The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1943-05-06, Page 7THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE, THURSDAY MORNIN& MAY 6ft, J943
If!
NEW SERIAL STORY
Tragedy of X
by ELLERY QUEEN
»
SYNOPSIS
Harley Longstreet, of DeWitt &
Longstreet, brokers, invites eight
friends to celebrate his engagement
to cherry Browne, actress. On a
Crosstown trolley Longstreet dies
suddenly by poison scratched, into
his hand by a needle-pierced cork.
The party consists, of Longstreet's
partner, DeWitt, and his Wife Fern
and daughter Jeanne, her fiance,
Christopher Lord, Cherry’s vaude
ville friend, Pollux, Ahearn, friend
of DeWitt, Imperials, middle-aged
Latin, and Michael Collins, brawny
Irishman, At the carbarn Inspector
Thumm is examining them, Drury
Lane, retired Shakespearean actor,
offers his aid'to the police. He has
solved other crimes for them before.
over with a
Collect every
Then go over
fine-eomb,
piece pf
the routes
the other
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
conductor, out in the rain,
for Tenth Avenue on the
conductor, water streaming
cap, was ham-
doors. A po-
side. The ser-
and closed the
The inspector stamped loudly for
attention.
The conductor, questioned first,
revealed himself as Charles Wood,
Number 2101, in the employ of the
company for five years, He was a
red-haired man of perhaps fifty. He
remembered the dead
ing paid
a dollai’
"Ever
before?”
* “Yep.
fares for ten
hill.
see the man
man as hav-
people out of
pn your car
He’s been
a
I took from Longstreet’s
in the car,” Thumm said,
you ever seen it before?”
sh.ook his head. “Anyone
No one, it seemed, had
slipped into Long-
Detective Peabody
asked Tliumm.
.Whatever this
left
pre
said
The
headed
run.
The
from the visor of his
mering at tjie rear
liceman stood by his
geant admitted them
doors at once.
“Morrow reporting. On duty at
Tenth Avenue.”
“I’m Duffy, (Sergeant, 18th
cinct. Call headquarters?”
, '"Yep. Inspector Thumm
for you to take the car to the Green
Lines carbarn at Forty-second and
Twelfth. He’ll meet you there. Says
not to touch the body.”
When the car reached the huge
shed a group of men in plainclothes
were waiting. Sergeant Duffy pull
ed the door-lever and Inspector;
Thumm forged into the car. The
sergeant whispered into the inspec
tor’s ear. Thumm thudded to his
knees and, taking out a flashlight,
grasped the material of the dead
man’s open patch-pocket, pulled the
pocket wide, and directed the pen
cil of light into the interior. Put
ting down the flashlight, he produc
ed a large penknife and with the ut
most caution .slit the stitching along
one side of Longstreet’s pocket. Two
objects gleamed in the ray of the
flashlight—a silver spectacle case
and a small ball of cork, one inch
in diameter, riddled with at least
fifty needles, the tips of which pro
jected from the cork a quarter-inch
all around, making the total dialm
eter of the weapon an inch and a
half. The tips of the needles were
stained with a reddish-brown sticky
substance. With the point of ‘his
penknife Thumm prodded the cork
and turned it around. The
tips on the other side were
ly stained.
Thumm straightened up, ed his own pockets, and produced a
small pair Of pincers and a packet
of cigarettes. He dumped the cig
arettes into his pocket, lifted the
needled cork out of Longstreet’s
pocket with the pincers and slipped
it into the empty cigarette packet.
The inspector then wrapped this
in a half-dozen thicknesses of news
paper and handed the package to
Duffy.
“That’s dynamite, Sergeant,” he
said. “Handle it that way. You’re
responsible for it.”
Five
Thumm
bers of
trooped
car and were escorted to a private
room on the second flooi’ of the
carbarn, where two detectives watch
ed them. Thumm then superintend
ed the exodus of the other occupants
of the car. They filed into a large
general room on the second floor,
guarded by a half-dozen detectives.
Inspector Thumm was back in
the deserted car with the sprawled
dead figure when there was the clang
of an ambulance and two young
men in white hurried into the barn
herded by a short fat man.
Thumm Called: "Dr. Schilling!
This way!”
'The medical examiner of New
York County puffed iiito the car fol
lowed by the two internes. 1-Ie bent
over, the dead man'/, then said:
"Where can I take this stiff, Inspec-’jfens of times-
tor?”
Thumm’s eyes twinkled with
grim humor. "Dump him in that
private room Upstairs with the rest
for
Just
needle-
similar-
can
tobacco
exnlor-
minutes later Inspector
had weeded 'out the mem-
the Longstreet party. They
silently from the rear of the
bared his teeth. “I’m not
any of your business,
But if you must know,
advised me to buy
-he’d
of the party. That ought to be in
teresting/'
As Dr. Schilling superintended
the removal of the body, Thumm
beckoned a decretive. "Have this
car gone
Peabody,
junk in it.
the Longstreet party and
occupants tool? in passing to the
rooms. I want to make absolutely
sure that nobody dropped any
thing.”
The Longstreet party sat about
in varying attitudes of misery and
strain, but ell were silent.
Inspector 'Thumm surveyed the
party with almost disinterested
speculation. “Sergeant, you told 'me
that some gentleman here had iden
tified the dead man as Harley Long
street. Who was that?”
Duffy pointed to John DeWitt sit
ting beside his wife on the contin
uous bench that flanked*the four
walls.
“You saw that peculiar cork of
needles
pocket
“Have’
DeWitt
else here?” All shook their heads.
Thumm rocked a little on his heels.
“Miss Browne, Mr. DeWitt /says
that he saw Longstreet and you
dash for the car, and that you held
your fiance’s left arm until you both
got into the car. Did you see his
left hand at all?”
“Yes. When he searched
change and didn’t find any,
after we got on the car.”
“His hand was clear—no blood?”
“No,”
“The weapon,” volunteered De
Witt, "must have been slipped into
my partner’s pocket while he was
on the car.”
The inspector grinned without hu
mor. “Exactly, Miss Browne, why
did your fiance take out his'glasses
in the car?”
' “We wanted to see about a cer
tain stock.”
Thum'm clupked (encouragingly..
“Do you know the 'name of the
stock?”
“It was International Metals,”
She stole a swift look to where
Michael C'ollins sat sullenly study
ing the floo.r “And Harley said,
when he saw it had dropped a lor,
that Mr. Collins might need help.”
Thumm regarded Collins with cu
riosity, “'I thought working for the
Income Tax Department kept you
busy. Where do you come in on
this?”
Collins
sure it’s
Thumm.
Longstreet
heavy in International Metals-
been watching the stock for uue.
And the bottom just dropped out of
it today.”
DeWitt was regarding Collins
with frank surprise. Thumm said
quickly: “Did you know about this
transaction, Mr. DeWitt?”
“Certainly not. I’m astonished to
hear that Longstreet advised buy
ing Metals. I foresaw its collapse
last week and so advised a num
ber of my personal customers.”
“Collins, did you speak to Long
street today before you saw him
at the hotel?” asked Thumm.
“Yes,” ominously.
“No words, I suppose?”
“Oh, for God’s sake!” shouted
Collins. “You’re barking up
wrong tree. Are you trying to
this thing on me?”
Cherry Browne was on her
now, eyes wild and face writhing
from the sudden'- sight of Long
street’s livid clay. She brandished
her finger at DeWitt, ran forward
and clutched his lapels, shrieking
into his blanched face: “You killed
him! You did it! You hated him”
Thumm and Duffy pulled the
screaming woman away. Through
out DeWitt stood like .stone.
Inspector Thumm towered above
the quivering woman. “How did
you come to say that, Miss Browne?
Did you see Mr, DeWitt put that
cork into Longstreets’s coat?”
“No,” she moaned, shaking from
side to side. “I only know he hated
Harley . . . Harley told me so doz-
Thu'm-m snorted, looked signifi
cantly at Duffy and snapped: “Every
body staye here until I get back,”
then strode to the general room.
the
pin
feet
Painful, Pus Filled Boils
the Gause of Much Misery
If you suffer from boils you know how* sick and
miserable they made you feci.
Boils are an outward indication of impurities in
the systemj and just when you* think you arc rid of
one another crops up to take its place and prolong
your misery* All the lancing and poulticing you can d
coming. . .
To help overcome boils you should purify the blood, so Why riot give
that old, reliable blood medicine, Burdock Blood Bitters, a chance to show
What it Will dp in helping you get rid of them? ’thousands have used it for
this purpose for the past 60 years. Why hot you?
The T. Milburn Co., Limited, Toronto, Ont,
lancing and poulticing you can do may not stop more
getting on
pretty often at that time for years.”
"Recognize anybody else in hjs
party as a regular passenger?”
■"Seems I saw another man,
weak little guy. Gray-haired, sort
of. I’ve seen him come on pretty
steady with that guy that was
bumped off.”
Thumm then questioned the pas
sengers,
seen anything
street’s pocket,
came in.
“Any luck?”
"Any luck?”
"Dry as a bone,
bunch had on ’em when they
the car is still on ’em.”
"Only one thing to do,” Thumm
said. “Search everybody in this
room. Look sharp for cork, needles,
anything that’s out of place or out
of character. Get busy.”
But the search produced nothing.
Thumm returned to where the
Longstreet party sat miserably
waiting. Dr. Schilling was stand
ing before the screen putting on his
coat. He crooked liis finger and
the two went behind the screen.
"Death from respiratory paraly
sis, but that a detail.” The doctor
bobbed his head in the direction of
the bench; the weapon had been
unwrapped and lay, innocently
enough, at Longstreet’s stiff feet.
"There are fifty-three needle-ends
around the ball of cork. Their tips
and their eyes, projecting from the
cork, were dipped in nicotine—nico
tine in I think a concentrated form.
The fresh pure product is a color
less and odorless oily liquid. But
in water or on standing it soon be
comes dark brown and you
smell the characteristic
odor. The needles pricked the palm
and fingers in twenty-one places;
the poison made immediate entry
into the bloodstream. Thupim, my
fjjend, I don’t envy you. Unless
this poison was secured through le
gal channels, it will be untraceable.
Pure nicotine is hard to buy, and if
I were a poisoner I wouldn’t get it
from a chemist. It would be possi
ble, of course, to distill it from an
enormous
normally
four per
going to
The easiest way is to buy a can
of—” Dr Schilling mentioned a well-
known insecticide, "and you have
nicotine without much trouble. It
has a thirty-five per cent content
to begin with, and by evaporation
you would get just such a resinous
sticky mess as the
smeared with.”
“How long would it
poison to act, Doc?”
“Not more than a
ordinarily. But if the
not wholly concentrate, and' Long
street was a very'heavy smoker, it
would have taken three minutes or
so, as it did.”
Inspector Thumm went out to the
Longstreet party and signed to De
Witt. "As Longstreet’s partner
you’re probably best equipped to
tell me abotit his habits. The con
ductor has often seen him on his
car, How do^you acount for this?”
•CHAPTER HI
"Longstreet, in matters of rou
tine, was extremely methodical. Par
ticularly,” added DeWitt acidly,
"about the time he left the office.
Frankly, he wasn’t much interested
in long hours or hard Work; he left
most of the plugging to me. Our
main offices are downtown, but
we’ve always made a habit of re
turning to our branch at Times
Square after the Wall Street closing,
and leave there for West Engle
wood. Longstreet generally quit the
branch at the Same time every day, a
little 'before six. He always made
the same train on the Jersey side.
When I didn’t stay late at the of
fice, I often went back to
Englewood with him.”
"Let’s be frank about this
Mr. DeWitt. You heard
Browne accuse you of killing
street.
But she
you?”
"I am
murder,
by frankness,”
(To be continued)
REV. H. V. WORKMAN
HEADS PRESBYTERY
Rev. A. W. Gardiner is Secretary
and F. S. Savauge Treasurer
The annual meeting of Huron
Presbytery of th# United ( Church
was held at Brussels, on April 20,
when the following officers were
elected:
Chairman, Rev. H. V. Workman,
Secretary, Rev* A. w. Gardiner.
Treasurer, F. S* Savauge.
<A call from Wrdwieh was extend
ed to Rev. H. W. Johnson, of Ruth
erford, and Rev, W, j. Rogers re
ceived a call from Holmesville.
During the afternoon session Rev.
R, A. Brpok, Pf Ilensall, occupied
the chair during the absence of
Rev, H. 0. Wilson, who was at
tending a funeral. Rev, A. B. Ir
win, of Exeter, reported a substan
tial increase in the M. & M. contri
butions for 1942.
Permission was granted for tem
porary retirement of Rev. J\ W.
Johnson, of Fordwich. Tribute
was paid by members to Mr. John
son, as a Presbyter of many fine
qualities, and a beloved pastor*.
The secretary was directed to
write a letter of sympathy to Mrs,
W. A, Bremner and family, and also
to express the appreciation of Hur
on Presbytery for the capable way
Ju which Mr. Bremner discharged
his duties as secretary. A letter’ of
sympathy was sent to Mrs. Chas. S.
‘Hawke, of Clinton, in the loss of
her husband, a former missionary,
‘The resolutions committee re
commended that for the duration
of the war the Huron Presbytery
should endeavour to meet at a point
near the centre of the Presbytery—
at Clinton or some place near Clin
ton.
The report of the committee on
Evangelism and Social Service was
adopted, which recommended that
“Whereas there* has been a steady
increase in the sale and consump
tion of alcoholic beverages since
the war began, resulting not only in
a hindrance to our total war effort
but to the lowering of our economic
and moral life of both civilians and
soldiers, and whereas the Dominion
Government has limited the amount
of alcoholic liquors that may be
made available or sold during thqjse
war days, we, the Presbytery of
Huron, of the United Church of Can
ada, wish to go on record as ap
proving this action, and pledge our
support to any further restrictions
that may be made.
“In recent weeks, there has ap
peared in the public press, state
ments by the liquor interests, that
plants are now devoted en-
to the 'pjjjdpction. of indus-
alcohol. Although we com
every effort to win tile war
quantity of tobacco, which
has a nicotine content of
cent. But how are you
trace a nicotine-coo'ker?
needles are
take for this
few seconds
nicotine was
West
Of couse
Said you
innocent
if that’s
that’s
hated
thing,
Miss
Long-
nonsense,
him. Did
partner’sof my
what you mean
Customer (at fruit stand)*. I’d
like some grapes for my husband.
Have these been sprayed With poi
son? Salesman: No, ma’am. You’ll
have to get that at the drugstore.
their
tirely
trial
mend
we see in this a subtle form of ad
vertising under the guise of patriot
ism. We desire to register our un
equivocal opposition to the liquor
traffic, as we believe it not only
unnecessary but harmful to the fin
ancial, industrial and moral well
being of the nation.”
Follow the Classifieds—they save
you money.
PERTH COUNTY WOMAN
DUES (AflFTER BOTH
LEGS BROKEN
Put your money on the winner, for this may
well he the year of the second front, the all-out
drive that will set the Hounds of Hitler back
on their heels. Back it UP with every dollar yon
pan scrape together; go without non-essentials. •
9 The fate of fighting men depends On the production and delivery
of planes, tanks, guns, ships and shells . . . depends on passing the
ammunition. It takes money to do it I That’s why we at home are
asked to buy Victory Bonds. Why we too must make sacrifices. And
it’s worth every sacrifice We cart make to provide more fighting dollars
to "back the attack". It Will bring Victory sooner . . . more, It will
save precious lives. Buy another Victory Bond today!
And remember this 1 When we at home buy Victory Bonds, we are
not only doing our patriotic duty, we are investing in the future . . .
our future . . . saving money With which to buy the things we'll want
when the war is over,
Save for peace days now! Be prepared to obtain when available
new, up-to-the-minute equipment for the home that will provide an
easier and better Iffe. It may be a new electric stove, a hew refrigerator
. , , yes, even a complete electric kitchen. It may be any one or a
number of new electrical appliances. It may be a new home. What
ever it is, ft will be easier to buy if money is invested in Victory Bonds
now* Buy Victory Bonds today!
The power that is now helping to produce vast quantities of weapons
for our fighting men Will be ready, when Victory is won, to contribute
to the great peace-time future of Ontario*
The sacrifice is nothing compared with the
alternative. Give our boys the weapons they
need and let them smash the enemy. Lend
your money for vietory. . • Remember it’s
Freedom versus Slavery. Put your money PR
Freedom to win.
Louise Gunning, of Blan-
died Wednesday evening, Ap
ia her 88th year at her resi-
on Highway 23. Twelve
Mrs.
shard,
ril 28,
dence
years ago she fractured her hip and
broke her wrist two years ago. Last
week she fell in the house and frac
tured both her legs.
Born in Usborne Township, a
daughter of the late Joseph and
Isabel Hogg, she moved to Blan
shard 46 years ago, when she mar
ried Samuel Gunning, who died in
1918* She was a devoted member
of Whalen Unitep Church, and a
life-member of the Women’s Mis
sionary .Society.
■She is survived 'by her son, Mel
ville, who lived with his mother;
two sisters, Mrs. James Mills, of
Woodham, and Mrs. William Ste
phens, of Anderson; and one grand
child.
A short service was held at her
late residence on Saturday at 2
o’clock, followed by a public service
in Whalen United Church at 2.30.
the Rev. R. J. Merriam officiating.
Interment was in Zion Cemetery.
DEATH CLAIMS FATHER
OF BLANSHARD WOMAN
George A. Stewart, of London
Township, died at the age of 75. He
was born and lived all his life on the
16tli concession of London Town
ship, engaging in farming. He was
a former director and president of
the Devizes Cheese and Butter Com
pany, and at the time of his death
was vice-president of the township.
He was an elder and trustee of Wes
ley United Church, Where he also
taught Sunday School. Ho had
formerly been superintendent of the
Sunday School for 20 years,
■Surviving are three daughters,!
Mrs. Warren Brook, Blanshard
Township; Mrs. Thomas Dickenson,
London Township; and
at home, two sons,
London, and William,
Township; two sisters,
Dora, and one brother,
of London Township.
Miss Hazel,
Charles, of
of London
Minnie and
Thomas, all
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