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Local News of the Week.
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Rub-My-Tism will cure you.
Cld papers for sale at this office.
ICO for 15 cents.
E. L. Mitchell visited with his
brother at El Dorado Sunday.
Attorney Aylmer Flenniken of
E! Dorado was here on business
Monday._
Miss Lucile Nipper is enjoying
her vacation visiting relatives in j
Missouri.
Miss Etta Stevenson of Strong
was the guest of Miss Mabel Lucas
here this week.
T. W. Pearson is at West Plains
Mo., visiting with his family fora
couple of weeks.
P. W. Seaman and Coyt Steven -
son of Strong were here the first
of the week on business.
Mrs. W C. Williams and children
are home from an extended visit
with relatives near Camden.
Dorse Rubottom left Wednes
day morning for his home at Green
ville. Mo., after an extended visit
here with Mr. and Mrs. Tom Ru
bottom.
W. H. Moore and family and E
L. Adams and family are home
a visit with relatives in Howard
and Pike counties.
5 or C doses 666 will break any
case of Chills and Fever; and if
taken then as a tonic the Fever
will not return. Price 25c.
Miss Fannie Nabors of New
London was here last week ar
ranging to teach music the coming
term in the Huttig public school.
Petitions for depots at Sandy
Bend and Payne on the Iron Moun
tain railway in this county will be
heard by the State Railway com
mission at its meeting September 4.
The highest price ever paid for
cattle in the United States was
given Monday at the Chicago stock
yards when beef on the hoof
brought $ 1 0.40 a hundredweight
J. W. Dean, general superintend
ent, and A. R. Taylor, the newly
appointed division superintendent
of the Iron Mountain railway with
headquarters at M< nroe, were in
town Monday on a tour of inspec
tion.
A card received from Mrs. G. S.
Farmer at Shreveport states that
her husband who was operated on
for appendicitis there on August 8.
had withstood the op ration well
and was getting along nicely.
The Socialists and Democratic
candidates for county offices will
address the voters of Huttig and ;
vicinity at the school house on |
Saturday night, August 17. at 8
o'clock. Come out and hear the j
issuf s of the campaign discussed.
T. K. Moore, who lives in Harri
son township, was in Huttig Tues
day with a load of produce and ex
hibited a freak stalk of cabbage
having thirteen small solid heads
on it. He also had a cucumber
which measured 17 inches in
length and 9 inches in circumfer
ence.
Mr. and Mrs. T. B. Weaver have
gone to Crossett where they will
make their home until the first of
January at least. He will work
for the Worden-Alien Construction
Co., instead of the Creamer Lum
ber Co. as stated in last week's is
sue.
Virginia is doing nobly so far in
vindicating the cause of law and
order and penalizing mob rule in
the case of shooting-up of the:
court at Hillsville. Two of the
Allen family of outlaws have been
_ A V' Av> t
found guilty of murder and three
others still to be tried.
The man who is seeking a “por
tion" might find a job if he would
look for it.
Th-me government employes in
New York are under indictment for
tailing to destroy confiscated opium
and selling for their own benefit.
Owing to the worldwide war
against op:um the drug now brings
$400 a pound or considerably
more than its weight in gold. It
was not long ago that the Chinese
traied opium for its weight in sil
ver.
Consciences are still alive is this
country to a limited extent. Con
trite persons who have stolen or
grafted from the government sent
in a total of $6,514 to the treasury
conscience-fund" in the last fiscal
year. That is a very small frac
tion of course of the real total.
The first contribution of this sort
was in 1811. The fund now
amounts altogether to $431,801.
After two years' careful and
'borough investigation, the Medi
cal Corps of the United States
Army has succeeded in demon
stating that in one respect at least
brunettes enjoy a decided advant
age over blondes, regard'ess of age
or nationality. This is in their
ability to successfully give battle
to John Barleycorn, or resist the
ill effects of alcoholic stimulants.
Barnes F. Reed, a young man
employed by C. E. Hodgson & Co.,
when they were building lock No.
6 east of here last year as an elec
trician. was accidently killed at
Fulton. N. Y., last Thursday and
was buried at Elizabeth. Pa.. Sun
day. The details of the accident,
were not given in the message re
ceived here. The deceased was a
member of Rowland Lodge No.
594, F. & A. M.. of this place,
The August issue of the South
west Trail published by the Rock
Island railway is devoted entirely
to articles on Arkansas and the
wonderful opportunities which
await the homeseeker here. This
publication is circulated by the
thousands all through the northern
territory covered by their lines and
will mean much to this state as it
gives names of men who have
made a success here to whom
prospective homeseekers can cor
respond.
The postoffice department, in
order to cut down postal expenses.
jJopted a plan by which magazines
were sent by freight instead of by
mail. This made much trouble
for the publishers and now con
gross has put its foot flatly •'down
on the plan. The senate postoffice
committee in a report rejects
Postmaster General Hitchcock's
claim that he has run the postal
service so as to leave a< surplus
The methods of bookkeeping by
which this surplus is 'made to ap
pear are very pecular. it says. For
instance no charge whatever is
made for the hundreds of buildings
which are built and maintained at
government expense for use as
postoffices.
Advertised I etter list.
The fol.owmg letters remain un
claimed in the Huttig postoffice for
the week ending August 14. 1912:
Gf.nts.
Eugene Frost
Eli/a Davis
Guy Harper
W M Johnson
Araa McDaniel
J A Wells
W M Wade
Jim Ervins
Td I lays
Clay Harris
Shack Howard
Able Johnson
W Taylor
l.iun Wright
Will Ward
Ladies.
Ida Miller America McLemore
Ternpie Jones Ida Bickison
Emma Case
When calling for above letters
please say advertised.
E. N. Collett, P. M.
Yellow
left
COPYF/dMT isti
J21f SOB3.5 /HUM! C.ONTAFY
William
Johnslon
Hlustralioas by YlBarnc.
SYNOPSIS.
GTIAPTER I—Harding Kent calls on
I.ouise Farrlsh to propose marriage Hint
finds the house In great excitement over
tile attempted suicide of her sister Kath
arine. Kent starts an investigation and
finds that Hugh Crandall, suitor for
Katharine, who had been forbidden the
house by General Farrlsh, had talked with
Katharine over the telephone just before
the shot herself. A torn piece of yellow
paper is found, at sight of which Gen
eral Farrlsh is stricken with paralysis.
CHAPTER IT—Kent discovers that
Crandall has left town hurriedly. An
arc w Kiser, art ag-»d banker, commits
suicide about the same time as Katharine
attempted her life.
f’HAPTKR TIT—A yellow envelope Is
found in Elser’s room. Postofflce Inspec
tor Davis, Kent’s friend, takes up the
case.
1 HATTER TV—Kent Is convinced that
Crandall Is at the bottom of the mystery.
“Wore there any letters of Katha
rine Farrish’s in the desk?" I asked.
“1 guess so,” said Davis unconcern
edly. "I saw a bundle of letters In a
woman's handwriting, but I didn't
even look to see whose they were.”
1 was disappolnted thus far with the
Inspector’s handling of the case. His
disregard of what appeared to me to
be vital evidence and the decision he
had made about this address being
that of the sender of the yellow let
ters seemed to me wholly Illogical.”
“You’ll grant, of course, that Cran
dall is a morphine user,'' 1 ventured.
"A pair of swords in a man’s room
don’t make him a fencer. Excuse me
for a minute while 1 telephone my of
fice.”
While he was telephoning I re
viewed the case in my mind. 1 was
strongly tempted to break with him
and continue the investigation my own
way, and yet what had 1 to gain by it?
After all, we had learned very litile
except,that Crandall was connected
with the mystery. Where were we
likely to find Crandall? Davis had had
much more experience in trarine men.
He was resourceful, as the method in
which he had affected entrance Into
Crandall's apartments showed. Jnst
as 1 made up my mind that I would
be wise to continue to follow his lead,
lacking one of my own, Davis re
turned, an expression of annoyance on
his face.
'Kent,” he said, abruptly, "you’ve
got to start, at once for Ardway. 1 had
planned to go out there, but as T have
to appear in court to-morrow there is
no use in my going to-night.”
“I’ll go first thing in the morning,”
said I, determined to see Louise again
and have a talk with her.
“There's a train out there at four
o'clock this afternoon,” he said, look
ing up front a schedule he had picked
up in the lobby. “It takes nearly three
hours to get there. Never let a trail
get cold if you can help it-”
“But—” I protested.
“You can telephone her," he said.
“It is for her sake that you will he ;
going, and she will appreciate your
energy in the matter more than any
thing else.”
I had not looked at it in that light,
yet 1 felt that he was right. There
could not be a moment of happiness
for the girl I loved until the black
shadow that menaced her home and
those she loved had been dispelled.
Yes, Davis was right. I would go to
Ardway that evening. I stopped onlv
long enough to telephone Louise of
my intention and to go to my rooms
for a bag.
“If you have a revolver you'd better
take it with you,” said Davis.
"I never owned one in my life,” I
replied.
He drew out his own and handed
it to me. It was of the hammerless
variety, flat and almost square.
“Be careful how you use it,” he
warned n:e. “It's a magazine gun and
goes off with a very light touch.”
“What do you expect me to find in
Ardway?” I asked him as a taxicab
hurried us to the Hudson tunnel.
“There are two things. First: find
out if Hugh Crandall is there, when
he arrived and what he has been do
ing. Probably if .lie Is at the hotel
he will be registered under an as
sumed name. Second: find out who
has Lock Box 17. There is a list of
box-owners kept in every office, with
the names of the two references. Find
out all you can without arousing sus
picion. I'll be out and join you there
to-morrow evening. I'll come out on
this same train. I'll leave It to you
to find a plausible pretext for ques
tioning the postmaster.”
Tedious as the trip to Ardway would
ordinarily have been, so absorbed was
I in puzzling over the mystery I hard
ly noted the passage of time and was
startled to hear the brakeman calling
my station. J had learned from the
conductor that it was a village of less
than two thousand Inhabitants and
that there was only one hotel, about
a block from the station. It proved
to be a country hotel of the better
•ort, doing a thriving business in feed
ing motor-car folk who passed through
and is taking care of traveling-mas
ana farmers' suppiy agents who vis
ited the neighborhood.
As I signed the register I scanned
I the names, hoping m see lhat o
; Crandall, but it did not epear. Yet
registered the night beton was a
name “lietiry Cook” that caught my
eye. Something about the writing
made if as distinctively that of a city
man as his clothes would have distin
1 guished him from the country boy be
hind the desk.
"Where will I find the post-office?” T
asked the clerk. “I want to get a so
cial delivery letter off to-night.”
“fa a couple of blocks up Main
| street," lie told me, "but you’d better
- go in and get supper. The dining
room closes at half-past seven and the
post-office stays open until eight.”
I took his advice and, after an ex
cellent mpal. lighted my cigar and
walked In the direction he had Indi
caled. The streets were lighted after [
a manner by oil lamps at the corners
There was no moon and the villagers j
for the most part seemed to live in the !
I Stood Motionless for a Minute er
Two, Listening Intently,
rear part of their homes. Few of the
straggling stores had their windows
lighted, so It was with difficulty I read
the signs on the buildings I passed,
yet 1 Lad little trouble finding the
P'st office. It was a one-story build
ing thai stood on a vacant lot in the
middle of the block. It evidently had
been built by some local politician for
lbe purpose, as it was not quartered
in the corner of a cigar or grocery
store, as most country offices are.
Peering into the darkness I read the
sign "Post Office.” and ne ed with
some surprise that the windows were
without lights. I drew out my watch
ai'd striking a match looked at the
time. It was half-past seven. For
1: k of something belter to do 1
walked round the building. To my
amazement when I reached the pud
away from the street I found the rear
door standing wide open. Thinking
perhaps that, the postmaster might
merely have gone to supper, reiving
on tlie honesty of his neighbors to
leave things undisturbed. I loitered in
the vicinity for a fnll half-hour. Ai
last, growing impatient, I entered the
rear door and striking another match
Jo ked about me. As far as the oncer
tain light ponnkted me to p. e, th'
place looked as if tt>e postmaster bad
been unexpectedly called away in the
midst of his work.
I recalled that in mv bag at the ho
tel was one of those storage battery
lights, which happened to be there hr.
cause I oficn found it useful in the
cabin where 1 went to shoot ducks, i
decidtd to get this and investigate
further, it had begun to tain and
there were few people on the stree'
I returned with n y li-ht in a very few
minutes and began to explore. 1 did
not greatly fear interruption, for the
mailboxes on the street side served
as a screen to shut off the shaft of
light by w hich I worked.
My second inspection convinced me
that the postmaster had left in con- I
siderable hurry. A pile of mail half i
sorted, a stamp drawer left wide open
and the books standing in an open
safe seemed to bear out this theory.
Even the cash-drawer stood open, re
vealing a few biilis and some change.
“If the cash-drawer had been riffed.”
1 said to myself, "I might suspoct that
(he postmaster had been murdered
and robbed."
I pushed the cash-drawer shut and
heard the automatic lock click on it,
and then began a search for the list
of box-owners. At the back of each
box a slip was pasted with the own
er's name. To my great disappoint
ment Ilox No. 17 was blank. 1 turned
next to the safe and at last found the
book in which the accounts of box
rent were kept. In this were neatly
entered the name of each box-holder
and the two references given, for ev
ery box except No. 17.
As I s ood poring over this book,
perplexed by my failure to discover
the owner, I b came conscious that I
was watched. A sixth sense con
vinced me that some ona else was
TH'ar. Quickly 1 pressed the button
(hat extinguished my electric lantern.
Noiselessly I turned toward the rear
door by which I had entered. I caught,
just a fleeting glimpse of a man's face
being hastily withdrawn. Cndoubted
i ly it was the postmaster who had
I turned and caught me there. Of course
ho must take me for burglar. It lmd
been too dark for mo to recognize the
features of the man and I was certain
lie could not identify me. I stood mo
tionless for a minute or two, listening
intently, hut I could not hear even a
footstep—nothing but the patter of the
rain.
Yet undoubtedly whoever had dis
covered me had gone to summon as
sistance. it would never do for me to
he caught there. While 1 felt i
perfectly justified in my mission, it
! would be hard lo make a satisfactor
xplanatlon. If I was captured ther
t certainly would mean an unpleasar
fight in a vermin filled shack, perhap
n irons. It might take several daj
o establish my Innocence. I decide'
o attempt an escape. The sense c
laving a revolver in my pocket com
orted me, though I realized its por
ession would be most damaging if
hould be caught. I moved swiftly tf
he door and peered out. There wat
no one in sight.
Thrusting my lantern in my pocket
and (timing up my collar I made i
dash around the corner of the build
ing and looked tip and dqwn the
ftrect. It was entirely deserted. The
thought struck me that the man whe
had been watching me might still b<
in hiding on the other side of the
building, but I did not stop to investi
*ate. Vv ith the best air of unconcern
1 could assume, I walked, not over
hastily, ha< k to the hotel. There wai
no one In the office but the clerk be
hind tiie desk and I stood there for a
moment beside the big old fashioned
stove dr- ing my clothes. The (loot
pm d and a tall smooth shaven chap
erme in and approached the desk tc
f t his key. As lie saw me standing
there he gave me a keen glance of
scrutiny. I had noticed that he had
come from the direction of the post
office and he must have seen that my
clothing was rain-soaked. He half
hatted as if about to speak to me, but
• hanged his mind. I heard the clerk
say:
‘Hood night, Mr. Cook,” as he van
ished upstairs.
If this was the man who had seep
me in the post office, plainly he was
not the postmaster. If not, who was
he? Wha* was he doing thpre?
It was long after midnight before
my mystifled brain would let me sleep.
Every step I had taltpn seemed only
to he leading me deeper and deeper
into darkness.
CHAPTER VI.
The Third Suicide.
Something had happened.
I awoke the next morning with a
pffivt and sat up in bed listening to
■ he strange confusion in the hotel. In
stinctively i recognised that the i^ensa
<ion of tl>e unusual that so affected me
was something more than the feeling
every one experiences cn suddenly
awaking for the first time in a strange
place,
I sprang from ipP bed and. opening
my door, looked out into the ball. ]
could see nothing, for a turn of the
cor1 idor shut me off front the main
hall. From the floor below came the
confused murmur of many voices and
'he sound of men moving about—many
men. My first thought was of tire, but
there were no cries and there was no
tnell of smoke. The memdry of my
experience in the post-office recurred
to me. I vaguely wondered if I had
been tracked and discovered.
I hastened to dress. If they suspect
< d me of robbing the post office, the
sooner I found out the sooner I could
plan some method of action. As 1 put
on my collar i heard feotsteps in the
corridor, and, coatless as I was, I flung
open my door. A chambermaid was
passing.
“Wliat’s the matter?" I asked.
“Haven't you heard about it?” she
asked in wonder.
“Heard about what?”
“The suicide in the hotel—in the
room right under yours. They discov
ered it hours ago. The coroner's just
come a.-d is getting ready to hold the
Inquest.”
"no was he?” I asked. I was
thinking: it might he Hugh Crandall,
dead in some suirirle pact with Katha
rine. A sense of disappointment be
gan to take hold of me. I felt that if
it were Crandall my efforts to clear
the mystery would be still more fu
tile, but. the woman's answer quickly
dispelled the thought.
“It wasn’t a ‘he.’ It's a woman.”
Phe hurried on down the corridor
and I hastened to finish my dressing,
recalling as 1 did so Davis' belief that
there would he other suicides. It
seemed absurd that there could be anv
connection between the suicide of a
woman in a country hotel in an ob
scure New Jersey village and the two
suicides the day before in New York,
and yet there was at least one link
between them. It was Crandall who
had telephoned Katharine. Some one
had telephoned Elser, too. It was in
Crandall’s rooms that we had found
the address of this place where the
third suicide in the series had taken
place.
With the triumphant feeling that my
friend the Inspector finally would
have to accept my theory of Crandall's
guilt, I hurried down-stairs and forced
my way into the room where the coro
ner had already begun \iis inquest.
On the bed. covered with a sheet,
except for the face, lay the lifeless
body of a woman perhaps fifty, the
face still distorted from the death
agony. A bit of rope attached to a
rod among the rafters of the room
showed that she had hung herself. The
woman's outer clothing lay neatly
j piled on a chair near the bed. This
! much i had time to notice before the
comner finished selecting his Jury.
Near the coroner, too, I observed the
man whom the clerk had called Cook.
I thought he gave a quick glance in
my direction, but 1 could not. be sure.
The first witness was called, Mahlon
Williams, the proprietor of the hotel.
Mr. \\ illiams," said the coroner,
"do you know this woman?”
“I can't say as I do.”
“What was her name?”
“She was registered here in the ho
tel. The name's on the book. You
can see for yourself. I don't know if
it ’twas her real name or not.”
“Mary Jane Teller, Bridgeport,
Conn.," was the entry in the hotci
/7*\
r
W "
"May I Ask the Witness One or Two
Questions?”
register wliirli was produced and sub
mitted for the jurors' Inspection.
"Tell us. Mr. Williams, what you
know about the deceased.”
‘‘Mighty little; nothing at all, in
fa^t. She come here night before last.
Got In on the seven-two train from
Now York, I calculate, from the tii >e
of her arrival. She had no baggage,
only that little black bag yonder, and
she asked for a room for the nigh* a
cheap room. She seemed so feeb'e 1
gave her this room on the ground
floor. No. 4, and on!)' charged her sev
enty five cents for it, though it’s a dol
lar room, or a dollar and a half for
bridal couples. She paid for it for one
’tight and right after supper she went
in’o it and stayed there. Yesterday
morning after breakfast she went out,
somewhere and was gone maybe an
hour or an hour and a half. I didn't
see her when she come in but I
heard—”
"MahUra Williams,” said the coroner
severely, "you oncht to know enough
about the law to understand that what
you heard ain't evidence. Tell oni-'
them things you know of your own
knowledge.”
"All 1 know,” Faid Williams, percept
ibly miffed, "Is that she come out
along about three In the afternoon ami
paid another seventy-five cents, sa;
ing she wanted the room another
night. That's all I seen of her.”
"Can I ask a question?” said one of
the jurors, all of whom were towns
men of the class usually to be found
around the hotel barroom.
"If it is a proper question,” said
‘lie coroner judiciously.
"Where did she go when she went,
out ?”
"The question is a proper one. If the
witness can answer It of his own
knowledge,” the coroner ruled.
“If 1 knowed I’d a told already,”
said the hotel keeper.
One or two of the other jurors asked
questions, prompted plainly more by
■ uriostty than by intelligent effort to
ascertain the facts; but it was plain
that Mr. Williams had revealed all
• hat he knew, and he was dismissed.
Doctor Allen, who had been sent for
as soon as the suicide was discovered,
gate it as his opinion that the woman
had hung herself early the evening
before, as nearly as he could judge
about five o'clock.
"Who was It. found the body?” the
coroner asked.
"Mary Evans, the chambermaid,”
the constable volunteered "Here she
is, right here.”
The coroner proceeded to examine
her.
Much embarrassed hy the promi
nence into which she found herself
tlirust, but manifestly enjoying the un
usual situation, the girl told how, early
ill the morning, as soon as she begau
her work, she had gone to the room.
"1 didn't know there was anyone in
No. 4,” she explained. "1 knew the
woman had taken it for just one night
and I hadn't bothered making it up the
day before. None of the other room
ers was up yet and I thought I might
just as well get No. 4 off my mind. I
knocked like I always do and getting
no answer 1 opened the door right
wide all of a sudden. Such a shock
as it gave me I never expect to have
again to my dying day. There was
the poor creature a-hanging there. I
let a .veil out of me that must have
waked the dead, and then 1 ran and
called Mr. Williams."
“Had you seen the deceased on the
day previous?”
“Yes, but she wasn't deceased when
I saw her.”
"Did you have any conversation
with her?”
“No more than to pass the time of
dav with her you might say.”
(To Be Continued Next Week.)
You will find on sale vat the
Union Saw Mill company store,
the Union hotel and Bell's cream
parlor four different local post card
views in colors. If these sell well
the publisher expects to add sev
eral other views to the list. They
will be sold at two for five cents.