The Argosy, October 1906 — page 180: what you’re looking at

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

550 mighty glad to meet them. But ae of all, John Saunders, I want to ask ZS a question.” “What is it?” “Why did you kill your employer, Paul Dupree? = “You're joking, inspector,” gasped the bookkeeper, his face as white as chalk. ‘“ You asked me the same ridicu- lous question the other day.” “Yes, I only suspected that you killed Dupree then ; killed him. Come, do you any good to beat about the bush. Better be sensible and make a clean breast of it.” “Make a clean breast of what!” cried the terrified man. ‘I’ve nothing to make a clean breast of, inspector.” The chief of the detective bureau - frowned impatiently. “Qh, I've got some friends waiting outside who’ve told me a few things,” he said. ‘‘ We’ve got you dead to rights now, Saunders. The game is up. - It was very clever of yous to try to throw suspicion on that poor girl, so as to save your own wretched hide; but-you see it don’t work.” “Inspector, you have got me wrong. I swear it,’ cried the bookkeeper hoarsely. “ Haven't I proved to you conclusively that I was at Bradstreet’s commercial agency, looking up some credits, at the time Mr. Dupree was_be- ing murdered ? Isn’t my alibi good?” “Oh, I’ve seen better alibis than that breken down before now,” said the in- spector. “You're a_ clever fellow, Saunders. I'll give you credit for be- ing that; but, as I said. before, the jig’s up. We’ ve got proof positive now that you killed Dupree. We know that it was you who hired that messenger-boy to take the wallet to Sutton.” “Proof that I hired that messenger- boy!” cried the man, aghast. “ You’re joking with me, inspector. You know very well that it was the girl who sent that wallet. Didn’t the clergyman over- hear the messenger-boy say so; and did- n’t he come here and tell you about it. I read so in the newspapers.” “Oh, yes. The clergyman heard the boy tell Sutton that the wallet came from Miss Morgan. I’m not disputing that point at all,” said the inspector. now I know that you: Saunders, it won't THE ARGOSY. = Very well, then. Why do you say that I hired that mesenger-boy? ” — “Because it’s the truth. Because I happen to know that you did hire that boy. Because I happen to know that the boy was not telling the truth when he said that he came from Miss Mor- gan. Because I happen to know that you paid that boy well to say that~ it was the girl who sent him. Oh, we've got a strong case against you now, John — Saunders! There’s scarcely a detail missing. You. might. as well give up and save yourself and us a whole lot of trou- ble. We know now just what occurred in Dupree’ s office on the day of the mur- der. “You were in the outer office at your bookkeeper’ s desk when young Sutton came in, and you of course heard all the conversation between Sutton and Du- pree about those money- -orders. Then you saw. Dupree go into his private _of- fice, banging the door angrily after him, after declining to give back the money to the post-office clerk. Then you heard the girl whisper to Sutton that she would fry to get him the money to save him from getting into serious trouble and that put the idea into your black heart. “Vou waited until ‘you saw your chance, killed Dupree with a poisoned instrument, and then stole his wallet and sent it with two hundred and twenty- five dollars, per messenger-boy, to Sut- ton at Station X. Y., artfully telling the boy ‘to say that the ‘package came from Miss Morgan. Oh, it was a clever scheme ! ” “Who says these things!” = “cried the bookkeeper hoarsely. < Whoeyer told you that story is lying, inspector.” é For answer the chief of the detective bureau touched the bell on his desk. “Bring in those people,” “he com- manded.: of the patrolman. who answered the summons. The bookkeeper turned Se to- ward the door and gasped with sur- prise as the policeman returned, accom- panied by Packard, ‘Postmaster es and a small boy. | | “Ever see this. ‘boy. before?” the: in- spector asked of Saunders. ~ — “Never,” cried the boobeec per em- _ phatically.. > -comicbooks com