The Key West Citizen Newspaper, September 23, 1940, Page 3

J MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 3, 1940 asual Slaughters oes By VIRGINIA HANSON YESTERDAY: Julia tndignant- ly insists that Jeff would never harm Sandra. The morning after the party Kay finds Sandra mur- dered. Jeff is put under arrest. Chapter 31 Evil Spirit {JULIA parked in front of her house, got out and took my overnight case from the open rumble seat. “It wasn’t Jeff,” she said stub- bornly, and led the way up the walk. Mimi, looking pale and fright- ened, met us at the door. “Thank Heaven you're here. Kay, she said fervently. “I wouldn’t have had an easy mo- ment with you alone over there. eager, is terribly wrong on this post. I don’t know what it is, but I feel it—something like an evil spirit roaming about a house —something that doesn’t belong here. An evil invasion——” Julia was staring at her. “Do you by any chance think these murders are supernatural?” ..“Of course not, Julia. Don’t be silly. What I mean is that we're all quiet, peace-loving people, we army people——” “Contradiction in terms, old dear. But go on, } know what you mean.” “I haven’t been part of it very long myself, I know,” Mimi went on with dignity, “But it was one of the first things I noticed when I married your father. It's like I imagine the life must have been in these religious communities. The army lives to itself, too, has its own community of interest and little reason for contact with the outside world. We have our own inside quarrels, but aside from that we live together in compara- tive peace and harmony. This is like something that has crept in. You understand what I mean, don’t you, Kay?” “Yes, I understand.” I understood something else, too: that Sandra’s death was par- ticularly frightening because it had struck almost within the charmed circle, And because, say what she would, suspicion logical- ly pointed to the few members of the garrison who had known Sandra well. What had the chap- lain said? “Murder is an intimate thing.” I remembered, with a little chill. the way opinion had turned against me, the outsider, when murder had struck at Fort Havens. They banded together. these army people. They stood back to back when there was! trouble: and it was too bad for the stranger within their gates. After they had talaen me to the guest room—the room Sandra had occupied until her marriage—and left me to make myself at home, I reviewed the strangers, realizing that, except for myself, there were only two—Gerald and Fe- licia. Could either of them be the creeping evil that Mimi had so chillingly suggested? Gerald. when he had found himself in sole charge of a fainted female, had carried me into Felicia’s rooms and brought me to with the good old-fashioned remedy of plenty of cold water. externally applied. I had recov- ered enough to tell him the trou- ble when an orderly, looking scared, put in an appearance. Gerald sent him for Felicia, who was somewhere in the kitchen regions in the opposite wing of the building. They had looked after me, Fe- licia and Gerald; Gerald himself attending to the unpleasant busi- ness of making sure that Sandra was past help, then sending for the doctor and the commanding officer. I have said that it was late when I rose. The officers who lived in the building had gone to duty. There were only the three of us, the three outsiders, left with murder. Felicia, when she heard the news. had looked as ghastly as I felt. Genuine horror is difficult to fake. Looking back on it now, I felt sure she had been unutter- ably shocked. But Gerald? Gerald was no longer the pos- turing idiot. His eyes were cold and wary, his manner business- like. The clowning was a mask that he took off, and without it he seemed hard and ruthless. I was suddenly afraid of him. ‘Like A Wax Model’ HE was in my room what seemed a long time before he went to telephone, but he came back to Felicia and_me to wait for the doctor and Colonel Pen- nant. “Odd that you heard nothing in the night,” he said in the clipped. dispassionate accent that belonged to the strange, new manner, His eyes, revealing nothing, regarded me. “But I did.” I told him, sur- prised. “There was someone mov- ing about in my sitting room. I thought it was Sandra.” “At what time?” “I don’t know. I had been Today's Birthdays Walter Lippman of New York, columnist, born in New York, 51 years ago. Roger J. Whiteford, president of Associated Gas and Electric Company, born at Md., 54 years ago Elliott Roosevelt, broadcaster, son of the President, born in New York, 30 years ago. Alan John Villiers, sea story Whiteford, | And I went to sleep again. I didn’t think to look at my watch.” He stood up abruptly. There were voices in the corridor. “Wait here—I'll be back.” After he had joined those men in the hall, Felicia opened the door a crack and applied herself frankly to peeping and eavesdrop- ping. “Jeff's here,” she whispered once, “He looks like a wax model of himself... . They’ve got the Post photographer taking pic- tures.” And later, “They're takin her away, Oh, the poor kid! heard Doc Jones say she’s been dead at least eight hours.” Captain Jones came presently ang took my pulse, said I was all right but to lie still for a while. Colonel Pennant came in, looking pretty grim, announced that Mimi would call me up and, with a glance at Felicia. that he would question me later, at his quarters, I did not see Jeff, and I was glad. After they had all departed Gerald came back and asked me if I felt well enough to go to my room. I got up shakily and fol- lowed him. I think Felicia would have liked to come, too, but something in Gerald’s manner must have dicouraged her, for she remained where she was. There was an armed enlisted man in front of my door. “Miss Cornish has to get some of her things,” Gerald told him. “Colonel Pennant said it would all ig I looked at him_ suspiciously. Colonel Pennant had said no such thing. But the enlisted man stepped aside and let us go in. “Now,” said Gerald, “I want you to look the place over care- fully and tell me if there’s any- thing missing. Anything at all—no matter how small.” I must have spent at least half an hour examining that room, go- ing through the drawer of my worktable, looking through a stack of manuscripts and corres- spondence; but I couldn’t see that there was anything gone, or even out of place, and I told him so. Racing Dreams “TJOW about Sandra? Did she have anything in here?” “No. She never brought her things here—except a stenog- rapher’s notebook once, to take some dictation from me.” “Where is it?” “I suppose she took it away with her.” I don’t know iust when I began ; to resent his questions, or to want to get out of that room where I was closed up with him. There was the memory of that dreadful form in front of the door. There was fear in the room and Ger- ald _was a stranger. “I must dress and pack a few things,” I said, trying not to let him see that his company was beginning to frighten me. “If you'll wait outside?” “Tl wait here in the sitting room,” he said, and I had to be content with that. Gerald? I lay on the bed in the Pennants’ guest room and remem- bered the shrinking fear I had felt, shut in with him in that room where murder had been done. And I wondered if he was the evil invader—the creeping in- jtruder who, if Mimi was right, had brought murder to Fort Michigan. But what of Mimi herself? Mimi, who took long, solitary drives at night; Mimi, whose car had returned to the barge an hour |before Ivan’s body was found there: Mimi, whose past, to me at least, was shrouded in mystery. And what. if you came to that, of Julia, who had said only last jnight of Sandra: “I could kill her——” My head began to ache. I closed my eyes and slept uneasily, har- tied by confused, racing dreams, until lunch. Colonel Pennant telephoned that he was too busy to come {home. I heard Julia taking the message as I came downstairs. Then she asked him if she could see Jeff. He must have said yes, for as soon as we rose from a scarcely tasted lunch she proposed that I go with her to the hospital, to the prison ward. Mimi had been summoned to the kitchen by the cook. We were alone for a moment. “Dan said he'd leave word for us to be admitted,” Julia went on, “but he insisted someone had to go with me. I'd rather it was you |than Mimi. And Dan said to tell jyou he'll be home at four, and he'd like to question you then.” I didn’t want to see Jeff. I hate the sight of death and of its grief- sickened survivors. But I under- | stood that Julia could talk to him | more freely in my presence than in Mimi's, so I consented. But Jeff was not grief sickened. Felicia had said he was like a wax figure of himself, and he did look white and stiff. But in his deep- set, rather unexpressive eyes, ! could see only bewildered horrer | and resentment—no anguish, | To be continued | writer, born in Australia, 37 years ago. Harry L. Brown of the Ten- nessee Valley Authority, agricul- tural chemist, born at Forsyth Co., Ga., 52 years ago. Ben (Benjamin V.) Cohen of ‘Washington, New Deal official, born at Muncie, Ind. 46 years ago. Wayman Adams of New York portrait painter, born at Muncie. Ind., 57 years ago. Michmel J. Cleary, president of Northwestern Life, Milwau- kee, born in Iowa Co., Wis. 64 years ago. asleep, I don’t know how l!ong.: ‘1-1 tie basebail thriller PIRATES, TROJANS INI-1 TIE Wickers And Malgrat Put On Pitchers’ Duel In Game: Cut Short By Rain In Sixth staged a in the nightcap of an Island City League doubleheader at Navy Field yes- terday afternoon. The game end- ed just before the last-half of the sixth inning when the second squall of the afternoon began to descend on the field. Opening contest between SAL Juniors and Pandora was called off, by agreement with service clubs, due to the inability of the Trojans and Pirates \Coast Guard nine to reach Key West from patrol duty in time for the scheduled affair. “Bubber” Wickers, of the Tro- jans, and Malgrat, of the Bucs, - engaged in a tight pitching duel during the duration of the after- piece. - Wickers got off to a bad start in the initial stanza, allowing three hits and one run. From then on, however, he held the Pirates hitless and runless, re- tiring the side on strikes in the second and whiffing a total of seven men. Malgrat set the Trojans down in order for the first two innings and gave up only one hit until the fourth when the opposition bunched a trio of safeties for their lone and tying marker. Tro- jans should have won the game in that frame but slow base run- ning by Rueda resulted in his be- ing tagged at home plate just be- fore the knotting run was scored. Salinero got a “big hand” in the second inning as he stabbed |Sterling’s terrific drive into left that went completely out of the field. Anthony Alonzo’s running catch of Esquinaldo’s smash into right, in which the fielder fell to sthe-ground and rolled over twice but came up with the ball in his hand, also highlighted the game. Score by innings: R: H. E. Pirates 100 000— 1 3 0 Trojans 000 010— 1 4 1 Malgrat and+ I. Rodriguez; Wickers and E. Albury. SEIS ES LIS LSE EXHIBITION OF SOFTBALL AT PARK TONIGHT Exhibitions of softball will be staged this week while team rosters, formation of new leagues and schedules are being worked out. Tenight at Bavview Park, the U.S. Army ten will tackle the Pepper’s Plumbers, cham- pions of the city. Tomorrow night, managers and players are scheduled to meet in City Hall to “thrash out plans for the new- cir- cuifs. . Wednesday night, Plumb- ers and NavSta will» cross bats at the Park field. Friday night. Sawyer’s Barbers and NavSta or Mer- chants will stage an exhibi- tion. SIS IIISS SS COMMON COURTESY At The Fagtball Games) By AP FEATURE SERVICE You don’t have to memorize the 16 changes in the collegiate football rules to get the most fun out of games this fall. You can leave that up to the players and officials. You ought to have a general idea of the way a game goes. It will, keep you from asking silly questions at the wrong-*time. Your escort will prefer te“offer necessary explanations before the game starts. Leave out the questions de- signed to make him feel he’s so much smarter than you. He won't mind sincere queries, but wait until after a play or until a time-out. Sometimes it may be impos- sible to get to the game before the kickoff. If you're late, it’s only fair that you find your seat with as little fuss as possible. Hold tightly to your pocket- THE KEY WEST CITIZEN / ‘AS MPCORMICK, GOES, SO GO THE BEDS—AND FRANK GOES! By JOHN FRYE, AP Feature Service Writer CINCINNATI, Sept. *_23.—The Cincinnati Reds have their own Bronx bomber, a good-ISoking young Bohemian named Frank McCormick. Frank is the boy who knocks {the runs in. Frank is the boy whose fielding around. first base imakes old-timers speak softly of the days of George Bums and George Sisler. Cinginnati , fans |think Frank’s the leagye’¢ most valuable player. . They speak of natural players, but the breed doesn’t grow with tropical abandon. The experts agree, though, that Frank is one by any standard. In the first place, the fellow likes to play ball. Second, he seems to know just what’s going to happen and what he should do about it. Third, he can Fourth, he does it. Wallace Found Him Scout Bobby Wallace saw that when Frank was with Beckley in the Mid-Atlantic in 1934. That year, Frank’s first in pro- fessional baseball, he hit .347 in | Class C competition, knocked in 91 runs with 31 doubles, nine ball! do it. triples, and eight homers, and fielded .986. The Reds brought him up at |the end of the season for a dozen |games, during which he batted in ‘five runs with five hits and rang jup a .313 batting average. | He spent the next three years on a toyrof the Red farm clubs jand .ing , the year the Reds jjumped ‘the tellar to fourth ‘place, he. came back to the big jtime. « * izes Job j Since then‘he’s been the regu- ilar first baseman and there 'doesn’t seem to be a chance for lanyone to snatch the job. He i batted in 106 runs in 1938, led the league in such stuff last year with 128, and has been at or near the top all this year. Thus, when Frank comes up ‘with one or more on base, figure that anybody, including Frank himself, is in ‘scoring position. | In fact, an old saying (two iyears old now) around Cincinnati !0f copping the American League yo. y, lis that as Frank goes, so go the Reds. When he’s hitting, they're winning. When he’s in a slump, they only win half the time. AN OPEN LETTER TO SPORTS FANS Sports Editor, The Citizen: Through thé columns of your page I would like to give the sporting fans of Key West a sat- isfactory explanation in regards to what occurred at the cham- pionship softball game Friday night past. I want to present my side of the situation in an effort to absolve the American Legion Post, sponsors of my team, and myself of any blame in the mat- ter. I will tell the truth, regard- less. I arrived at the field on time, as usual. Just before game-time. and as I went along checking my playe I found to my surprise that there were four team mem- bers without their uniform. That attitude hurt my feelings. I be- lieve that when a team is spon- sored by an organization such as the Legion. or any other institu- tion, the players should show some respect by appearing uniform. I asked one of my players the reason for not appearing in his suit. I had previously ¢alled to the attention of the captain of the club, who was the first vio- lator, that all players must ap- pear in uniform for a _ league game. The player I questioned ‘replied that his suit was too wet 0 wear. I said. “All right, here- jafter any player on m team who appears without a iform will, under no consideration, be allowed to play. I will send him to the bench”. He answered in a tone by which I could make nothing out of except that he was trying to dictate to me—disre- garding me as the manager of in INDIANS REMAIN ~— INRACE Feller’s Pitching And Five Homers Downed Tigers For Tribe; Yanks De-| feated Red Sox (Special to The Citizen) NEW YORK, Sept. 23.—Realiz- ing another defeat would have ,Probably cost them the chance flag, the Cleveland Indians call- Feller yesterday to do what the rest of ed on overworked Bob the mound staff has failed to ac- eR : complish—defeat the Detroit Ti- gers. And he did—10-5. Given support in a big way, tanning and Devs.’ SOUNDS LIKE A DRAW Baker; Schuitz. At Chicago St. Louis Chicago Cooper and Owen; Desn, ant and McColough At Chicago St. Louis Chicago Lanier and Owen; French Todd. At Brooklyn Philadelphia Brooklyn Si Johnson, Frye Warren; cuso. Pearson Fitzsimmons an Second Game At Brooklyn Philadelphia Brooklyn . (Eight Innings, Darkness: Beck, Si Johnson and Atwood Davis and Franks. First Game At Boston ork Boston Hubbell and Tobin and Berres. O'Dea Second Game At Boston New York Boston Carpenter and O'Dea R Javery jthe team. He said: “Well, if that’s | Feller aided his own cause by Johnson, Sullivan. Errickson and the way you feel about it—here, blasting a homer in the eighth. Broskie. take these sliding pads and shoes”. Whereupon, three other players joined him in walking off the field toward the bleach- ‘ers. I called the captain, who was one of the deserting players, and asked him if he was going to play. He said no. I have noticed in the past that these four team members had always joined to- gether in any opposition to my orders. Now, fans, you can plainly see how I felt. Anxious to have the fourth game of the series played as scheduled and not disappoint the spectators in the stands, there was nothing for me to do but play with what material I had—and that’s what I did. I ask you, as impartial fans, is it not my duty to see that my team follows my instructions on the field Is it not a fact that the violator of a rule should be dealt with by the manager? Is it not true that when a team has complete uniforms and the mana- ger requests his players to wear "them, that they should follow his orders—even if only in respect to the sponsoring organization? I think the time has arrived when these boys should be given some advice in regards to true sportsmanship. I believe it would be well to teach them a lesson now so that they may avoid ruin- ing their future career in sports. AURELIO LASTRES, SR., Manager, SAL Baseball and Softball Teams. 210 Simonton St., Sept. 21, 1940. Sports Calendar And Statistics MAJOR LEAGUES’ GAMES TODAY AMERICAN LEAGUE Open date. i NATIONAL LEAGUE St. Louis at Chicago. New York at Brooklyn. Philadelphia at Boston. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh. BASEBALL GAMES (Navy Field, 1:30 p.m.) SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 | First Game—U.S. Marines vs Blue Sox. Second Game—Key Conchs vs. Pandora. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 First Game—Trojans Juniors. Second Game—Pirates vs. Blue Sox. West SAL vs. EXHIBITION SOFTBALL GAMES (Bayview Park Field, 8:00 p.m.) TONIGHT Pepper's Plumbers US Army. WEDNESDAY NIGHT Pepper's Plumbers vs. NavSta vs. ‘book so you won't have to scramble around looking for it. Don't yell or wave frantically to attract attention of friends as you come in. And don’t start a burst of cheering all your own as you enter. That doesn’t mean you must be a spoil-sport. If your com- panions like a lot of cheering, some lusty singing and some mild horseplay, you ought to swing along with them or stay at home. FRIDAY NIGHT Sawyer’s Barbers vs. Nav-Sta or Merchants. LEAGUE MEETINGS BASEBALL - SOFTBALL Combination meeting tomor- row night. New league plans for softballets‘ and financial mat- ters for basebaflers. 8:00 P.M. City Hall. STANDINGS AMERICAN LEAGUE (Major League Baseball) Club— Detroit Cleveland New York Chicago Boston St. Louis Washington : Philadelphia __. 59 92 NATIONAL LEAGUE (Major League Baseball!) Club— Ce Cincinnati —- Brooklyn St. Louis _— Pittsburgh : Chicago’ + New York Boston — Philadelphia _ Seeess ISLAND CITY LEAGUE (Key West Baseball) Club— W. L. Pet Key West Conchs 0 1.000 Blue Sox _______. 1 0 1.000 *Trojans *Pirates ee Key West Juniors __ C.G.C. Pandora ,*Tie game. Pet. 584 577 562 537 514 436 425 391 62 63 64 69 7 84 84 ) Pet. 655 578 545 517 -490 9 6 72 68 62 47 A469 A25 -322 50 62 66 71 5 a7 84 99 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 | Previously, Trosky, Weather; Chapman and Keltner had pro- duced circuit clouts. Four of the ‘Tigers’ runs were accounted for by Greenberg and Gehringer, who connected for a four-bagger apiece. The Tribe's 12-hit assault was accomplished against a half- dozen pitchers. The victory kept the Indians in the race, reducing 'Detroit’s lead to one game. New York Yankees still pos- sess a mathematical chance of winning the pennant but it is a slim one. Paced by a pair of homers off the bat of Selkirk, the world’s champions downed the Boston Red Sox, 6-3. Florida’s Sid Hudson and Ken- dall Chase twirled the Washing- ton Senators to a doubleheader | victory over the Philadelphia Athletics, 5-4 and 5-2—and Chi- cago White Sox breezed to a 10-0 shutout over the St. Louis Browns. Brooklyn Dodgers strengthen- ed their hold on second place in the National League by whipping the Philadelphia Phillies twice, 10-2 and 5-2. . St. Louis Car- dinals triumphed over the Chi- cago Cubs in both ends of a twin bill, 8-1 and 2-1, knocking th former teammate, Dizzy Dean. out of the box in the opener. . A home run in the eighth by Rip- ple with McCormick on base gave the Cincinnati Reds the first game of a two-ply affair with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but dropped the afterpiece, 8-1, as the Bucs pounded Vander Meer. . .A ninth- inning double that produced the winning run allowed the Boston Bees to take the curtain-raiser of their twin bill with the New York Giants, 4-3, but the Bees watched rookie Carpenter chalk up his initial victory as the Giants romped home with a 7-3 triumph in the nighctap. Results of the games: AMERICAN LEAGUE At Detroit R.HE ‘Cleveland 1012 0 Detroit S88 Feller and Pytlak: Bridge: Smith, Gorsica, Newhouser, Seats, McKain and Tebbetts. At New York Boston _— New York At St. Louis ;Chicago | St. Louis | Lyons and Trest:; Harris, 'mer, Bildilli, Whitehead Swift. . HE 6 1 6 1 Kra- and First Game |__ At Philadelphia | Washington -__ | Philadelphia | Hudson and Ferrell; Babich an ‘Wagner. = R.E. 5 8 46 1 3 id Second Game |__At Philadelphia Washington | Philadelphia Chase and Early; Vaughan and Hayes. NATIONAL LEAGUE At Pittsburgh ) Cincinnati Pittsburgh Turner and West; Lanahan, Macfayden and Schultz. R. otee 8 8 Vander Meer, Shoffner and! TRY IT TODAY— The Favorite in Key West STAR + BRAND CUBAN COFFEE ON SALE AT ALL GROCERS i LEAVE KEY WEST 10:30 2 Mondays & Thursdays Te PORT TAMPA | somo me *18 Twesces omc *-Geps | <32e= THE PENINSULAR & OCCIDENTAL S S COMPAET ee, ..._,_... Se Consult YOUR TRAVEL 9:00 a.m. and arriving at Key West ‘qu