16 * ITI IM Auroras Famous Lodge Case <> < > ! By FRANK LOVELL NELSON ij it < I I Master Mind Solves One of the Queerest of Crimes, ij i * o Doctor Slain at Initiation by Substitu- ;; tion of Gunpowder for Fake Explosive ;; ;; —Carleton Clark to the Aid of Chi- ;; <> 1 ► ;; cago Newspaper Reporter in Solving 1 !; Mystery. \ \ o «> < I«» <1 < > «+♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦• mm VERY man who has been Ea newspaper reporter and survives has one case which he gives the post §of honor In memory. This is the story of the assign ment I like best to remem ber, not only because it re sulted in the solution of one of the most mysteri ous cases that ever arose i in Illinois, but rather for | the reason that it marked my first meeting with Carlton Clarke. It was in the summer of 189G that the word came to the office of the Chi cago morning paper with which I was then connected that the police of the little city of Aurora were struggling with a case which seemed destined to prove one of the greatest mysteries of the day. As I had met with considera ble success in criminal cases, the man aging editor lost no time in hustling me off by the first train to the scene -of action. The brief account in the first, paper I picked up, stripped of its glaring headlines, was as follows: Early this mornins ft very mysterious tragedy occurred in tlie hall of the An cient Order of Persian Knights, a local secret society, which resulted in the nl most instant death of Dr. Arthur W. Wh liams. a prominent physician of this city. The initiation of Dr. Williams was in progress at tlie time. In one portion of the ceremony the candidate, having been condemned to death for invading the sa cred domain of the shah, is ordered to load an old fashioned dueling pistol with powder and hall which are furnished him. He is then placed against the wall and the pistol is tired point blank at him by a member of the lodge holding the of fice of royal executioner. The powder provided the candidate has always been a clever counterfeit made of pulverized anthracite coal, and the only climax to the thrilling ceremony, heretofore, lias been the fizzle of the percussion cap and the shouts of laughter of the lodge mem bers. Dr. Williams was an old hand at lodge work. As a consequence, none of the efforts of the Persian Knights to break down his nerve or self-possession had been successful. When he had load ed the pistol he faced Dr. Homer Smith, whose duty it was to tire the shot, and gazed into his eyes without a visible tremor. Suddenly the members of the lodge, about 200 of whom were present, were startled by a loud, explosion. Dr. Williams fell forward with blood gushing from a wound in his forehead. Among the first to reach the stricken man was Dr. Smith, who had flred the fatal shot. He tried to stanch the blood, but tile bul let had penetrated the brain and Dr. Wil liams died in his arms without speaking. Chief of Police Darling, who is a prom inent member of the order, holding the office of royal astrologer, at once thought to secure the cup from which the pow der had been poured. A few grains re mained. He tasted them, it was unmis takably black gunpowder. No arrests have been made and no one seems willing to take the responsibility of saying that the tragedy was anything more than ac cident due to the carelessness of some one in getting the counterfeit powder jnlxed with the real article. "Oh, those country correspondents!" I fairly groaned. There was so much I wanted to know. Who had handled the supposed counterfeit powder? What was the customary source from which the lodge procured it? What were the relations of the two physi cians toward each other? "It all depends upon the history of the powder," I said to myself as I stuffed the papers into my pocket. "You are right, sir. It all depends upon the history of the powder." I turned around half in anger at this unlooked«for interruption to my train of thought. Whatever emotion I may have felt was instantly lost in interest in the face before me. It was a face I should have singled out among a thousand. Clean shaven, the firmly moulded chin showed by its slight tinge of blue that the beard, had it heen allowed to grow, would have been black. The nose was aquiline and of perfect proportions. The intelligent eyes were dark almost to blackness. The complexion was swarthy, but suf fused with the glow of health. The hair wits of that distingue combination of colors, black, shading almost to white on the temples and over the forehead. An American, evidently, but inheriting through several generations of New World ancestors the markings of southern Europe. His height I should have estimated at six feet. Carlton Clarke really lacks three-quar ters of an inch :if the mark. "Then you are a sort of Sherlock Holmes?" I ventured. "Sherlock Holmes Is an impossibil ity," lie said Further conversation was Interrupt •d bj out arrival before th<» little arti- ficial stone building which serves for a railway station at Aurora. The evi dent topic of conversation on all sides was the tragedy of the night before. I scorned unofficial information until I had exhausted the official. However, 1 could not resist turning to one of the groups on the platform and asking: "What is the latest in the Williams case?" "Doc. Smith gave himself up about two hours ago," was the answer. When we reached police headquar ters we found Chief Darling in his office and at leisure. As we entered my companion slipped me his card with an apology for having omitted the formality on the train. The name I read was "Mr. Carlton Clarke." Chief Darling was willing to talk, but protested that he had no knowl edge which was not already public property in the city. He had arrested Dr. Smith upon his own request and after a conference with the state's at torney. The most damaging evidence against him, aside from the known de tails of the tragedy, was a powerful motive. The prisoner had every reason in the world to be the enemy of the dead physician, although there had never been an open rupture and they met as friends in society and lodge work. When Dr. Williams came to Aurora Dr. Smith had a flourishing practice. Within the two years his practice had dwindled to practically nothing, -most of his wealthiest pa tients having fallen under the spell of Dr. Williams' engaging personality. But it was over an affair of the heart that the most serious clash in their fortunes had occurred. Dr. Smith for years had been "keeping company" with pretty Lucile Burton. Everybody in the city believed them to be tacitly engaged. The society sensation there fore was sprung when the cards came out about a year before announcing the marriage of Dr. Williams and Lu cile Hurton. "Now, Mr. Darling," continued Clarke, "you have of course investi gated fully the history of the pow- i der?" "That was the first move I made, and that's one thing that makes i't look bad for Doc. The fake stuff never lefc his hands from the time it was ground until the shot was flred. The lodge has been getting its imitation made at Burpee's drug store, where a clerk by the name of Wilbur Paget, who is a member of the lodge, grinds it up on the quiet as we need it. On the afternoon of the initiation he had made up a quantity. Doc. Smith dropped into the store about half-past five, and Paget gave him the powder wrapped up in a package. As far as I can find out nobody but Paget and Doc. handled it or saw it." "Don't you suppose the clandestine meeting he had with Mrs. Williams this morning had something to do with it?" "Now look here, who has leaked?" angrily exclaimed Darling. "You have leaked, my dear Mr. Dar ling," answered Clarke. "It was a chance cast and I'm surprised that an old hand like you should have taken the bait. But you may rely upon our discretion, and I trust you will pardon my lucky stroke and give us your full confidence." Clarke's good humor seemed par tially to mollify the angry officer, but I could see that the shot, rankled. When we entered his cell Dr. Smith was seated upon the board which did duty as a bed. He was quite my ideal type of a typical physician. During the conversation I could see the eyes of the doctor constantly re verting to those of Clarke as If he found there some Irresistible fascina tion. Then Clarke suddenly broke in. "Whom are you shielding?" he cried. "No one," fairly shouted the doctor. "Who are you that you should come here to catechise me?" "We have all the information we ' shall get here," said Clarke as he ' | took my arm and beckoned to the ' | chief who had watched the interview I through the small glass-covered aper ture in the door. ! The drug clerk, Wilbur Paget, cor j roborated all the chief had said re- I gardlng the fake powder, but by far j i the most Important piece of Informa- ! Hon which be was able to give us was i that on the afternoon lie gave the pack ; age to Dr. Smith he had also handed | I the doctor a small purchase which i CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1908. Mrs. Williams had ordered by tele phone, asking him to leave It at Dr. Williams' home, which he must pass on the way to his own. "Well, Mr. Clarke, what do you think by this time?" I ventured. "Here Is the case. Dr. Smith did not commit that murder. There was no more surprised person in the lodge room when the pistol went off. He gave himself up for two reasons. First to shield the woman he loves and whom he believes to be guilty. Sec ond, he feels that he is technically guilty because his hand did the act, and his mind lias exulted over it. "Wilbur Paget,the drug clerk, might have committed the murder. He has for several years been desperately and hopelessly in love with Mrs. Williams, and has cherished a secret hatred for her husband. Thus the motive was there. The only reason he is not guilty is that the idea did not occur to him. I will show you the opportunity later. Her motive was a double one. She suf fered in silence the constant abuse of a drunken husband. She loved an other. Thus she had the strongest motive which can actuate a woman to murder, the desire to rid herself of a man who was ruining her life and to be free to marry a man she loved. "Now for the opportunity which you doubt. When Dr. Smith stopped at the Williams' home to deliver the package from the drug store Dr. Wil liams was out. Common courtesy de manded that the wife ask Dr. Smith into the house, even had her heart not prompted her to snatch every mo ment with him that she could. "Now for the opportunity. When Dr. Smith left the house he did not take the powder with him. Whether it was connivance, intent, or merely absent-mindedness I cannot say, but I incline toward the latter. At any rate, the imitation powder was in the pos session of Mrs. Williams for some little time. She knew its purpose." "No, 110, you are all wrong," I ex claimed. "I would have to lose all my faith in womankind before I could credit it.. I would rather believe It of the doctor." After breakfasting the next morning Clarke and I set out to fulfill our ten tative appointment with Mrs. Will iams. "Mrs. Williams," he began in his 1 whirlwind fashion, "I will ask you | what passed between yourself and Dr. i Smith at the early morning meeting ; you had with him yesterday. Wait a i minute. Is it not a fact that Dr. Smith called you to the back door be fore the neighbors were up and while the watchers were all in the front part of the house with the body, and con fessed to you that he had executed the fatal change in the powders?" "Did Dr. Smith tell you that?" she asked in a tense voice, while she con vulsively clasped and unclasped her hands. "Dr. Smith has told me nothing. It is a fact, is it not?" "Yes." "Rut despite his confession to you and the fact that he gave himself up to the police, you believe him to be innocent?" "O, sir, I more than believe. I know he is innocent." "How do you know it?" snapped I Clarke, with his eyes riveted upon the frail bit of femininity before him. "I know it—because—because I changed the powders." "Mrs. Williams, why do you, who are not of a ca3te given to falsehood, deliberately tell me what I know to be untrue? Dr. Smith would not ask this sacrifice at your hands. He is inno cent, and his innocence alone will save him." Sha cried, appealing!)-: "O, I will save him! You shall not prevent me! Even though he be guilty I will save him. Mine was the first guilt. Prove that he is innocent, and I will thank you with my whole life. If you cannot, do not stand in my way, for I am the guilty one and on my head alone should the punishment fall. You have dragged out my secret and made me lay my heart open beforo you who are strangers. Do not betray me but let me work this prob lem out in my own way, I beg of you, gentlemen." Just then the telephone bell rang violently. "Answer it, if you please, Mr. Sex ton," said the woman, who seemed too weak to rise. 1 went to the telephone. "Coroner has arrived. Inquest is be ginning. Mrs. Williams wanted at once at the courthouse." I turned and gave the message ver : tiatlni. With a hurried promise to keep our | counsel, let Mrs. Williams take her j own course, but to do nil In our power ! "What do you think of it, Clarke?" 1 I I asked. J /1//<5 m7o Pi/r/7//y W. O. Chapman.) (Copyright In Groat Britain.) Will Fish for Sponges. \ company has been organized by a NVw Orleans business man to engage In the sponge fishery off the coast of Yucatan, near the islands of Mujeres and C'osumel. The necessary conces sions have already been secured and appliances with diving crews ar# on the way.