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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1935-11-28, Page 2THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1935 THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE 3 I llllllllll iiiiii BY MI LTONI .PROPPED “jinli llHiili iihhi ii i umimii i mi 11 SYNOPSIS: Babrara Keith, wife of a prominent Philadelphia business man, is murdered as she waits alone in a side room to testify in the divorce ease of Rowland vs. Rowland. She was to have testi­ fied for the husband, a friend, who was defendant in the action. Detective Tommy Rankin is as­ signed to the case from police headquarters. His preliminary in­ vestigation disclosed that both Mr. and Mrs. Rowland had gathered evidence against the other of in­ fidelity. The will of Mrs. Row­ land’s first husband directed her lawyer brother, Mr. Willard, to handle the estate until she remar­ ried when the new husband was to come into control. Detective Rankin finds motives and the evi­ dence of guilt for the murder of Mrs. Keith, leading to the doors of virtually all of the principals involved. These principals are, the two Rowlands, Mr. Willard, Mr. Keith, husband of the mur­ dered woman, Hugh Campbell and his underworld confederates. NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY. “Well, there was the fact that El- " a and Gairett had only a small . g.mds.'’ sa.d attended the “After she was Ellen realized I per- mv. this her­ self inly Garrett. He wasn’t natur- all bad. she claimed, and she did her best to stop him from going wrong. But he admired his friend’s smart­ ness and his influence, and the tem­ ptation of easy money was too much for him. I could tell she clearly feared and despised the fellow.” Rankin spoke eagerly. “Did she tell y> u anything about who he was and what became of him?” "She could hardly know what hap­ pened to him after her arrest." ‘ matron shock her head. “But mentioned the name by which knew him: more than likely it an alias. If I’m not mistaken travelled as Fred Dennis.” But the matron had no idea of charge’s history, once she passed yond the walls of the penitentiary. She had never heard from her. Nor could she supply any further de­ tails about Fred Dennis, or his des­ cription. wjiich Rankin particularly desired, how Ellen Trent met her where. In court, she had . presented by a Mr. Nathan Fort Wayne lawyer, in all ity appointed by the judge to defend her, because she had no money. Late that afternoon, 'Tommy Ran­ kin presented himself, by appoint­ ment made over the telephone, at the law office of Mr. Nathan Lewis. Evidently the lawyer had prospered since the day, six years ago, when he was appointed by the court, an im­ pecunious. young lawyer, to defend Ellen Trent. Mr. Lewis studied Rankin’s card and motioned him to a deep arm chair. “Yes, Mr. Rankin?” he inquired politely, but with quiet reserve. “You’re from the Philadelphia Po­ lice Bureau, I see. How can of service ot you?” “I called you to make sure wouldn’t leave the office before rived,” the detective replied, about a young woman whose myster­ ious murder I am investigating in the East. Her name is Barbara Keith and she was once your client, eharg- ed with concealing and disposing of stolen goods. You knew her as Ellen Trent.” The lawyer looked genuinely shocked and shook his head solemn­ ly. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he mur­ mured. “Of course, I case quite well. Exactly pened to her?” Briefly Rankin related the tragedy to enlist operation. The latter lively. “I have reason to kin concluded, “that Fort Wayne, her arrest and imprison­ ment, has a -bearing on her death. She was being blackmailed by some one familiar with her past. And you can probably tell me more about it, from her angle, than anyone else.” 1 fraction <f the stolen the niii.su who had i former Mrs. Keith, here six months. sympathized with her, and • nee mitted herself to confide in When I asked how she got into ticuble. she didn’t try to justify The she she was he her be- And she was ignorant of lover or been re­ Lewis, a probabil- I be you I ar- "It’s recall the what hap- enough of Lewis’ co­ listened atten- Mr. believe,” Ran- this affair in lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllll Mr. Lewis pondered. “Under these circumstances, I suppose I am just­ ified in revealing whatever I can to help you. To me. it has always seemed a most distressing situation, for which the (girl was not to blame at all. Her misfortune was to love a ne’er-do-well. Yet, there were the goods, the evidence that she knew •of the robberies, and her obvious relations with one of the men, I con­ sidered it most 'uriwise that she plead guilty and trusted to the court’s leniency for a minimum sentence.” “That’s one of the details I want,’ the detective cut in quickly. “It’s been suggested to me, from other sources, that she was really quite in­ nocent.” “I’m firmly .convinced of that,” Mr. Lewis declared. “At our first in­ terview in the city jail, she assur­ ed me she was ignorant of Garett’s dishonesty until after they had lived here for six months. ‘At times she wondered why he stayed out so late at night. She found out about him eventually when he •returned at dawn after a narrow escape during an at­ tempted robbery. He had been sep- . arated from Dennis and brought back some of the loot: then she realized his occupation and taxed him with it." “And what’s ycur opinion of Gar- ett? Did you gather he was vicious iation. or just weak?” The lawyer spread his hands. “Miss /Trent insisted it was entirely Dennis’ fault; without his persua­ sion and the enticement of easy] money, Garrett would never have gone wrong. She loved him so, it was almost pitiful how she deluded herself*about his worthiness.” “Have you any. idea, Mr. Lewis,” he asked, “how and where she met Garrett in the first place?” After some cogitation, the attor­ ney recalled that the girl had men-! tioned that they became acquainted ' in Akron, Ohio, late in 1925. She _ worked at a wrapper 'in a large de- ’ part mental stere there and met the young man at a dance hall. Mr. Lewis was not better informed than Mor­ timer Keith had been. She had no relatives left, he believed. ’ The lawyer told how her sweet­ heart became acquainted with Fred Dennis. It was at the Indianapolis i ace track, where Garrett began to hang about when he failed to find woik, in hope of acquiring . some loose change. But the girl could not name, Mr .Lewis explained as Ran­ kin probed more thoroughly, any of Dennis’ other associates. “No wonder she detested Dennis so!” Raukin exclaimed. “He threat­ ened her happiness, endangered the man she loved and brought less worry and anxiety for fare.” “Exactly,” Mr. Lewis “That's the reason, when was killed, she considered murderer. I have a vivid pioture of her in prison, crushed and numbed by his death; she didn’t care what happened to her without him.. But she had one interest, a grim deter­ mination that Fred Dennis suffer for it.” The detective nodded. “I he realized her opposition mity.” “He could hardly help it, she always tried to persuade Garrett to break away. It was a continual struggle for ascendency, over him; she told me that when she’d almost win him away, Dennis could bring him back to heel with a word.” “But the police didn’t catch him, even with her information?” Rankin vouchsafed. ‘Mr. Lewis toyed with a pen on his desk and pushed back his ichair as he replied. “No, he escaped again,” he relat­ ed, “by the skin of his teeth, just be­ fore they broke in.” “And nothing was heard' of him afterward? No trace of his where­ abouts?” IThe lawyer shook his head, he dropped completely out of .picture.” “But at least you have Trent’s description of him,” the de­ tective put in. "The police could give you that,” Mr. Lewis replied. “It was their job to hunt him:. And I believe they still hold such of Dennis' possessions as didn’t have other rightful owners.” "In that case, I’ll want to see them at once.” Abruptly, Rankin her end­ ing wel- agreed. Garrett him his shorn Id suppose and en­ the way “No the Miss Nerve Racked Men and Women Find Balm for Their Suffering ■Ml F To those on the verge of a nervous breakdown the following symptoms prepent themselves: nervous headaches, a feeling of depression, fitful, restless and unrefreshing sleep, often accompanied by frightful dreams,, avoidance of crowded places, dread of being alone, etc. On the first sign of any weakness of the nerve centres, flagging energy or physical breakdown don’t wait until your case becomes hopeless. Start at once to quiet the nerves and build up tho system by taking Milburn’s II. & X Pills, They have helped others. Why not yout They have helped others. rose and extended his hand. But instead of shaking hands, Mr. iLewis glanced at his watch and also rose. “If you don’t mind, Mr. Rankin, he said, “I’d like to go along with you to Headquarters, Recalling how favorably the girl impressed me, I’m interested in the ease and ’wish to learn what develops. In fact, if Den­ nis is responsible for her murder, I feel almost involved in it myself.” “Why, certainly, Mr. Lewis," the detective returned ‘pleasantly. “You are quite welcome to join me and follow it up.” The lawyer had put into words the possibility to which his investiga­ tions and all the information he ob­ tained on this journey pointed. Cer­ tainly, Fred Dennis had ample reas­ on for harboring malice against Ellen (Trent and desiring her death. From the beginning, her opposition to his control over her sweetheart, Gar­ rett, constantly threatened to disrupt his plans and endanger his criminal enterprises. Then, with Dave Gar­ rett’s death, her more active hostil­ ity resulted calamitously for (She made him It was hardly his character, ful, eyt astute hesitate to commit murder in retal- him. fugitive from justice, likely that a man of vicious and revenge- and daring, would him, have lie He might the expect- Mrs. Keith been will- chosen to goose that and she had recently, as was a limit If driven to He was familiar with Barbara Keith’s past and in a position to dis­ close it; and as part of his revenge, he could blackmail her by anony­ mously calling her husband’s atten­ tion to them, he would estabish her relations with Garrett aud her pris­ on sentence as a, thief, even have been aware of ed baby. To silence would undoubtedly ing to pay dearly. Why, then, had chloroform her during the divorce hearing And how had he reached her there? To these obstacles to his theory of Dennis’ guilt, Rankin had to produce a solution. ;So long as Mrs. Keith continued to pay him, he ■would hesitate to kill the laid such golden eggs; given him a check as June first. But there to the bleeding; process. the wall by his demands, she might have turned on him finally, threat­ ening both to betray him to the au­ thorities and to admit the truth to her husband. IThe fact that the day before she Qied she had broach­ ed a subject, the delicateness and ’importance of which her nervous­ ness and alarm attested, supported this supposition. Instead of wishing to speak exf a .divorce, as Mr. Keith supposed, she may have intended to confess. Though sjie lost her nerve in the crisis, yet desperate and hounded, she -constituted a fresh menace to Dennis. And always, so- long as she lived, her knowledge of his criminal ca­ reer, which she could pass on to the authorities, endangered his freedom. Mr. Lewis drove the detective di­ rect to headqu.art.ers. It w-as his presence rather than Rankin’s offi- cia Icard that gained them a prompt audience with Lieutenant Becker. He was the officer 'who had ar­ rested Ellen Trent six years before and led the subsequent raid on Den­ nis’ apartment. Even now he was sensitive about that .fiasco and men­ tion of it brought a wry. frown to hits features. Rankin briefly related the story of Barbara Keith’s murder and the trail that led to Fort Wayne When he explained its connection with Fred Dennis and his desire to obtain information about him, Lieu­ tenant Backer nodded. “Of course, we still have all the things from his apartment,” -he de­ clared, “that is, his personal things. I’ll have them here in a jiffy.” He summoned a policeman from the irecord room. Within ten min- uates the officer returned with pa­ pers, reports and several suitcases. “Well, Rankin, here it ail is,” said the lieutenant, “You can have aid in going through it, if you need it. What are you particularly, interest­ ed in?” "Every bit of it,” Rankin .return­ ed. “I’ll want to make a thorough search. But first, have you found a picture of Dennis among his be­ longings?” Becker shook his. head. “There wasn’t any, or our hunt for him might have been more successful.” “I suppose a description of Den­ nis will have to do them,” Rankin observed. “Of course, you obtained full details of his locks from Miss Trent.” “Yes, it’s- aright here—as exact a picture of him as she could give* us? Disappointingly, however, the re­ cord was not overly practical Tor identification; it might have applied to> thousands of simillar youngish, attractive men. _ “What about his fingerprints?” must on the detective queried. “He have left plenty in his quarters the articles of furniture.” (Continued next week,) SALAHA TEA io QHje fleeter ©iliums-Ah innate Established 1873 and 1887 Published every Thursday morning at Exeter, Ontario SUBSCRIPTION—$2.00 per year in advance RATES—Farm or Real Estate for sale 50c, each insertion tor first four insertions. 25c. each’ subse­ quent insertion. Miscellaneous ar­ ticles, To Rent, Wanted, Lost, or Found 10c, per line of six words. Reading notices 10c, per line. Card of Thanks 50c, Legal ad­ vertising 12 and 8c. per line. In Memoriam, with one verse 50c. extra verses 25ic. each, Sunday School Lesson EZRA’S MISSION TO JERUSALEM (Sunday, Deemlber 1st—Ezra 7:1 to 8:36. Golden Text. The hand of our God is upon all them for good that .seek Him (Ezra 8:22.) Israel’s story through Bible his­ tory is one of repeated failure, like that of the rest of mankind. But from time to time in this dark story there shine out, like gold and pre­ cious stones, episodes of rare beauty and faithfulness to God. One of these rich historical incidents is set before us in our lesson. Ezra was a man in whose veins ran priestly blood—it had come to him through a thousand years of priestly ancestors, and it began in the first high priest Israel ever had, Aaron. We are given the geneo- logyi of Ezra, who lived in the sixth century B. C., straight back to Aar­ on in the sixteenth century B. C. This Ezra was among the captives in Persia in the reign f Artaxerxes. Persia was one of the great Empires of the world, extending all the way fircm India to what we now call Asia Minor, and running down into Af­ rica, where it included Egypt. How could Ezra, a Jewish exile in that great empire, hope to gain fa­ vor from the mighty Emperor Ar­ taxerxes? But he did—and we are told th© 'reason. “Aud the King granted him all his request, accord­ ing to the hand of the Lord his God upon him,” The King favored Ez­ ra because God wanted this. It was a mighty undertaking that Ezra contemplated. He was ‘going to lead an expedition, of such Jewish exiles as were eager to return to the land God had given them, Canaan, on the long and dangerous desert journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. But this was no mere impulse on Ezra’s part; he was carrying out God’s will. Moreover, “he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given.” He had had long and care­ ful training, as a student of God’s Word, for his large responsibility. One abort verse in the lesson tells u>s of three characteristics of the man Ezra. "For Ezra had prepar­ ed his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” Here were three characteristics that made for real character—and not all characteristics do that; for some destroy character. He sought God’s will. He did God’s will. He taught God’s will to others. ■There can'be no question about the spiritual and eternal success of the life of any man when these three characteristics dominate him. The mighty Emperor Artaxerxes gave Ezra the scribe a remarkable royal letter. It is given in full in Ezra 7, and should be read care­ fully. After the salutatory, in which the King recognizes' "the God of heaven,” he says, “I make a de­ cree, that all they of thy. people of Israel, and of His priests and Le- vites, in my realm, which are mind­ ed to their own frde will to go up to Jerusalem, .go with thee.” /Then the King gave all the au­ thority to Ezra that he needed, and provided for the expedition, taking with them such silver and gold as might be given to them for their mission; then he went beyond this as he declared: "And whatsoever more shall be needful tor the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the King’s treasure house.” T0‘ the official representatives' of the Persian Empire in the land to which Ezra and his expedition were going, the king wrote enjoin­ ing. them, to do whatever Ezra should require of them, and to do it “speedily.” The remarkable expedition set out from Bablyon on the first day of the month correspooding to our April aud reached Jerusalem on the first day our August. The air-line dis­ tance between the two capitals is something less than 600 miles. The caravan .route they took doubtless was longer. But they were four months making this journey—the elapsed time gives >Ufl a hint of the difficulties of travel in those days. At the River Ahava Ezra pro­ claimed a fast and a time of prayer and worship, "to seek of Him (God) a right way for us, and f?r ou.r little ones and for all our substance.” He adds the explanation: “For I was ashamed to require of the King’s1 band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in our way: because we had spoken unto the King, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seelkl Him ;but His power and hie wrath is against all. them that for­ sake Him.” Did God honor this faith? He did indeed, and rewarded it to the full. “So we f'asted and besought our God tor this: and He was intreated of us.” IThey came safely to the end of their long and perilous journey, “And the hand of. our God was up­ on uts, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way. And we came to Jerusalem.” Other characteristics of Ezra are seen in this record. He waa a man of thankful heart, rendering thankgsiving to God for His blessings and protection. He prayed. "Blessed 'be the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the King’s heart, to beautify' the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem; and hath extended mercy unto me before the King.” He had true humility, not claim­ ing anything for himself, but show­ ing his practical trust in God for everything. He had bold faith, trusting God even more than in military escort. And he showed a rightful trust in such of his fellowmen as he knew he could trust. He turned over to brethren the immense treasure that the expedition was taking in gold and silver, and made them respon­ sible for it, to watch it, and keep .it until they should weigh it out before the priests and the Levites in Jeru­ salem. His trust in God and his fellowmen was net betrayed. DEATH OF UNCLE IT'here died in Matchedash .town­ ship, Simcoe County, one of the old­ est and much respected residents of the district in the person of John Dicikinfex He was in his 8 6 th year and went north when there was nothing but Indian trails and hewed out for himself a home. He and his son built the’ present home one of the finest in the community. The deceased was an Anglican and at­ tended church regularly as long as he was able. The funeral took place Saturday from the home of his only son to a little neighboring church which was filled to the doors shew­ ing the esteem they held for one who was loved for the many acts of kindness he had shown in times of trouble and sickness. He leaves to mourn his loss one eon F. C. Dick­ ins and one adopted daughter (Vio­ let Mrs. Arthur Kitchen. Those who attended the funeral from Exeter were Messrs:., Nathaniel Ogden, Whitney Coates and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Coates, the latter being a niece. The pall bearers were six nephews, Arthur Kitchen, James Kitchen, Jack Swan, Frank Coates, William Diclkins and Robert Cole­ man, of Lucan. THIEL—DECKER A quiet but pretty wedding was solemnized at the Lutheran parson­ age, Zurich, when Miss Alice Marie Decker, daughter of Mrs. 'Clara Deck­ er and the late John Decker, Jr., of Zurich, became the bride of Mr. E. Andrew Thiel, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. George Thiel, of Zurich. Rev. turikiheiin officiated. The bride was becomingly gowned in an ankle length dress of evening blue crepe, with velvet trimmings, carrying a bouquet of pink chrysanthemums and maiden hair fern. Miss Helen Thiel, sister of the groom attended the bride and looked becoming in a brown crepe gown, with velvet trim­ mings, carrying a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums with maiden hair fern. Mr. Carl Haberer acted as groomsman. Immediately after the ceremony Mr. and Mrs. Thiel left >by motor for Detroit. On their return they will reside in Zurich. A cold Is an internal infection. Com­ mon sense dictates you treat it as such. There is nothing better you can take than Grove’s Bromo Quinine. Grove’s does the four necessary things: Opens the bowels, combats cold germs and fever, relieves headache and "grippy’’ feeling, tones up the system. 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We take orders for all kinds of ca­ binet work tor kitchens, etc at the DASHWOOD PLANING MILL “What’s happened, Goarge?” she asked her husband, who had left the car to investigate. "Puncture,” ho said, briefly. “You ought to have been on the lookout for tlife,” was tho helpful remark. “You romombor tho guide warned you .there was a fork in tho road,”