The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1886-10-20


bless your
And II But / shall not weary the reader
with any analysis Of my emotions. It was
dark December morning; ah, how unlike
that bright summer weather in which Daisy
and ! had first met and learned to love each
otherl But when Jhess words fell from the
detectives lips. the summer sun shone out
again, and the birds sang in my heart and
the very heavens seemed 10 be opened above
me.
Il don't wonder at your being upset, gem
tlemen. feel bit queer myself; but you
must really compose yourselvei and listen to
what have to tell you never had such
story to tell before. Lor bless mel Pl never
believe in clever men again. Every one of
them is alike They play their game so
beautifully that you think there can be no
catching 'em; and then, 10 and behold you
find that all the time they have been playing
your game, too, and In the way that you
least of all expected"
Having delivare himself of this exordium,
Bic ski look from his pocket small parcel,
from which he duly extracted the little
memorandum book l had found at Great
Lorton Hall.
aThis book, gentlemen, is neither more nor
less than the diary of Francis Branksome,
Esquire, NJ D., for nearly tho whols of the
present year. An in it DR.. Branksome has
set down. all as plain as a pikestaff, the
whole history Of his own proceedings during
that time, and Of the crimes whi h he has
committed, including the murder of Mr..
Mauleverer, and the plan by which the sus-
picion OF that murder was to be thrown up
on Miss Stancliffe.
A cry Of horror broke from the lips of
Harding. For my part, / sat spellbound
ard silent
81 never saw anything in my life before to
compare with this, gentlemen" continued
the detective, shaking his head emphatically.
II have seen many queer things in my
time; Tut never anything like this Here's
a clever man, an educated man, man who
thinks that he can take in everybody around
him, and that we are all nothing more than
chessmen to be moved about by him at his
pleasure-aye and man who does move
people about just as he pleases for year
after year; and yet this clever man Is such a
fool that he thinks he can put his secrets into
writing and prevent anybody discovering
ien. simply because he mixes up two sys-
TENT Of short hand, and makes one of his
own out of EN-, in which to keep his diary"
Bielski looked round as though to ask our
opinion on the subject
'I remember" said Harding, "a case Of a
murderer in Paris who was convicted
through diary in which he left a record of
all his crimes"
@Do you indeed, sirG Well, all can say is
that it is the first time I've come across such
q case. But now, gentlemen, / must tell
you what the diary says It took me and
my mate al day yesterday and down to
three o'clock this morning to translate ii;
and we shouldn't have got done with it yet
II 1t hadn't been that luckily this clever DR.,
Branksome had chosen for his cipher two
systems, both of which my friend happened
to know"
Thereupon Bielski produced large batch
Of manuscript, and he began to turn over
the pages, most of which saw we're covered
with his handwriting.
GMy friend deciphered, and wrote down
as he read it, he explained to u.s. II am
not going to trouble you with the early part
Of the story, though there is plenty that /
shall have Co deal with afterwards. Pil keep
straight to what concerns this case. Here is
the first extract after he has seen you. Mr.
Fenton: Arrived Scarborough six a. H.
Went ashore at eight, ann joined The boss and
Daisy at Grand hotel The old man very
well; appears to have got over the attack of
bronchitis. Looks as If he might live twenty
years vet Had the usual business talk with
him. and settled everything satisfactorily
No suspicion of Fosdyke's game Fos-
dykes game,n said the detective, breaking
off suddenly, "was to transfer an immense
number Of Mauleverer's bonds into portable
and transferable securities. The rogues
were determined, whether the man lived or
died, 60 dip their hands into his pocket
Found 10 my disgust that Daisy has made
the acquaintance of young man named
Fenton ! suspected something from her
manner of speaking Of him. 1t seems that
he protected her from that brute Gregson at
York railway station, and she repays him
by falling in love with him. l made an
opportunity of observing them both closely
There Is no doubt that he is fond of her, and
find that he has got an influ nee over her
which must destroy as speedily as possible.
A commonplace, inoffensive young man, but
In my way, ard therefore to lie got out Of
it'n
This extract affords fair sample of the
rfect frankness with which Branksome
had committed his thoughts to PAGER. Tnere
was not the faintest attempt in the diary at
self-deception. If he told lie, he said so
straight out; if he committed any CT me,
trivial or great, It was described with cynical
plainness OF speech. If the whole of that
extra rdinary volume We're to be published
it would be one o, the most interesting psy-
Geological revelations ever given to the
world
But it must suffice for my purpose here to
give but brief series of extracts from the
diary. The entry referring to my visit to
the hall was as follows:
September 20 This morning procured
from London my old medicine chest. Found a
good supply of strychnia. Ascertained that
the boss had got new box of pills from
Carrick yesterday. Have been busy expsri-
menting all the morning, making up pow
ders In imita ion Of Carrick's Fenton came
on visit just before dinner hour-more des-
perateIy in love than ever. After dinner he
and Daisy went into the garden together
and set Flinter to watch them. He was
the witness Of very pretty love scene--
Daisy and her young gentlemen billing and
cooling in the most approved style. When /
got the boss away from his guast at night !
told him the whole story in my own fashion
and let him know that I hal ascertained
quite enough to prove that Fenton was a
scamp, probably in League with Gregson.
had little difficulty with him at first. He
seemed to have taken rather liking to tho
lad But when told him that he had been
speaking contemptuously Of him MAUI
everer) to Daisy, and spsculating upon the
chance Of his dying soon, and leaving them
IN possession of his wealth, his temper
changed, and he became furiously angry, and
told me that Fenton must bs got out Of the
house Immediately after breakfast tomorrow
morning. Flinter, find, has grave suspi-
cions that Fenton knows something, and in
sists upon his being removed from the spot
ct the moment the grand coupi As struck
Then came other entries describing my
departure from the hall, and the way in
which Branksome succeeded in infaming
the mind Of the doomed Mauleverer against
both me and Daisy. Finally came the story
Of the execution Of the vile plot itself
October 7-Daisy was sent of to Little
Lorton with strict orders to procure enough
strychnia to poison all the rats in the hall.
Brought back big parcel of the stuff, and
seemed quite frightened at having it in hel
possession. Am keeping up the estrange
ment between her and the boss. Went int
the latter's room tonight after be had gone
to bed, and suggested that hs did not looi
well Proposed he should have one Of hi
powders He assented to this and duly
administered it to hin. On taking, ths
powder from the box in the dFess ing room
slipped in my own powder of stTychnia
Isaw that the powders .were taken in regu
lar order, so placed mine near tue bottom q
the box. It will come due, ] calculate, in I
fortnight
aOctober 8-Ieft hall this morning fol
Scarborough and the yacht Fesdyke wen
with me, having evaaei the old mans reques
that be would complete his new will q
once. Query: Thatw will is not very l;kel'
10 be executed now. is III Took an afYecsi Jon