Thursday, August 22, 1935
THE DIVO
COURT MURDER
By Milton Propper
EIGHTH INSTALMENT
SYNOPSIS ... Six persons are in
an inner office of the law firm of
Dawson, McQuire and Locke at
Philadelphia. A master hearing in
the divorce case of Rowland vs.
Rowland is under way. Mrs. Row
land, represented by her lawyer
brother, Mr. Willard; Mr. Rowland,
the defendant, and his attorney, Mr.
Trumbull; the court clerk and Mr.
Dawson, the master, are the six
persons. There is a new develop
men in the case. After failing to
defend himself against the charge
of adultry in earlier hearings, Mr.
Rowland digs up evidence and asks
the court's permission to produce
witnesses and resist the suit. Judge
Dawson overrules the heated objec
tions of Mr. Willard, and orders the
witness brought in. Rowland's law
yer goes to get the witness but finds
her dead chloroformed. She is Mrs.
Barbara Keith, wife of a prominent
Philadelphia business man. Judge
Dawson phoned for the police. Detec
tive Tommy Rankin is assigned to
the case. He is now questioning all
of the parties involved in the case.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY.
Rankin nodded, in appreciation of
the diabolical effectiveness of the
late Tom Marshall's measures.
"So, with the divorce goes the
management of the estate," he sum
marized. "But I thought Harvey
Willard had means. Both he and
your wife inherited from Peter Wil
lard's estate. Why should he need
the trusteeship?"
The young man shook his head.
"He's not rich any more, and any
how Adele was willed most of it.
Willard's share all disappeared in
poor investments and the stock
market. And Marshall's will per
mitted him to spend for his own
benefit the thirty per cent he didn't
need to transfer annually. I happen
to khow he is hard pressed by cred
itors. Unless he can obtain plenty
of funds before July first, he's a
ruined man; they will close in and
force him into bankruptcy. Adele
is too smart to throw good money
after bad and won't lend it to him.
Only a prompt divorce decree can
save him."
"Still," the detective pointed out,
"if your wife intends to marry
Campbell shortly, what good will
that do him? As her husband, he
then becomes the Marshall executor
and Willard's sutuation isn't better
ed at all."
"Even with temporary control of
the estate," Rowland returned, "he
might manage to slide out from
under." He extinguished his cigar
ette. "Besides, he had no more idea
of Adele's intentions in that direc
tion than I. had until my spying
brought results."
He paused, and after a brief mo
ment for reflection, Rankin ac
quiesced.
"Yes, I can understand that: Npw,
what did you discover by watching
Mrs. Rowland?"
"Two weeks ago I obtained the
evidence I needed," Rowland re
sumed his narrative. "It was on the
Wednesday evening after the last
hearing. I had learned several days
before from the chaffeur that
Campbell was back in town; and for
some evenings I continued my usual
watch and trailed them. Then that
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Wednesday, , May twenty-fourth,
Finley reported he had been dis
missed for the evening and also
added this significant item: Adele's
maid had casually informed him
that shei was instructed to pack an
overpight bag for her."
"Well, right after supper, I took
up my watch by the entrance of the
Willard estate. Campbell, driving
a Cadillac coupe, arrived at eight
o'clock and Adele joined him with
her overnight bag. But for the early
part of the evening, they did noth
ing more censorable than on
other occasions. First, they went to
the Forrest theatre. At eleven
o'clock they visited the Organdy
Club on Broad street, but I didn't
dare follow them in. Instead, I
parked near Campbell's car, looked
into it and saw that he too had
brought an overnight bak. He and
my wife remained in the night club
until midnight. And perhaps twen
ty minutes before they appeared,
Mrs. Keith came out of the place
by herself and—"
Rankin's interruption was abrupt.
"All alone?" he demanded sharply.
"She was at the Organdy unescort
ed?"
"Yes, and it puzzled me too,"
Rowland replied. "I caHed her and
she explained that she had been to
the opera for which Mr. Keith did
not care. Because the club so
close by, she went In to see the floor
show. I realized, for a married wo
man in her position, the story didn't
ring true. I didn't question her, as
it was none of my business and be
side the point. I was too thankful
for her appearance just when I
needed a witness to worry about it."
"You were well enough acquaint
ed with Mrs. Keith to enlist her aid
in such a personal matter?"
The young man made an apolo
getic gesture. "I'm afraid I wasn't
fair to her and took advantage of
her lucky appearance," he explained I
persuasively. "You see, I asked her j
to join me, but I didn't tell her why
I wanted her; I only said it would j
be an important service to me and!
urgent. I was excited and that made
her curious and desire to help me. |
It wasn't until we were already trail
ing my wife and Campbell away
from the club toward the city limits,
that she fully realized the predica
ment I placed her in. But it was
too late then and she was sporty
enough to see it through; for my
sake, she agreed to risk the public
ity and gossip and give evidence. If
I had ever dreamed it would end like
this . . ."
He left the sentence unfinished,
compressing his lips with a sigh,
shaking his head dolefully. An
awkward silence followed until Ran
kin asked:
"Then you and Mrs. Keith were
good friends, Rowland. How long
have you known her?"
"I met her two winters ago, at
Palm Beach, though, like all Phila
delphia society, I had heard of
Mortimer Keith. She stayed at the
Royal Arms Hotel, where Adele
and I were; and because he was too
busy to join her, she was a grass
widow and needed company. That,
her social position and her attract
iveness made heT welcome with all
the young men at the resort. I did
my share to entertain her; I rode
and visited the casino with hex, and
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several times attended the dog races.
Even Adele acted fairly cordial to
ward her."
"Well, what happened the night
here you followed your wife and
Campbell?" the detective prompted,
j "Where did they lead you?"
"Out the Park Drive and left on
the Ridge Pike," Rowland said. "We
; passed through Roxborough and
Norristown. At Collegeville we
caught up and followed them off to
the right, along the narrow country
road paralleling Perkiomen Creek.
At the end of. five mlies. they halted
j finally at a substantial stucco bun
galow along the creek. It was then
one-thirty.
"Again I dTove my car past, about
two hundred feet, and parked where
a clump of trees fringed the road
I and hid us from the cottage. Camp
-1 bell produced a key and unlocked
' the door; then he turned on the
lights. I have inquired about it
since and learned it belongs to Nick
Alberti, the manager of the Organdy 1
Club, a friend of Campbell's. Adele j
; was then cautious enough to pull j
down all the blinds. Still watching j
silently in the darkness, Mrs. Keith
and I could make out they were,
drinking in the living room. At two
thirty they started to retire and a
half hour later Campbell turned out
the lights. I considered I had gath
ered enough evidence against Adele
ito enter a defense to her suit; so I
i retraced the trail with Mrs. Keith
! back to the city."
The speaker concluded his narra
tive and fell silent until Rankin
asked:
"And at no time did your wife or
Campbell see you or become suspi
cious of your presence?"
"I'm practically certain they never
realized they were being followed."
"Then they and Mr. Willard had
no idea in advance with whom they
had to reckon? Mr: Trumbull felt
reasonably sure they hadn't identi
fied Mrs. Keith as your chief wit
ness before she arrived at the hear
ing this afternoon."
Allen Rowland pondered a mo
ment. "That's right, Unless Adele
noticed her at the night club," he
offered at length, "and she prob
ably didn't; her arrival there that
night must have been one of the
reasons Mrs. Keith left without
waiting for her date."
"Yes, I suppose that's possible."
Rankin frowned uncertainly. "And
I you have no other proofs of your
(wife's infidelity? Your entire case
. depended on her?"
I "Mrs. Keith's death doesn't leave
jme a leg to stand on," Rowland re
plied, a harsh note in his voice.
Abruptly, the detective shifted the
subject. "Now, just one more
point, Mr. Rowland,' he said.
"About the night of Wednesday,
February first, when Mrs. Rowland
caught you and Miss Edmond to- |
gether at the Sunset Inn. I've found
out that immediately after the in
! terruption, Mrs. Keith's husband ar
rived there. Can you tell me how
jhe came to be there or what hip
I connection was with . . he paused
delicately, "your intrigue?"
But as Jill Edmond had done, the
young man professed to be unable
to account for the manufacturer's
appearance. He had never met
Mortimer Keith, he said; though,
having seen* him several times,. he
had recognized him when he en-1
tered the room. He could add no
explanation or detail to the secre
tary's description of the incident.
Concluding his questions on this
circumstance, Rankin thanked Row
land and dismissed him.
His next step was to examine the
dead woman's checkbook. Except
for two stubs, her accounts seemed
in perfect order; her expenditures,
with the date, purpose or name of
payee and amount, were carefully
audited. The sums she spent were
comparatively small and far from
commensurate. Rankin wondered
at her low balance, which never ex
ceeded five thousand dollars, and
at present came to less than one.
The two check-stubs which were
not indentifiable as to purpose, how
ever, indicated exceptionally large
sums. One check had been drawn
about three months ago, and the
past Thursday—for two thousand
and three thousand dollars, respec
tively. The only clue to the reason
for these withdrawals was the word
"personal" written on each stub.
Before the detective could ponder
the significance of these entries, a
knock interrupted him. At his com
mand, the policeman he had sent to
locate Mortimer Keith opened it and
entered the room.
"Yes, Cottman?" Rankin greeted
him. "You've been gone a long
time. Is Mr. Keith with you?"
The officer shook Kis head. "No,
I haven't found him; he Isn't In
town at all," he replied. "It was too
late to visit his offices, so I called
at the Aldwich Apartments and
learned from his butler, Stanley,
that he had gone away—on busi
ness, he thpught, to Washington."
Rankin pursed his lips in disap
pointment. "Washington? I suppose
you discovered what business took
him there and communicated with
the people he "went to see, Cott
man?" the detective inquired.
"No, I didn't, although I tried to;
that's what took me so long. The
secretary said it had something to
do with the New Ray .Silk Com
pany. Neither he nor the butler had
any idea at what hotel Mr. Keith
might stop, tonight."
"Hotel? Then he lan't expected
back today?"
The policeman shook his bead.
; "No, not until tomorrow," he an
swered, "when he's completed' his
1 business."
"Well, I Imagine we can wait and
give him a chance to turn up ac
cording to schedule," Rankin said,
dismissing Cottman.
Johnson entered as Cottman left.
"Finished. Johnson?" asked Rankin.
Johnson did not reply until the
officer had gone. "I've taken every
body's fingerprints, Tommy," he
! said, "but I can't make a detailed
report until I've had time to study
them—say tomorrow morning."
(Continued Next Week)
BORN WITHOUT BRAIN, LIVES
27 DAYS
New Yoik, Aug. 19.—A baby born
without a brain, but which lived 27
days, ouzzled physicians who studied
the strange case tonight.
A post-mortem examination re
vealed that the child's brain cavity
contained only water. Otherwise the
baby seemed to be normal.
Name of the parents was not dis
closed by authorities at St. Vin
cent's Hospital, where the child
spent its short life.
3 MISSING IN PLANE
Cheyenne, Wyo., Aug. 19.—A pri
vate airplane, carrying three promi
nent Indiana residents, was missing
tonight and believed to have crashed
in the mountain wilderness some
where between Helena, Mont., and
Denver. The ship left Helena air
port Thursday afternoon for Denver.
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