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: , '?* B y ARTHUR B. REEVE The Well'Known Novelist and the A/ JJL ; If-mmm+A*M " C|a#L» ly wl« vlutf JVC/lflCuy iXOflCa ^ £ >5-;;: ^ < " i « • , * - ^n " - • v ' v1- •• *-, xnnsx&r I*I*AIXDEAI,EB, hthexry, ttiVV" 7/, 7* S- •7 7-a 'rx § ( * : • s>£: of Elaine I A Detective Norel and a Mc Copyright,'1*! ; by the Star Company. All Forelgm Rights Keeerved. RRST EPISODE The Clutching Hand. "There must be something new In order tp catch criminals nowadays. The old methods are all right--as far as they go. But while we have been using them, criminals have kept pace with modern science." Craig Kennedy laid down his news­ paper and filled his pipe with my to­ bacco. In college we had roomed to­ gether. had shared everything, even poverty, and now that Craig was a professor of chemistry in charge of the laboratory at the university and I had a sort of roving commission on the staff of the Star, we had continued our arrangement. "It has always seemed strange to me," he went on slowly, "that no one has ever endowed a professorship in criminal Bcience In any of the largo colleges." I tossed aside my own paper and retrieved the tobacco. "Why should there be a chair In criminal science?" I replied argu- mentatively, settling back in my chair. "I've done my turn at police headquar­ ters reporting, and I can tell you, Craig, It's no place for a college pro­ fessor. Crime is--just crime. And as for dealing with it the great detec­ tive is born and bred to it College professors for the sociology of the thing--yes; for the detection of It, give me a Byrnes." "On the contrary," persisted Ken­ nedy, his clean-cut features betraying an earnestness which I knew indicated that he was leading up to something of importance, "there Is a distinct place for science in the detection of crime. Today we have professors of everything--why not professors of crime science?" Still, as I shook my head dubiously, he hastened to clinch his point. "Col­ leges have got down to solving the hard facts of life, nowadays--pretty nearly all, except one. They still treat crime in the old way, study Its statis­ tics and pore over Its causes and the theories of how It can be prevented and punished. But as for running down the criminal himself, scientifically, re­ lentlessly--bah! we haven't made enough progress to mention since the hammer and tongs method of your sainted Byrnes." "Doubtless yon will write a brochure on this most interesting subject," I . suggested, "and let it go at that." "No, I am serious," he replied, de- < tennined for some reason or other to make a convert of me. "I mean ex­ actly what I say. I am going to apply science to the detection of crime, the same start of methods by which we trace out the presence of a mysteri­ ous chemical or track down a deadly , germ. And before I have gone far, I . am going to enlist Walter Jameson as an aid. I think I shall need yon In my business." "How do I come in?" I asked. "Well, for .one thing, you will get a *scoop,' a 'beat'--whatever you call It In that newspaper jargon of yours." "Fortunately, Walter," he pursued, "the crime-hunters have gone ahead in science faster than the criminals. It's to be my job to catch criminals. Yours, it seems to me, Is to show people how they can never hope to beat the mod­ ern scientific detective." "Go as far as you like," I exclaimed, convinced at last. And so it was that we formed this strange new partnership in crime sci­ ence that' has existed ever since. • • • • • • • "Jameson, here's a story I wish you'd follow up," remarked the man- , aging editor of the Star to me one evening ?ftor I ho* tnmo«j in an slgnment of the late afternoon. He handed me a clipping from the evening edition of the Star, and I quickly ran my eye over the headline: ii HMD" WINS AGAIN. NEW YORK MYSTERIOUS MAS­ TER CRIMINAL PERFECTS ANOTHER COUP. City Police Completely Baffled "Here's this murder of Fletcher, the retired banker and trustee of the uni­ versity," he explained. "Not a clue-- except a warning letter signed with this mysterious clutching fist. Last week it was the robbery of the Hax- worth jewels and the killing of old Haxworth. Again that curious sign of the hand. Then there was the dastard­ ly attempt on Sherburne, the steel magnate. Not a trace of tha assail­ ant except this same clutching fist. So it has gone, Jameson--the most alarm­ ing and inexplicable series of murders that has ever happened in this coun­ try. And nothing but this uncanny hand to trace then* by." The editor paused a moment, then exclaimed: "Why, this fellow seems to take a diabolical--I might almost say pathological--pleasure In crimes of violence, revenge, avarice and self- protection. Sometimes it seems as if he delights in the pure deviltry of the thing. It Is weird." He leaned over and spoke in a low, tense tone. "Strangest of all, the tip has just come to us that Fletcher, Kax- worth, Sherburne and all the rest of these wealthy men were insured In the Consolidated Mutual Life. Now, Jameson, I want you to find Taylor Dodge, the president, and interview him. Get what you can, at any cost." I had naturally thought first of Ken­ nedy, but there was no time now to call him up and, besides, I must see Dodge immediately. Dodge, I discovered over the. tele­ phone, was not at home nor at any of the clubs to which he belonged. Late though it was I concluded that he was at his office. No amount of persuasion could get me past the door, and, though I found out later and shall tell soon what was going on there, I de­ termined, about nine o'clock, that the best way to get at Dodge was to go to his house on Fifth avenue, if I had to camp on his front doorstep until morning. The harder I found the story to get the more I wanted it. With some misgivings about being admitted, 1 rang the bell of the splen­ did, though not very modern, Dodge residence. An English butler, with a nose that must have been his fortune, opened the door and gravely informed me that Mr. Dodge was not at home, but was expected at any moment. Once in, I was not going lightly to give up that advantage. I bethought myself of his daughter Elaine, one of the most popular debutantes of the season, and sent in my card to her, on a chance of interesting her and seeing her father, writing on the bottom of the card: "Would like to interview Mr. Dodge regarding Clutching Hand." Summoning up what assurance I had, which is sometimes considerable, I followed the butler down the hall as he bore my card. As he opened the door of the drawing-room, I caught a vision of a Blip of a girl in evening clothes. Elaine Dodge was both the Ingenue and the athlete--the thoroughly mod­ ern type of girl--equally at home with tennis and tango, table talk and tea. Near her I recognized from his pic­ tures Harry Bennett, the rising young corporation lawyer, a mighty good- looking fellow, with an affable, pleas­ ing way about him, perhaps thirty-five years old or so, but already prominent and quite friendly with Dodge. "Who is it, Jennings?" she asked. "A reporter, Miss Dodge," answered , the butler, glancing superciliously back at me. "And you know how your father dislikes to see anyone here at the house," he added deferentially to her. "Miss Dodge," I pleaded, bowing as if I had known them all my life, "I've been trying to find your lather all the evening. It's very important" She looked up at me surprised and In doubt whether to laugh or stamp her pretty little foot In indignation at my stupendous nerve. She laughed. "You are a very brave young man," she rippled with a roguish look at Bennett's discomfiture over the interruption of the tete-a-tete. There was a note of seriousness in it, too, that made me ask quickly, "Why?" The smile flitted from her face, and In its plo/»» o-amc- n frSfV effTieSt C*- pression, whidh I later learned to like and respect very much. "My father has declared he will eat the very next re­ porter who tries to interview him here," she answered. I was abuul to prolong the waiting time by some jolly about such a stun ning girl not having by any possibil­ ity such a cannibal of a parent, when the rattle of the changing gears of a car outside told of the approach of a limousine. The big front door opened and Elaine flung herself in the arms of an elderly, stern-faced, gray-haired ""»i "Why, dad," fshe cried, "where have you been? I missed you so much at dinner. I!ll be so glad when this ter­ rible business gets cleared up. Tell-- me. What is on your mind? What is it that worries you now?" 1 noticed then that Dodge seemed wrought up and a bit unnerved, for he sank rather heavily into a chair, brushed his face with his handkerchief and breathed heavily. Elaine hovered over him solicitously, repeating her question. With a mighty effort he seemed to get himself together. He rose and turned to Bennett. "Harry," he exclaimed, "I've got the Clutching Hand!" The two men stared at each other. "Yes," continued Dodge, "I've found out how to trace it, and tomorrow I am going to set the alarms of the city at rest by exposing- ' Just then Dodge caught sight of me. For the moment I thought perhaps he was going to fulfill his threat. "Who the devil--why didn't you tell me a reporter was here, Jennings?" he sputtered Indignantly, pointing toward the door. Argument, entreaty, were of no avail. There was nothing to do but go. At least, I reflected, I had the great­ er part of the story--all except the one big thing, however--the name of the criminal. But Dodge would know him tomorrow! I hurried back to the Star to write my story in time to catch the last morning edition. Meanwhile, if I may anticipate my story, I must tell of what we later learned had happened to Dodge so completely to upset him. Ever since the Consolidated Mutual had been hit by the murders he had had many lines out In the hope of enmesh­ ing the perpetrator. That night, as I found out the next day, he had at last heard of a clue. One of the company's detectives had brought in a red-head­ ed, lame, partly paralyzed crook, who enjoyed the expressive monniker of "Limpy Red." Limpy Red was a gunman of some renown, evil-faced and, having nothing much to lose, des­ perate. Whoever the master criminal of the clutching hand might have been he had seen fit to employ Limpy, but had not taken the precaution of getting rid of him soon enough when he was through. Therefore Limpy had a grievance, and now descended under pressure to the low level of snitching to Dodge in his office. "No, governor," the trembling wretch had said as he handed over a grimy envelope, "I ain't never seen his face--but here is directions how to flnd his hangout." As Limpy ambled out, he turned to Dodge, quivering at the enormity of his "Don't Let On How You Found Out!" "All right," I exclaimed, a little nettled that he should have anticipated me even so much in the case. "But unpardonable sin in gangland: "For God's sake, governor," he implored, "don't let on how you found out!" And yet Limpy Red had scarcely left with his promise not to tell, when Dodge, happening to turn over some papers, came upon an envelope left on his own desk, bearing that mysteri­ ous clutching hand! He tore it open, and read In amaze­ ment: "Destroy Limpy Red's instructions within the next hour." Dodge gazed about in wonder. This was getting on his nerves. He de­ termined to go home and rest. Outride the house, a? h? left car, pasted over the monogram on the door, he had found another note, with the same weird mark and the single word: "Remember!" In spite of the pleadings 6f young Bennett, Dodge refused to take warn­ ing. In the safe in his beautifully fitted library he deposited Limpy's doc­ ument in an envelope containing all the correspondence that had led up to the final step in the discovery. • • • » • • * It was late in the evening when I returned to our apartment and, not finding Kennedy there, knew that I would discover him at the laboratory. "Craig," I cried as I burst in on him. "I've got a case for you--greater than any ever before,." Kennedy looked up calmly from the ruck of scientific instruments that sur­ rounded him--test tubes, beakers, carefully labeled bottles. "Indeed?" he remarked, ooolly go­ ing back to his work. "Yes," I cried. "It is a scientific criminal who seems to leave no clues." Kennedy looked up gravely. "Every criminal leaves a trace," he said quiet­ ly. "If It hasn't been found, then it must be because no one has ever looked for it In the right way." Still gazing at me keenly, he added: "Yes, I already knew there was such a man at large. I have been called In on that Fletcher case--he was a trus­ tee of the university, you know.' you haven't heard the latest" "What is it?" he asked with log calmness. "Taylor Dodge," I blurted out, "has the clue. Tomorrow he will track down the man!" Kennedy fairly Jumped as I repeat­ ed the news. "How long haa lie known r* he de- ded eagerly. "Perhaps three or four hours," I ha*-" at me fixedly. "Then Taylor Dodge Is dead!1* he exclaimed, throwing off his acid-stained laboratory jacket, and hurrying into his Btreet clothes. "Impossible!" I ejaculated. Kennedy paid no attention to the ob> Jectlon. "Come, Walter," he urged. •We must hurry before the trail gets cold." There was something positively un­ canny about Kennedy's assurance. I doubted--yet I feared. It was well past the middle of the night when we pulled up in a night- hawk taxlcab before the Dodge house, mounted the steps and rang tha bell. Jennings answered sleepily, but not so much so that he did not recognize He was about to bang the door shut when Kennedy interposed his foot. Where is Mr. Dodge?" asked Ken­ nedy. "Is he all right?" Of course he is--In bed," replied the butler. Just then we heard a faint cry, like nothing exactly human. Or was it our heightened imaginations, under the spell of the darkness? "Listen!" cautioned Kennedy. We did, standing there now in the hall. Kennedy was the only one of us who was cool. Jennings' face blanched, then he turned tremblingly and went down to the library door, whence the sounds had seemed to come. He called, but there was no answer. He turned the knob and opened the door. The Dodge library was a large room. In the center stood a big, flat- topped desk of heavy mahogany. It was brilliantly lighted. At one end of the desk was a tele­ phone. Taylor Dodge was lying on the floor at that end of the desk--perfect­ ly rigid--his face distorted--a ghastly figure. A pet dog ran over, sniffed frantically at his master's legs and suddenly began to howl dismally. Dodge was dead! "Help!" shouted Jennings. Others of the servants came rush­ ing in. There was, for the moment, the greatest excitement and confu­ sion. Suddenly a wild figure In flying gar­ ments flitted down the stairs and into the library, dropping beside the dead man, without seeming to notice us at all. "Father!" shrieked a woman's voice, heart-broken. "FatherI Oh--my God --he--he is dead!" It was Elaine Dodge. With a mighty effort, the heroic girl seemed to pull herself together. Jennings," she cried, "call Mr. Ben­ nett--immediately!" From the one-sided, excited conver­ sation of the butler over the telephone, I gathered that Bennett had been In the process of disrobing In his own apartment uptown* and would be right down. Together, Kennedy, Elaine and my­ self lifted Dodge to a sofa and Elaine's aunt, Josephine, with whom she lived, appeared on the scene, trying to quiet the sobbing girl. Kennedy and I withdrew a little way, and he looked about curiously. "What was it?" I whispered. "Was It natural, an accident, or--or mur­ der?" The word seemed to stick In my throat. If it was a murder, what was the motive? Could It have been to get the evidence which Dodge had that would incriminate the master criminal? Kennedy moved over quietly and ex­ amined the body of Dodge. When he rose his face had a peculiar look. "Terrible!" he whispered to me. "Apparently he had been working at his accustomed place at the desk when the telephone rang. He rose and crossed over to it. See! That brought his feet on this register let into the floor. As he took the telephone re­ ceiver down a flash of light must have shot fro~i it -tc hie ear. It shoTrn tfc^ characteristic electric burn." "The motive?" I queried. "Evidently his pockets had been gone through, though none of the valu­ ables were missing. Things on his desk show that a hasty search has been made." Just then the door opened and Ben? nett burst in. As he stood over the body, gazing down at it, repressing the emotions of a strong man, he turned to Elaine, and in a low voice exclaimed: "The Clutched Hand did this. I shall conse­ crate my life to bring this man to jus­ tice!" He spoke tensely, and Elaine, look­ ing up Into his face, as if imploring his help In her hour of need, unable to speak, merely grasped his hand. Kennedy, who, in the meantime, had stood apart from the rest of us, was examining the telephone carefully. "A clever crook," I heard him mut- ter between his teeth. "He must have worn gloves. Not a finger print- least here." • • * * * * * Perhaps I can do no better than to reconstruct the crime as Kennedy later pieced these startling events to­ gether. Long after I had left and even after Bennett left, Dodge continued working in his library, for he was known as a prodigious worker. Had he taken the trouble, however, to pause and peer out into the moon­ light that flooded the back of his house, he might have seen the figures of two stealthy crooks crouching in the half shadows of one of the cellar windows, one crook, at least, masked. Hie masked crook held In his hands carefully the ends of two wires at­ tached to an electric feed, and, sending his pal to keep watch outside, he en­ tered the cellar of the Dodge house through a window, whose pane they had carefully removed. As he came through the window he dragged the wires with him, and, after a moment's reconnoltering, attached them to the furnace pipe of the old-fashioned hot- air heater, where the pipe ran up through the floor to the library above.' The other wire was quickly attached to the telephone where its wires en­ tered. Upstairs Dodge, evidently uneasy In his mind about the precious Limpy Red letter, took it from the safe along with most of the other correspondence and, pressing a hidden spring in the wall, opened a secret panel and placed most of the Important documents in this hiding place. Downstairs the masked master crim­ inal had already attached a voltmeter to the wires he had installed, waiting. Just then could be beard the tinkle of Dodge's telephone, and the old man rose to answer it. As he did so he placed his foot on the Iron register, his hand taking the telephone and the receiver. At that instant came a pow­ erful electric flash. Dodge sank on the floor, clutching the instrument, elec­ trocuted. A moment later the criminal slid silently Into Dodgeta room. Carefully putting on rubber gloves and avoiding limpy hafl !oag since reftefetd the point of saturation and lurching forth from his new found cronies he sought; other fields of excitement. Likewise did the newcomer, who bore a strange resemblance to the lookout who had been stationed outside at the Dodge house a scant half hour before. What happened later was only a matter of seconds--and waiting until the hated snitch--for gangdom hates the Informer worse than anything else dead or alive--had turned a sufficient­ ly dark and deserted corner. • muffled thud, a stifled groan fol­ lowed as a heavy section of lead pipe wrapped In a newspaper descended on the crass skull of Limpy. ' It was the vengeance of the Clutch­ ing' Hand--swift, sure, remorseless. And yet It had not been a night of complete success for the master crim­ inal, as anyone might have seen who could have followed his sinuous route to a place of greater safety. Unable to wait longer, he pulled the papers he had taken from the safe from his pocket. His chagrin at finding most of them to be blank found only one expression of foiled fury--that men* acing clutching hand--the real onet •• • Kennedy had turned from his futile examination for marks on the tele­ phone. There stood the safe, a moder­ ate sized strong box, but of a modem type. He tried the door. It, was locked. There was not a mark on it. The coin- blnation had not been tampered with. Nor had there been any attempt to "soup" the safe. With a quick motion he felt in his pocket as if looking for. gloves. Find­ ing none, he glanced about and seized two pieces of paper from the desk. • 7 m[p:' The Criminal Slid Silently Into Dodge's Boom. touching the register, he wrenched the telephone from the grasp of the dead man, replacing It In Its normal posi­ tion. Only for a second did he pause to look at his victim as he destroyed the evidence of his work. Minutes were precious. First Dodge's pockets, then his desk engaged his at­ tention. There was left the safe. As he approached the strong box, the master criminal took two vials from his pocket. Removing a bust of Webster that stood on the safe, he poured the contents of the vials In two mixed masses of powder, forming a' heap on the safe, Into which he insert­ ed two magnesium wires. He lighted them, sprang back, hid­ ing his eyes from the light, and a blinding gush of flame, lasting per­ haps ten seconds, poured out from the top of the safe. It was not an explosion, but just a dazzling, intense flame that sizzled and crackled. It seemed Impossible, but the glowing mass was literally sink­ ing, sinking down Into the cold steel. At last it burned through--as if the safe had been of tinder! Without waiting a moment longer than necessary, the masked criminal advanted- again and actually put his hands down through the top of the safe, pulling out a bunch of papers. Quickly he thrust them all, with just a glance, into his pocket. Still working quickly, he took the bust of the great orator, which he had removed, and placed it under the light. Next, from his pocket he drew two curious stencils, as It were, which he had apparently carefully prepared. With his "hands, still carefully gloved, he rubbed the stencils on his hair, as if to cover them with a film of natural oils. Then he deliberately pressed them over the statue In several places. It was a peculiar action, and he seemed to fairly gloat over it when it was done and the bust returned to its place, covering the hole. As noiselessly as he had come, he made his exit after one last malignant look at Dodge. It was now but the work of a moment to remove the wires he had placed and climb out of the window, taking them and destroying the evidence down in the cellar. A low whistle from the masked crook, now again In the shadow, brought his pal stealthily to his side. "It's all right," he whispered hoarse­ ly to the man. "Now you attend to Limpy Red." The villainous looking pal nodded and, without another word, the two made their getaway, safely, in opposite directions. • • • • # • • When Limpy Red, still trembling, left the office of Dodge earlier in the evening, he had repaired as fast as his shambling feet would take him to his favorite dive up on Park Row. Had the Bowery "sinkers" not got into his eyes he might have noticed among the late revelers a man who spoke to no one, but took his place near by at the bar. i^77 &• REALLY k SIMPLE MATTER Girl Knew Just Exactly What She 'ij Would Be With That Communi­ cation From George. .The young . woman frowned and 51 ^j|ibok her heatf. "George thinks h(f*. awfully cute," she said. •••'J at..1 y - The other girl looked up. "'What has George done now?" 'He has sent me a censored pro> :£.€, *WSeetf;ei marriage*. What de you think • -'"k" •£\ of that? I suppose he has an idea that it won't be admitted as evidence against him. Want to see the thing?" "Of course I dof "There it is." This is what the oth?r girl saw: "Dear Miss My few you has been increasing so rapidly of late that cannot resist the opportunity of asking you to be wife. If you should marry tomorrow would be the happiest of men. Of course, you understand that --•-- await impatiently for your reply. 'Do not keep ' in suspense. Yours sin­ cerely, ----. (Name deleted.)" The other girl handed back the let­ ter. "That's the worst I ever saw," she Mid. "Whatcha going to do abdttt it?" The first girl laughed. "Fill In the blanks and accept him, of course."--Cleveland Plain Dealer. Optimistic Thoughts When we know the ruling passion of an wa-Mica Je.fitaaae hI"Vl . . 1 . . .. •; j, , . Barrister* and Solicitors. Legal practitioners in the English courts are divided into two principal classes, called barristers and solici­ tors. The barrister, who must be called to the bar or licensed by one of the four ancient Inns of Court, alone has- the right to act as an advo­ cate in the various branches of the high court. The solicitor, or attor­ ney-at-law, is not a member of the bar, but he is the lawyer of record for the plaintiff or defendant, and he and manage proceedings at law. Oth­ erwise stated, the solicitor Is what we call an "office lawyer," while the bar­ rister does the work allotted by us to counsel."--Hyacinthe Ringrose in Case and Comment. No Chance for Mere Mai*. New York gentlemen desirous of di­ vorcing their wives seem somehow to be "in wrong" this season. What with court turn-downs to the right and to w. -• the left of them and sallies of femin- alone^has the legal right to institute jlstio lawyers th ttoni of them volley- With them, in order not to confuse any possible finger prints on the boat* he lifted it off. I gave a gasp of surprise. There, in the top of the safe, yawned a gaping hole, through which one could have thrust his arm! "What is it?" we aBked, crowding about him. "Thermit," he replied laconically. "Thermit?" I repeated. "Yes--a compound of Iron oxide acd powdered aluminum, invented by a chemist at Essen, Germany. It gives a temperature of over five thousand degrees. It will eat Its way through the strongest steel." Jennings, his mouth wide open with wonder, advanced to take the bust from Kennedy. "No--don't touch It," he w,aved him off, laying the bust on the desk. "I want no one to touch it--don't you see how careful I was to use th% paper, that there might be no ques­ tion about any clue this fellow may have left on the marble?" As he spoke, Craig was dusting over the surface of the bust with some black powder. "Look!" exclaimed Craig suddenly. "Finger prints!" I cried excitedly. "Yes," nodded Kennedy, studying them closely. "A clue--perhaps." "What--those little markB--a clue?" asked a voice behind us. I turned and saw Elaine looking over our shoulders, fascinated. It was evidently the first time she had real­ ized that Kennedy was in the room. "How can you tell anything by: that*" she aclicck "Why, easily," he answered, pick­ ing up a glass paper weight which lay on the desk. "You see, I place my finger on this weight--so. You could see it even without the powder on this glass. Do you see those lines? There are various types of markings --four general types--and each per­ sons' markings are different, even if of the same general type--loop, whorl, arch or composite." He continued working as he talked. "Your thumb marks, for example, Miss Dodge, are different from mine. Mr. Jameson's are different frem both of us. And this fellow's finger prints are still different. It is mathematical­ ly impossible to flnd two alike in every respect" Kennedy was holding the paper weight near the bust as he talked. I shall never forget the look ol blank amazement on his face as ha bent over closer. "My God!" he exclaimed excitedly, "this fellow is a master criminal! He has made stencils or something of the sort on which, by some mechan­ ical process, he has actually forged the hitherto infallible fingerprints!" I, too, bent over and Btudied the marks on the bust and those Ken­ nedy had made on the paper weight to show Elaine. THE FINGER PRINTS ON THS BUST WERE KENNEDY'S OWN. (TO BE CONTINUED.) ing and thundering it Is indeed a hardy husband who will seek to hint at the possibilities of any married woman being other than a concen­ trated vestal to the matrimonial altar. And in those isolated instances where he still has the hardihood he is most instantly and effectively squelched and lo, onto the separation alimony Is tucked an additional 50 per. The pool hairless hen-pecked had better con­ tent himself with his lot to be bald and bossed to ha bossed at 4B» It is better than aevec ILLINOIS BREVITIES Fairfield.---Charles Chapman, mar­ ried, was sentenced to one year at Chester for an attack on Rose Payne of Albion last fall. He Is a resident of Golden Gate. £*•>: Hoopeston.--The new $12,0^0 honM* planned by the Moose lodge In this city is assured, the members having authorized the purchase of a lot qfe East Penn street sb the site. Pana.--The second district suprem$ court Democratic judicial convention was held in the Roley opera house in this city. There were 180 and as many alternates. Lewistown.--The mayor, council at|| city marshal are openly accused <jt upholding gamblers and gambling in the resignation of City Attorney Atherton of this city. - Bloomington.--The Civic Federation^ of Gibson City Woman's Clubs has die*" elded to wage warfare against flieik It was voted to pay ten cents a plqt for all flies killed between April i and October .. Chicago.--Officials of the WeOs school have doomed the "all day suajc- er." They say its principal ingredi­ ents are coal tar dye. To wean the : pupils away from the "sucker," -,-a candy store was started in the school... East St. Louis.--That the woman voters of East St. Louis will be a big factor In the mayoralty election Aprtt 6 ^as indicated when 2,309 women registered. The total registration of men and women was 5,500. Havana.--County Superintendent of • Highways H. V. Schoonover of Havana has called a meeting of the highway commissioners and town clerks of the various townships of Mason county to convene in this city on March 30. The meeting will be addressed by Assistant State Highway Engineer P. C. Me* Ardle of Springfield and should prove . of much interest. Freeport.--Rev. L. C. Schmidt of Chicago was re-elected secretary of the Illinois conference of the United Evangelical church, which held its twenty-second annual session at Shan­ non. Highland Park was chosen as the place of holding the conference in 1916. Suture meetings probably wtil _ he held in the fall instead of the " spring. ' v Clinton.--The annual school election will be held in the courthouse Satur­ day, April 19. Three members for the board will be elected at this time, one to fill the vacancy caused by the re­ moval of Attorney L. E. Stone to Springfield on his appointment as as­ sistant United States district attorney, and the other two to fill the places of Dr. C. W. Carter, member of the board, and Fred Ball, president of the board. Chicago.--Officers representing 30 passenger steamboat lines of the great lakes met to discuss the effect of the new seaman's law, and to get some line, if possible, as to how many of the companies will be compelled to go out of business because of the bur­ dens it imposes. It was decided to ask the department of commerce at Wash­ ington to interpret the law, which was characterized as a "mass of verbiage," which no one has been able to compre­ hend. SandovaL--Mrs. Gus Kaehler shot and killed John Dierhoff, fifty-four years old, a neighbor, as he was trying to break into her home while said to have been intoxicated. Dierhoff tried a back window; then opened the front door. Mrs. Kaehler did not recognise him and opened fire with "a shotgun. The load hit Dierhoff in the chesU death resulting immediately. Mrs, Kaehler was ill and alone in the house. This is the second killing in Sandoval in four days. Emden.--Scarlet fever has Invadad the village of Emden, three cases hav­ ing developed, but all are reported as being mild ones and the patients are recovering. The Emden school has been closed to prevent an epidemic, after it was learned that one 6t .the children had developed the disease, but since then the scare has subsided and school will probably be resumed soon. These are the first cases of fever of this nature which have broken out in the village for some time and while none arc serious ones, precau­ tions against the Spread of the con­ tagious disease were taken as early as possible. Chicago.--That the United States grand jury is preparing to return in a few weeks a large number of indict­ ments of business agents of Chicago unions, who will be accused of ob­ structing interstate commerce while extorting tribute from builders by means of unwarranted strikes, Is re­ ported. Other reports were that a big conspiracy--between labor business agents on one hand and contracting builders on the other to control build-*, ing operations in Chicago, forming thereby a trust--had been uncovered. United States Attorney Clyne refused to discuss the matter. The grand jury adjourned until April 2. Fairfield.--Logan Forth, Blxteen years old, son of James Forth, was found guilty In the circuit court here of killing his cousin, Ether Chaney, twenty-three, and will receive an inde­ terminate sentence to the reformatory at Pontiac. The boys quarreled at church last September, and Forth stabbed Chaney. The charge was man­ slaughter. Sandwich.--Charles F. A. Sedgwick, an official of Sedgwick's bank, died at his home. Mr. Sedgwick was born in Sandwich in 1865 and had been associ­ ated with his father and brother in the banking business. Chicago.--Mrs. Julia Patera, 817 West Fifty-fourth street, was ordered held to the grand jury on a charge of murder by a coroner's Jury which held an inquest into the death of Mrs. Eli­ nor Cassidy, 1118 Arcade place. Mrs. Cassidy died at the County hospital March 15 from an illegal operation. Mrs. Patera denied the charge. Havana.--Harry Ross, aged about forty-five years, was instantly killed by southbound train No. 47 on the C., P. & St. L. one and one-half miles east of Hahn's crossing, near this city. The remains were discovered by the trail! * ere# of northbound brain Nk H