Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-01-17


into the vein of TIolhrook, told with
brevity the scene in the old house in
Varick street
The recital soon won Holbrook's close
attention.
off you had told me this he said at
its conclusion, 1--WE would have been
well along in the quest without the aid
of this document
81 cannot for the life of me tell how
came to neglect it, but you see, on my
side l never knew, for you never told
me, that the name of Mrs. Templetons
father was Carroll Preston"
However, we have the connecting
link now, and the question as to who is
the person is narrowed to very few"
True. 1t must be either Messing, the
woman Simpson, or Preston"
cor Parker
"Ah, by George, he comes into the
game, too, doesn't he?"
Eyes, by reason Of his connection and
conspiracy with Preston"
"Holbrook,' said Tom, after a mo-
ments thought, 81 do not believe that
either Preston or Parker are in this part
of the job"
"Why-equally so with the others
"Listen to me a moment. In this pa
per, Pierson is at pains to state that Par
ker had no knowledge of his previous
life-that lie never knew that he bore
another name previous to that of Pier
son."
Eyes, I remembers; see what your
line of reasoning will be-"
"Well. Now he did know about the
Fountain and Simpson marriages. In
my interview with him he was only dis
turbcd when l talked of Fountain. He
was lawyer enough to know that II there
was no prior marriage, the Fountain
ceremony, whether mock or not, would
be binding if the supposed Fountain
could be identified with the dead Pier
son. Hence his disturbance at my
knowledge of the matter--a knowledge
which at that time l did not have, but
most rscklessly assumed to have"
"Well, but you forget Preston, the
drunkard."
mo, don't. This paper is dated 1874,
ten years ago, and in it is distinctly stated
that old Preston, the drunkard, turned
up five years previously. The old sot,
you will remember, wanted to argue
with Parker that he certainly was
brother, because for fifteen years Pierson
had paid him money, and you must give
full weight to the answer of Parker, that
it made little difference whether money
was paid him because he was brother
or whether it was because he possessed
III ;,,l al -,
hush monev-he was brother enough for
their purposes. Now this argues that
Parker was not fully acquainted with
this relation, nd that he really enter
tanned doubts Of the verify of the
brothcrship between the two-that the
relation, if not the acquaintanceship, be-
tween Preston and Parker had sprung
up since Persons death"
Il see, see. Yes, your reasoning is
close
CHOW" continued Tom, whatever
else we may think of Parker, it won't do
to take him for a fool. And fool he
would have been to open up this prop
ert} ship question, by his own motion,
ri.ht on the heels of the murder, if he
had been guilty of it, or implicated in it.
The fact that he and his client would
have been benefited by it would have
been too patent, and if he knew the rela-
ton Templeton bore to the property, he
had every reason to believe others would
know it; and with a guilty conscience
would think that that fact would be the
first to be pitched on"
81 am disposed to believe with you,
Tom"
you will, the more you turn over in
your mind that scene in Varick street
and my conversation with Parker. I'll
send for the Shadow, and together We'll
go over the conversation again, and I'll
write down both for you to study at your
leisure. 1t is quite as important to get
those out Of the case who did not do it,
as to get those in who possibly could
have done it"
THAT is shrewdly put, Tom," replied
Holbrook. bat you do not forget Park
er's call on me:"
"No, do not. That call, in my judg-
uent, was to find if possible whether OF
not Pierson had been engaged in mock
matrimonial scrapes prior to the Foun
tain episode, and of which he had nc
knowledge. Now, take fast hold of this
fact: Fountain could only be disturb
ing claimant in the event of there hav
ing been no previous marriage. If Parker
had known of the marriage of Carol
Preston, the issue of which was Mrs
Templeton, he would not have been a
all disturbed by my precipitation of the
Fountain name. He was visibly dis
turbed when falsely assumed to know
what l didn't then know, that Piersor
had once passed as Fountain. AS fo
the driveling old idiot of brother, he il
too far gone in rum to have ever con
ceived or executed the murder"
81 think you have made out a case
Tom. At all events, if the other lines o
inquiry fail, we have the precious pal
to fall back on"
"Now, if you agree with me, as you
seem TO, then it follows that there ar
only two left-the Simpson woman ant
Wessing."
"Well, then, let's consider these two
About Simpson we know no more thai