Judge — April 27, 1929 — page 34: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JUDGE'S MYSTERY CONTEST No. 4 Who Severed Mrs. Merchisen? Judge Will Pay $25.00 for the Funniest Solution of the Following Mystery: D' xxs Gar is a quiet little town (except during a heavy thunder-storm and the time Farmer Malumphy blasted out six old stumps) hidden away in the Catskill Mountains. It boasts a post office, a watering trough and blacksmith shop; and the in- habitants consist of a postman, a dray horse named Spet and a blacksmith, ‘Tracy Swilt ambled into Dunns ¢ on a swelter- ing day in August, 1911, disguised as a rt-time tress, will- to stay nights and mind the chil- dren. He called at a modest little cottage A censored strip of film she door and was admitted —b y Mrs. Mildred Merchisen, the lady of the house. If the Jack Cluett collection of hollering “Hey, Swilt! Oh, you, Tracy Swilt!” Nor were the officers of the law able to find his body, as they sought to do, by dredging and blast in the watering trough. They even sent down a depth charge, hoping the body would rise to the surface, but the only things that floated to the top were a tin drinking cup and three hat checks. Behind a baseboard in the servant's room someone found a spoon which seemed to have held some pre served fruit. Working on every possible clew, the po- lice discov ered that the day before the murder Mrs. Merchi sen had given bundle to a Chinaman, who ) Mrs. Merchisen gi son the wrong sii Thursdays inst Household Crimes. ng Tracy and (r ) d of Wednes ) a suspicious-looki i) | this lady had looked carefully she would have seen called at the back door. Further investigation dis | | a slight stubble on the waitress’s upper lip, and a closed that the bundle had contained a soiled blue if tragedy would have been averted. However, the apron, a cotton sheet, and three shirts. Two days i | tell-tale whiskers were not noticed and the pseudo- after the murder a_pacl was delivered to the i waitress was promptly hired. Merchisen house which contained a white apron, i The only references which Swilt was able to pro- a lace curtain and two collars. The police followed a! | duce were a silver gravy boat, a complete set of the delivery boy and discovered that he, too, was i | knives and spoons, and a suit-case full of Irish table- Chinese. After two days of grilling the detectives | ! . ig 1} linen which he 1 taken learned that the alleged de i! from his former employer. livery boy ran a laundry on i Mrs. Merchisen asked Haven Avenue, that his i Tracy if he could serve at name was Hang Wung, and j a formal binge. Swilt that no laundry was gi > TR ’ dropped his eyelids, a tray RULES OF CONTEST aut without a tic i full of split-pea soup and _. police then began was silent. No wonder. He dtoce wil award apes ot $25 for the fun- onthe theory. that had served ten years at Au- MSE Sotution of the above mystery: Swilt was an alias, and that | burn prison for abduction— Any reader of Jupce may compete, and any Hang Wung was a waitress. rather an odd affair. number of solutions may be submitted, but none This, however, could not be iad will be returned. Solutions should not be longer f ; After the evening's di Ei A New York de After the evening's dust- than 200 words, and each solution should be Provens: 2v New (20rt Ge ing was done, Swilt took off written on a separate’ sheet of paper; tective who was called into his wig and apron P the case claime Tr: i hi 1 5 “vee mi and x In case two or more contestants submit the he lew aed at 7 a i seed to the attle Xt same winning solution, $25 will be awarded t was the waitress anc if morning Mrs. Merchisen to cach attempted to prove it by the fi was found, dismembered, in ¢ - thick dust, some cobwebs, a ' her desk d ower unde Contest No. 4 closes MIDNIGHT, May the Sink’ full of ditty. dishes, i her, Ceak Grawer uncer Fh. and the’ ¥ ion will’ appear in a oF dirty, dishes, fy matters pending” —dead! the June Ist issue of Jt nine broken plates and the it The police of Dunns Gap akable finger-prints | lid not recm able to produce The editors of Jencr. will be the final judge SGhikGa i pate: aaa aed: Address all solutions to The Murderous Fle Sacre i Tracy Swilt, although a of Juncr, 18 East 48th Street, New York. N. Y., The point is, who severed i posse went into the woods and don’t forget your name and address. Mrs. Merchisen? He i i 32 ©0., 1NO., saMatca. . (4 bi comicbooks.com