The evening world. Newspaper, October 6, 1922, Page 32

| ' ' ‘ f ' } } ‘ 4 ° oo Chief Inspector Winter Joins De- tective Furneaux in Unravelling the Van Cortland Mystery JEALOUSY ASSIGNED AS MOTIVE FOR THE CRIME Capt. Stuart, Brown, the Butler, and Morrison Are Engaged in Helping the Two-:Sleuths THE STORY TO DATE. ROWN, the butler of the Fifth Avenue mansion of Anthony for a convivial celebration of the Ace Club the night before. A goldfish in a bowl in the room is floating, dead. A stffhige odor pervades the room. Capt. Stuart, an army officer, calls for yan Cortland to go for a ride in Central Park and discovers the state of affairs. After tafki ; Roberts, the valet; with Morrison, the chauffeu 6 Marie, the maid, and Brown, Capt. Stuart calls Police Headquarters and in a few minutes a queer-looking little man appears at the mansion and intro- duces himself as Mr. over the ground he orders that Dr. be called. ‘urneaux of the detective force. After looking George Bright of East 83d Street Capt. Stuart, chosen by Furneaux to notify Miss Mary Dixon, his fiancee, of Van Cortland’s death, performs the disagreeable task, but is impressed by the fact that she shows no deep grief. Meantime Willie Dixon, Mary’s young brother, one of theeunconscious group, awakes after Furneaux has emptied the pockets of all the Ac Club members and taken their fingerprints. ° ‘Capt. Stuart accompanies Willie Dixon to his home, metts Mary Lapin, but learns nothing of her feelings regarding the death of the in she was to marry. He joins Winter at CHAPTER IV. “Mr. Furnenux’s Deductive Method. ROM that moment Alec Stuart realized he was moving in a new world, a world in which it behooved him to pick his | Say with exceeding care. Ho valued certain reputation for calm und clear judgment carned while on a Divisional Staff, and he certainly did not want to lose it at the hands of a pair of New York, detectives. He abandoned at once any thought of criticising their peculiarities, and had not to wait long befor thanking his stars (gr the decision. y Of course, ho fully expected Furneaux to manifest surprise gat ihe “Chief Inspector’ wtatemenf; not yet did he grasp the complexities of the little man's char- acter, It was almost a point of soner with Furneaux that be should mever be surprised at anything, "Dear mel” was what he said, “pouring Lotinyepae cup of coffee, a simplify matters?’ quired Winter. “No. It's the mosfannoying thing you have told me.” © + “why “Because | introduces the element which | have completely in- had discarded? you 1am precise of speech and use. the simple phrases beloved of Lincoln and John Bright.” Winter winked brazenly at Stuart, who, having nothing to say, kept quiet. He Wimeclf had thought of suicide as a solution of the tragedy, though it was a theory difficult to reconcile with van Cortland’s ap- proachiug marriage to a delightful vl ke Mary Dixon, “Well, my pocket Vidocg, give us your yarn ih words of ono syllable,” muld the big man “You may vmoke now,’ suid geur neaux, “That's # good start, anyhow,” and Winter offered Stuart a well-filled cigar-case, “By the way," put in the latter, “do you gentlemen really wish to dis cuss this ugly business in my pres- ence? I am deeply interested, of course, but"’— “Wa need your help,” said (ur- peaux, “I have employed you alread) as @ cavalry screen, ,but you don't weom. to understand your. duties When you get the hang of this aff yuu May make up your mind to twll us what you know.” ‘What 1 know?” cried Stuart Wurneaux waved a hand in air as though impatient of these childish in- terruptions, and Winter suid earn- aptain Stuart, you are spoiling a g00d cigar by lighting it on one side." I give in,” smiled Stuart. Carry on! “I'm about to make « speech,” sa‘d Furneaux sententiously, “and 1 don't , Want to be interrupted by either crude humor or military ineptitude,” Wirver produced a note-book and wrote the word “ineptitude” in large script ‘across @ blank page, where- upon Burneaux gazed at the sky ‘through the upper part of an opposite w.ndow. “Anthony ven Cortland may or ew: ‘aad have expected to die soon,” rneaux and Chief of Detectives breakfast, where they discuss the case. he continued, “but I am sure he did, not think he was destined to pass out last night. ened, . however. terday, if the date be correct, he re- ceived & typewritten slip telling him His life had been threat- No later than yes- he would not be allowed to marry Mary Dixon, and that if he did not take certain definite steps tu break off the engagement he would be re- moved without further notice, ‘The note alluded to a previous warning, and is couched in broken Bnglish, meant to simulate the effort of an uneducated Itallan to express him- well “Can we see the note now?” quired Winter meekly. Furneaux, who certainty was an actor of no mean rank, produced a solled scrap of paper, apparently the lower half sf a folio sliect, which had een torn, not cut, ang folded twice He handed it to the Clilet with a fine air, It bore a date, June 18th, and con- tained some typed lines, which ran: “You kno alredda you have not to marri la Signorina Dixon. 1 need not tell you the wy. It is forbid, see. 1 not tell you again. You stoppa la noxzze or you die in twenty-four hour, see, You putta Httel wite car in windo tomor morning, # ora, an I not kill you tomor, Nex da you say, in jornal no Marri, Miss Dixon an Mr, Cortland, Belifa this, It is right. Maka big blac X on littel wite carrd,” Winter scanned the message with close attention and passed it to Stuart, who noticed at once that the letters “r'’ and “ty and the capital were out of alignment on the pewriter, He passed no comment however, but placed the paper on the tablo in front of Furneaux, who still seemed to be seeking inspiration in the blue vault of heaven. Waiting until each of his hearers had serutinized the threat, he con tinue: “Three of last night's party of thirteen admit that van Cortland spoke of this warning having reached him in a typed envelope, bearing the Grand Central postmark of midnight the night before. Ho scoffed at it attributing it to the craze among low- class Italians for sending anonymous letters. Indeed, he went far as to say that some girl in the opera had probably inspired it, It will be easy to find the girl, and this will be den: 48 a mere matter of form, The note was neither written nor composed by an Italian, but by some one adopting that disguise, some one who k about the girl, probably a trivial bit of half-forgotten folly, and selzed on that pretext to threaten van Cortland with death if he married Mary Dixon “I spit at the Itallan side of this romance. It centres right here, in fashionable Fifth Avenue, The man who committed this murder was in that room lust night, It was he who placed a strong dose of chloral ly drate, d sed by Ghyl Rosas or glycerine and rose-wat in the punch, well knowing that the mix ture of wines and liquors would hide effectually the unpleasant taste of the chloral, granted even that the torture palates of a dozen half-drunken fools were capable of detect “He bimeelf, of cours g it n of the brew, but contrived to spill it unseen into the bowl which held that wretched goldfish, No respectable E “ ; chemist, by th , would supply, VanCortland, finds his employer dead and twelve guests Sne-tonth of the quantity Lt unconscious around a table where the thirteen had gathered dope thirteen men, Then, twelve were down and out, of the quantity needed to when the he killed van Cortland—poisoned him-—by seme hypodermic Injection, As soon as b¢ could be sure that van Cortland was dead, or at-any rate so comatose ar tu be on the point of death, he raised the bind of the third or most north- erly window overlooking Fifth Ave nue, opened the window, went out on the balcony and threw the bottle which had held th® narcotic right across the road into the shrubbery, of Central Park. “It probably contained, too, the in- rument—I don’t think it was a sy ringe or needle—with which he had administered the active poison to van Cortland, but that has not been found, Practically all the pieces of the bypken bottle are acvounted for A man is now goir the ground with a tooth-comb nifying glass for the other thing us call it a syringe up. ‘The murderer’ closed dow, dfew the blind, took a strong of the red punch and wwaited developments, trusting to, his let but E fear it will not tur the win- done doe tovk @ Glas» own force of Will oot to betray Bim. SS RPI -' THE EVENING WORLD, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1922, T. self when he awoke, which, he fore- saw, would probably be in the pros- ence ot @ police. And, damy him, ho didn‘ Furneaux's voles broke in a squeak on the last foretble sentence. It was the protest of a genuine artist against unkind fate. “ He had relied for guidance on the first disordered utterance of the one man among twelve who knew what sort of deadly peril he, was facing when his scattered senses returned, and who knew too that his period of greatest danger would be the few seconds prior to complete consctous- ness. But the test had failed, or Fur- neaux said it had, he window was neat work, Charles, very neat," said Winter composedly. “How did you get it?” Kach blind is controlled by a spring ut the side of the rol Brown drew ‘il the blinds at 8 o'clock last night ind arranged them Properly, of course. The murderer—we'll bracket him Mr, X for short—pulled down that blind too forelbly and the roller shot over the spring. The accident must have disconerted him*more than enough, or, {f premeditated, was the finest thing I have ever heard of in the annals of erime, as it pointed straight to the only direct evidence we Iive, barring the typed letter. ‘The rest was easy—too casy. Story EOWARD TR chief marked with the initials ‘R. K. and found, of course, in the pocket of young Bob Kerningham. That, by the way, is a secret. Mr, Kerfting- ham himself is not aware that I know it, and I doubt very much that he knows it himself. In fact, as a clue it is a trifle too obvious, but it must be inquired into. Never shall it be said that the Detective Bureau fatled to see the wood for the trees. Another item—the footprints in the dust on the balcony were purposely confused by shuffling the feet. In fact, the man who killed van Cortland forgot very little."* “And now, Captal tell us your story, "17" eried Stuart. ‘Yes, you. If my quaint ituart, you will id’ Winter. little friend will permit, I showd like to in- Italian the terpret him. Apart from all vengettas or slighted ballerinas, projected marriage of Miss Dixon Mr. van Cortland strikes me as sup- ing the key t&this mystery. Mr. , as Furneaux so politely puts 't, killed van Cortland to stop that mar- riage, and did so only when the bride- groom scoffed at the notion of aban- doning itt. “There we have a direct and ob- vious motive for the trime. Now, it is difficult for us to approach the lady. The mere mention of a detec- tive’s name will either seal her lips or throw her into a hysterla of de- nunclation which will be hopelessly beside the point. But you met her as a social equal and a friend of van Cortland’s. How did she take the news of his death? Give us your full ind free impressions, no matter how mistaken they may prove later. Thut is why Mr. Furneaux chose you as his messenger, and I am sure you will not, from any absurd notions of chiv- alry, refuse us your confidence.” Stuart looked in ailence at the men who awaited his answer. Probably in no other detective force in the world were there two members so un- like each other as these two. Winter was a big, round man— roundfheaded, round-bodied, round- limbed. His prominent blue eyes were rather more kindly than stern, but the width of his head between the ears, no less than the strength of a massive chin, proclaimed the cour- age and tenacity of a prize-fighter, a simile well borne out, too, by his cioge-cropped hair and the size of his fists, of which one rested on the table and the other held the cigar he was smoking. He sat back comfortably in his chair, but was in such fine phyatl- cal condition that he could have sprung at an adversary in a tiger-leap if need be. He was dressed in a loose- fitting blue serge suit and wore a catseye tie-pin. The third finger of his right hand carried a huge signet ring, which could become a highly effective knuckle-duster In an emergency. He looked utterly unlike a policeman, A shrewd observer of men might have classified him as a successful stock, broker who bred pedigree cattle as @ hobby. His colleasue, Furneaux, was ex- FURNEAUX THEORIZES: “AS SOON AS HE COULD BE SURE VAN CORTLAND WAS DEAD, HE OPENED THE WINDOW, WENT OUT ON THE BALCONY. AND THREW THE BOTTLE WHICH HAD HELD THE NARCOTIC RIGHT ACROSS THE ROAD INTO THE SHRUBBERY OF CENTRAL PARK.” actly half his weight; Stuart had al- ready taken him for a leacing jockey or famous comedian. His hands and feet were tiny, even for one who “How—too easy Furneaux turned a basilisk eye on his chief, and was on the point of making some biting answer when he THE HOUSE OF PERIL COPYRIG A.C f New York Life first hint of the chase. Glancing from Winter's biandly agreeable face to Hurneayx'’s intent 01 Stuart could nox help smiling. “Let us in on the joke,” said Fur- neaux tartly. “It is no joke, gentkemen,” sald the soldier. “I have read of a bird being farcinated by a snake, and I was just wondering how the wretched fowl would make out if it were stalked by two snakes.” “I've been called all sorts of things in my previous life, but never a snake,” said Winter, “I was thinking mainly of the bird's predicament. * * * Well, I see no way of’escape. I must warn you that 1 am a mighty poor judge of the feminine temperament, but I came to the conclusion this morning that Miss Dixon was less appeiled by van Cort- land's death than terrified as to it: outcome. She dreaded rather what I might say next than what I had sald already. I mean that while over- whelmed by my news, us any decent- minded woman must be, her thought leaped at once to its possible conse- quences. She assumed he had been killed, not that he might have been the victim of an accident or suspected disease.’ Furneaux’s face wrinkled in ap ap- preciative grin. “Mum! Ha! Excellent!’ he cried, I seldom err in choosing my man. “You would have failed im your choice this time had I guessed what jay behind it,’’ said Stuart quietly. “Don’t you want your friend's slayer to be discovered?” “Yes., If my personal efforts'’—— “Suppose, broke in the other, “Miss Dixon were replaced by so.e shrew of an Italian ballad-squawker, would you feel so aggrieved in the matter? ‘shut up, you imp!" said Winter. “You must make allowances for p:o- fessional zeal, Capt. Stuart. Fur- neaux would use a pet lamb to stalic a lon if a pet Igmb were tho best lure. He would even tie a bow of blue silk ribbon round its woolly little neck. But what harm has he done you or Miss Dixon?’* “Please don't be offended if T say that every word spoken hero will be, must be, forgotten on both sides. And “You're wrong, James. We may. want to use him in,other ways—hence the dinner, But he’s onto our game now, and the girl is off the map where his help is concerned. How- ever, he did us a good turn, an’ mebbe ‘we've done him one."” Winter’s eyebrows curved in two perfact arches. “Mateh-making again, Charles? Such haste is quite indecent,” he sald. “Poor van Cortland is hardly, dead et.” “She never cared a straw about van Cortland. She almost hated him when it came to marriage. “How do you know ?* “Because, James, that streak of femininity in me which you think you have discovered assures me, if it ex- ists, that no woman who loved a man would behave as Mary Dixon did two hours ago, and a woman not in love loathes the very thought of matri- mony. Next?’ “Have you any sort of plan founded on your analysis up to the moment?”* “No. I must think things out. 1 need to know a heap more about three men whose rooms L am now going to search. The three are Kobert Kerningham, whose handkerchief wiped the vase, Philip Durrane and Francis O. Baker.” “Why Durrane and Baker?’ “Because they, like Kerninghat, have long thin feet. Mr. X., when on the balcony, forgot to shuffle his feet lengthwise as well as sideways.’’ “Luckily for us, Charte they al- ways do forget something Do you want me?” “Of course. How am [ to force my way into three uptown mansions «n- less T have your inert and obese mass behind me?”’ . It was a sore point with Furneaux that the public would never believe he was a detective. +"Do we go now?” “T am waiting for the doctor's re- port. He and an expert 'n toxicology from the Roosevelt Hosp!tal are mak- ing a thorough external examination of the body. It may help some. L suppose the post mortem is the only sure test, but we cannot delay opera- tions for that." “We must watch our steps. These young asses belong to the best tami- no one dreams that the lady ts a lies in New York. | Whey are all in party to her flance’s death, We want the Social Register.” to find out the circumstances which “One is even an F. r V., because led up to it, and what you have just Dufrane hails trom Virginia. told us may be of exceeding value, ‘And tho girl is in the Junlor Your summary is fine. Won't you go League. Charles, you, must restrain a step further, and give us the exact yourself.” words that were used—just what you “Oh, it is a pretty case, and no said and what she said?"" mistake, I've known Chief Comsmis- sioners lose their scalps for affairs Stuart obeyed. Having taken the plunge, {t was hopeless now to dream of temporizing. He hada retentive memory, and was able to repeat, practically verbatim, tho two brief conversations between him and the girl that morning, Having made an end, he rose. “T have done all that you asked, which were not Point One per cent of this in public interest.” Ah!" sighed Winter, Yes, T had to drag you couldn’t pull the weight unaided.” “You little devil! Even over the phone I felt your fine Itallan hand.”’ “Don’t mix your metaphors, Chief. inv as and a good deal more than I antici- It sounds bad at this hour of the pated,"? ho said, with a stiffness of morning. And cut out the Itallan tone not lost on his hearers. ‘"Chis stuff. There's nothing in It.’” case does not interest me so particu- = +f don’t agree with you, You're larly that T should wish a closer con- sharp, T admit, but your survey is nection with it.” : limited to the area of a flashlight, “You're a bit soré with me?’ — asiep?? “Flashlight?” If you chirped Furneaux, “*Well, [ suppose said my intellect was ‘clear’ or ‘piere Jam, Tt Is difficult to define’’ ing’ T might let the insult pass.” ‘Don't try. 1 hate to mention — you'll make a fortune out of boobs cating to a man who has done 80 py your cheap wit when you take your nobly twice already to-day, but I shall be glad if you will join Mr. Winter and me in a little dinner to-night." penston'ang, set up’a private detective office,’’ “Tl find you a strong-arm job as gry er head bouncer, By the way, the butler here “Please come," urged Winter, : Let‘ 2 wee Ring akan: is in your line et's put him Stnart had no notion what that Portentous wink meant, but he changed an imminent refusal into a hesitating acceptance. “Good,” cried the Chief heartily. “As there is un Italian flavor in this aifair, suppose you meet us at the Restorato Milano, in West 46th Street, at 7.80, Don’t wait at the door. Walk upstairs, turn the handle of the first room on the left, and if we are not there, and any son of a gun asks scemed to recollect that Stuart was scaled about 120 pounds. It was quite your business, say, ‘Serpe.’ That'll in the room. impossible to determine his face stop his mouth. yh, yes,” he cackled almost from his features. Winter was of “put ‘serpe’ is the Itallan for apologetically, . “You see. Capt. Stu- pure Anglo-Saxon stock, but Fur- ‘snake,’ ” urt, if a clever criminal, one of the neaux was named Charles Francois — + ,qctly.”’ really brainy sort, wants to lead a atter his French father, and his — siyart could not help laughing, even slcuth g tly but firmly up to the mother was of mixed New England {h inet hecee of slosel arrest of the wrong man—an Innocent genealogy Winter was a fighier, — ,, ‘ slip ms ; man, I mean—he blazes the trail with MPurncaux an animated thinking ma If palleve vv: ta. could parsdsde auiet hints, relying on the equally chine, The veins of the one held red Me to mpisions eyo on iy clever and’ brainy detcetive finding blood, of the other quicksilver, In- own mothe a them dividually they were a terror to evil- When le had goue, Winter rubbed “Let me illustrate, Mr, X had not doers; ghen they ran together on a his hands forgotien tinger-prints, ‘There are criminal trail, as they almost in- ‘tA find!’’ he said cheerfully. “He none of bis on the gla bowl or the variably did, there was no social wolf may kick like a steer, but we can Winslow h, becuuse he took care to in the United states but endeavored surely get him to pump that girl.’ to gullop fast aud far to cover as the FA ie (ew off with # pocket hander Furneaux shook his bead. through it,’ Furneaux leaped to the bell, Any one hearing these two bandying un pleasant personalities would have be lieved that the city detective fe was about to lose the services of one if not both of its best men, whereas, as the Chief Commissioner well knew, the cleyerest crook, in New York ought to tremble when the Big 'Un and the Little "Un of the bureau were not only yelping at his heels but snap- ping at each other. In crossing the room Furneaux hap pened to glance into the street, so, when Brown came, his first query wa Who cleared the mob away f the door?” “A& rough looking fellow ‘aptain Stuart, sir.'’ “How do you know?" “The chauffeur told me, sl Winter and Furneaux exchanged a Took of inquiry. Even their omni- science could t solve that puzzle. ‘Then the Chief took up the examina- tion. “T hear you were in the London po- who spoke to (es he said. lice, Brown “Yes, sir.” “Why did you quit?’ The butler’s face flushed slightly. “Do you really want to know?" he asked. “Sure. “Well, I was getting on all right for five years when a Sergeant stuck his knife into me.”” “Stabbed your?” Brown smiled gently “No, sir, ‘That's just a manner of speaking. I couldn't do right with that fellow. He made my life a mis- ry, so when the war broke out T signed and joined the Guards. “Good egg! That Sergeant must ave been a mean cuss. . “Ho was just conceited, I got square with him,” “Indeed, how ‘In the interval, When [ was out of the force, an’ before I passed the doe sir, But tor, IT went to the pub—the saloon. sir—where I knew he might be found occasionally when off duty. 1 ragged him a bi an’ got him to put his hands up." “And then?" I gave him one or two." Soaked him in the jaw! “Yes, sir.” “Bxcellent. And how about + the army?” “T got a machine-gun here,” anc! Brown tapped his left shoulder, “three times during tho attack on Loos They invalided me out and I came to America with one of our Wmbassy That's how 1 tuok to gentlemen. butlering.”’ No butler in New York has a bet record. By the way, what six our sergeant?” About yout “What! Do you soak me in the jaw?’ “I'd try to, sir, if you were to put ter , air." think you coull on me week in an’ week out, for months.’ “Hal? cackled Furneaux. ‘‘Per- haps, when this affair has blown over and before the house is closed, I can persuade Mr. Winter to come here some quiet afternoon and give you the once over."’ ‘The chief endeavoured to look stern but there could be no doubt that the two big men were estimating cach other with a measuring eye. “My left shoulder still troubles me a lot,” said Brown in an explanatory way, and the two detectives smiled, “Did they blow your hair off Vrance, too?’ inquired Furneaux. “No, sir. T am: proud of my bald head. Hair seldom goes with brains Look at women!"’ Now it was Winter's turn to chortle for his tiny subordinate owned a hock of black hair. “Well, let's seo how far your brains 30," snapped Furneaux, who never expected such 4 retort from this bland person Tow did Mr. van Cortland meet his death?’" “| think he was slabbed sir, or maybe that is not the right word Some one shoved » poisoned needle twice into his neck over the jugular vein.” “Ah, saw that, did "| noticed the two lt when T Mfted his nead.” “Just as a mere guess: in you?" wounds who did it? Some one who didn’t want him te marry Miss Dixon, sir Why do you say that?" ‘Miss Dixon and her father came here this day week, and there was 4 serious talk, in this very room. Mr van Cortland opened the door for them as they went out, and I couldn't help hearing what he eatd. It was ‘I'm inclined to laugh at the whole business, Mary. You and I will get married if 1 haye to borrow a suit of armor and clank my way to the church through a hedge of stiletton Ini very words, sir.” see Miss Dixon Those were “Did you just 8, sir “How did she look? What effect had Mr. van Cortland’s assurance on her?” “he looked worrled, sir.” No one spoke thereafter during some seconds. Footsteps were heard in the corridor without, and Winter nodded to Brown “Thanks,” he said. “We'll have ‘nother chat later. Here come the doctors. ‘Tell them we are in this ‘oom,”" For a brief while he and Furneaux were alone, “Ca marche!” murmured the Httle man. “It gallops!” replied the big one (To-morrow another staggering oom- plication arises.) Start To-Day— . Finish To-Morrow— The New and Fascinating Way of Reading a Good Short Story Every Day. Guess at the Ending—Then Get a Surprise. In The Evening World Beginning Monday, October 9th