The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1872-02-02
MI is Q ellaneous.
CONDEMNED by A CLOCK.
BY WILKlE COLLINS.

On summer evening, some years ago a
man was found murdered in field near II
certain town in the West of England. The
name of the field was "Pardon's Piece
The man was small carpenter and build
er in the town, who bore an Indifferent
character On the evening in question: u
distant relative of his, employed as farm
bailitf by a gentleman in the neighborhood,
happened to be passing a stile which led
from the field into road, and saw gen.
tleman leaving the field by way of this stile
rather in hurry. He recognized the gen.
tleman (whom he knew by sight only as a
Mr.. Dubourg.
The two passed each other on the road
in opposite directions. After certain
/ lapse of time-estimated as being half an
hour-the farm bailiff had occasion to pass
back along the same road. On reaching
the stile he heard an alarm raised, and en-
tered the field to see what was the matter.
He found several persons running from the
farther side of Pardon's Piece toward boy
who was standing at the back of cattle
shed, in a remote part of the Enclosure,
screaming with terror. At the boys feet
lay, face downward, the dead body of a
man, with his head horribly bepten in.
His watch was under him, hanging out
of his pocket by the chain. 1t had
opped-evidently in consequence of the
conclusion of its owners fall on tat half
past eight. The body was still warm.
All the other valuables like the watch,
were left on it. The farm bailiff instantly
recognized the man as the carpenter and
builder mentioned above.
At the preliminary inquiry the stoppage
of the watch at half past eight was taken
as offering good circumstantal evidence
that the blow which had killed the man
had been struck at the time.
The next question was-if any one had
been seen near the body at half past eight
The farm bailiff declared that he had met
Mr.. Dubourg hastily leaving the field by
the stile ut that very time Asked if he had
looked at his watch, he owned that he had
not done so. Certain previous circum-
stances which he mentioned as having i'm
pressed themselves on his memory, enabled
him to feel sure of the truth of this asser
ton without having consulted his watch
He was pressed on this important point
but he held to his declaration. At halt
past eight he had seen Mr.. Dubourg hur-
riedly leave the field At half past eight
the watch of the murdered man had stop
ped. Had any other person been observed
in or near the field at the time?
No witness could be discovered who bad
seen any body else neal the place. Had
the weapon turned up with which the blow
had been struck 1t had not been found
Was .n1 one known (robbery having plain
| ly not been the motive of the crime) to
have entertained a grudge against the MUIR
dered man. 1t was no secret that he associa.
ted with doubtful characters, male and fe.
male; but suspicion failed to point to any
one Of them in particular.
In this state of things there was no al
tentative but to request Mr.. Dubourg-
I well known, in and out of the town, as
young gentleman of independent fortune
bearing an excellent characterize give
some account of himself.
He Immediately admitted that he had
passed through the field. But, in contra
diction to the farm bailiff, he declared tina
he had looked at his watch at the moment
before he crossed the stile, and that the
time by it was exactly quarter past eight
Five minutes later-that is to say, ten min
utes before the murder had been committed
on the evidence of the dead mans watch
he had paid visit to lady living nea
Pardon's Piece, and had remained with he
until his watch, consulted once more OIL
leaving the lady's house, informed him tina
it was quarter to nine.
Here was the defence called an "alibi.'
1t entirely satisfied Mr.. Dubourg's friends
To satisfy justice also it was necessary t,
call the lady as a witness. In the mean
time another purely formal question wa
put to Mr.. Dubourg Did he know any
thing of the murdered man?
With some appearance of confusion, MI
Dubourg admitted that he had been in
duced (by friend) to employ the man o.
some work. Further interrogation extract
ed from him the following statement G
facts:
That the work had been very badly done
that an exorbitant price had been charge
for it; that the man, on being remonstrat
ed with, had behaved in grossly impert
nent manner; that an alteration had tt
ken place between them that Mr.. Dr.
bourg had seized the man by the collar
: the coat, and had turned him out of til