the centre of the local paper two days

later was a news item that hit him with

the impact of a blow :—
“Kalamazoo, Michigan, July 24th.

Leon Stainton of this city, son of

Mrs. Mary Smith, was found dead
near Wetaskiwin in the Alberta dis-
trict of Canada, All indications point
to murder, the suspect being one Bud
Bullock. Stainton, who was eighteen
years of age, left Ashton, Wyoming,
in April with Bullock for Alberta,
Stainton having considerable money
with him. Bullock is said to bear
a bad reputation in Ashton. His
present whereabouts are unknown.”

“I'll say they are,” fumed Hethering-
ton, “and damned well likely to remain so
after this.” His sulphurous blast of pro-
fanity was still going strong when the
orderly handed him a latter bearing the
address of the Sheriff's office at Kalama-
zZ00.

The Sheriff’s reply added somewhat to
the startling item broadcast by the press.
It contained an accurate description of
the coat, belt, suspenders, Fair-badge and
even the zither the farmer's daughter had
seen at the Ponoka store, all of it fur-
nished by Stainton’s mother. Augustine
Smith, Leon Stainton’s step-father, the
letter stated, was prepared to go north to
identify the remains.

On the heels of this came a police report
from Vancouver that B. K. Bullock of
British Columbia had been traced through
the mails, and didn’t appear to be in any
way connected with the case, having no
connection at Asker. On the other hand,
a C. B. Bullock had registered at Calgary
on April 25th from Detroit, in company
with an L. Stainton from Kalamazoo. At
Lethbridge the same Bullock and Stainton
had registered from Ashton, Wyoming.
On April 29th, Bullock had stayed over-
night at the Calgary Hotel, this time
travelling alone and giving his address as
Ogden, Utah.

“This letter from Kalamazoo,” Hether-
ington was puzzled, “gives Stainton’s age
as 18. That don’t fit in with that headless
corpse we dug up at Asker.’ Yet, despite
the apparent contradictions in age, height
and physical development, Hetherington
felt that he was gradually forging a chain
that would lead Bud Bullock to the gal-
lows, that is... if he ever caught up with
him after the warning broadcast by the
press. “Come on,” he turned to Firth,
“we're going to have another tall with
the Bullock family.”

The Bullocks showed more than mild

“II
WRI

She af
ENTERTAINMENT &&

ES

World’s Finest Photoplays

PATRICIA THEATRE - Powell River
ROXY THEATRE .- - - Westview

surprise when officers appeared on the
threshold and flashed a search warrant in
their faces. The search produced the metal
comb described by the Kalamazoo police ;
the zither and a chunk of ore. The next
step was to remove the body and re-inter
it with its severed head in the Wetaskiwin
cemetery.

But the headless corpse was not long
to remain undisturbed. With the arrival
of Augustine Smith, Leon Stainton’s step-
father, the mud-encrusted body was again
exhumed.

“My God!” The man stared at the
erisly relic of mortality and staggered
back. Encouraged by Hetherington he
was finally induced to examine the corpse
more closely. ““That’s him, all right”, he
choked.
gasped, “by that sandy hair, these teeth
and the shape of his head. And, look!
That coat’s the same as this sample I got

from his tailor in Kalamazoo.” Fair-
badge, belt, comb and zither were

promptly identified by the step-father.
Despite the wavering evidence identity
had been established. It was the body of
18 year old Leon Stainton.

While doctors performed an autopsy
and extracted a bullet from behind the
ear, Hetherington measured the body
again—this time with a tape.

But Hetherington’s job had only begun.
The next step was to trace the elusive Bud
Bullock, already warned, no doubt, by the
newspaper item. To trace the man back
over his return trail to Ponoka, Calgary
and Macleod afforded little trouble. A
false trail at Great Falls, Montana, caused
days of delay. Guided by a photograph
of Bud, furnished by Michigan police, the
Constable proceeded to Ashton where
Northern Pacific employees identified the
picture as that of a man who'd worked
beside them. A check-up at the office
showed that Bullock had worked as brake-
man and boiler-washer on a train of dirt
cars used in tunnelling. Stainton had
worked as machinist on the same gang.
Bud was around six feet, the foreman re-
called, about 26, was dark-complexioned
with a neckline like a turkey and a pro-
truding Adam’s apple. [id Stainton was
a husky lad for his age, not more than
five-feet-seven. He'd paid off both men
at the same time, giving Bullock $70.00
and Stainton $300.00.

September passed into October as
Hetherington combed Wyoming, Montana
and Washington with growing fear that
he’d hit a dead end. Railway yards, mines,
machine shops, bawdy houses, lumber
mills . ... all were scoured with ceaseless
patience. Finally a telegram that Bullock
had been seen in Great Falls sent him
hurriedly back along his first trail.

“Took at this,’ Ed Tyrrell, former
friend and employer of Bullock, tossed
a letter across the table. Signed “C. B.
Stirling” and written in Bullock’s hand-

“Td know him anywhere,” he _

Telephone 6951

BOWES |

HARDWARE AND ELECTRICAL
APPLIANCES |

Frigidaire Ranges and Refrigerators
Keymay and DuoTherm Oil Burners and
Stoves, Westinghouse Radios and Electri-
cal Appliances, Beatty Vacuum Cleaners

and Appliances.

WESTVIEW, B.C.

Phone 8111 |

JACK FLETCHER’S ~

Exclusive Men's and Boys’
| Wear |
WESTVIEW. B. C.
Bask |

|

HOTEL RODMAY
and CAFE

OF SERVICE TO YOU

*
Popular Rates, with or without Bath

*

POWELL RIVER, B. C.

Phone 6601

Beri's Meat Market

BERT OUSTON, Prop.

Quality Meats
WESTVIEW

Phene 5281

Westview Meat Market

Hal. Maskell, Prop. |
Quality Meats, Fish, Poultry, Etc. |

WESTVIEW, B. C. |

CANT’S

Shoe Store and Repairs

Westview, Powell River, B.C.

Page Forty-nine