Loading...
The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1943-07-22, Page 7THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE, THURSDAY MORNING, JULY 22nd, 1943 X NEW SERIAL STORY HODGERT REUNW ••• • •• by ELLERY QUEEN .. ----------------- Lune’s ta.ee clouded, „ “I have tried to convince myself that I was not to blame for DeWitt’s death, never dreamed he would be tacked the very night he was quitted. I considered Wood weeks, months in Which to find opportunity to kill DeWitt, “Which brings us to the third mur­ der. If DeWitt had not purchased a new fifty-trip ticket-book that night there is no telling whether this case ever would have been satisfactorily solved, l’or I should never have known in what disguise Stopes com­ mitted the murder of DeWitt, “The primary point was the loca­ tion of this ticket on DeWitt’s per­ son. He had placed it in the upper left pocket of his vest, but when his corpse was searched by Inspec­ tor* Thumm I noticed with astonish­ ment the ticket-book was in the in­ side breast pocket of the coat! The bullet had pocket, but bullet-hole question of been removed from one pocket to' another before DeWitt was shot? “Recall the condition of the body,; DeWitt’s left hand formed some sort of sign by the overlapping of, Wood he worked from 2; 30 to 10:30 his middle and index fiiigers. Dr, Schilling affirmed he had died instantly, the overlapping fingers indicated that DeWitt made the sign before he" was shot; that, since he was right-handed and tlie sign was made with his left hand, there­ fore his right hand was occupied when he decided to make the sign, and that, since he was not super­ stitions, it must have related not to himself but to his murderer. This was unquestionably the result of a conversation A*liearn and I few moments . necessary for completely before making nection between the murderer DeWitt’s sign, Yet whatever . . meant, it’s being on the left hand As Wood he just wore a red'Wig. indicated that his right was occu- He said that a short time before the pied. And what more logical than Longstreet kill, DeWitt had handed with his ticket at the approach of him- the conductor? And that explained | ductor- _ . _ why’it was found in the inside breast' was not able to explain the cause” of pocket, If the conductor were murderer, h© naturally could allow the ticket to remain in De-| Witt’s hand—its presence at the time of instant death would have indicated the very thing . to- avoid—that DeWitt, * of his approach and had immediately after.” Lane’s voice took on a ■“Now, I had deduced a conductor as the murderer in the first crime, and the murderer in the first crime was also a conductor. Was it pos­ sible they were one and the same? Forgetting the red hair and the scar, the first of which could easily have been artificial, and second un­ questionably so—I knew Wood was tall and burly. Thompson, there­ fore, was our man.” “The next step was plain—to ex­ amine the back history of both De­ Witt and Longstreet in an effort to -uncover someone who’ had sufficient motive to desire the death of both and plan for years to that end. That story you know now, but for the first time, to me, it linked Longstreet and DeWitt with two oth­ er men—(Martin Stopes, escaped convict, and William Crockett, who turned out to be a silent third part- ner of DeWitt & Longstreet. Of the two, Stopes must be Wood- ThOmpson. His motive—revenge— directed equally against all three of the others. was the conductor the mail killed Crockett was into- a position do not know, Mr. Bruno?” said the District Attorney “He commu'nic'ated with I at- ac- had his pierced the upper vest the book contained no which brought up the how and why it had pre- from reneging years. At any rate, the on to say that he, the had proof of this fraud- was willing to sell the ” put in Inspector1 told us how he that morning and demanded the lower deck He ‘be careful' ■thereby minimiz- of DeWitt and tained; and rather than have Crock-! ett, a reckless, irresponsible sort, j spill the story of the Uruguayan! frame-up, Longstreet and DeWitt consented to his investing one-third of the capital required to swing the business and giving him a third share of their profits. I take it that only DeWitt's insistence vented Longstreet through the letter went bookkeeper, ulency and proof to Crockett, “Not only that, Thumm, “but Stopes telephoned DeWitt posing as Crockett, that DeWitt be on of the 10;40 ferry that night, cautioned DeWitt to not to be seen—1 ing the chances Crockett meeting.” “How did Stopes arrange his three personalities—Wood. Nixon, Thompson—so he was physically able to keep them separate?” Lane asked. • “It wasn’t as hard as it looks,” said the District Attorney. “As DeWitt, Brooks, had engaged in just a was case con- an d it before. But it me to solve the the As'p,in„ and as Thompson from 12 t’o 1.40 a.m, on the short railroad Shift, a special job. As’Wood he lived in Weehawken for con­ venience in changing his clothes and disguise before taking up his train duties; as Thompson he lived in West Haverstraw, the last stop of his run, sleeping there the rest of the night and. returning to his Wee­ hawken lodgings as Wood by the late morning train. The Nixon per­ sonality was flexible, and he used it rarely. As far as the night' of the ferry-murder was concerned, Stopes selected > that particular night because it was his night off as Thompson! Incidentally, this business of disguise wasn’t so ter­ ribly complicated, either. He’s bald. ■as Thompson the train-con- ■a cigar. However, Stopes he wished was aware been killed fresh note. the the incessant quarrels between not r Longstreet and DeWitt.” “I fancy, proper enough, enough spot in younger days he was probably dom­ inated by Longstreet, and regret Stopes. if Longstreet made threaten a disclosure ry to Jeanne.” The three men sat minuting. The fire ” said Lane, “that the explanation is simple DeWitt was a reputable character with one weak his moral armor. In his the conspiracy I should not be it of a came to against surprised point to the old sto- 1silence, ru- So Stopes, I concluded, and Crockett On the ferry. I-Iow decoyed by Stopes to be murdered, I Did Stopes explain, in leaped higher and Bruno saw that Lane’s eyes were pacifically closed. Bruno started at the slapping Sound of Thumm’s great palm against his thigh. “By God!” Inspector. He touched Lane’s opened his eyes. something” out, Mr. Lane. There’s one thing you haven’t cleared up. That hocus-pocus of DeWitt’s fin­ gers.” “Careless of me,” murmured Lane. “In n\any ways the most curious element of the entire affair. Think of the metric closely identification of Thompson finger-prints,” Lane explored his wallet, ing a long piece of printed paper, to Thumm, ex­ one of the du- which passed of Conductor exclaimed the leaned over and shoulder; Lane “I knew you left Lane. of the physical significance twisted fingers. The geo­ symbol approximated most is an x and it was as rigid an as his extract- “Yes,’ huskily. Crockett in the guise of a dis­ charged bookkeeper of De’Wittf & Longstreet, writing that Crockett was being defrauded of a large part of his rightful one-third share of the firm’s net, despite the large checks sent 'Crockett by the two men twice a year. For Crockett, •when the three originally returned to the States insisted on sharing Whatever success the other two at- which he handed plaining; “Merely ]pl,ex cash-tickets through the hands ward Thompson when you paid fares just before -his arrest?’ Thumm and Bruno stared at spots on the paper- the printed and, lower wood,’’ were .Conductor ticket punch— Ed- our two -by the side of words ‘(Weehawken” down, “West Engle- the perforations of Edward Thompson’s -an x. [THE END] Say you saw it in the Tiines- Advocate* Do You Suffer From Headaches? It is hard Io strugglo along with & head that aches and paing all the time. A headache heed hot be ah illness in itself, but it ’may be a warning symptom that there is intestinal sluggishness within. To help overcome, the cause of headache it is necessary to eliminate the waste matter from the system. Burdock Blood Bitters helps id remove the cause Of headaches by regulating the digestive And biliary organs, neutralizing acidity, regulating the Constipated bowels And toning up the sluggish liver, and when thia has been accomplished the headaches should disappear Get B. B. B. at any drug counter. Brice $1.00 a bottle. " /Tho T« Milburn Co., Limited. Toronto, Oat, *r nr !W•r uality counts most—for that rich, satisfying flavour which only a fine quality tea yields, use.. FFfl J| ■ J| f] jV* On July 14 th the Hodgert family held their 18th reunion at Queen’s Park. Stratford, with about seventy members present, Owing to tire and gas rationing, the relatives from far away failed to appear. However, despite a heavy rain in the afternoon, all reported a vary good time* O£- fivers ter 1944 are as follows: president, James Hodgert; secretary, Roy Coward; treasurer, Elgin Lux­ ton; sports committee, F. Bray, K* Hodgert, John Bray and Thomas Hodgert; table committee, Mrs. Ray Clarke, Mrs. Hart. Mrs. John Bray and Mrs. H. Lawrence. Just before tea a short list of races were run in spite of the wet ground. They nr# as follows: boys and under, Kieth Coates, David Row; girls 6 to 9, Margaret Bray, Wilma Coates; girls IQ to 11, Bernice Dilling, Edna Dow; boys 11 to 13, Bert Dow, Lonnie Hart; girls 11 to 13. Maida Rich-, ard, Doreen Hart; young ladies, Marion Hodgert, Maida Richard; young men, Mac Hodgert, Ross Hod- gert; married ladies, Mrs. Gordon Hodgert, Mrs. Ray Clarke; married men, Gordon Hodgert, James Hod­ gert; fat ladies, Mrs. Wilbur Dilling, Mrs. James Hodgert; ladies kicking the slipper, Marion Hodgert, Elsie Bray; men kicking the slipper, Elgin Luxton, Alan Richards.V wish, (a) (b) (c) (d) The Reader Comments J,otters to the editor jniblished hereunder represent the views of individual persons. We invite pur readers to make' use of this column, The ever scenes and conditions in community soon make one al- a stranger in' bis old home But we find news in almost issue that is of real interest concerns persons and places East TaWas, Mich, July 12, 1943. Editor Exeter Advocate, Exeter, Ontario, Dear Sir; Enclosed you will find a nnoney order for our subscription to the Times-Advoeate. We still find plenty of news in the old home paper tho’ we have been away from that area for a long time, changing every most town, every as it that were once familiar, We are proud of* the way that the Canadian boys are conducting them­ selves in this war. Somehow it only seems natural to expect just that, for it is the bringing out of the background that every Canadian child has that fosters men of 'that calibre.’ We have one service and will have this boy in the another in fall. With every good Sincerely, Mrs. A. E. Wickert. Paton Reunion 1’he farm home of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Paton, near Glanworth, was the setting for the annual reunion of the Paton clan. Some twenty- five members were present from Cleveland, Kirkton, Clandeboye and London. Dinner was served on the spacious lawn, after which the fol­ lowing sports were enjoyed.’ Todd­ lers race, Scott Bailey; boys race 4 to 6, Lyle Paton and Clare Paton; intermediate boys race, Jimmy Pat­ on; time race, Wilfred Paton; throwing ball, Mrs. A. Paton and James Paton; string tying contest, Earl Paton’s team; Backward run­ ning race, Jim Paton’s team; kick­ ing slipper, Shirley Smale, Donald Paton, Earl Paton and Mrs. Emer­ son Paton; obstacle race, Mrs. Earl Paton and Mrs. James Paton; ring throwing contest. Mrs. Albert Car- ley; prize to the youngest member of the clan, Douglas Charles Crellin son of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Crel­ lin; family present from the furth­ est distance, Mr. and Mrs. Emerson Paton, of Kirkton, The lucky ticket was Miss Grendelene Paton. Mrs. Carley, the past thanked her committee kind assistance in making the pic­ nic a huge success. The new presi­ dent, Mrs. Earl Paton, announced that a vote had been taken and it was decided to hold the 1944 reunion at Springbank Park. drawn by president, foi* their WINGHAM—Twice as many men as women gave blood at the fifth Red Cross Blood Clinic here. There were 72 men and 3 6 women. There were 21 men making their third do­ nation, weeks donors. The next clinic will be in and the objective is AWARDED PRIZE five 100 GRANTON—The Woodham Granton fife and drum band first prize in the Orangemen’s parad< on the 12tli of July at Wingham. MRS..C. HAIA BURLED and won Mrs. Charles Hall, of Thedford, died in a London hospital following a short illness, in her '73rd year. She was born ill Bosanquet a daugter of the late Jane and Ellis Zavitz, where she resided until her marriage to Charles Hall, of Thed­ ford. Following their marriage they resided in Thedford for some time and several years ago moved to Suable Valley, Klondike road. Sur­ viving besides her husband are one tson, Thomas Hail, of Bosanquet, and "five brothers, Ernest and Edward Elmer and at Bosanqiiet, and Rev, Zavltz, of Thedford, James Zavltz, Dr. W. E. Zavltz, of Detroit, A, E. Lunan, of Parkhill, conduct­ ed the funeral service, which was held at the family residence, Klon­ dike read, Bosiiiiquet. The pall­ bearers were the five brothers and a nephew, Irving Zavltz, Inter­ ment was made in Flnehili Ceme­ tery. Constructive Proposals In interest Speaking over the C.B.C, network Friday night, July 16th, Leslie M. Frost, M.P.P. for Victoria ana Hallburton, one of the outstanding Progressive Conservative mem­ bers in the Ontario Legislature, emphasized the fact that the 22-point program recently enunciated by George Drew, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, was the product of extended consultation with his followers; and that it was unanimously adopted at a largely attended meeting of party candidates and officials from all over Ontario held at the Royal York Hotel on Saturday, July 3rd. Not only this, said Mr, Frost, the plat­ form given out after that meeting was the natural sequence and outcome of construc­ tive proposals made in the legislature by Mr. Drew and his associates. Ever since the war began the Opposition, led by Mr. Drew, has at each session put forward a series of resolutions conceived in the public interest. These _ proposals, added the member for Victoria and Haliburton, have been either voted down at the instance of the Liberal Government or declared out of order by a Liberal Speaker, On February 15th, 1941, the Opposition, submitted a .resolution, calling upon the Government to move for a conference of representatives of the Dominion and of all the provinces for the following purposes: To adopt such measure by inter-provincial co-operation as may be necessary. (a) To assure the greatest war and post­ war efforts. To meet emergencies created by the war. To assure adequate prices for agricultural products. To protect the established rights of labor. And to devise plans for the rehabilita­ tion of the members of our armed forces and for the re-employment of civilians who may be thrown out of work by postwar industrial readjust­ ment; and to consider such other questions relating to the welfare and security of the people as may be deemed advisable. Voted down by the Liberals including Mr. Nixon. TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING The advisability of planning beforehand for postwar recovery was again pressed upon the House by the Opposition in a resolution which read: That the proposed St. Lawrence development and other public under­ takings throughout the province, in the opinion of this Legislature, call for the » immediate creation of an Ontario Town and Country Planning Commission, with authority to recommend and supervise plans for the reconstruction, reclamation, and development of rural and urban areas. This and similar Opposition proposals were voted down by the Liberals, including Mr. Nixon. ECONOMY URGED In the same session the Opposition, im­ pressed by the need for economy in the administration of the province, brought in a resolution; — That the estimates for the current year be referred back to the executive council with instructions to decrease the total amount of supply by $25,000,000. This was turned down by the Liberals, including Mr. Nixon. FOREST RESOURCES Later on Mr. Drew’s-followers offered a resolution demanding that the administra­ tion and control of the provincial forest resources be placed under the direction of a public body to be known as the Ontario Forest Resources Commission, after the manner of the Ontario Hydro Electric Power Commission. Rejected by the Liberals, including Mr. Nixon. RECONSTRUCTION PLANS In the late session of the Legislature (1943) the Opposition . kept up the pressure for action by submitting this resolution:— This House regrets that the Liberal Government has introduced no legisla­ tion to provide for the re-establishment in civilian occupations of the members of our forces, for after war reconstruc­ tion, and for Work, wages, and social security for our people. The Liberals, including Mr. Nixon, voted this down. Still on the same drive for action the Opposition proposed; That the Government should undertake (with special reference to the constitu­ tional relationships between the Domin­ ion and Provincial Governments) a slit* Vey of existing social schemes here and elsewhere; and with due regard to the probable Course of events after the war, make recommendations for a unified workable plan which will assure a proper standard of . work, wAges, health, education, and living standards, for all otir people—-with special refer­ ence to the re-establishmtnt of the men The Press Endorses Progressive Conservative Platform DREW’S GREAT SOCIAL DOCUMENT {Toronto Globe and Mail) Progressive Conservative Leader, George Drew has raised the present campaign far above the picayune things of the little poli­ tician. By it all the carping, all the sneers, the inuendo and the petty slander of his critics were swept aside, In that address George Drew has given the people of On­ tario a great document, the finest social document in Ontaria’s history; one which should be read, studied and thought upon by every citizen ... Point by point it is a massive thing. Even in the skeletonized form . , ; it is a dynamic and constructive programme.* Almost every point offers a practical approach to fundamental problems. . . It is essentially a programme of wojrk, a series of well in­ tegrated steps calling for th'e creative use of all our resources and all our skill. . . George Drew is publicly pledged to these 22 points. What is more, he is pledged to implement them with the guidance and assistance of the chosen representatives of each group directly concerned. ... If some concrete evidence of the genuineness of fhe Party were needed, there is the record. Many of the records of the points Mr. Drew itemized in his address are not new. He has offered them to the Legislature of the Province and as Opposition Leader offered to assist the Government in carrying them out. TO THE RESCUE OF REAL ESTATE Star) Mr. Drew proposes that the Ontario Govern­ ment, if he is called upon to form it, will assume at least fifty percent of the school taxes now charged against real estate . . ; That... would prove a relief to all taxpayers. DREW PLANS A DYNAMIC ONTARIO {Essex County Reporter, Kingsville, Ont.) Social security, full employment, and economic planning are prominent topics of the day. George Drew’s approach to the discussions forms a stimulating contribution . . . Ontario’s planning problem, according to George Drew, is not a static one, but is dynamic in character, designed to develop • to the utmost our Nature-given potentialities . , . his view at first may sound like old-line thinking, but one must admit that his ap­ proach is more than an echo of Laurier and Macdonald. He adds something new . . . our planning for the future must be dynamic. DREW APPEALS TO THE BEST IN ONTARIO {Ottawa Journal) For the Progressive Conservative Programme offered the people ■ of Ontario by George Drew, one thing must be said at the outset. It is that here at least is a pronouncement by a public man who reveals understanding of the gravity, and the faith and hope, of our times . . , He (Mr. Drew) offers us a pro­ gramme within the framework of freedom; a programme that must appeal to Ontario’s tradition of individual independence and self-reliance. He would have government control and superintendence for the citizen; he would not subject men to the deadening hand of bureaucracy, nor plan us all into puppets under drill sergeants of the state. That he leaves as it should be left to the Socialists of the C.C.F.... No Ontario leader in years has advanced a more progressive, a more humane, or a more hopeful programme. and women in our fighting forces and the war industries. The Liberals, including Mr. Nixon, killed this resolution. HELP FOR AGRICULTURE The Opposition renewed the attack with this further resolution: The members of this legislature express their regret that the Government has failed to meet the critical needs of our agricultural producers; and they insist that the Government immediately take whatever steps are necessary to assure stability of prices, and an adequate supply of manpower and machinery for the rapidly increasing demands of war production.This was a move on behalf of the farmers of Ontario which the Liberals were afraid to veto directly. The Liberal Government members, including Mr. Nixon, got around this difficulty by adopting a resolution praising the Government for the admirable work done by the province in assuring manpower, prices and machinery for the agricultural industry. machinery for the HYDRO submitted by the UNIFORM RATE FOR The next resolution ............. __ Opposition asserted that the Hydro Electric resources of the Province belonged to all the people; and that it is therefore desirable that the Hydro Electric Power Commission Act be amended immediately to equalize rates for electric energy and remove the present service charge in rural areas. TO MEET FUEL SHORTAGE An Opposition resolution dealing with the current fuel shortage read: In the opinion of this House a fuel com­ mittee should be appointed to inquire into the fuel situation and to recom­ mend to the government measures to assure the greatest possible supply of fuel for the coming winter. • Despite the sufferings of last winter and the prospective sufferings of the coming winter on the part of the people, the Liberal Government of the day, including Mr. Nixon, unanimously voted down this resolution. FINANCIAL PROTECTION FOR SOLDIERS The next Resolution, introduced by the Opposition at the recent session of the House, proposed that all members of the Canadian Armed Forces from Ontario should be given effective legal protection against the normal economic consequences of their service; and that all those, whose ability to meet their financial obligations has been materially reduced by such service, should be sheltered against the forfeiture of instalrrient contracts, cancellation of life insurance policies up to $10,000.00, and judgments or other legal proceedings for debts incurred before entering military service. The resolution stated that this protection should be extended on the express condition that those able to pay should not be encouraged to evade thrir obligations. The deferment rather than the cancellation of obligations was suggested so that justice might be assured. Instead of voting down this resolution the Liberal Attorney-General stated that this proposal had been taken up with the Federal Government. But Up to the present time no action has ensued. OLD AGE PENSIONS A further resolution introduced by the Opposition read:— Resolved that in the opinion of this House the Government should take immediate steps to adjust the.old-age pension payment in accordance with the present cost of living.In supporting this resolution Mr. Drew and others contended that old age pension paymentsjshouid be raised immediately by at least $5.00 a month and that the practice should be abandoned of compelling old people with little homes to give up these * homes before they can collect their scanty pensions. This reasonable proposal of the Opposition was ruled out of order by the Speaker, Mr. James Clarke, who now favors union of Canada with the United States. On another occasion in the late session the Speaker ruled out of order a proposal for the celebration of Empire Day. Mr, Nixon is not on record as protesting against the Liberal Speaker’® rulings. LABOUR AND "TEAM-PLAY" As far back as 1941 George Drew placed before the Legislature a proposal calling upon the Minister of Labour to arrange a conference to be known as the Ontario Industrial Production Conference to be attended by representatives of Labour Unions, Employers’ and the public. The purpose of the Conference was to be the assurance of maximum industrial produc­ tion, with effective protection for the workers. The Liberal Government, including Mr. Nixon, have taken no action up to the present time, in regard to this proposal. In keeping with its record in the Legis­ lature, on the public platform and in the press, ever since 1939 the Progressive Conservative Party, as already indicated is pledged to carry out the program outlined in the 22-points of its platform. The only means of making sure that these forward looking committments will be put into forthright practice is to vote George Drew and the Progressive Conservative Party into Office on August 4th. The issue is in the hands of the electors who are under a patriotic and monal obliga­ tion to do three things: (1) See that your name Is on the Voters’ list. (2) Got out and work for the Progra»»ivo Coniervolive Party and platform and a greater and more prosperous Ontario. (3) Talk to your friends and acquaintances and get them to the polls on the right side. Make Ontario Strong. Work and Vote fee the Progressive Conservative Candidate* VOTE AUGUST 4 FOR THE Publlthbd by Proqrosdvo ConrorvaHve Party of Ontario X, nOTY U F UNTOMwl I O'I wIv I<1 STS? 9 Progressive Conservative Candidate for Huron, i*. i >i. Hu i .H, 4