A DISCOVERY
The doctor from New York discovered something which the eagle eye of
Detective Ferrett had not discovered. And which the Bridgeboro doctors
had not discovered. It was nothing new. It was just two or three tiny
cracks in the skull of the fugitive criminal, not far from the rapidly
healing cut which he received in his deed of heroism. It might have been
two or three years old, the doctor said. He seemed keenly interested in
it.
As a consequence of this, Detective Ferrett and a young doctor from the
hospital called at the homes of several of the older scouts and
questioned them about Blythe's demeanor at camp. The boys had tried to
tell the detective of their companion's peculiarities but he had not
condescended to listen. He listened now. And the outcome of all this
business was another article in the Bridgeboro Record:
CRIMINAL TENDENCIES CAUSED BY CRACKED SKULL?
A delicate operation was performed yesterday on the skull of
Darrell, the Canadian fugitive who is recovering from injuries
in the Bridgeboro hospital. The shaving of the hair from his
head for the purpose of dressing a slight wound received on the
day of his capture was the means of revealing a small damage to
the skull, evidently caused by a previous accident. It was found
that the crushed area of bone caused a depression deep enough to
press upon the brain which might account for his mental state
which is said to be abnormal.
Darrell has been subject to occasional fits of depression and is
said to have become easily excited. The present indications are
that the operation was successful. The patient is resting easily
and talks more rationally than at any time since his capture. A
police guard is being kept at his bedside and it is the
intention of the authorities to question him when he is able to
submit to such examination.
County Detective Ferrett, whose skill is responsible for the
capture of Darrell where he was in hiding at Camp Merritt,
thinks that the damage to his skull may very likely have been
caused by a blow received in an altercation at the time he
killed his victim.
And so a few days elapsed, and the poor helpless victim was surrounded
by officials enough, both local and Canadian, to capture the whole
hospital. But the victim, pale and swathed and bandaged, had the
advantage of them, and they could only wait. Old Mother Nature cannot be
hurried by the law. Much of the time Blythe slept. Then, one fine day,
he asked for Roy and Pee-wee. They asked him what he wanted of Roy and
Pee-wee and he said he wanted to hear them jolly each other....