millions of dollars, wltb
300 Injured.
Horse nnce Ftnlh.
Off In a cloud of dust, a field of
10 horsea racing against each other
can finish no less than 319.881.385
different ways, according to D. Victor
Steed, head of the University of
Southern California mathematics department.
First Best Seller.
George Santayana, Madrid - born
professor of philosophy at Harvard,
came to the United states at the
age of nine. Educated at Harvard,
he later returned there to teach.
Santayana won quite a reputation
as a verse and sonnet writer, but not
until 1935-36, at the age of 73, did
he attempt a novel. Called ::The
Last Puritan," It achieved Immedi
ate auccess and was a best-seller for
the 1936 season.
Tomorrow: How much of Louisi
ana did the Louisiana Purchase add
to the U. S.?
SALEM GETS MEW
TRAFFIC WARNING
BALEM. Oct. 8. (AP) A little girl
stand at Salem su-eet Intersections
In school stones. The little clrl will
be quit modern In her dress, but a
bit old-fashioned, toa, for she will
carry a slate. On the slate will be
written "school zone please be care
ful." She will stand at those corners
where children cross the streets when
they go to school. It Is a de'tce of
the 20-30 club to prevent accidents.
The little girl Is 44 Inches tall, But
made of wood, not flesh and blood.
Freak Birds to Be i:lllhltp.l
TORONTO (UP) One of the freaks
of the bird world, a family of emus
uito be exhibited at the coming
Canadian National Exhibition here.
The emus reverse nature when nest
ing. Instead of the mother bird
hnthclng the e,;gs, the male does It.
Nine baby emus andtheir patertial
keeper are to be brought here from
Australia for exhibition.
More Aliens Tnter Canada
OTTAWA. Ont. (UP) More than
8.000 people from almost every coun
try In the world entered Canada as
Immigrants during the first six
months of 1938, a report Issued by
the Immigration deportment here
disclosed. Only 6.827 ellens entered
during the first half of 1937.
V SSee TlE. Tunny -SOE.) lih-e. vu-melisK -rvc-, J
(-PULL4 Vets. J f vjiuuvum- k V)
f CtjArfe OUT ( WANT A- K'NoWlOw i-VT
it' jj Sit OopTrigtt, 1938, hy The Betty
TAILSPIN TOMMY But Jerry Doesn't Know There's Another Onet
By HAL FORRESTJ
'pHE COMET HAS
mercury in next
to the last lap
op the great
miami air race,
but the radio
AINMOUMCEIi CALLS
THAT "ANYTHING
CAN HAPPEN
BEFORE THE RATE
IS OVER". . . AND
SOMETHING DIOl
JERRY TRAILED THE
MAN WHO GAVE
HIM THE OminOuS
LETTER, ADDRESSED
TO TOMMY, AND
HE RETURNS TO
TELL SKEET6R .
vi&f-lS H f ,SAV TRAILED . Kj -sS r THIS IS UHDID .XT'
"""TO 'j&b-. fT. Sgk, TH1 BIRD WHO GAVE TH' PLACE, SAY TWO !tW'-:vf'jj
s!?k2MfrF&VX THAT THREATEN IN' rsS2 SKEETERf OP 'EM? i fc'WiMi '
SSF'mfffjlti fl NOTE TO YOU FOR C0ME ON- HE AN' T&mST- WW iM
S?&"l3lWr; V ftt TOMMY? WHERE D fatW- 'VlTa I'LL SHOW K ANOTHER I Sff life T .fii'.T-T M
i? 1
0RUMITt0 TIME ONLY' 3-CENT 5TftMPE0,
'mi
BEN WEBSTER'S CAREER Danger Ahead!
ey EDWIN ALOEB
( OOOPS! THE GUY ( BUT WE AIN'T GOIN'TO 0A1L f ( GEE, BEN'S SMNST! 7 "V yx
DRIVIN THIS BUGGY 'CAUSE BEN A1NT ON BOARD- I AN' IF WOW! ' rf Jv:''
SURE KNOWS HOW . J GOSH! I GOT IT.' IlL BETCHA WE'RE CUBV1N' I f ' I I
iPt V T0 C0Ml MOTION J fejy BEN WONDERS IF PROS ADIT'S 7 AN -"''"a. rM ( )
j "j ' '
THE NEBBS The Banker
Bt 80t HESS
5A , TUAT BOTMett
STEVE OP OURsJ
INJ AXlO TOOK UP VOUR.
MOSTea.GE.1 TOLD MiM IT
VVSNJ'T DUE SO HE SA.O
w&O PXY UP &LL
IMTEPEST HlM
NVTWA5 DueW
WELL, UJMA.TS
THAT
IT WAS ONJE or
TUE BAsji5 GOOO
, SAE LCAsjS AnjD
1 DONJT likE TO
SEE. Tm AT OmD
OUT.'
l dokjt see wuv mot.
IT'S BEEM D5AG&iM3
iAlOmc3 COR a lOsiO
'Tt ME . V SmOULO TUIVJK. .
VOU D BE GLAD TO
TO IT
2J
lOwrr-Uht. IW Til. ILH la. 51
vC f TwAT WAS OME OP Th 1 "X "
:fe?S-Ty eETTlsj SIX PE.e CENJT OU-1
"VlLSvB WiSM HE'D KE.EP HIS KJOSEE OuTTA
3ri otmer peoples ArrA'tss but xqj
VVmES3,E'E lived r-r
4
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