The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-05-31

z. he was now shiveriug all over. l too
l. him to my room and gave him stl
10 horn OF grog. He lay down on tn
a bunk, turned his face to the wall, an
/. at length seemed to fall asleep. As fo
p myself, did not feel at all sleepy. I
! distract my thoughts l busted mysel
e for time in writing. Then | took
K book from the shelf and tried to read
l.. but could not fix my mind on the page
: i am tremendously happy / kept hear
e ing in my ears. Poor StapletOn! Th
2 ship that had 80 nearly brought death Il
: all of us had brought it indeed to him
s After all. what a strange death it was
8 Could it be possible that it had not beer
e accidental-that he had met his deatf
? by violence? But who could have in
! flicted it? Who on board was his en-
| emy2 All of a sudden. l don't know
why, l began to think of that boat
, swinging on it's davits, What could
| have set it swinging2 Not the motion
of the vessel, at that time she was going
as steadily as a church. No; some one
must have set it swinging. 1t hung
right opposite the place where the body
lay. Suppose somebody had been con-
cealed in the boat. and did
But my speculations had made me so
uneasy that l ran from my seat and
Opened the door to go out.
Broxill stood before me; he had just
been on the point of summoning me.
They have made some discoveries, he
said in an undertone as we walked
along, 'and the captain wants you. She
has been told he added.
| tHou, Iid oha 70 II -
Step this way and see for yourself,
was his reply.
He took me to the door of his room,
which stood partly ajar. He pushed it
open and | entered. Mrs. Stapleton was
sitting beside the body of her husband,
with her hands folded in her lap. She
greeted me with look. She was
changed-her face and lips were white
and drawn, but her eyes were blacker
and larger than l had ever seen them,
and her black hair hung down over her
shoulders. But she was perfectly calm,
unnaturally 80.
1t is a sad loss to all of u.s. said, not
knowing what to say. But it's awful
to think what it must be to you. 1t is
Gods will, Mrs. Stapleton.'
She looked me straight in the face.
|
| 'Murderp | repeated. The assurance
with which she spoke, coming on the
heels of my own misgivings, startled me
painfully.
Look here she returned. Does this
look like spOplexy? They none of them
saw it, but saw it! And l call it muir
der
AS she spoke she lifted the thick beard
IaI. 4. nd
either side of the Adams apple, saw
two small dscolorations, such as would
be made by the forcible grip of thumb
and finger. | could not repress an ex'
clamation. Mrs. Stapleton smiled.
The man whose fingers made those
marks is on board this vessel, she said,
and he will be known before we reach
port. He has been cunning but he will
be known. could name him now, but
it will not be necessary
/ can only say hope you are mis-
taken, replied. She said nothing, but
leaned back in her chair, assuming the
same impasslve attitude as when | en-
tered. | left her and rejoined Broxill,
who was waiting outside.
She means all she says, he observed;
and when you have heard some other
things you may be more inclined to
agree with her.
As we emerged upon the deck l no
ticed that the wind had changed and the
steamer was rolling heavily in long
swell. The storm had set in; but, COM
ing so gradually, it did not promise any
thing more than wet deck. When we
reached the captains quarters we found
number of men assembled there. When
we had taken our places the captain,
who looked very grave, addressed us as
follows:
Gentlemen. this case, Pm sorry to
say, has another look than 1t had at
first want you to hear the evidence
before proceeding further. LAMA, stand
forward and tell what yon saw
LAMA was one of the tiremen who
stocked the engines. His testimony was
to the effect that shortly before the
alarm of the ship he had come up and
put his head out of the hatchway for a
breath of air. He had then seen two
men standing betwse him and the boat
on the davits. One was broad-shoul-
dered man; the other was taller and
slenderer. Both had their backs toward
him. The taller one had his arm round
the Others neck, and they were sway
ing this way and that. He supposed
they were merely 'larking,' and after a
moment he was called from below and
went down again. 1t was not five min
utes afterwaId that the order to put the
helm a.port was given.
That might make it about five to ten
mir Ites after you last saw Stapleton,
said the captain to me. 'Thatll do,
LAMA. Now. Savory, what have you to
reportT
If you pie Sc, captain, said the stew
; ard, 'yoL gave me orders at dinner time
To fasten down all the port holes in the
staterooms. l and my mate went into
every stateroom and fastened them up
with the wrench. We didn't miss one,
You said you expected there'd be sea
on before morning, and you was very
particular, Well, captain, about half
an hour ago the sea got up, sure enough,
and it was reported that water was com.
ing in somewhere. | went to examine
and found it was in stateroom 90. The
scuttle in that room was open. I'm pos.
tive screwed it up at dinner time
Where is stateroom 23r asked the
captain.
III you please, sir, it's right under the
part of the deck where Mr.. Stapleton's
body was found
Were you anywhere near room 90 at
any other time during the evening than
those you mentioned ? the captain pur-
sued.
Yes, captain; l knocked on the door
few minutes before the time when you
sighted the eastward-bound ship,
could get no answer, and supposed the
party owning the room must be hard
asleep, or else not there. The door was
locked
The captain now addressed himself tc
me. DO you know at what hour DR.
Feltwike went to his room this evening Z
he inquired.
1t was not very long after dinner.
saw him into his loom. He said he hao
a toothache, After the death had been
discovered l went TO his door again and
/; called him. He came out Immediately
He seemed much shocked at the news.
Now, Mr.. Broxill, have you anything
to say P asked the captain.
L have this to say replied Broxill
and it may mean much or little. When
was examining 1t l perceived a dis
tinct odor of musk. 1t was so percepti
BILE that at first l thought it must be
!. from DR.. Feltwike, who Is the only per-
son on board that uses il. But he was
, not in the room at the time. l after
ward discovered that the odor was at
tached to the beard of the corpse. AS
the deceased was aveTse to the perfume
it seemed odd that it should be on him
That is all have to say-except that, as
YOU all know, Mrs. Stapleton afterward
found two marks on each side OF the