New Britain Herald Newspaper, March 9, 1929, Page 13

‘O THIS HAS HAPPENED Ruth Lester, secretary, finds the body of her employer, “Handsome Marry” Borden, Monday sprawled beneath the airshaft win- aow of his private office. He was shot between one and four Saturday afternoon. McMann, detective ser- &eant, questions the following sus- Ituth, Mrs. Borden, Borden's nged wife and mother of his two children; Rita Dubois, night club dancer, with whom Borden was infatuated; Jack Hayward, Ruth's fiance, whose office is across the parrow airshaft from Borden' McMann's belief in Jack's guilt is | strengthened by the testimony of the | elevator boys, Micky Moran and Otto Pluger, and of Bill Cowan, Jack's friend, who says he heard Jack | threaten Borden's life Saturday | morning. Detectives are sent out to bring in Cleo Gilman, Borden's dis- carded mistress, and Jake Bailey, his bodygudrd. McMann questions Benny Smith, n's office boy; Ashe, his man- scrvant; Minnie Cassidy, scrubwo- man, who cleans the Iiorden suite, and Letty Miller, who cleans Jack's office. McMann shows Ruth a new-made | gear in the brick wall beside Jack's window, also a flattened bullet found on the cement seven tlights below. He says Borden fired this | bullet too late in self-defen: murderer who “stood in Jack's win- | dow Jack, not yet arrested shadowed by a detective, goes to IRuth’s apartment that cvening | where they review the events of the | day in an attempt to fit bits of th pu together. When Ruth men- tions Ashe's and Minnic's testimony ahout the mysterious woman with the “beautiful contralto voice™ Juck blushes and starts violently NOW GO ON WITH THE CHAPTER XXNIV “Nothing's the matier!™ Juck Tayward denied, with pectiliar cm- Pl “AWhat were you going to say about the woman with the contralto TORY Voice “You you hiushed—and Ituth d a little descrip- someone you rted and 1 blushin cuscd wonderingly, sealously Im tion reminded you know.” “What ibout this worian with the for | not st st nim surd of my jack evaded, reaching so that Iluih could voice the B polkcr his ¢y e girl dered and steadily, « little coldly present this morning Mr. MeMann about phone call for Mr. Dorden at 10 o'clock Satur- | day morning. 1 was familiar with thie voice cailing then, for the wogan had telephoned several | times during the four months 1 wvorked for Mr. Borden. He always | refused o taik with her, she never gave me her name. “Saturday morning Mr. Borden came in or two after I had hung up the receiver, and when 1 told hi that the woman with the heantiful contralto voice had called | id: “That voice may ind iful to you, “but helieve me, rather listen to a riveting * or words to that cficet Kot enough to lang her on” Jack commented drily, still poking lessly at the fire “Of course nog, e swored reasonably, though her voice fremb slightly. 1 thie slory Minnie Cassidy told definitely [ s the woman with the con- tralto voice into the puzzle. Whil Minnie was cloanming in our offices | shortly after half-past one Mr. Bor- | den left his office for a m or two, asking Minnie to stay he returned, sinee he had no key Cdidn't want her to go away Jeave the door unlocked for While he was gone the phon Munie answersd, told th to hiold the wire. When Mr, returned, he asked her to 1he of the 1in, Minnie did so, saying the wor had a lovely, sweet voice, like alto singer, as she puls it. At fir Mr. Borden told her®curtly to hang up the receiver, then considered a moment, and directed her to tell the woman to call again in 15 or 20 minutes.” him, bewil- answered “You were when 1t stared hurt, then at th an- ut il | and Lini. rang woman | Rorden cribe and n 1 voice womun ¢ SWell 2 Jack said impatiently, as Ruth pauscd e woman, so Minnie says, her this message for Mr. Bor- “Tell Mr. Borden that if he is wise, he will talk to me when 1 call again.’ " Jack shru definite the man.” him with wide, you're thinking with tl phone afraid 1 Ry den “Not s 1 mad . as Ruth stared hurt blue eyes: “If that the woman voice made her final tele- Al over my phone, I'm can't sec it. Fifteen or minutes after Minnie’s conve tion with the lady of the voice, was in my office myself. hadn't reached that conclusion yet,” Ituth said slowly, coldly. “But your reasoning strikes me as a little odd. The woman could not have known that Mr. Borden had a train 10 make, hen delayed a little until ched the Star- bridge building. Look at she commanded with sudden ney. “You'rc probably the world's clumsiest decciver. Its written ail over your face that you know something about this woman. Is this any time to conccal your knowledge from me? It's for your suke, remember!” Juck shrugged, then laughed rue- “PIl never be able to get with unything, with a wife like you And may 1 have a kiss to make up for all I'm going to suffer at your hands in the fu- ture? Umm! . . .Now, dar- ling, imitate that voice for me as perfectly as you can. 1 know you' a good mimic. I've heard you t off Borden, Benny, old Minnie ¢ sidy, and poor, timid Letty Miller. Go to it, sweet! Ruth laughed, happy she enunciated nearly so 1 as- gain, then in a throaty con- tralto: “Thank you o much, my Mr. Hayward! You too Then, triumphantly, her “Ther You again! You in i Kind!™ own started and azain blushed voic BLACK ©1929 By NEA morning, | admitted reluctantly. “I do know >, at hig | voi but | dark eyes — sad eyes,” | | | remember her name, too? | Martha Man | was though | * | was quite use | Borden's manss Inc. before—or the one I imitated.” “You're right, of course,”” Jack the woman—alightly. She came to my office about two months ago, to inquire about insurance. “Just picked you out blindly?" tuth asked skeptically. “Or had someone en her your name?" “She didn't say, and of course T didn't ask,” Jack answered, a little stiffly. “I .asked her into my private officc and gave her a lot of information abouat various types of policies—straight life, 20-year en. dowment, etc. T didn’t think, at the time, that she seemed particularly interested, though she had asked for thq information—' “I imagine,” Ruth interrupted suddenly, “that she was more inter. ested in the occupant of the office 4across the airshaft.” “Youve hit it again, though 1| didn't think anything of it at the time,” Jack admitted. *“Before she left, with her hands full of insur. ance literature, she stepped to the window und looked out, perhaps to- wards Borden's office, maybe at Borden himself. I thought she was interested in the pigeons, which were circling about—made some re- mark to her about them, I believe. “What was she like—beside her Ruth asked eagerly. 1l and very siender, big, fine | Jack an- swered 50 unhesitatingly that an- other pang of jealousy shot through : girl's heart. *“About 35, 1 im-. A good deal of makeup, hgit skillful, artistic job. Good clothes, but just a little shabby, an clegunt sort of shabbiness.” “She evidently made a great fme ion on you, Ituth could not remarkin “I suppose you help you're delicious when you're angry or jealous,” Jack laughed, and Kissed the tips of her fingers. She did make a decp impression on me, hecause 1 thought she had the most tragic face 1'd ever seen. That's why 1 hesitated to say & word which might invelve her in this nasty business. No man would want to add another bitter line to that tragic fac Her name was nning." r Mrs. 2" Ruth persisted. didn't say, but I addressed Miss Manning until she made inguirics about a trust fund's bee ing made of the insurance, if she took it out, in favor of 'her ai ar-old son. Then I called her Mra. fanning and she did not correct | me. | of your gun to, through Mianie. But why come to my office to make the call, even if she did remember that it was to him?" “Maybe she realized that you wcre your way to do her a good turn. Perhaps she intznded to appeal to you to help her plead her case with Borden,” Ruth suggested hesitating- ly. “She found your docr unlocked, thought you were in, and entered. Once inside, she took the liberty of using*your phone, although you were not there, quarreled with Bor- den—and shot him through your windo “But how did she know I had a pistol 7" Jack ebjected. “You've just said you gave her a lot of insurance literature, Ruth pointed out eagerly. “You keep stacks of it in the bottom drawer of your desk. Why couldn't she have seen the piatol while you were scarching for the printed matter you wanted to give her?” “Possible, but not highly proba- ble” Jack conceded. “But—if she killed him from my office, how can you account for the disappearance Miss Manning could hardly have entered the dead man's lacked office, would have had no tcason to do so, in the first place—" “Then maybe she induced Borden, by threats of some sort, to grant her an appointment, told him she was in the vuilding and would be right up, then armed herselt with your &un, went to his office, was admitted because he was expecting her, found he was armed too, and shot him | just as he was about to shoot her, Rorden's bullet going wild—out the window. How’s that” concluded triumphantly. Fine,” Jack smiled mirthlessly, “‘cxcept for one or two minor de- tails. Why should she take the gun with which he had tried to kill her? Why close the window “But Rita Dubois insists that the window wus still open when was there between two-ten and two-thirty,” Ruth pointed out. “And Rita also insists that Bor- den was alive,” Jack reminded her. “If Rita is telling the truth, our whole case agalnst poor Martha Manning topples, unless we con- clude that Bo-~len told Miss Man- ning not to come until half-past two or even later—realizing, as he did, that she had already made him her train, and that he would ave to deal with Rita, between train time—2:15—and 2:30. But if that's the cage, where was Martha of Ruth Ruth considered, her eyes grow- ing wider and wider. Then, slowly: | “Miss Marning, Jack, and the boy | Harry son. I fecl absolutely sur . What was her address?” | aded suddenly. | Some little hotel—let me think. | . Oh, yes, the Acropolis Hotel. | wrote her, asking if she had made up her mind as to the kind of in- surance she wanted to take out, and she did not 1eply. She did come in guin, however, and told me that it | ss for her to con- sider any kind 0! insurance on hey | lifi—that she had been to her owe | physician and he had told her she was in an advanced stage of tuber- culosis. And again—she stood at | my window, looking out. . . . I felt| damned sorry for her,” Jack added, in a low voice. “Frank Ashe felt sorry for her, 100, Ituth said slowly. And then she told him, briefly, the story that | rvat had told De- Sergeant McMann—how the n with the beautiful contralto had come to Iorden's aparte ined entrance by watching nd had been knocked | cither by Borden | iley, his body- | of that. | sh teeti wom voicr ment, her chance, Lalt himself or by Jake guard. “Motive!” Jack commented, but without triumph. “Now as to op- portunity. Let us suppose she came to tie Starbridge Building Saturday afternoon, hefore calling Borden on the telephone as he had asked her senseloss Manning after she concluded her telephone quarrcl with Borden at 0, and until half-past two? 1In Borden's fllegltimate |y gffice all that time? 8o far as I|name “p know, no one has told of secing a stranger on the seventh floor all afternoon. and neither Otto Pfluger nor Micky Moran said anything | about bringing such a woman to the thin seventh floor.” “She could have walked up, of FE STORIES OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE C. 8. From George Washington to leib plies of every president of the United - = = = o= = CLIP COU In:um- 'S LDITOR, ashington 1322 New York Avenue, Washin enclose herewith five stamps to cover post NAME ‘I'I'REET AND NUMBER ' cITY _ nts in coii T am a reader of tie NEW BR FLEM PRODDY, THE LOCAL INVENTOR, IS GOING AROUN FRoM HOUSE To HoUSE WITH HIS LATEST DPEVICE [Flem Proddy’s New Hetalth Machine directly opposite Borden's and that! e could see his face, as she talked | interested in her, would go out of | she ! ———— Burcau's newly prepared bulletin THE PRLSIDENTS O | £ want & copy of the bulictin THE PRESILE e and handling costs: T, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1927. “My Thirty course—part of the way, at least,” Ruth offered tentatively. “But— Letty went into your offices for the second time to clean them at .haif- past two. I'm sure she would have told Mr. McMann if she had scen| anyone coming out of your office or in the corridor. But, Jack, therc's no getting around it: some woman, Martha Manning, or some other wo- man, was in Borden's offices Sat- urday—besides Rita, Mrs. Borden, Minnie and myself, I mcan, for, as Mann puts it, she left her calling | card on the glass pancl in the door {between the private office and the {outer office—three clear finger- prints. “The only fingerprints | slass panel, which the window- | washer had cleancd late Iriday afternoon. Maybe she had a key to| Mr. Borden's office—hbut no, that's | impossible, for Mr. Borden had the lock changed after I started to work for him only four months ago, and | all that time he had rcfused ever | to talk over the phone with the woman of the contralto voice. Oh!" she sighed euddenly umped in a pathetic little I'm so ghastly tired I think." You're going bed,“darling,” Jack commanded, contrition and compassion in his voice and cyes. “I could do with a little sleep my- self, and it's & shame to keep my poor ‘shudow’ standing out there in {the cold s long. He'll be all the | better for taking his ‘dog’ for a | walk on the leash. You're going to| |the scenc of the crime tomorrow | | morning, 1 suppose | “Me tuth laughed shakily. ‘Why, I'm going to take charge of the investitgation!—after I've done one errand—with my own ‘shadow’ trailing me No, T won't tell | you what I intend to do. Go along. | T want to—pray, and then to sleep. Good night. my darling. 1 love | you.” | (TO BE CONTINUED) | The problem of finding Borden's | murderer grows more intricate | hourls. Who aid it SCIENTISTS INVENT 500-WORD LANGUAGE on the| and heap. can't to | English Taken as Basis of Language Designed for 1 of Whole World | | Tondon, March 9. (P—Cambridge | scientists and scholars have evolved {an international language of 500 | words. English is the basic. tonguc chiosen and it is claimed that people | {of all nations may pick up “panop- | tic English,” as the reducea vocabu- |lary is called, within a few weeks or months, instead of years. | The entire vocabulary of *'panop- tic English” can be printed on the |back of a single shect of notepaper {of verbs vanish and in their place and seen at a glance, hence its anoptic.” | In the new language the majority are twelve “opcrators” or funda- | mental verbs which cover the tial movements of persons g8, They come |20, Keep, let, make, put, | o and have. essen- and take, be ert Hoover—Urief, but complete biogra- States are included in our Washington THE U. 8 You wiil find this bulletin packed with Inieresting facts about all the presidents. Fill out the coupon bLelow and send for it: PON HERD= == == o= o= = 1 [ NTS OF THE (1. S, and uneancelled, U, & vostage | Bureau, New Britain Herald, ston, D. C. or loose, ITAIN HERALD. -—— - ———— — —r By Fontaine Fox 4 —— | Yearg lamor season. Warn- m conspi with his ty anl carc the ind r pro s the 1 1 tourist y wis innoes in the to puss 1estions problems that come 1o | decision. Som¢ Prive bles and their attendant i and huniorous told in this cha zots w ins 10 win T g rps th new on By CAPT. (Copyr Supervising® the sel is greatest alwa ilties not v them plaving cards fimes when a sort ot must answer strang 10 i to th Later ging the ship, storn dreds of other to the sea ready to tell the dining saloon the 1 spicious. 5 ds. ar rned e did e n th th fully ap- next da refused to that Catering to : and protect of the lantic hunts captain the his ing pre low to do your work?” ] “It's impossible, sir” he exe pluined, “these shoes belong to & uan in this cabin and he ig holding the laces on the other side of the door.” It was not right for to stop the man in his worke of service to passens tur regue held in which for the 1 parti rema t is part My Cruise with Troops) (Tomorrow: AGED NEW MEXICO MAN RODE WITH KIT CARSON Was Member of Famous Scout's Cavalry Command—Carries Scars from Comanche Weapons N Aibany, Ind., March 9. Pi— or of the famous Kit Car- cavalry, New Mexican vol- quictly is spending the de- years of his life at his home Hugh J. Needham when yoars old yielded to the lure iventure in the far west when es of Kit Carson, Wild Bill Luitalo Bill were on the lips of can youth. Pairville, Colo., Au- Needham enlisted in M. He was mustered into I'ort Garland, Colo., and ng with the troop- of some of his s, the d vet- wrics two large sca a4 bullets fired in one of the ! v 19 puUps were steward 1o0k- xperience kno rroue braves nishes. im was finally dis Fort Union, N. M., Octos when he returned and here. Dr. Needham icine here 15 years, United States commis federal district court and has been prominent societies. Masonic Sailors should ¢ knots (o 1 New York to Florida The only Double Track Railroad between the North and Floride FROM PENNA. STA., NEW YORK The Miamian Gulf Coast L. Ly :iSam Lv.9:iSam Other Fast Through Trats Daily Havana Special . 320 p.me almetto Led. . . 7:10 p.m. Florida Special Coast Line Florida Mayt . . 8:45 p.a Everglades Ltd. . . .. .. 12:30 aom Atlantic Coast Line The Standard Railread of the Sewth veservations, information frem . F. FULLER, A.G.P.A. 8 West 40th 8¢, New Yook ey had to he course, 1o b rding to o instea the i ] Alvorce, Jife of iin wi ulso hi norous sides s makil ction when I di p's bootblack ind shing that were of a stateroom door. a room to poli ion't you go be- | h 1 ne insp s side “You hav SN RN R PRODUCT OF GENERAL MOTORS The Coupe, $1165 , Body by Fisher Iny Sfl:qaflbfl proves that it has no equal at its price More for your money. More beauty, luxury and style. More balanced power, speed and acceleration. That's what you get in the New All-American Six. A blanket statement . . . but just stop to analyzeit. Investigate...learn what the New All-American provides. Start with the magnificent bodies by Fisher that account for much of its luxury and style. Pricos $1145 to $1375, f. 0. b. P Michigan, plus del dbsorbers incly; deg in list pr. mper: rear fender wet handling charges. Genersl Motors Time C. A 50 CHESTNUT STREET ery charg. uards extr Consider the individuality of its appear- ance. The refreshing originality of its design. And try out its glorious perform- ance. Achieved through modern engi- neering design. The New All-American Six by Oakland is enjoying ever-increasing popularity. mply because investigation proves that it has no equal in all that it offers for its surprisingly moderate price. - (Soring covers end Loveioy Hydraulic Sheck G nd delizered prices — they include FPayment Plan avelisble ot minimum rete. BENCE .. i s SRR s