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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1938)
PXGE TWO MTTPFORD MATL TRmnyT!, MEDFOTin, OREGON. FRIDAY. OCTOBER 7. 1938. ,.::?'7r B MAX saltm The Characters Uat Stern, handsome author, living on the French Riviera. Archie Lumtden, myirl, Hu- ffo's friend. Bens Gelis, head 0 a murder conspiracy. Yeilcrdayi I'm Venner'e murder. tuepected 0 Chapter 33 The Unshorn Truth 'TWICE during Wednesday I was ' haled again to the death-chamber and put through my paces, but by now I was wary. I had told iny story, and was sticking to it. Three times the next day I made the trip to the police station, sat for half an hour in a small, stuffy room, and submitted to 1 quick fire battery of questions from a succession of plain-clothes men. Dusk was falling as the car de posited me at the gates of the Cha teau for the third time, and I was brain- and body-weary. The hall was empty and shadowed, but as I turned towards the lounge, a movement behind the office coun ter halted me. and I saw the chns seur eyeing me from behind It. his eyes mt luminrvn llf (n tho m- - . .. -.ai 01 mm all tne repressed Irritation, the nerve strain of the last two days, suddenly came to a head, the thought of the brutal, beastlike crime he had committed cracKed- my sell-control. I took a stride across to the counter and saw him flinch at my approach. "You here?" 1 said. In no very gentle voice. "I thought you'd have cleared out long ago. Surely you left Prague a trifle more hur riedly after the opera-house shoot In !j?,r I could have bitten out my tongue next minute, but the mis chief was done. .He sprang back, his hand flew to his trouscr-pocket. and next instant I found myself staring into the muzzle of an ugly looking gun. "Put It down!" 1 said sharply, but even as I spoke, a tall, angular whirlwind swept out from the of fice beside us. It was the house keeper, her round, puckered face contorted with rage. Are you man? she said sharply to the chos seur. "Put that thing awayl" And as he obeyed sulkily, she swung round on me. 'This Is too muchl" she said furiously. How dare you threaten my servnnts7I will not have it, do you near? You, a criminal, a sus pected murderer! I shall report vou 10 the police. "Report away, woman," I ad vised her. "It may be the last chance you have! and I turned on my heel and stalked away. 1 could have kicked myself for my stupidity, but I was too tired to do It. Body and mind alike were exhausted, and the one thing I craved for was food and bed. But as I turned to mount the stairs. I noticed. In the angle of the balus trade, a set of bookshelves. crammed with aged and tattered volumes. A curtain was hanging behind them, concealing, I imagined, some wall cupboard, and I gave an Idle tug to it. It was no cupboard that the heavy plush concealed, but a small alcove, backed with a white painted door on which a notice was roughly tacked, and as I read It, every atom of fatigue dropped from me. It ran: "the innkeepers Or FRANCE. CLUB OES SANS CLUBS." It might be the merest coinci dence, tor, after all. Hugo had said that there was a highly re spectable club of that name but I sprinted up the stairs, two at a time, and rang for Amcd6e. "Listen, friend," I said, when he rapped on the door. 'That alcove behind the curtain in the lower hall where does it lead?" "Monsieur." he said. "It leads, one believes, to the cellars, but these many years the door has not been opened." What cellars?" I cut In sharply. "Under the house?" But he shook his head. "Under the terrace. There Is an other door In the lowor garden, but that, too, has never been opened, to my knowledge." I "vns Immens 'v elated, for It seemed that, after wctrv hours of Inaction, I had stumbled on some thing big the second meeting place of that ill-omened club. Confession pointed to the table, on which lay a sheet of white paper, a pen. and an ink-well. "In one hour," said he, "we shall return to And your confession written therel" ana one by one, silently and inexorably, they filed from the room. I sat there holding my head, conscious only that the spinning world was slowly steadying on its axis, snd little by little I came to tne realization that 1 was alone in an empty room, with the paper spread invitingly before ma. and tne pen lying ready to my band For a moment a mad imoulsa seized me to give them a confession or another sort: 1. Ken Ueiss. that was how I would start, do hereby confess that I instigated myself shot down in cold blood the American O'Donnell: that I Ber- sonally instructed the chasseur to kill Mr. venner. I picked up the pen. dipped It in the ink, and drew a flourish on the oaoer. it was a queer-looking nourish. uncommonly like the norn ot a goat, and almost without realizing what I was doing I added a second line and then another and vet an other; and slowly, as I drew, found something growing under my to' experienced Angers. It was the head of a goat, horned and bearded, its pebble-like eyes boring Into mine, and those eyes were the eyes of Rene Geiss. And as I sat there, staring back into those expressionless eyes. I heard the door open behind me. I swung round in my chair and saw the juge d'instmction peering in at me One Little Hint!' HIS eye lighted on the table, and I thanked my stars that I had had the forethought to turn the drawing upside down but at sight of the pen, the Ink, the paper, ha rapped out a sudden oath. "Ths lmbecilcsl" he muttered. "I will have their skin for this! Monsieur Lumsden, this was done by no order of mine." He moistened his lips. His fact was pale and drawn and there was a worried look. in his eyes. "Mon sieur Lumsden." he said at last you must be aware that every thing in these two crimes points tc you as the murderer." I nodded. "I grant vou that" I niri nnnriirilv "What tkan9" can afford the money. The month of Auguat showed a net profit of $100, 000.07, bringing the total net profit for the current fiscal year to S380, 87e.es. Ths fiscal year started July . been Introduced In Breslau, Germany. For 80 cent anybody can have th historic city hall flood-lighted for three minutes by dropping tba coin Into an automat. Oraensboro, If. C. produced 100.371 pounds of milk a-ad 4.237 pounds of butterfat In 10 years. Th tame Eskimo language Is DIVERSION By GLUYAS WILLIAMS ONCE again that night, I. was taken to the police station. There were six men waiting I01 me in the stufTv little upper room, but 1 noted that there was no sign of the Mine the commissaire or Fleuriot. The fellow in charge mo tioned me to sit down opposite him st a big desk, on which were displayed a water-carafe and glass, a medicine-bottle, and a couple of door-handles. With a sinking heart 1 guessed what was before me, and guessed only too well. For the next hour and a half I sat there, while first one. then another, then a third took It in turn to question me. whis pering, shouting, caiollng. accus ing. I sat there, mv brain diziv and reeling, in that small, stifling rlace, with the unshaded lamp on he table glaring straight in mv face. At last the climax came. All six got to their feet standing In a circle looking down at me. like a ring of accusing fates. Their leader He scrutinized me with sham intelligent eyes. "Just this." said he. "Monsieur Lumsden. I have seen many criminals. Every detail of these two crimes points to you ss the killer and yet every In stinct that I have cries out thai you are an innocent man. But my instincts also tell me that although you are in no way guilty, you know a great deal more about thest crimes than you will admit You could, if you would, lead me to ths murderer!" I considered that for a long minute. "Monsieur le Juge," I said at last "I appreciate your confi dence and I won't betray It It's true, as you say, that I believe 1 know who did the murders, but I have nothing to go on except a lol of wild surmises and crazy Imagin ings. There Isn't a lot of tangible evidence that I could lay before you. and until I have something concrete to prodvee. I prefer to hold my tongue. Only. I'll tell you this: in my opinion, these three crimes were committed by three different people, but" I broke of) and looked him squarely between the eyes "behind sll three ol them there is the same man." And that man? he asked, but even as he spoke, there came again the click of the opening door and next minute Fleuriot stood beside the desk. ) "I Interrupt you?" he queried Vot at all." said I. "Motuieur le Juge and I have had a most In formative conversation, and I think I am right in saying that he now acquits me of complicity in both crimes." Famous! he retorted with a tinge of Ironv. "1 mav sav that hi conclusion agrees exactly with my own but all the same. Monsieur Lumsden. I should be clad nf a little further conversation with you. You will oerhaps allow me to offer vou conveyance in my au tomonitor "I should be charmed." As I made to leave the room the juge took a quick step round the ik'.'k towards me. Fleuriot waj al ready out of earshot and satisfy ing himself of that by a quick, sideways look, he caught my arm. "That man. Monsieur Lumsden." he said urgently, "the man at the back of the three crimes can vou not give me an inkling of whom vou suspect?" I shook my head. "Not for an other day or two," I told him. 'The thing's too serious to speak of lightly." His grip tightened on my arm. "One little hint!" he muttered, snd his voice was almost pleading. I shook my head and he save a sharp sigh, hesitating, his fingers loving nervously with the paper on the desk. And suddenly, as he stood, I saw him flick over the top most sheet. His eves lighted on the drawing It held and he started vio lently, taking a swiff backward step, his horrified gaze scanning my face. "Not" he stammeref "not he surelv." "There's mv confession." 1 said slowly And with that I turned and left him. 'CoeyiieM. ISIS. Ifo SallmartM Tomorrow) My life Is entUntered, aialn. STATE BORROWING MONEY FROM SELF IS AN OLD TRICK SALEM. Or.. Oct. T. (UP) Tht fmt of th Mute of Oregon borrow In ft from ltv,f, a was tlon nvrntljr to pain loo.ooo for immMiitf rrWf nprrt. U not a nw one, nocorrtin: to Stilt Treaimrtr !tu!u C, Ho! nun who nrRJtlti th loan. Ha pointed out that it bd been don Infrequently tn th put tn or drr to avert the Interest mony from lr a vi nit the atntea ecattered coffrra. On the it cent tntnaaftloni Holman borrowed the 9100.000 from the Ken ral fund, iMtitng certificates of In drbtednraa asun( the at ate liquor commission. Interest t the com ml a alcn waa aet at S7-100 of one per cent, to be paid by the relief arncy which obtained th monry. In that way th money need not go to aome ou ft nide agency. Holman cited flfturea for the period from N.-v. IS, 11)34. to July 15, 10J6; durum which ttm an aggregate of 1 1 .Tfi.vooo was borrowed upon tuieh rertlficatca and repaid, th laat hav. lint hxn retired on Au. 15. lo.id. The liquor commtMton. accord ins to the moat recent survey (Oct, 4) i " : I -, spoken from Greenland to western- , A noodllbU by slot machine hu I A 18-year old Holiteln cow at I most Alaska. J 'dJ' I ' 1 ( M 8 'MATTER POI '. By 0 M PAYNE ' ' Cy- WHJ ' -fi ISfAKEM ffPWErHSfO DROPS ft MARBU WrfH LEANS OVER ToO IS 60T BACK OrJ SEtrf AWD W x J St&QjJ Vt2 HEAR lUUtfRAfED "TALK ALOUD CLATTER -LOOKS FAR 10LD ToSlfaOlEfLV. DUES XlEr ' Sf X TjLJJi ON BIRD LIFE. EMfERfAlNS To SEE WHERE KWEltf SO, ECEPf FOR WHISPER- C"r T.U tJjUmf ( I HIMSELF BY PlMHd WITH 1H6 STEADILV ft WAS HIS yy V J f XJf S CoHTErtfS OF POCK Ef BEST MARBLE. AFfER A WHILE SAV.S IflS WHILE PARENTS ARE CCEA1E5 MILD EttlTE CLIMBS BACK lNfo HIS Y L?alL V JSi f l5Vl. 1 lQjA DAD'S FOOT, CA0SIH6 iNfENT ON DAD'S FORI MENT 8VT0UCHIN6 SEAT, AS HE DOES SO (uS-- bslmlN!,rn V 7L O M1,IN REACHW6 FOR HEAD, &Ef5 town TO ANKLE OT WOMAN IN THE OTHER THREE 'SC&2 fx?i vS& y vr vJ lttSJbj.. kbJ what turns out To be a look under seat net seat becomes marbles his Tocket "Ai VL 581 H-i u tT3-5S - 1 ' HiSBHro;)PER''f0 UP WlTri THE MARBLE DROPPING OUf ONE BY0hl 3SpMVt ' (Copyright, 1838, by Th. 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