Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1879-12-05

It fell with crash.
| Right below this window was flower
bed. In the soft mold were prints OF a
mans knees and OF his left hand. There were
also marks as though his toes had struck the
soil. The servant man who slept near the
spot had heard no noise in the night except
what sounded like the banging Of shutter
and as there was wind they thought nothing
of that.
Lawyer Terwhit was a very shrewd man
and clever criminal expert The authori-
ties were duly notified Of the dreadful crime
which had been perpetrsted, and measures
were taken to find clue TO the guilty per-
son or persons The motive was clearly
plumber. The perpetrator knew that the
doctor kept valuables IN his apartments II
would also seem as though they knew where
there was a defective window. The points
presented in the case we're numerous and
pregnant:
|. There was no possible means OF access
to the apartments Of the doctor except by
the window already spoken of That this
had been used was evident. II was twelve
feet from the ground. There were marks Oh
feet on the coping just below, Us slough
some one had walked along il from the cor.
ner, clinging to the windows, on purpose to
avoid leaving traces. Immediately below in
the soil there were no marks Of feet and nc
impression Of any sort other than those al.
ready mentioned, namely, the marks of the
knees, the toes and left hand. These, il was
very clear, had been made by person in
falling, and were turned away from the
window, the toe-marks being nearest and
the landmarks farthest of. The impress.
sions were evidently made by the murderer
in his descent from the window. The bot.
tom of the window sash showed ON II stains
Of blood, with pieces Of skin adhering How
had the blood and skin come there?
2. The throat of the doctor had been cut
as the murderer stood al the left side. The
knife was clearly drawn from right 10 left,
and hence the cash In the bolster on the left
side. The position Of the knife on the left
side of the bed, where the assassin bad
dropped it, also proved that he stood on that
side when he perpetrated the deed.
3. On the soil outside Of the window there
were impressions Of his knees, two toes, and
the left hand only. The person forcing the
lock of the desk had leaned against the right
wall, and evidently worked with his left
hand. The person who welded the fatal
knife had used the left hand, for the wound
slanted upward from the edge and was
made from the left side II made from the
left side with the right hand il would either
have been straight down or inclined from
the entrance Of the knife downward. A
moments thought will show the justness of
this reasoning.
t. Was the murderer left handed! He
might have been; but in that case Why did
he not fall on the right hand as well rs the
left in descending, or rather falling from the
window?
g. Had the murderer only one hand, and
that the lefty That seemed 10 be the fact,
and then the remarkable coincidence pre-
scented itself of man with only the left
arm being murdered by man with only
the left arm.
8. Were the dog and the murderer old
triendsg II they were, the savage beasts
quietness was accounted for.
Wisbeach is on the wash, n small arm Of
the sea, and does n small coast trade. Sea
faring men live there. Half mile from
DIR. Hunston's resided one Joseph Harrell.
an old man Of wars man. He had lost the
right arm by the explosion of gun when
firing salute, and had received his dis.
charge. He was In middle life, and the
head Of the gang of smugglers who fire.
quented the Norfolk coast. He was pretty
hard character. Suspicion of having killed
Dr. Funston fell on this man from the fact
Of his having only the left arm. He was ar
rested and examined as 10 his whereabouts
on the night Of the murder. II was 10 clearly
proved that he was elsewhere that all sus-
picion had faded away.
Lawyer Terwhit found himself executor
Of the dead mans will, and went 10 work
- settle the estate. All the property, with
the exception Of few trifing legacies, was
bequeathed To James Hunston. the Doctor's
illegitimate son.
The young man was notified OF his fathers
sudden end, and he fastened down 10 Wis
beach. lie had recently had fall from a
horse and sprained his right hand which he
carried in sling. lie did not stay at his
late uncle's residence, but ut hotel, and NJ
soon as possible settled all the affairs Of the
estate which needed his presence, and re.
turned 10 London. lie listened N sll the
theories rs 10 the perpetration Of the crime
with deep attention, and only made one re-
mark. When the circumstance Of there
having been found the marks Of two knees
and ten tocs and Of only one hand, WAS
mentioned, young Hunston said
is il not just possible that those marks
were made by my father himself lie might
have fallen, lor you know he was fond Of
going among the flower beds and examining
leaves and beetles and worms and such like
This sci Lawyer Terwbt thinking. The
Doctor was proverbally careless man in
his attire, aud II he had fallen on the damp
soil. ~ suggested. his clothes would show IT,
They were examined. but there was nothing
10 indicate that such sn accident had hap
pened. But the lawyer had suddenly sc-
quircd theory of his own. aud he resolved
10 zee whittier II led.
When young Hunston quilted Nisbeach
he went to Petcrboro 81 await the London
coach. for the time, be- II remembered, was
before railroads rhe morning following
the coach started, with Hunston on the box.
seat, near the driver. On one Of the rear
seats sal a wellto-do-farmer. comfortably
but plainly dressed. When the c'aoh reach.
ed London this farmer hurried away. but
not far Once outside the precincts of the
old Bull and Mouth, on Holborn. where the
coach stopped. he turned and posted himself
in doorway. Soon young IIunston came
out. and was about ioenter cab which had
been called for him. Suddenly thought