Then I wanted to come myself and
tell you, after reading the reports and insinuations in the
paper, that your daughter was not with Reginald Payn-
ter when he was killed. She had no knowledge of the
crime and as far as I know may not have yet. I have
not seen her and do not know where she is; but I was
present when Mr. Paynter was killed. I have known him
for years and have often driven with him. He stopped
me yesterday afternoon on the street in Payson and
talked with me. He was sitting in a car in front of the
bank. After we had talked a few minutes two men came
out of the bank. Mr. Paynter introduced them to me. He
said they were driving out into the country to look at a
piece of property--a farm somewhere north of Oakdale
--and that on the way back they were going to stop at
The Crossroads Inn for dinner. He asked me if I
wouldn't like to come along--he kind of dared me to,
because, as you know, The Crossroads has rather a bad
reputation.
"Father had gone to Toledo on business, and very
foolishly I took his dare. Everything went all right un-
til after we left The Inn, although one of the men--his
companion referred to him once or twice as The Oska-
loosa Kid--attempted to be too familiar with me.
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