The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-08
CHAPTER XIV.

George Cqndlemas, though in n terrible con-
diton of exhaustion, was not deal
| The detective. in suito OF his fears for his
| own safety ascNrtHned Tint.
Tho heart was still boating. though tho rris-
hC 81 T shou GS o hSp WITH all his
! might lie had NJ desire TO remain in his
proept position moment Longer than ne
ance came at once all hope OF saving the ap-
pgrently dying man would be over, ,,.
| OF Fisk who. having heard OF the recent dis
! coverles. had come to have look at the scene
OF the supposed murder on his own account
sistance, and presently, with the aid OF Sir
! Arthur, no gardener, Fisk. and acouple OF la
horcrs tho detective was hauled IN to the top
| OF tho tree, npd thon the inqnimato body OF
| George Condemns was gently and carefully
brought out into the light oil day and borne TO
< doctor had been summoned and pro-
| nounced 1t complete state OF collapse from
starvation. Tho roor follow had evidently
! been prisoner in the oak Tor some days. An
examination OF tho interior Of the tree proved
In u scoop shaped hollow OF the Interior little
rain water which had collected was still loft.
George Candlcmas was 10 n comatose state.
| Conversation with him was IMPOSSIBLE and he
doctor was doubtful If he had not become too
"e On Gis return TO tho Hall with his precious
charge Mr., Bipks found message from the
The description Of tho horsey- looking man
which had been circulated among the police
had LODI TO an arrest
a
in CUSTODY. He had boon identified rs bot
ting man and had confessed that he was the
person who had had tho um-colored over
| coat in his possession.
The explanation he gave was as follows:
On the, afternoon OF the 18th OF April he had
attended steeptchase moeting held about
! two miles from Strangeways Hall.
He had made a book on, the course, and hav-
ing unfortunately betted beyond his means.
had been unabl to pay when particularly hot
He had been detected in tho act of quietly
| n "a
had been raised. and the crowd giving chase,
had followed him to q field and there unmerci-
had. and stripped the clothes from his back.
leaving him In his shirt sleeves.
terrible run. found shelter in a little wood.
There he remained, trembling and terrified
bsn, on fnd De s r, to sHs
he might either be arrested as a va.abond or
subjected TO urtner i'll usage II any OF the local
poop o recognized him as he welsher.
As he was wandering about tho wood won
dering how Oh earth ho should get to London
harenGaisd and in his tattGred shirt sleeves
FenrinE discovery, he ran further into the
/ wood and concealed himself until all was quiet
Then he creut out again and determined to
make Tor the open.
As he was stumbling along in the obscurty.
He stopped down and picked them IN. and
found tina they we're u hat and an overcoat
Ii they hnd lailen from the clouds they could
not have come moro proEldentially.
Without stopping 10 consider how they came
there he put tnem on.
lie was row able to got on tho road toward
LONDON. for III the ticket pocket OF tho over:
coat he found six ;hillinGs in silver and half
With difficulty lie managed to find tho edge
OF the wool. anl was Just entering into tho
lie was still nervous In G rnse Iuenre OF the
i'll usage he had received during the carrier
part OF tho day and instinctNely put up his
The NEXT instant the man dealt him heavy
blow with his stitk. which struck him on tho
Without stoprinR 10 be further maltreated
he rusned Ina PRECAUTIONARY hf%d into the Tood
on tho overcoat he had lust put on with
hqWRdker ,;l which he found II the pocket:
and eventually succeeded in stopping the blood
10y bathing his nose with the water Of the little
stream In the wood.
He then made his way to tho nearest station
nud caught the last train IN to town.
lie declared that ,EentIemnn took up the
hat he had found By miNt"ke a. tn" Cati Royal
two evenings aferwHid and that the same
man had pursued him one afternoon in the
Strand and had taken tho coat from him.
Inquiries made nj the address he gave estab-
lished his identity a Robert simmons known
as eIMent attendant At race meetings,
being in tho outside breast pocket ho declared
he mover felt there, and that he never saw tho
name OF Geor 20 tand omas on the coat.
I'm said Sorg.ant Binks. rs soon as he
had read ne rep m, thai accounts or Sir Ar.
clear ny the mystery. ,,GeocGe Condemns Is
hardly likely TO have flung away his hat and
coat ana umbrella. ana thon climbed hollow
tree in order to drop down inside 1t. and starva
to death. That's not the way a man commits
suicide. hope To- goo mess ne recover suf-
ciently to speak. for uness he himself gives
tho clue 70 this mystery am perfectly certain
that it will never Ue ound."
On interviewing the doctor the detective was
informed that there was not a chance Of tina
patient speaking that day. lie was lowering
between lie and death. and his recovery would
depend upon tho most vigilant care.
one thinl; tho doctor informed the detective.
however, which sti! further puzzled him,
That was that there were marks OF vio-
lonre at all about tho body. but that there was
rcsulte from iall.
80 marks OF violence" exclaimed the de-
toctive. then he wasn't attacked by ANYBODY
But i. no wasn't oyerpowered or rendered n-
sensible how. in the name OF nil that's posi-
Bile wa ho carried up thattree and dropped
down inside II -
Leaving the paticnt in the hands OF tho doc
tor, and giving strict instructions to Sir Arthur
on no account to make any Inquiries on
MS own account rs an amateur. Sergeant
links went mp to town to call on Mrs. Candle
mas and report tho discovery OF her son. and
oS m ber oSsiI mos g was pareu
larry anxious to know what kind OF shouting 1t
T was ,nHt: on The night Of the 18th Of April,
further into the rrccs-es Of tho wood.
When the detective reached town his first
visit wa to Mrs, andlomas.
though relieved that her son had been found
awe, hhn was ma uray distressed to hear Of
MS condition, and rs tho last train that night
a aad leit l9r StrnngeTays sue determined to go
bedside aS early rs possible on tho morrow.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE NARRATIVE OF LIEUT. CoxwELL r. y.
on tho day following tho discovery OF the
missing man In n dying condition in q hollow
OAK in q wood on Sir Arthur Strangeways's es-
tlo, u brief account Of the sensational affair
appeared In the London morning papers.
me whole story was not told because the