Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 June 1906 — SPELLING AND SUSPICION [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SPELLING AND SUSPICION

By COLIN S. COLLINS

With a gesture of impatience Elder rose. After nine months on a foreign mission the little flat seemed wonderfully homelike, and he had hoped for an evening of quietude. Probably it was ope of the chaps who had heard of his return and who had looked him up with the best of intentions. It was all very kind of him, but Elder would rather he had remained away until the morrow, and it was with a slight frown that he threw open the door leading to the hall. He gave a start of surprise as he perceived a woman’s figure silhouetted against the brighter light in the hall, but Elder was accustomed to receiving strange visitors at all hours, and he stepped aside to permit her to enter. ’ It was not until they were in the tiny sitting room that the girl threw back her veil. Elder started back. “Erica,” he cried, “this Is most Indiscreet” “You receive other women on business,” she defended ns she clasped her hands. “On business,” he repeated. “Surely you can have no business with a detective.” With a little cry the girl sank into a chair. “Jack Brayton told me at the Benningtons' that you were back,” she said. “I could not sleep until I had seen you. I came on from there. ,1 had gone to consult Mr. Bennington. I shall take only a few minutes." Curiously Elder watched her, tho woman he had loved for years. Versed In the play of expressions, he could see that It was something serious which had led her to violate convention, but he could not imagine what bad brought her to seek his aid. “I suppose you know,” she went on, “that Uncle Jim Is dead?” “Mr. Westcott?” he gasped. “Why, I saw him the night I left. He looked good for a dozen years.” “He was killed.” the girl went on. “There was an effort made to make it

appear a suicide, but the letter he was supposed to have left upon the table was found by the coroner to be a forgery.” “Have they any clew?" he asked, his professional interest aroused. “They say that Paul did it,” she said, crying softly. “He was convicted yesterday." “Convicted,” be gasped. “Why, Paul would not have killed a fly.” “There was a handwriting expert who testified that some of Paul's characteristics were found in the letter. They had a darkened courtroom and lantern slide enlargements. Paul was uncle’s sole heir, and he was known to be In debt.” “Have they taken an appeal?” be asked. “Surely the case will not be uncontested." “There is an appeal,” she answered, “but Vincent, the lawyer, says he has no hope; that he cannot hope to contro vert the expert’s evidence. Can you help me?" She rose from ber chair and held her hands toward him. “I can and will,” he answered heartily. “Believe me. Erica, before the next trial comes we shall have tbe k proofs ready and Paul will go free.” For a moment she looked into his eyes. Then she dropped her veil and turned away. “I must go now,” she an nounced. “Will you come to me tomor row?” “I was there this evening," he said simply. “They told me you had gone out, but I heard nothing of the trial. I will come at 11.” He learned little that was new in the morning. Paul Westcott was James Westcott’s sole beir. He had been caught in a hole in Wall street, and it was believed that he had committed the murder in the hope that he might realize upon this fact to borrow the money to save his margins. A letter announcing the action as a suicide was clearly shown to be a forgery, though a clever one, and the case indeed looked black. Elder came away from, the house disheartened. He ..sga* certalp that his Mend had not committed the murder, but even to one of the best detectives

in the country the case looked hopeless. He went to the lawyers and arranged for a copy of the testimony, and when that was forthcoming he shut himself In his reonrto study it. At the end of a couple of days he locked the typewritten pages In his desk and gave himself over to his social duties. Elder was a detective through love of the work, not because it was necessary for him to earn his living in this fashion, and on those rare occasions when not engaged In a pursuit he was welcomed in fashionable homes. His reappearance iu society was accepted as being an acknowledgment that there was nothing to be done for Paul Westcott, for he was to have been Erica’s suitor, and it was argued that if there was any hope he would have disappeared in search of the murderer. In spite of this Erica seemed hopeful, and the trial, through political Influence, was pushed to appeal. Gordon Westcott, her cousin, was opposed to the haste and argued violently against it, but he had always been hostile to Elder, and It was natural that he should object to any of the latter’s suggestions. ... * , —__ —2 ■* As in the previous trial, the evidence hinged almost entirely upon the letter. There was brief testimony to the effect that Paul Westcott had been in danger of being wiped out in the market to prove motive. It was shown that upon his arrest he had been unable to negotiate loans and had lost heavily. Then the prosecution put in the evidence of a handwriting expert, who had testified at the previous trial and who discussed learnedly the individual peculiarities that, even in a forgery, will unconsciously betray themselves. Almost letter by letter he compared the formation of the characters of the supposed last message with Paul’s handwriting, and with each fresh.slide there was more flnnlj’ established in the minds of the jury the fact that Paul must have written the letter. With the letter the prosecution rested the case, and the defense b&gan. Elder was the first witness, and, to the surprise of every person, he took his stand by the lantern which had figured so spectacularly at both trials. He first flashed upon the screen half a dozen examples of Paul Westcott’s handwriting and then in succession showed another hand displaying many of the same characteristics. “You will perceive that the two men whose handwritings I have shown have many traits in common,” he said, “but in his eagerness to prove guilt by angle and curve the previous witness has neglected his orthography. “The first examples were those written by the defendant prior to the commission of the crime. The ones last shown were written by his cousin, who studied under the same tutor in his uncle's house. I will now show half a dozen examples of the fate Janies Westcott's handwriting, asking tho jury to note that in every instance ‘until’ is spelled properly, as it was in the examples shown of Paul Westcott's hand. Only in Gordon Westcott's letters will the word be found to be persistently misspelled ‘untill,’ as was the case in the forgery. A writer unconsciously betrays himself, but in this instance it was the spelling, not the formation, which told tales. “I also show a letter from Gordon Westcott to a money lender, written Immediately after the murder, in which he calls attention to the fact that, as Paul Westcott could not inherit, the estate would be divided between himself and his cousin Erica and that then he would be able to make the deferred payments.” The defense rested Its case, and as soon as the opposing counsel had summed up the jury brought in a verdict of “Not guilty,” and Gordon Westcott was placed under arrest. Erica, her arm about her brother’s neck, reached forward in the cab. “Fred." she said, "I will take back all I fl».id about not marrying you until you gave up your detective work.” “What’s the incentive to give it up,” he laughed as be kissed her, "when a simple matter of spelling pays me so large a fee?”

“CONVICTED!" HE GASPED. “WHY, PAUL WOULD NOT HAVE KILLED A FLY.”