Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-01-31

first I could talk of nothing else, 81
that I got to be quite laughing stool
with my fellow servants at the inn, whel
I grew sulky and dropped it, which wa
afterward lucky for me. They, of course
talked about it too, for robbery of thai
magnitude under ones own roof was
enough to set any tongue wagging: but at
Ter a month or two the thing wore ava.
from their minds; whereas, with me it wa
as fresh as ever. Where could he have pu
that money when we searched him. and hi
room so thoroughly? and did he get clea
away with it? were the two questions thai
worried me most. That he stole the note
from Mr.. Dodd's drawer / took for gran
ted.
Perhaps should not so soon have go'
free Of my fellow servants chaf-especial
Iy as it had begun to rile-if something else
had not presently occurred to turn their
attention from the subject altogether
This was murder committed at Lewes
within a few miles of us. A murder is al
ways more exciting than a robbery, and in
this instance the victim was a Brighton
cab-driver, known to many of us, which, OF
course, made the incident more attractive
Otherwise it was common case enough:
the man had made few pounds in Der
by lottery and for those and a watch in Lis
pocket, the OJher, who was a bookmaker
on the turf, called Kyneton, had murdered
him Tho trial had notbipr nv
in it from first to last; but when the MUIR
derer had met his deserts, a certain para
graph appeared in a Lewes paper, which
being copied into other journals attracted
much attention, and set my ears tingling
more than anybody's. After the murderer
was found guilty, 1t is said, he made vol
unfairly statement to one of the prison
warders that it was he who had stolen the
notes from Mr.. Dodds at the Hand and
Glove Hotel, at Brighton, during the race
week in the previous autumn.
sCome, Bob," said my master, "that
disposes Of your friend Adamson's having
had anything to do with it, which you
thought such morale
"Well, sir, yes. I suppose it does,''
said I.
''Of course it does; and am very glad
this has happened, since it removes all sus-
picion from any one connected with The
hotel. You don't know anything of this
fellow Kyneton being about the place on
the Cup day, do you 20
NO, sir" said, ''but there were a
many folks coming and going, and especi
ally as you remember to congratulate Mr..
Dodds on his good fortune.''
''Just SO; and this Kyneton was one of
them no doubt.'
But for my part. l still stuck to my own
opinion. If Kyneton had stolen eleven
thousand pounds in the autumn, what
need had he to kill man for twenty
pounds and silver watcha few months at :
terward ? The man was not a gentleman.
and would not have flung SO much money
away in as many years. And why did he
tell a warder about t, instead of confess
ing his crime to a chaplain, in the usual
way?
The next Sunday happened to be my
Sunday out, and took advantage of it to
go to Lewes. 1 had an acquaintance
there who was sporting reporter upon the
staff Of the newspaper in which the para
graph first appeared, and I had a great
fancy to put a few questions to him. He
was civil fellow enough, and had had in
formation from me on certain occasions
one picks it up when dorsey gents are talk
ing together, in spite of their whispering
ways-which had been useful to him.
'Now, jack said, II want to see the
prison warder as this here Kyneton told
that story to about that robbery at our
hotel.'
"Well, to tell you the truth, Bob,'' he
says, laughing, you'll find that little
difficult. Between ourselves, it was all
bogus. 1t has been very successful, and
been quoted in all the London papers; but
no such statement was ever made"
''Then, how did it get into the papers?''
ooh, in the usual way; it was put in by
a penny-a liner; mere effort of the mag
nation"
"Then, Jack, must see that penny-a-
liner.''
ITO tell you the whole truth. Bob,' he
answered, with another laugh (but 1
thought not quite so natural one), she
stands before you; it was me as wrote it,
sob; you wrote it, did your Now, look
here; this will go no further" said I, ethan
you and me, but must know more. You
said you weuld tell me the whole truth;
then tell me, who was it as paid you to
write 1T ?''
swell, my proprietors, of cours e," he
answered sulkily.
II know that, but who paid you be-
sidep''
"Well, you must know, a man of the
name Of LOTUS. I met him at the Harp
here during the trial, and he said he would
give something to see himself in print. 1t
struck him, he said land he was right,
that to make Kyneton confess to the Dodds
robbery would be an attractive sort of
par THAT means paragraph, and between
MS we worked it up. It was more my COM
position than his, but did not tell him so
aud he promised me a guinea when he saw
it in type; and he paid the guinea like a |
man; and what was the harm in 1t?''
mo sort of harm, Jack,' says 1, sand
indeed rather the reverse. 7 do assure YOU.
you shall never get into trouble abont it,
but just tell me what this man was like. ,,
swell, he was rather Gown-looking
cove.'
"Hang-dog?" said I.
"Well, yes, to be frank, hang-dog-a
washed-out, Witty brown sort of fellow,
with beard?" inquired 1.
mo, with no beard,''
ttDi6 unn nntiao a,,,p 10. -. 49,.