Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-12-10

on Thursday night, or rather FTlday morn ing, goes long way toward verifying this saying. A crime has been committed by unknown assassin, within short distance of the principal streets of this great city, and is surrounded by an impenetrable mystery. Indeed, from the nature of the crime itself, the place where 1t was committed, and the fact that the assassin has escaped without leaving trace behind him, it would seem as though the case itself had been taken bodily out of one of Gaboreau's novels, and that his famous detective Lecocq only would be able to unravel it. The facts of the case are simply these:
 ''On the 27th day of July, at the hour of twenty minutes to o'clock in the morning, 8 hanson cab drove up to the police station, in Grey street, St. Kilda, and the driver made the startling statement that his cab contained the body of a man whom he had reason to believe had been murdered.
 'sBeing taken into the presence of the in spector, the cabman, who gave his name as Malcolm Royston, related the following strange story: .
 'At the hour of 1 o'clock in the morn-, ing, he was driving down Collins street East, when as he was passing the Burke and Wills monument he was hailed by gentleman standing at the corner by the Scotch church. He immediately drove up, and saw that the WHO AdllSu ull1 WdS SupEsOi b11kSo the deceased, who appeared to be very in toxicated. Both were in evening dress, but the deceased had no overcoat on, while the other wore a short covert coat of a light fawn color, which was open. As Royston drove up, the gentleman in the light coat said, Look here, cabby, here's some fellow awfully tight, you'd better take him homer
 "Royston then asked him if the drunken man was his friend, but this the other denied, saying that he had just picked him up from | the foot path, and did not know him from Adam. At this moment the deceased | turned his face up to the light of the | lamp under which both were standing, and the other seemed to recognize him, for he recoiled a pace, letting the l drunken man fall in heap on the pavement, and gasping out Your he turned on his heel, and walked rapidly away down Russell | street in the direction of Bourke street.
 "Royston was staring after him, and won | dering at his strange conduct, when he was | recalled to himself by the voice of the de- ceased, who had struggled to his feet, and was holding on to the lamp post, swaying to and fro I wan g'ome,' he said in a thick voice, St. Kilda.' He then tried to get into the cab, but was too drunk to do so, and | finally sat down again on the pavement. Seeing this, Royston got down, and lifting | him up, helped him into the cab with some considerable difficulty. The deceased fell back into the cab, and seemed to drop off to | sleep; so, after closing the door, Royston turned to remount his driving seat, when he found the gentleman in the light coat whom he had seen holding up the deceased, close tQ his elbow. Royston said, :Oh, you've come back and the other answered, Yes, 1ve changed my mind, and will see him home. 1 AS he said this he opened the door of the cab, stepped in beside the deceased, and told Roy ston to drive down to St. Kilda. Royston, who was glad that the friend of the deceased had come to look after him, drove as he had been directed but near the Church of Eng land Grammar school, on the St Kilda road, the gentleman in the light coat called out to him to stop. He did so, and the gentleman got out of the cab, closing the door after him.
 "'He won't let me take him home,' he said 'so I'll just walk back to the city, and you can drive him to St. Kilda'
 "'What street, sir? asked Royston.
 "'Grey street, I fancy said the other, but my friend will direct you when you get to the Junction.
 "'Ain't he too much on, sirp said Royston dubiously.
 "'Oh, TO; think he'll be able to tell you where he lives. It's Grey street or Ack1and street, fancy. I don't know which.' "
 "He then opened the door of the cab and looked in. Good night, old man. he said The other apparently did not answer, for ths gentleman in the light coat, struggling hil shoulders and muttering 'sull1y brute, closed the door again. He then gave Royston hall a sovereign, lit @ cigarette, and after mak ing few remarks about the beauty of tn, night walked off quickly in the direction o Melbourne. Royston drove down to th' Junction, and having stopped there, accord | fn0 tO his instructions he asked his fara sav eral times where he was to drive him to. Re ceiving no answer, and thinking that tn l deceased was too drunk to answer, h. l got down from his seat, opened tn door of the cab, and found the decease, lying back in the corner with handkerchie ! across his mouth. He put out his hand wit the intention of rousing him, thinking tha he had gone to sleep, when on touching hir the deceased fell forward, and on examina l tion, to his horror, he found that he wa quite dead. Alarmed at what had take place, and suspecting the gentleman in th , light coat, he drove to the police station g St. Kilda, and there made the above report The body of the deceased was taken out C the cab and brought into the station, doctc ! being sent for at once, On his arrival, how
 ever, he found that life was quite extinc and also discovered that the handkerchie
 which was tied lightly over the mouth ws
 saturated with chloroform He hau no hes
 tation in stating that from the way in whic
 the handkerchief was placed, and th
 presence of chloroform, murder ha
 been committed, and from all appearance
 the deceased died easily and without I3struggle The deceased is slender man, {
 medium height, with a dark complexion, an
 is dressed in evening dress; which will fendf i identifcation difficolt, as 1t is costurr |