Stratford Central Secondary School - Collegian Yearbook (Stratford, Ontario Canada)

Page 77 text:

COLLEGIAN, I9 30 of the room and began his search. After an hour's examination by a trained man, a room is pretty well searched. Sloane found nothing un- usual. I-Ie left the room and re- turned with Dunkeley. I-Iow has your uncle been acting lately? asked Sloane. Since his return from Italy he has seemed worried. I never mentioned the matter to him. By the way, Uncle John received a letter the oth- er day from Sicily. Carson, the but- ler, brought the letters to me, as I was secretary to uncle. I noticed one letter, which was written in a Europ- ean hand. When uncle saw this let- ter he ordered we out of the room. Since then I have seen very little of him and when I did see him he was always very worn-looking. You have not seen the letter? asked Sloane. No, said Dunkeley, but I imagine it will be in his strong-box, as he never destroyed a letter of any importance, and I feel sure this one was important. I-Iis strong-box is in a wall safe behind those book- cases. Sloane walked over to the book- cases. Dunkeley came over and swung open one row of books, re- vealing a small safe. This was un- locked. Sloane took out a small iron box. I-Ie opened it and every- thing seemed in order. The second letter was written in Italian. Apparently the murderer was not after this, he remarked. Sloane had a slight knowledge of Italian. The letter was brief, but concise: You say you do not re- pent, then I will kill you. The detective folded the letter, put it in his pocket, and replaced the strong-box. All through? asked Dunkeley. HI have ordered a room to be made ready for you. Then I believe I will have head- quarters send a couple of policemen and then I'll be able to retire to my room and think this over. The following morning Sloane interviewed Carson. You say only the tradesmen were here? asked the detective. I Yes, sir, replied the butler. Were any of them out of your sight at any time? No, began Carson, then: Oh, yes, the Italian fruit man came and I did not have the change. I had to go upstairs to get the money from IVIr. Dunkeleyf' HDuring this time he could have slipped into the library, committed the murder, and returned to the kitchenfi Yes, I suppose he could have. Did the man seem uneasy when you returned. Yes, sir. 'iwhere do you spend most of the day? In the kitchen, sir. Was IVIr. Dunkeley upstairs all day? Yes, sir. fSIoane left the house., That afternoon two policemen came to the Ritchie house with war- rants to arrest Dunkeley. I-Ie was brought to SIoane's office. Are you willing to confess? Sloane asked him. Uconfess what? asked Dun- keley, blandly. To the murder of your uncle, of course. At first the man denied having anything to do with the crime but after a grilling third degree, he broke down. I-Iow in the world did you ever think to arrest Dunkeley in the Ritchie case? asked Billy Blake, a friend and admirer of Sloane, some days after the trial of Dunkeley who was found guilty. Well, in the first place, that let- ter, as was shown at the trial was written by Dunkeleyf' began Sloane, but suddenly he broke off, but you heard all I can tell at the trial. I missed the trial, worse luck, said Blake gloomily. That's why I want you to tell me all about it. Well, then, as I said before Dun- 15 7...

Page 76 text:

COLLEGIAN, 1930 FIRST PRIZE JUNIOR S7013 Y THE RITCHIE MURDER By Donald Temple Brr-rr-rr, brr-rr-rrr, rang the telephone at the desk of Percy Sloane, the detective. Sloane stretched out a fat, chubby hand and picked up the phone with a grimace, for it had been singing constantly all day. Hello, he said sleepily, but suddenly he sat upright. I'll be right there. he cried, clamp- ing down the receiver. Old John Ritchie, the globe-trotter, has been killed, he told his secretary, and l'm going over. 'Look after any more calls, he added, as he Went out into the rainy, cold day. Percy Sloane was a rather short, rotund man with cherubic face. His good-natured features belied his pro- fession. I-le was clothed in the height of fashion. ln fact he was exactly the opposite of what you would pic- ture as the great Canadian crimin- ologist. Sloane was received by the butler at the house of the late John V. Rit- chie, and shown into the waiting room. The walls of this room were covered with pictures by great mas- ters. The detective was admiring a portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds when he heard a man descending the great stairway. l-le turned a- round and faced a young man who introduced himself as Cyril Dur keley, nephew of the deceased. When these formalities were over Sloane was ushered into the library, where the murder, if murder it was, had been committed. This was a large, oppressive room, lined on three sides with bookcases On the side facing the door was a great open fireplace, in which was a fire, for it was late October. On either side of and above this were hanging Weapons and relics, which the explorer had picked up in his travels. Facing the fireplace was a large chesterfleld, and on each side of this was an easy chair. The body was lying between the chesterfield and the fireplace on a bearskin rug. it was lying face downwards and from between the shoulders protrud- ed the handle of a dagger. Has the coroner been here? asked Sloane. No, said Dunkeley, but I have called him. A sharp knock at the door was followed by the coroner. He ex- amined the body and said, lt looks like murder all right. Considering the position of the knife, suicide would have been impossible. Does anyone recognize this? inquired Sloane, pointing to the dag- ger, turning to the servants and Dun- keley, who were standing watching him. nl have often seen it on the table behind the chesterfieldf' ventured the maid, uwhen l have been dust- ing. Yes, uncle picked it up in Sicily, said Dunkeley. Ult is a stillettof' H'mm, murmured the detect- ive. ul-las anyone been to the house to-day? he asked. UOnly the tradesmenf' said the butler. l have been here all day. Who discovered the body? asked Sloane. 'il did, said the butler, and im- mediately called Mr. Dunkeley, who was upstairs. What did you do? he asked Dunkeley. 'il called the coroner and then you, was the reply. Sloane walked over to the body, saying, Guess it's up to the sleuth to look for clues. I-le examined the handle of the knife for fingerprints, but found it clean. He ordered everyone out 15 6-

Page 78 text:

COLLEGIAN, l930 keley wrote the letter in Italian-H What letter? interrupted Billy. Oh, I may as well begin at the start of my finding clues. The library revealed nothing. The story of the butler's about an Italian fruit-man seemed improbable. He said that this man could have done the deed. I looked up the Italian and found that he had worn no gloves. He would have left fingerprints on the knife and besides the day was wet and there were no footmarks be- tween the kitchen and the library. This eliminated him and any other outsider. This left only Dunkeley and the staff. The maid was clean- ing a room on the third floor and it was the cook's day off. This left only the butler and Dunkeley as pro- bable suspects. The butler had plenty of opportunity as he was downstairs all day, but I could not find a motive for him. In searching Ritchie's strongbox I came across his will. His only relative was Dunkeley, who was named sole heir. This gave him a strong motive. I reconstruct the murder like this. While Carson was in the kit- chen Dunkeley crept downstairs, killed his uncle and returned. Of course he had spent some time in finding out about the Italian's visits which were weekly. Then he had to send his uncle the letter by which he tried to make us think that the Mafia was responsible. He naturally phoned the police to try to throw us off his track. Of course it took me some time to draw these conclus- ions. SECOND PRIZE JUNIOR STORY VVhere 'I'I1ere's a Will 'I'here's Always a Way By Margaret Evans May Emerson was walking home from school with her chum, Louise Minden. It was the first of June and to- morrow would be lVIay's birthday. Oh, dear, she said to her friend, I hope Aunt Mary Perkins gives me a nice present this time. Who wants hankies all the time, anyway? This was not a very good idea as to what a birthday should be. Her friend spoke. HI don't think you should talk about your Aunt Mary like that. I suppose your aunt wouldn't have given you those hankies, unless she really thought they were useful, and they are, you know, she said quietly. All the same, May thought her aunt should have given her more than a box of hanclkerchiefs, considering that she was an only niece. But Aunt Mary Perkins didn't think so. Her niece had' got so many things now, it was hardly pos- sible to give her anything she hadn't already, but she decided to give May a better present this year. But what could she give her? All of a sud- den an idea came-a tennis racket. May didn't own such a thing. But, alas, May did not play tennis, be- cause she saw no sense in it. Aunt Mary overlooked this important fact. She hurried uptown that afternoon to get lVIay's present--and it was a present, to be sure! It was one of the best rackets money could buy, for Aunt Mary Perkins was quite well- to-do. It was june the second, and May was looking forward to the time when her guests would arrive. A rap was heard at the door. It was a boy who had brought Aunt Mary's pre- sent. lVIay opened it, wondering what on earth it could be. When it was opened she didn't look a bit pleased. Instead, she sighed and murmured, That's just like Aunt Mary! She always gives me some- thing I don't want. -5 3-