Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-09

pended In RlsSborough, as tradeSmen de-
serted their shops to join the crowd of sight
seers, but the country people focked in
from miles round, attracted by the novel
spectacle and the sensational rumors to
which every hour gave birth. Another cor
don of police surrounded the house, which
remained iealously guarded day and night.
Mr. Jorkins having thus disposed Of his
forces began fresh search within the house.
He had been conducted over the house when
first Mr.. Fraser was reported missing, even
going to the extent of having some heavy
chests unscrewed, only to find that the said
chests were filled with Mr.. Fraser's precious
tones that the book-worm had not had
leisure to unpack. He had conducted his
search so thoroughly within the house, that
he was not very sanguine that any further
efforts in the same directions would be re-
warded. But the snubbing he had received
from the bench had not been without effect,
and Mr.. Jorkins resolved that he would be
a model of wariness, and leave neither chink
nor crevice uneXamined.
1t was all in vain. The house was ex-
plored by the men under him, in his own
presence from room to room, and from cell
ing to basement. But there was no sign of
Mr.. Kenneth Fraser, living or dead. Then
began more prolonged and tedious search
within the inclosure of the grounds, which
lasted for many days. Wherever there was
an appearance of the ground having been
disturbed, although such appearance
seemed to indicate almost infallibly that
the ground had only been disturbed by
Forbury in the pursuit of his occupation as
gardener, men were employed to dig deep in
the hope that they might find the remains
of the victim buried under the innocent
looking soil.
ii fas 1aI
trenches were dug, and bored with iron
rods with like results. And as these and
other like efforts proved abortive, men be-
gan to talk of the Mystery of Clump Cot
tage, and the newspapers teemed with para
graphs recounting the daily search and the
barren result.
After every foot of ground of the kitchen
garden had been examined, there only re-
mained the orchard-if that can be called
an orchard which consisted of meadow land
that remained in the same condition as
when Mr.. Fraser purchased the property
with the addition of some scores of Young
fruit trees that had not yet reached the dig
nity of fruit-bearing. The orchard was
mown, but the most careful scrutiny failed
to reveal that single sod had been dis
turbed; and at last Mr.. Jorkins was fain to
confess that wherever else the body of Mr..
Frazer might be, it was not to be found at
Clump Cottage, nor anywhere on the
premises.
But Mr.. Jorkins, who was sorely nom
plussed, would not confess to defeat. The
same maneuvers he had adopted at Clump
Cottage were gone through, in much less
time, at John Forbury's cottage. Risely
wood was searched inch bv inch, and the
pool again dragged. Only when every
place. likely and unlikely, had been ex-
amined in the neighborhood, and each alike
had refused to give up the ghastly secret,
Mr.. Jorkins announced his intention to
have the Thames dragged, as a,last resort.
When this, too, failed, the police, COM
pletely at their wits end, fell back on the
theory that Mr.. Kenneth Fraser must either
have voluntarily absented himself, and was
preserving the secret of his retirement for
some reason best known to himself, or that
he had been spirited away and was being
forcibly detained.
The latter theory had been first broaehed
by the local newspaper, which, as the weeks
slipped by, began to write furious articles,
challenging the justice of the magistrates
in subjecting the three prisoners to per-
petual remands when the proof that crime
had been committed was not even iorthcom-
ing. "If," said the Rissborongh Inde-
pendent, 'it is to be accepted as fact that
Mr.. Fraser did actually return home on
that fateful Tuesday. and that no sign of
his remains can be discovered, it is a more
rational suppusition to conclude that the
accused have stopped short of murder, and
have craftily contrived to hurry him away
to some secret place of retirement. Prob
ably they have accomplices. In that even
their liberation, which is by this time due
TO Justice, may be found in the long run to
further the ends OF Justice, by supplying
the police with some clue that may enable
them to penetrate the secret OF Mr.. Fraser's
retreat, for that Mr.. Fraser is detained