The second read:
I. S. AND H. DOWN TO 28. ALL YOUR INDUSTRIALS SMASHED WIDE OPEN. FLETCHER NEALMAN GOES DOWN IN SMASH.
The sheriff halted in his search and took the messages from my hand. “I’m not much up on the stock market,” he said. “Do you know what these mean——”
“Not exactly. I know that I. S. and H. stock has taken a fearful drop—if he had bought heavily on margin his whole fortune might have been wiped out. Blair is a prominent speculator on the exchange. Industrials refer, of course, to industrial stocks. Fletcher Nealman was Mr. Nealman’s uncle, supposed to be a man of great wealth——”
“Then you think—Nealman was ruined financially?” He paused, seemingly studying his hands. “I wonder if it could be true.”
“You mean of course—the same thing that you guessed about Florey. Suicide?”
“Yes. I’ll admit there’s plenty against it.”
“If suicide—why did he cry for help?”
“Many a man cries for help after he’s started to do himself in. The darkness scares ’em, when it’s too late to turn back. That wouldn’t puzzle me at all. Killdare, do you know the importance of example?”