HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1953-02-20, Page 2SIS
stabi d 1460
Ya Mclean, Editor
i t blished at ,Seaforth, Ontario, ev-,
;Thursday afternoon by McLean
Bros.
erdber of Canadian
eekiy Newspapers
Association.
they been, able toproject th
• y.4 b tired ;heap Into the , t ••
e �' lean the modern
e ' ee t $e there .was
of tilrOad, or a few
Subscription rates, $2.50 a year in
advance; foreign $3.:70 a year. Single
• copies, 5 cents each.
Advertising rates on application.
PHONE 41
Authorized as Second Class Mail
Post Office Department, Ottawa
SEAFORTH, Friday, February 20
Huron Pledges Aid
As, was suggested in this column
Bast week, the people of Huron were
quick to appreciate the extent of the
damage in flood ravaged Europe.
They acted equally fast in establish-
ing the necessary machinery in or-
der thht -their concern could more
readily be shown in a practical man-
ner.
Next week is "Flood Relief Week"
in `Huron, and under the direction Of
a county -wide committee various or-
ganizations in Huron are co-operat-
ing to the end that the people of the
county may make a substantial con-
tribution to the suffering and unfor-
tunate citizens of the countries in
Europe which have been affected.
Details of the campaign appear else-
where in this issue.
In launching the Canadian appeal
on Sunday, Governor-General Vin-
cent Massey, chairman of the Cana-
dian National European Flood Re-
lief Committee, indicated the extent
of the disaster.
In England, 300 have lost their
lives, 18,000 are homeless and 140,000
acres of farmland are under water,
Mr. Massey said. In Holland, 1;400
have drowned, 50,000 are homeless,
and one-fifth of the country -438,000
nacres—lies under sea water. In Bel-
gium, 10,000 people have suffered.
"We have watched with sympathy.
and understanding the trials which
have confronted these three brave
nations since the war. We have ad-
mired their efforts to overcome the
difficulties which they faced. Now,
the blind forces of nature have struck
a cruel blow at a time when the work
of recovery is not ended.
"It may be asked what is the ob-
jective of the appeal. It is still too
early to 'determine how much will be
needed to help the victims of this dis-
aster. I can only say it will be a very
large sum indeed.
"Such in brief terms is the situa-
tion which confronts us. Countless
sufferers need what we can give to
help them. Canada has an abundance
from which to give ; she has a fine
tradition of giving. That we shall
rise to the challenge of this emerg-
ency, there can be no doubt," Mr.
Massey concluded_
•
When All Roads Were Bad
The greater the conveniences we
enjoy or the standard reached in the
maintenance of public services, the
more apt we are to criticize most
vehemently those who are in charge.
So it is with roads:'
Mr. W. C. Gilchrist, managing di-
rector of the' Canadian Good Roads
Association, has been exploring the
early history of Ontario highways,
and in a recent speech quoted a let-.
ter to a long -vanished periodical the
Niagara Herald in 1801. The writer
said he had lately had the misfortune
to travel the roads of the Niagara
district and he considered "miracu
l>iusP his escape from "brokek neck,
legs and arms." And this letter -writ -
ter of 1801 added :
"Besides the pains I endured oh my
own account 1 had those of a feeling
i toward distressed families in
seem breaking down, falling into
ep Wiles and bridgeless 'creeks
iftoirYi whence it seemed impossible to
the women and children
g•thrOu;gh those like Pharaoh's
t;r-ottgh the not Red but muddy
tom of necessity needed
ed' aild persevering. But
ulc " h vii°bfi'en their reaoti n
•
oen
fey .4
rough spots?
r,
•
Rising on Tiine
. • There are some ,•people who have
trouble rising in the morning. Re-
gardless of their good intentions, or
of the array of alarm clocks with .
which they provide themselves, it
seems an almost impossible feat to
jump out of bed at a predetermined
time. For such people it appears
there may be some hope for, from the
, chemists' testtube there has emerg-
ed the elixir of perfect punctuality,
a small marvel of a pill.
It is, in detail, three pills in ogle
according to the Montreal Star,
here is something to put one to
s ep. All those flocks of sheep that
h e to put up with being counted
for the satisfaction of some silly mor-
tal may now lie down and enjoy an
unbroken night's rest themselves.
There is something to keep one
asleep. Let the blanketls fall to the
floor and lie there. There is some-
thing to wake one up at the proper
time. The announcement says, after
eight hours. Presumably an assort-
ment would cover such situations as
having turned in at four o'clock in-
stead of eleven, a little more or less
of this or that in different boxes:
•
Six Years Of Progress Under
Liberal Rule
(An Editorial in The Brockville
Recorder and Times)
The Liberal Federal. Government
of the day, for all the sniping of its
critics, has rolled up in the past six
years a massive and impressive re-
cord of sound national accomplish-
ment. Now is a good time to take
a hard loop at that record, a record
of fact, of indisputable achievement.
The record, in part: In the latter
part of the past six years the cost of
living has been reduced, in spite of
the inflationary pressures that beset
a booming economy. The national
output stands at an all-time high of
$23 billions.
The same may be said for national
income, with the average Canadian
being better off than ever before in
the country's economic history: Can-
ada's population, from 11 millions in
1939, has risen to an estimated 15
millions at the present time. Cana-
dian exports for the year 1952 will
be in excess of $4 billions, about five
times the pre-war volume.
The expansion of basic industries
and manufactures in the past five
years, capital development, call it
what one wishes, has amounted to
about $25 billions. And, too, during
these processes and huge gains, the
Government of the day has been able
to effect substantial tariff reductions
in accord with the Liberal policy of
steadily moving toward a freer and
freer state of trade.
These gains then are the major
fiscal gains which the nation has
made in six years—and they are
gains which are largely responsible
for a nation of 15 millions now rank-
ing as one of the principal economic
Powers of the world.
And these are the .gains brought
about in the main by the fiscal poli-
cies of the high-calibre Cabinet of
the present Liberal Federal Admini-
stration. The management of Can-
ada's overall economic progress in
the past few years has found ap-
plause far beyond the circle of parti-
san Liberals. Brilliant American and
British economists concede that the
economics of this country have been
handled as ably as if not more ably
than any other country in the world
today. This then is the record.
Certainly the present Administra-
tion has made mistakes — Govern-
ments will always make mistakes as
long as they are composed of human
beings -- but, when the ledger is ex-
amined and mistakes are compared
with successes, .the latter in- quality,
as well as quantity, dwarf the form-
er.
The past six years under the Lib-
eral Administration have numbered
some of the most historic years of
development in this nation's evolu-
tion. 'X'his, the positive side of the
record, the Canadian people cannot
p f►.
ignore, dittoing or forget.
Chief of Police Goes To Cilnton
Chief of Police Oitbert- Robert-
son, who came hero .front•- Bort'.
Dover several months ago, tendered'
his resignation to the tower couucii
the Iatter part of the week and in-
tends assuming similar deities in
Clinton on Monday.—Mitchell Ad-
vocate.
Ten Babies Born At Hospital
Ten babies were born during the
first week South Huron Hospital
was open. The boys outnumbered
the girls eight to two, Four moth-
ers and their babies have been dis-
charged from hospital. Eleven med-
ical patients were received during
the first week of operation.—Exce
ter Times -Advocate.
Celebrate 54th Wedding Day
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Seli, of Low-
er Wingham, celebrated their 54th
wedding anniversary quietly on
Sunday, February 8. Although not
enjoying the best of health, Mr.
and Mrs. Sell still take a great deal
of interest in everyday affairs, and
Mr. Seli is well known locally for
his keen interest in sports.—Wing-
ham Advance -Times. •
Present Gifts to Neighbors
Mr. and Mrs. Alex James and Mr.
and Mrs. Leslie Harburn called at
the Lewis Docking home recently
and presented them with an end
table on behalf of themselves •and
the neighbors of the 6th and 7th
concessions of Hibbert. Mrs. Dock-
ing thanked them and all the neigh-
bors for their kind remembrance.—
Mitchell Advocate.
Civil Marriage Ceremony No. Two
Magistrate D. E. Holmes, Q.C.,
officiated at a civil marriage Sat,,
urday morning at the Court House,
when Alban Hines, R.AC.A.F., Hale-
ilton, was married to Kathleen
Baechler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Fred Baechler, of Auburn. This is
the second civil marriage perform-
ed by Magistrate Holmes since the
Act came into force a year ago.—
Goderich Signal -Star.
Returns Home
Mr. Gerry Kestle, who has been
a patient in London and Toronto
hospitals since he was injured in
an automobile accident last July,
was discharged from Lyndhurst
Loge, Toronto, on Sunday and re-
tutned to his home in Stratford.
He was brought to his home by
his uncle, We H. Pollen, who re-
ports him much improved and able
to walk.—Exeter Times -Advocate.
Honored On Retirement
Twenty-eight years of . efficient
service with the Purity Flour Miffs
given by Archibald Macfie were
recognized Saturday morning by
the Resembled staff and employees
of the plant. On behalf of the
staff and employees, Mr. Joseph
Moody, in the absence of Manager
R. M. Menzies, made the presenta-
tion Of a handsome smoking stand
and accessories to Mr. ,Macfie, who
made a suitable reply. He came to
Goderich from Nottawa and was
employed. with the company from
1924 until his retirement on Decem-
ber 31, 1952.—Goderich Signal -Star.
In Hospital After Traffic Accident
Mrs. Marta Hoytema, of Clinton,
wasadmitted to St. Joseph's Hos-
pital, London, after a traffic acci-
dent on Highway 4, near Clinton.
She was a passenger in a car driv-
en by her husband, Rev. George
Hoytema, of the Christian Reform -
upty Papers
00 Church at Clinton., when; , $kid
ted into tyre ,ditch. ¶recipe rain
bad coated the paveMent'with ice.
No other car was involved. Mrs.'
Hoytema suffered lacerations tp
nose and forehead, and was kept in
hospital for observation of possible
head injury. The couple came to
Canada from Holland early this
winter.—Clinton News -Record.
Tendered Reception
A large crowd was present in the
Blyth Memorial Hall on Friday
night for the public reception ten
dered Mr. and `Mrs. Kenneth
Staples, of Blyth, recent newly-
weds. Dancing occupied the major
portion of the evening's program,
with music supplied by Jas. Pierce's
orchestra. Mr. and Mrs, Staples
'were the recipients of a purse of
money, the presentation being
made by Eddie McNeil, while John
Pollard read the address. Ken re-
plied, thanking those present for
their kindness one -behalf of his
bride. Mrs. Staples was the for-
mer, Miss Shirley Ives, Colborne
township.—Blyth Standard.
Heifer Goes Berserk
Joe and Ted Hunking had a
rather harrasing experience one
day last week, Joe was leading an
Ayrshire heifer from one farm to
the other, when the animal got un-
ruly and attacked him. Finally
breaking away, Ted came along in
a truck and seeing the difficulty
came to his brother's aid, where-
upon the animal took a round out
of him. Both men were bruised as
the heifer attacked with her long
horns. She was finally subdued,
and then, according to Ted, went
along quite peacefully. The boys
were at a loss •to know just what
had caused the animal to go sud-
denly berserk.—Blyth Standard.
Girl Hurt in Truck Collision
Mary Ann Stryker, aged five,
Ontario St., 4 inton, 'suffered a
broken arm, b oken leg, and bead
injuries when struck by a truck
Tuesday evening, February 10. Ac-
cording to Police Constable James
Thompson, who investigated the
accident, a truck driven by, Paul
Schmidt, Stratford, was travelling
west on Ontario Street, just west
of Feet Street, when two girls
came round the back of a car park-
ed on the south side of the street
and a little girl ran in front of the
oncoming truck. She was knocked
to the pavement, and the lady who
also came from the parked car
drove the injured child to Clinton
Public ..Hospital. Later the little
girl was taken to hospital in Lon.
don.—]Clinton News -Record.
Mildmay Man Buys Franchise
Mr. Fred G. Newton announced
last week he has sold his Chrys-
ler -Plymouth franchise and garage
business to Mr. Reg Armstrong, of
Mildmay. The firm will be known
as the Reg Armstrong Motors. Mr.
Armstrong conducted a similar
business in Mildmay `for six years
an was active in -the Rotary Club
and the Masonic Lodge there. He
is a member of•the Unfted Churoh.
He was born in Ireland and email -
grated with his parents to New To-
ronto 30 years ago, where he lived
until moving to Mildmay. Mr. and
Mrs. Armstrong and two children,
Bob and George, and Mr. Arm-
strong's father, Mr. David Arm-
strong, moved to Exeter last week.
They will live in an apartment
above the garage.—Exeter Times -
Advocate.
To The Editor
Toronto, Feb. 16, 1953,
Editor, The Huron Expositor:
Dear Sir: Your editorial on the
two-way traffic of immigration -
emigration. with the accent on the
movement to and from the United
States, was very encouraging, with
the following fact a standout on
balance: "The fact of the matter,
of course, is that today there are
fewer Canadians leaving Canada to
obtain employment in other coun-
tries than ever before was the case.
In addition, there is a greater in-
flow of professional persons from
the United States than' in the past."
As a primary producer of food
and fiber, I. take a special interest
in this theme of a more appropri-
ate population for this mighty land.
I recall, for instance, the deplor•
able fact brought „forward by one
of the farm editors, that "according
'to the official figures on the move-
ment of people across the nation's
borders—inbound and outbound—
during the hundred years, 1840-
1940, it is indicated that 6.4 mil-
lion came in, and just six million
left us."
This latter is an anaemic and de-
plorable picture, at any rate from
the viewpoint of the builders of
that 'Greater Canada' dreamed of
and visualized by the pioneers. I
note that your prairie contempor-
ary (Winnipeg Free Press) .de-
scribes the scene dolefully, but al-
so factually,. as "a constant, un-
ending hemorrhage"; but I am
hopeful that things are on the
mend; for it was only the other
day that one of the authoritative
observers wrote thus: "It is esti-
mated that every day 1,000 new
Canadians are born; 340 die, and
400 immigrate to this. country. This
means that every day there are
well over 1,000 new people to feed,
clothe, and house."
I was interested in the apparet
unconcern with the outbound traf-
fic, at the present hour. Here's
hoping the flow (outbound or south-
bound) is too shallow to be dan-
gerous to the nation's pulse -beat,
and no longer entitled to be
described ominously as "toe exo-
dus.'
A GREATER CANADA
Buying A Farm
As the spring season approaches,
there is usually considerable ex-
change
xchange between those who wish to
buy farms • and those who wish to
sell. Many farms are bought and
sold before the crops are planted,
so that the -new -owner can plan his
production to fit his farming pros
grana,
r Of course whether a .man should
buy a farm is the first decision to
be made, but after you have come
to the conblusion that you are in a
position to buy a farm, the next
important step i8 finding a farni
that suits your purposes, or choos-
ing the one that has the moat df
the features you are looking for,
This is not easy as rarely does one
find a farm which fits all the re..
quitentente exactly.
it miax be of :'real valve to a Matt
looking for a farm to ask himself
what he should consider before
making his choice. Some factors
which have quite an. influence are
often overlpoked. One of these is
rainfall, If you are considering
purchasing a farm in an area or
district somie distance from where
'you Are far`uiiTig at present, x look
at the records for climate will help.
-Phe--record of .the. rainfallwith.. at-
tention not only to the annual av-
erage but also to the distribution
throughout the growing season, the
variability from year to year, and
the frequency of storms or "gully
washers" should interest you. Some
of these may 'be unfavorable to the
type of production yon are consid-
ering:
A, second factor to consider is
tate d'evelopmen't of the cominui5:ity.
(Oaii'tiiitied on I1sge 6)
J
The bath is Fun
When rightly done.
It's a big part
OF child training art.
Dept. of National Man and Welfare.
Years Agone
Interesting Items Picked From
The Huron Expositor of Twen-
ty-five and Fifty Years Ago
From The Huron Expositor
February 24, 1928
•
On Thursday evening a large
number of friends and neighbors
assembled at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Ed. Horan, Beechwood, prior
to their [departure to their .new
home in Stratford. Frank McQuaid,
reeve of MoKillop, and Mr. Wilfred
Maloney presented them with a
well -tilled purse.
A rink composed of Seaforth
curlers, consisting of Dr. F. J.
Bechely, R. J. Winter, R. J. Sproat
and W. E. Southgate, are in Toron-
to this week taking part in the big
bonspiel in that city.
The severe storm at the first of
the week has 'blocked, the roads
badly. The snowplow opened the
highday for cars from Stratford to
Seaforth on Wednesday.
Mrs. Thomas Jarmain, town, had
the misfortune to fall at her home
on Monday and fracture several
ribs.
The annual oyster supper under
the auspices of the Cromarty Scale
Company, was held at the home of
Mr. Oswald Walker, all members
being present with their families.
Oysters were served to about 80,
and the evening was spent in
games and dancing.
.A. number of Kippen sportsmen
were out rounding up jack rabbits,
as these animals are getting num-
erous and are doing a great, deal
of harm to fall wheat.
Miss Dorothy . Welsh; Hensall,
popular bride -elect of the week,
held a very elaborate trousseau tea
Wednesday, when guests number-
ing 200 were present.
The nomination meeting held in
the Town Hall, Hensall, Monday
evening to fill the position of
reeve, resulted •in four being nom,
inated, namely, Robert Higgins,
Owen Geiger, William Consitt and
Alex Smith. The contest will be
between Robert Higgins and Owen
Geiger, and promises to be anin-
teresting one.
On March 15, Andrew W. Dun-
lop, Milverton, will open a repair
and service department in connec-
tion with the Chevrolet -and Olds-
mobile garage, under E. E. Welch,
Seaforth.
The death of Louis Atkinson in
Seaforth Memorial Hospital last
Thursday came suddenly and with
a deep sense of shock to his many
friends here. He was a soldier in
World War 1, and was severely
wounded. -•
a
From The Huron Expositor
•
February 20, 1903
Mr. W. N. Watson, Seaforth, met
with a somewhat painful accident
on Saturday night Which will con-
fine him .to the house for some
days. As he was leaving for the
offce he tripped on the leg of a
chair, falling heavily on the floor,
injuring his side.
Mr. Ray Scott, of the Seaforth
Electric Light Works, has accept-
ed a "position as manager of the
Tottenham Electric Light & Power
Company.
Miss Ida McSpadden, Winthrop,
left this week for Cleveland, where
she will remain for a period of
time.
Mr. George Love, of the 10th con-
cession of McKillop, disposed of
one of the best teams of matched
colts last week which has ever left
the township. He received the sum
of $355 for them, Mr. John McLean,
Tuckersmit'h, being the purohaser.
Mr. Thomas Ward, Varna, has
sold one of his farms adjoining
the village, to Mr. William Denni-
son, for $3,700.
Mrs. F. C. McDougall, Hensall,
had the misfortune while skating
at the rink, to slip and in ,falling
broke her arm between the wrist
and elbow.
The following were ticketed 'to
distant points this week: Miss
Hackwell, McKillop, to Detroit;
Miss
Miss Ida McSpadden, Winthrop, to
Cleveland, Ohlo, and Mrs. ,Cum-
mings, McNeil op, to •Wolverine,
Mich.
Mr. John Routledge, son of "Mr,
Charles R•outiedge, Tuckersmth,
but who is now located at Indian
He d, Northwest Territory, bad a
carload.of horses shipped there
from Seaforth, consisting of 14
horses and a stallion.
- At --the regular- meeting- cif -Wal.
ton Public Library on Tuesday, the
following officers were elected:
president, Rev. A McNab; secre-
tary, W. J. Neal; treasurer, W. J.
Simpson; committee: R. M. Ctun-
mings, Mimes Denniso i, Themes
1VIcradzean, James McCall, J. W.
Morrison; librarian, 'Miss M. E;
J'ohnsoh,
,The property of the late Samuel
Madge, r borne, has been. sold to
1 rs. W1):soir, of the tendert i oa I.
"•So much for a supposedly smart
Piece of detective work," Matthews
would have been tickled at that
item,
"I had a safety razor blade with
me," she continued. "With 'it I
sliced• off the bottoms of several
of the chocolates anti mixed poison
with the cream."
"Where did you get the stuff?"
"From a drug store in Chicago.
Our restrictions are more easily
circumvented than yours. It was
supposed. to be for getting rid of
a dog and I'd carried it about for
months. You see this was not
done on the spur of the moment."
Her cold-blooded calculation was
horrifying.
"Then, of course, you wiped your
hands on a church vestment," he
prompted.
"Youve worked it out correct-
ly„
"What made you think Martin
Rotherson would eat the sweets?
We concluded that a man so par-
ticular about his figure as to use
saccharine would avoid them."
'Then you failed to check up
on his habits. He had a positive
mania for chocolates, and used to
import them specially from Eng-
land. I'd written a little note and
addressed it to Martin, meaning to
leave it on the chairman's table so
that it would be concluded that the
presentation came from .somebody
connected with the function."
"Why go to such elaborate
length when it would have been
simpler to have sent doped con-
fectionery by post?"
"Because he would have been
suspicious. It isn't so easy as you
make it sound to kill a person."
"Thank goodness for that. No,
I imagine I should look twice at
anything to eat sent me by an
unknown 'admirer,' especially if I
was a public man with a number
of known enemies. What next?"
"Margatret came back just as I'd
finished. I cleared off quickly and
I don't think anyone saw the two
of us together."
"Was it possible that Margaret
had turned over a new leaf and
[really wanted to settle down quiet-
ly?"
"A leopard cannot change his
spots."
"They tell me she had taken up
her parish duties very thoroughly
and conscientiously."
Her lips curled. "That woman
was a better actress than she was
a dancer," she sneered. "She pre-
tended that there was nothing .be-
tweenthem, that Martin was look-
ing u,' his English relations, and
that she had had nothing to do
with inviting him to the sale of
work. Would you expect me to
believe that?"
"No." But ,Ms. Sharpe was
meaning the negative more as a
tribute to her• implacable hatred
than an acceptance of the motives
behind Mrs. Thorne's appeal.
"Of course y-ou wouldn't. I wasn't
fooled. When I left I gloried in
my action,, and only wished I could
have been present to see him die.
The newspapers told me all 1 want-
ed to know, however. That night
I crept in a back window- at the
hall."
"Meaning to get back the re-
mains of the incriminating box of
chocolates?"
"Nothing of the kind. They didn't
bother me. There was a chance
that some of the helpers who had
spoken to me that morning under
the i mpressiou I was Margaret
would throw suspicion on her.
That -would have made the plan
complete."
Mr. Sharpe shuddered, What a
fiend she was. Her very beauty
and fragile feminity only made it
more dreadful. "When the plot
against Rotherson miscarried what
did you think?" he asked, masking
his repugnance,
"Miscarried? You are talking
nonsense. He is dead. I read it
in the English newspapers and
here in America., Poisoned at a
church bazaar in a little country
town. Poisoned, I tell you!"
"Yes, yes," he said soothingly.
"Be calm. We seem to be at cross
purposes. If you have told the
truth of your actions his death
does not lie at your door."
"I-1 don't understand."
"Don't you know what the drug-
gist gave you for the ostensible
purpose of killing a dog?"
"No. It didn't matter to me so
long as it was effective. I told
him it was a •big dog — an Alsa-
tion,"
"Wie found cyanide in the choco-
lates."
"Yes! Won't that work on a
buma.n being. I thought if I said
a big dog it would make sure."
"There was enough to wipe out
half a dozen people. But Martin
Rotherson didn't die from taking
cyanide. He had something quite
different—morphine."
She looked at him uncomprehend-
ingly and then burst into a flood
of tears. "Oh, .bitter, bitter," she
moaned. • "Who robbed me of my
revenge?"
"Don't ask me," Mr. Sharpe
snapped, e q u all y disappointed,
though in an entirely different man\
ter. "Perhaps you can throw some
light on the death of your half-
sister."
"Wasn't it suicide?"
He groaned audibly, "There was
a box Of poisoned chocolates found
by her side."
"Then I didn't waste my time•"
Ghoulishly she brightened at the
thought that some measure of an
old score had been settled:
"It was not the same box you
left in•_tho hall,"_he .-.exnlgiued.
patiently. "Phe worst of this case
is a plethora of potential murder-
ers."
"Aren't you going to arrest me?"
she Asked as he,, ate for the door
anxious to get' breath of fresh
air as relief froth ti, eentaminatiug
prese
"1Vdtbingnce.
in the world would
please me trotter," wore hiss parting
wards, Ad ,heart you're the 'tV'ick-
etTest,woYnati I've ever Met, and
tar
nobody earl do anything about It
in this world."
As he left Iter shew as the very
a
personification of thwarted felinity'
and the little man went straight
back to•his own hoteland called;
e
for a bottle of disinfectant to beh
emptied into a hot bath. That ware
the effect Myrtle Rotherson had on•
him.
CHAPTER XI
Thinking over his interview with
the ex-wife of Martin Rotherson WA --
occurred to Morrison Sharpe that
heehad left unasked several inter-
esting questions. Was there, for
one; any possibility of the Rev.
Quentin Thorne having knowledge
of the existence of his wife's in-
tention.
ntention. It seemed doubtful. The -
vicar appeared to have been bliss-
fully unaware of dangerous under-
currents. He had taken Margaret
on trust, like thousands of other
me, no
Peopleneven in vital matters, did:
not go about delving into the past -
Perhaps life would be more un-
pleasant all round if they did. Oc-
casionally long laid spectres start-
ed to stalk again. When they did
there was no telling what troubles
would begin.
Perhaps this was an example of
secrecy being the prelude to trag-
edy. Yet had the vicar of St_
Chad's known all about his wife„
her childhood and her friendship',
with Martin Rotherson there might
have been no marriage. On the
other hand he might have decided/
to begin all over again on a basis
• of love and•;.}Christian charity.
All at once Mr. Sharpe thought
he would like to talk over the com-
plexities of this tangled case with[
somebody of trained intelligence..
That meant Inspector Matthews
and none other. There was some-
thing soundly satisfying in his con-
ventionally policemanlike way o$'
weighing up. the pros and cons of
crime.
' Less than a week later he was-
back
asback in Netherton,
Immediately on arrival in Eng-
land Mr. Sharpe obtained bads
numbers of all the newspapers
with .reports of the police court
proceedings against the Rev. Quen-
tin Thorne. They made astonish-,
ing reading.
Facts had been marshalled
against the accused that led inevit-
ably to his committal to the As-
sizes. Matthews had done his join
very well.
According to the evidence givers
by carefully chosen witnesses,
Thorne hater deliberately plotted
against the life of Martin Rother-
son, picking the opening ceremony'
of his Church function as most
convenient and safest for himself -
Particularly damning was the-
testimony that the vicar had sent
a small jug of cream for the guest
of honor, with the remark that he
understood it was . customary irr.
America to take this in place of
the more usual milk favored inn
England. This essential incident
had not' been commented nn dur-
ing the preliminary investigations,.
an ommission explainable by the•
common lack of observation of ord
inary little happenings.
Matthews had dug this out and'
made the most of it, Admittedly'
itn}ad' things blacker.
According to the prosecutions.
Thorne must have known of his
wife's previous friendship with the
film star. In examination it was,
suggested that such knowledge
could not have been kept back.
They proved that Mrs. Thorne had
gone to Loudon to visit R.othersoir
and held that this suggested the
resumption of an illicit relation-
ship. Jealousy supplied the motive. ,
The poisoned chocolates found
in the church hall, were produced`
in support of the diabolical thor-
oughness of the murderer. who pro-
posed to make absolutely sure or
success.
Following up the first death and
both to cover up his tracks and
complete his revenge the second
murder had been consummated.
Put in such a manner there was
little wonder that the" bench • of
justices had decided that the case
must go before a jury, with the evi-
dent possibility of a verdict or
"guilty" being returned.
And all Mr. Sharpe had to go on
was a fierce sense of logic and a
private conviction that these things -
could not be, coupled with the in-
formation that the vicar bad not,
at any rate, been concerned with.
the affair of the poisoned choco-
lates.
Reaching Netherton the little
puzzle -master lost no time before'
calling on the inspector, who wel-
c?med him with genuine pleasur,
though allied with a suggestion of
private triumph.
"I expect you have read all about
the case," die" observed.
Mr. Sharpe scowled, "Yes. You
confounded bobbies are making a
shocking mess of it between you."
"Surely you've seen the reports?
We had witness after witness
who—"
"Who spoke what they thought to•
be the truth. Yet half of it was
all wrong, and the other hall had
been twisted to suit the facts in-
stead of the facts suiting the actu-
allty. Listen to this part of the
story to .begin with.;'
Clearly and eoncisely he spoke
of his interview with Myrtle Roth-
erson. The inspector made no
comment until he had finished-
Then
whistled. ""Queer yarn," e
"And palpably true."
"I don't doubt it. Nobody Could
invent smell 11 thing, But It doesn't
make so very nruch difference. '-If -1
Rotherson had taken the cyanide
our case would fall to the ground
M. view of your revelation. As it
o we don't rely on the chocolates. t
You haven't proved that the cream
was all right and that was the•
thing tliitt mattered,"
"Rubbish. A. smart Counsel wiI1
demolish that supposition in no
time, Produce the remains of the
(Continued on 'Paige '1)
-t
"
•
t
,4.