New Britain Herald Newspaper, February 26, 1929, Page 10

The body of “Handsome Harry" Borden, promoter and ladies’ man, murdered between half-past one and four o'clock Saturday after- noon, is found beneath the closed airshaft window of his private office Monday by his secretary, Ruth Les- ‘"l')elecuve McMann discovers that at least five people had opportunity, access to weapon and possible mo- tive for the murder. These are Mrs. Flizabeth Borden, estranged wife of the victim; Ruth Lester, who ad- mits ownership of a pistol which has disappeared from her desk; Benny Smith, office boy; Jack Hay- ward, insurance broker with offices directly across the airshaft, Rita Dubois, a dancer. Because of Borden's attempted tamillarity with Ruth on Saturday, Hayward had threatened to kill the promoter, Although the airshaft window s closed, the bloody foot- prints of & pigeon inside and side the window indicate it open until after Borden's death. Benny Smith, who has not re- ported for work, is sent for, as are Minnie Cassidy and Letty Miller, scrubwomen for the seventh floor. Bill Cowan strengthens suspicion against Hayward by telling of a telephone call to Hayward's offices Sturday at 2:10, when he was plugged in on a busy wire and heard Borden's voice raised in anger, pre- sumably against Hayward. Ruth Lester tells McMann about Cleo Gilman, recently discarded mistress of Borden. She is sought by police. Rita Dubois arrives, ad- its to McMann she had planned to %0 away for the week-end with Bor- den, but when he failed to meet lier at the station she had telephon- +d him, found his line busy at 2:10, then got him, and was requested 10 come to his office. She says he was not there, his door locked. Ruth tells McMann of Jorden’s having given the dancer the torn half of a yellow-backed bill, but Borden's half of the bill is missing from his body, as well as $500 in smaller bills. About to question Rita about the bill, Me- Mann receives a telephone message that Rita's night club, The Golden Slipper, has been robbed. NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY CHAPTER v ello! captain! McMann speak- the detective in charge of the investigation into the murder of Henry P. Borden greeted his su- perior on the other end of the wire, | “The Golden Slipper’s safe has been cracked, eh? . . Lose much? .+ » Hmm! Guess I know what ®raft to get into when I retire from this game! . . . What's that? A $500 bill, eh? . . . When did she get it changed?” and McMann raised his brows and smiled his sinister, crooked smile at Rita Dubois, who wag leaning toward him, her lovely face white and drawn with sus- pense. “Listen, captain, 1is the club's manager there now? . . . All right, ask him if he remembers whether the bill had been torn half in two and pasted and pinned together.” The words were uttered with slow, dreadful significance, the de- tective's eyes never leaving Rita's stricken face. The answer, when it came, brought a grunt of satisfac- tion from the detective, who quickly concluded the conversation. “Well, Rita?” McMann grinned, 28 he hung up the receiver. Sud- denly he leaned forward and ad- dressed the pitiably frightened dancer, his pencil tapping staccato perioda to his brief sentences: “No use wasting time! Saturday orn- ing Borden gave you half of a $500 bill. He kept the other half. He had bargained to give it to you when you had kept your promise to xo to Winter Haven with him. “In addition to the torn half of 2 $500 bill, Borden had more than 4500 in smaller bills to pay for the week-end jaunt. No money was found on his body this morning! You say you did not seec Harry Bor- den Saturday afternoon, yet Satur- day night, when the Golden Slipper opened at 11 o'clock, you were there with a $500 bill which had been torn in two and pasted together, and which you had the club man- “ger change into smaller bills for you. Now — that's all true, and there's no use your denying any of Perfect and | | jocularly. it. What I want to know is — how did you get the other half of the $500 banknote? Come clean, Rita —and no hysterics!" “Yes—it's all true. I led. I did see Harry Borden Saturday after- noon.” “Dead or alive — or both?" Me- Mann pounced. . Rita's voice was the monotone of a woman who is restraining hyster- ics. “Alive. T didn’t kill him, if that is what you mean. He was alive and well wanen I left, after having been with him only about 10 minutes.” “Thank God!™ Ruth cried, in a volce shaking with laughter and tears. “At half-past two, when Rita eft Mr. Borden — alive, alive!— ack and I were in the lobby of the Princess Theater, Mr. McMann!" “And the curtain did not rise un- til 2:45" McMann reminded her, but almost absent-mindedly. *Of course someone may remember see- ing you and Hayward there at Half- past two. Did vou ask the box of- fice man when the matinee was to start 2" “No, of course mnot,” Ruth ad- mitted reluctantly. “There was a | sign in the lobby giving eurtain time, so we just walked about for 10 minutes, as Jack told you." “I remember,” McMann granted, that twisted smile on his lips again. “But Rita has the floor now. Well, Rita, how did you get in Saturday |afternoon at about 17 minutes after itwo? Did you use the key Borden | had given you?” Ruth gasped her surprise, and the dancer, apparently, was no le: startled. “I—I didn’t have a key,” she retorted defiantly her agitated hands instinctively gripping her handbag. “Oh, yes, you did!" McMann laughed harshly, as he rose, strode to the girl and forced the expensive alligator bag out of her desperately clinging hands, Ruthlessly, without apology, he dumped its contents upon the desk top, untd a key clattered upon the polished surface. “And here it is! {You amateurs are always so sloppy,” he reproved the dancer “An old hand at the game would have remembered to throw this thing away.” “How did you know I had a key te Harry's office?” Rita demanded. “Because of a little memo that Borden jotted down on the envelope that held his railroad tickets,” Mc- Mann enlightened her. *'Get key from Rita' Now, Rita, why didn't Borden ‘get key from Rita’ {if he was alive when you entered these | with him about Jake Bailey, offices Saturday afternoon?” Ruth saw only too clearly the drift of McMann's questions. He undoubtedly believed that the pro- moter was dead when Rita arrived, that he had been shet immediately after his telephone conversation with her, in which he had told her. to come to the office, that she had arrlved, knocked, received no ane |swer, entered with the key Borden had lent her, had found her would- be lover dead, and had, in her des- perate need for money, robbed the body. If only Rita had mot had a key, |could not have entered unless Bor- |den had been alive to admit he: then Jack Hayward would auto- | matically have been eliminated as a suspect. But Rita waa answering, and Ruth forced herself to listen. “He forgot to ask me for the key, T suppose,” Rita retorted de- fiantly. “Anyway, he made a date to meet me at the station for the 5:32, the mext train for Winter Haven. He wouldn’t have neceded the key before then anyway, since he told me he was going to stay in his office all afternoon. “He'd given me the key Friday when T was having lunch with him —breakfast for me, lunch for him. 1 was to meet him at the office about six Friday evening and go out to dinner with him, and he said as he might not be in when I got there, I'd better take the key and let myself in with it, so I would not have to wait in the hall. Later he phoned me to meet him at the Chillon, instead, and I did, and for- got to give him the key. But 1 didn't use it Saturday—didn’t even remember 1 had it. I knocked and | he let me in. He was expecting m Optical Service NEW BRITAIN DAILY HERALD, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1929, of course, but before he opened the door he asked who it was and when I shouted ‘Rita,’' he let me in.” “And then?” McMann grinned skeptically, as Rita paused. “What explanation did he give you for missing the train?" 4 Rita hesitated, flushed, thea seemed to choose her words care- fully. “He didn’t give any explana- tlon—just apologized, and promised to make it up to me. He—he seemed to be in a hurry to get me out of the office. as if he were ex- pecting someone, I thought he'd been having a row with Cleo Gil- man over the phone and that he was afraid she'd come while 1 was there. Harry and Cleo had been— friends for about a year before I met him. He had told me about her, said he was through with her—"" “Did he mention Miss Gilman Saturday afternoon?” McMann In- terrupted. “No, he didn’t mention anyone's name, except Jake Bailey, who was always hanging around, like a body- guard or something. I jokingly asked him if Jake was going to Winter Haven with us, and he sald no, that Jake had left Friday night for a week-end visit with his peo- (Ple somewhere upstate — he didn't say just where,” Rita answered, still in that careful, hesitating man- ner which was branding her as a liar in McMann's eyes, as Ruth could clearly see. Her fear was confirmed when McMann asked, smiling twistedly: ou're sure he told you that Sat- urday afternoon, Rita? Wasn't it Saturday morning or Friday eve- ning?” “It was Saturday afternoonm,” Rita replied stubbornly. “Borden was in a hurry to get rid of you but you took time to joke eh?" McMann grinned. “All right, Rita, al right! Go on with your story. How did he happen to give you the other half of the $500 bill? Why didn’t he wait until you were in Winter Haven? He wouldn't give it to you Saturday morning, re- member!"” An ugly spotch of red suddenly glowed on the slim throat of the McMann lesned and nedding dancer. “T asked him for it. I was pretty sore because he'd missed the train, and he wanted to make up with me, #0 he gave me the other half of the bill. I told him I might miss the 5:32 if he didn't—so he gave it to me.” McMann chuckled. “Just like that, eh? You make an awfully poor liar, Rita. . . . Here! Keep your shirt on!” he commanded, as the dancer sprang toward him, her teeth bared, her slim, long fingers curved into talons. “So you went to the station to make the 5:32, did you, and he stood you up again? Rita hesitated again, then an-. swered, desperately, angrily, “Yes, I dia!" McMann leaned back in his chair, grinning and nodding with what seemed, to Ruth, like ghoulish sat- isfaction. *What do you think the police department has been doing all day, Rita? I'll tell you one little job they've cleaned up: you beat it from here, after stopping in the lobby to telephone someone, straight to the station, got the bags you'd checked there, and took them to your hotel. An1 vyou didn't take them out again Saturday afternoon! “You did take out a small over- night bag about midnight Satur- day, on your way to spend the night with your girl friend, Willette Wilbur. Now how about it, Rita?" “I was only going away with him to get the $600. I—I needed it, and I won't tell you why, if you Kkill me! After he'd given it to ne, 1 dldn’t care what happened between him and me later. I was just happy that T didn’t have to —to pay for it, by—by—"" She choked, and sud- denly began to cry, horribly, with out hiding her convulsed face. “Listen, Rita, McMann urged, almost gently. “You've admitted you need $500 in a whale of a2 hurry, that you were willing to do almost anything to get it. Now admist just a little bit more and tell me the whole truth. T'll put it up to you straight: either Borden was alive when you came and you killed him—walt till I'm through!—killed him to get the money that would come too late if he waited until night to give it to you, or he was dead when you got here. o wait! Isn't this what hap. pened? — you came, got no answer to your knock, used Borden's pass- key, found him dead on the floor— ves! just where vou're looking,” he interrupted himself, as the dancer's eyes involuntarily shot a glance of horror toward the spot where Bor- den had lain in death—" you re- back in his d\a'«k Tfl“ with what toomed to Rl shoulsh sansfaction. Mackay & Wallin 63 Main Street Last Week in Our FebruaryFurnitureSale THREE-PIECE UPHOLSTERED SUITE of unusual fine quality, full webbed with Marshall Spring construction —genuine Angora Mohair with reverse membered that he had the other half of the $500 bill he had given you; you lookxd for it, found it and more than $600 more in amaller bills, took it all—over a thousand dollars counting your half of the bill—" “No, no!” Rita screamed, beat- ing the air with frantic, clenched fists. “I didn’t rob a dead man! I'd die first! He was alive, I tell you—alive! He gave me his half of and not a cent more! Not Birdwell's weary, * bored voice from the doorway interrupted Ri- ta's passionate avowal. “Ferber's here with the pictures of the finger. prints, sir, And Borden's man- ser-ant, Ashe. Mrs. Borden's come back, too, sir. (TO BE CONTINUED) Fingerprints tell a straight story. Be sure to read the part they play. CANADIAN TRIBESMEN BREAKING LAWS AGAIN Rilling of Beaver by Tribes Practic- ing Human Sacrifices Stirs Mounted Police to Action. Edmonton, Alta.,, Feb, 26 (P—Re- ports of fresh lawlessness on the part of the Cassiar and the Sikanni tribesmen have caused the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to decide to establish a post at Fort Liard next summer. The tribesmen, who live in the ex- treme southwest corner of the north- west territories, gained attention some years ago through stories of orgies at which there were human sacrifices, Back in lonely canyons, reports stated, two Indians ° found guilty of bringing misfortune on the tribe, were tied naked to stakes in below zero weather and water was poured over their bodies until they turnd into statues of ice. A police investigation was made at the time, This year, however, reports of the' beaver being killed off have deter. mind the police to have a post at the old fort at the junction of the Liard and the Pettitot rivers. Fort Liard is 222 miles up the Liard from the mouth at Fort SBimpson, and Hud- son Bay company launch makes the trip each year from Simpson, on the Mackenzie 1o Fort Nelson, 372 miles up the Liard and the head of navi- gation. The detachment will go in with the launch in June, TEACHES USEFIL WORK FOR BLIND Sightless Woman Devotes Life to Others Likewise AMicted An agency in this state which is little known to the public in gener- al but which is carrying on a tre- mendouy amount of work every day, wag described today by Miss Tvie M. Mead. It is the home teaching tranch of the State Board of Edu- cation of the Blind, the agency through which blind adults who are at their own homes through their inability to attend state institution for the blind, are taught various oe- cupations by which many of them are able to earn most of their live- lihood. -, Miss Mead is one of four teachers which the state board of education of the blind engages to travel about the state coming in touch with stay-at-home blind persons. She travels in the eastcrn and central portion of the state and visits about 120 pupils and keeps them busy. She teaches reading by the Braille and Moon systems, typewriting, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weav- ing rugs, reed basketry work, chair seating of all kinds and house work. The state board has a fund known as the material fund. Out of this, all the material used in the work of the blind is purchased and then through the state board, sales are held all over the state at different periods and all the articles are sold. The money used to purchase the materials is then returned to the state fund and the blind person receives the profit. Generally space is donated in towns and cities. Last November a general sale was held in this city at the Boston store and a large sum of money was realized, Many of the blind persons have received the only money they have ever earned through the work of Miss Mead and her associate teach- ers. She stated today that the four instructors in the home are all without sight. This is thought best because of the fact that the blind persons are prone to ‘become dis- couraged at their work when a per- son with sight teaches them because they will say “Oh, you can see, ELECTRO- YOU’LL hear the Inauguration through this new Atwater Kent Electro-Dy- namic as clearly as if you were on the platform. The perfection of the Electro- Dynamic principle in the Atwater Kent laboratory, thou- sandth-of-an-inch ac- MODEL $3. New, all-incoe set with Atwater Kent Electro- Dynamic spesker. Fors-vison Dial, Without tubes, $117. Hen 373 MAIN STREET Blair & Brodrib that's why you can do it.” Each year in the month of May, a week for the blind is held in some city, Last year it was held in Stam. ford and this year it will probably be held in Putnam. Miss Mead travels with a com. panion in her own automoblies for which the state allows her mileage. She has about 15 blind stay-at- homes in this city. Among her pu- pils is a blind woman over 80 years of age who is just learning to read. Another besides being blind, is deaf and dumb and this woman does re. markable work. On January 10, a party was held in this city at which eight of the blind persons attended and they had an enjoyable day. Miss Mead has been without her sight ever since she was a young girl, She studied in a school for the blind in Batavia, Y., and then took a special course in music, es- pecially the piano and violin, 8he intended to devote her life to this but she decided later to take up teaching. She taught for two years at the Connecticut State Institute for the Blind and in 1921 she start- ed the home service department in the state. WELL BABY CONFERENCES The schedule for the well baby conferences conducted by the Visit- “|ing Nurse asosciation for the week of February 25, will be as follows: ‘Wednesday, 63 Center street; Thursday, Washington street school; Friday, East street school. All weighing conferences are held from 2:3¢ to 3:30 p. m. A doctor is presen. at all conferences from 3:30 to 4 p, m. Ezamining physi- clan, Dr. L. B. Slyss Oath President Takes § Contains But 35 Words ‘Washington, Feb. 26 (F—Exactly 35 words make up the oath of office of a president of the Inited States. The constitution prescribes it and it has been repeated by every execus tive in the history ~f the country. It i 'l de solemnly swear (or affirm) that 1 will faithtully execu'> the of- fice of president of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and de- fend the constitution of the United States.” ADDRESSING PRESIDENT ‘Washington, Feb. 26 (A — The president of the United States is usually spoken to as “Mr. Presi. dent,” in writing to him “My dear Mr. President” is good usage, and so is “Dear Mr. President."” Late Afternoon The delightful thought of a cup of tea — and it should be SALADA for real g o “Fresh from the Gardens” ATWATER KENT DYNAMIC MODEL 44 New, Blsro Dy ssmic receiver. Furt-vinow LI s o tul Without subss, §83. MODSL F-2. Electro-Dynamis speaker. §34. Listen to HOOVER and hear him as be really sounds! curacy in construction, and the Atwater Kent rule—test, test, and test again— give you s mdio that's in a class by icself. Get the fine programs right now—with this set that tells you the truth about everything! And listen to Hoover! 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