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//<s
Boy/A/fwZUTMCf "
"I don't know what to think. They're
both Innocent. She told the truth.
You noticed how I led her Into It. She
has 4 remarkably psychic mind, and I
knew the storm was coming before It
broke."
"She Is Innocent, but I have my
doubts about the doctor. He confessed
his guilt to her. He wouldn't have done
that if he were innocent."
When I reached the courthouse the
proceedings already had commenced.
The first evidence of real impor
tance was that of the drug clerk, who
swore to the facts he had told Clarke
and myself. Chief Darling's police
man swore to the early morning meet
ing and the effect seemed to be to
turn the tide of sentiment decidedly
against Dr. Smith, who was preserv
ing his composure admirably during
the trying ordeal.
"Now, Mrs. Williams," continued
the coroner, after a few formal ques
tions, "I want you to tell the jury
what passed between you and Dr.
Smith when you met early yesterday
morning."
"Dr. Smith simply came to ask me
if there was any assistance he could
render In my trouble. I expected no
less of one I have known since child
hood."
"Why did he coine to the back
door?" asked the coroner.
"After his close connection with my
husband's death 1 suppose he wished
to avoid publicity."
"Did Dr. Smith offer you any ex
planation as to the cause of the trag- j
edy ?"
Mrs. Williams hesitated and looker!
uppeallngly at me.
1 endeavored to instill strength into
her wavurlug courage with all the
power of my eyes, but the poor, har
assed little woman was unequal to tho
strain of the ordeal. AuU perhaps to
her mind it seemed that she was be
ing led onto give incriminating evi
dence against the man she loved.
With a pathetic out-throwing of her
hands toward her inquisitor she rose
to her feet. "No! No!" she cried in
a pitifully shrili voice. "He had no
explanation to offer. I alone know
who killed Dr. Williams. It was I
who —"
"Stop!" commanded a voice at the
back of the hall.
"Mr. Coroner," said Clarke, on reach
ing the railing with his prisoner, "I
wish to put this boy in evidence be
fore Mrs. Williams finishes her testi
mony. Here is the instrument of Dr.
Williams' death."
Everybody in the hall was on his
feet, and there was a great craning of
necks to see Clarke's captive.
"Mrs. Williams is excused for the
present. You will be sworn, Mr. "
"Carlton Clarke," answered my com
panion, taking the oath.
"Now," said Clarke, "this boy is In
no condition of mind to be examined,
but when he sees that he has not com
mitted a crime, and that no jiarm will
come to Him, he will corroborate what
I have to say. I found him in the far
thest corner of Dr. Smith's hay
loft praying for dear life. He is
the boy that Dr. Smith sent after the
package of imitation powder which he
had left at Mrs. Williams' house when
he called there the afternoon previous
to the tragedy to deliver another pack
age at the request of the drug clerk,
Paget. This boy intended going rab
bit hunting the next day, and on his
way to Mrs. Williams' he stopped at
Toby's g*n store and bought a nickel's
worth of gunpowder. This he slipped ■
into his left pocket. When Mrs ;
Williams gave him the package Dr.
Smith had left he put it in his right
pocket. lleliiK an absent-minded
youth, he had forgotten all about his
errand when he returned to Dr.
Smith's house. The doctor asked
him suddenly for the package, and
being left-handed, as may be proyed,
he reached for his left pocket. The
next morning when he heard of Dr.
Williams' death and found what he
had done, he hid the other package
In the hay, where I found it. He has
been In a condition of absolute terror
and in hiding in the hay ever since.
Isn't that so, Timothy Dolan?"
"Y-y-yes, thir," sobbed the boy.
Then the court room broke into
cheers, and whatever formalities the
court took to free Dr. Smith were lost
in the excitement.
As Clarke and I watched the spires
of Auronria fading in the distance that
evening, I could not help wondering if
Dr. Smith greatly regretted the mis
take of his freckled stable boy.
More than a year after the events
recorded in the foregoing narrative
Clarke and I wore idling in our rooms
one morning when the mail brought
a square envelope addressed to Clarke.
"Here," he said, as he tossed the
card over to me. "This will recall
to your mind the mystery of the far
mous Aurora Lodge case."
It was'an announcement of the mar
ilage of Mrs. Lucile Williams to Dr.
Homer Smith.
(Copyright, !!»x. t>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.