The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-12-18
SELECT STORY.
THE RAVEN;
Or, Perseverance Rewarded.
TOLD BY AN Ex-DETECTIvE.

forty years ago. The time was made
for the open air, for listening to the
birds; all round me were miles of love-
ly, sunny air and thousands of singing,
wild birds. / was seated in hand
some library. The tall window at my
left was open from top to bottom. a
soft breeze stirred the leaves and fresh
ened the air. Before me, on two
chairs, stood a huge chest almost full
of letters, and around me on the floor
lay several baskets into which / was
sorting these letters.
A drearier mass of correspondence l
had never encountered. 1t consisted
almost wholly of family letters. had
been engaged by the firm of Bradford
S Sons, solicitors, Lincoln Inn Fields,
and had come down from London to
examine documents at Stainforth Hall,
Staffordshire. in the hope of finding
other large sums of money in cash
or clew to where they were or whittier
they had gone. All was a blank. Turn
which way might l saw no glimmer
of success. To be sure, l should be
paid literally, for this was private
job, but even with detectives money is
not everything. l felt l was man
on boys errand. The junior clerk
in any office could haye done the work,
but the correspondence was, as have
said, purely of family kind, and it
was considered desirable to keep it
confidential.
The late Mr.. Stainforth had been
man of remarkable habits and many
peculiarties. Among the former was
life of strict seclusion and penurious-
ness among the latter his unalterable
objection to keep bank account. He
was neither philanthropist nor mis-
er. He devoted himself to scientific
studies, and in order to give the great
est time TO the prosecution of his pur-
suit, he kept apart from people he
lived sparingly because he thought fru-
gality was wholesome and expense
waste. He had no correspondence
with scientific societies or men. From
London were posted to him such books
and papers as he wanted. The only one
who shared his solitude with him was
Rob Granger, an old general atten-
dant, who made his bed, cooked his
simple food, went of errands to the
town, and was the sole means of COM
munication between his master and the
outer world.
There were two lodge gates on the
Stainforth demesne, and the families of
the lodge keepers were charged with
preventing the Hall falling into decay
from neglect. The lodge keepers them
selves looked after the demesne and
the sheep and COWS on it, for no guest
ever ratified at either of the rusty gates,
no carriage ever sped along the grass
grown avenue or sweep in front of the
old Hall.
Mr.. Stainforth never saw or had any
communication with his own agent.
| All business connected with the estate
was transacted through Bradford S
Son they remitted all money to Mr..
Stainforth in cash. Their messenger
went down from London once in the
six months, met old Rob Granger at
one of the lodges, handed him a sum
of between $4,000 and $4,000, took
Rob's receipt and returned to Lon
don.
Once a month the solicitors wrote
| the deceased a long letter giving him
details of what was going on in the
estate, and enclosing documents re-
quiring his signature or perusal. Do
cuments came back duly signed, but
there was reason to believe he never
read anything sent to him.
| On one occasion this was proved.
The Methodists of the neighborhood
applied for site on which to build
a chapel. During a whole year Brad
ford & Son kept asking Mr.. Stainforth
for instructions, but got no reply. The
people were urgent and pertinaclous.
There could be no objection to grant
ing them their request, and the solici-
tors prepared the necessary documents.
These were sent to the Hall, and came
\ back duly signed and witnessed by the
two lodge keepers.
The site granted was on the top of a
slight hill, about mile from the Hall
In due time the scaifolding was put up,
and the building began to rise. Upon
this Rob Granger was dispatched to
the hill to ascertain what was going
forward
Rob went back to the Hall with
word that a chapel was being built
with the full consent and approval of
Mr.. Stainforth. The latter never said
anything about the matter, and from
all those facts it was assumed that the
owner of the property did not read the
documents submitted to him, beyond
the places where he found IN pencil
the words "please sign here, and "sig-
nature of two witnesses" etc.
The particular branch of science to
which Mr.. Stainforth devoted himself
was unknown. l got vague notion
he did not give himself up to any par
ticular branch, but wandered about
whittier his whim for the moment
might take him. Bradford & Son had
nothing to do with procuring books,
papers or apparatus for him, Such
things he got and paid for directly
himself. When it became absolutely
necessary for any member of the firm
to see him--a circumstance which had
not occurred for years before his death
"A member of it met him in the lodge.
Nothing but business that was abso-
lutely imperative was referred to at
these infrequent interviews. /, of
course, had never been a visitor to the
lodge, and, from what heard, nothing
was to be gathered from these con-
tracts with the firm but knowledge of
the personal appearance of the recluse,
He was tall, thin, cadaverous, yellow
faced man, with a strongly.mar&ed
and wrinkeled face erect in form,
dressed in rusty black, gray-whiskered,
gray haired and so nervous and rest
less that he rarely sat down, even
when the business lasted an hour or
more.
AT the time of his death he was past
| 70-73-and his only heir was young
man of "a, on whom he had never set
eyes. The man died without a will,
and Bradford .S Son were now acting