Passaic City record., 1891-10-10

looked disappointed. Remember what
you have told me. At $50 the door
was"
CLOSED. I am almost certain"
-Only almost certain? That won't do,
my dear. Stay. Let me help you to fix
your memory. You say you knocked at
the door. Hard?"
Yes, with my knuckles; hard enough
to be heard inside.
Then the door, if it had been open,
would have given way. Did ~"
"No, sir, it didn't give way"
Then you can no longer have any
doubt that it was closed at 6:30?"
Il suppose not, sir, /" she said, with her
eyes cast down. 1t was clear that she
was not absolutely convinced, although
she had admitted as much.
We'll, now, go on. my dear, continued
Mr.. Smart. AT any rate you found the
door ajar at $50 or 8"
L am certain of that, SIR"
And what did you dor"
Il knocked again."
Did you think No. 90 was still there,
asleep?"
No, sir; thought he had gone down.
stairs, and wanted to make sure before
going into the ROOM"
"You got no answer"
mo answer, sir; so I went in."
Meaning to do up the room?"
Yes, sir.
And then you found"
The cham bermaid turned very white at
the recollection of the horrid sight that
had met her gaze on entering the bedroom
and could only give low, almost mar
ticulate reply.
We'll, we'll, won't press you. / un-
derstand; and l think that will do for
the present." said the chief constable
You will have to tell the coroner all this,
my good girl; remember that, and mind
you, don't vary your story"
The chambermaid throws new and
very important light on this mysterious
affair, l could not refrain from saying.
No more hasty conclusions, l beg"
quickly interposed Mr.. Smart.
Some person." / went on. looking hard
at the detective, passed the door of No.
49, between $50 and 9. He-or She
may have gone out then for tie first time
after the murder. That may have been
his-or her-frst chance of getting away.
Or he-or she-may have gone back"
Rather risky" said the detective, with
laugh that seemed uneasy.
The object in view was perhaps worth
the risk. 1t might have been to pick up
and remove some clew, some article OF
paper dropped or forgotten, and only
missed when afterward brooding over the
deed"
This is all pure conjecture" put in the
chief constable, more and more dis.
pleased, as I thought, at the freedom
which the various points in the argument
were discussed.
at will be very awkward and perplex.
ing if all papers have been removed, ]
went on. I'VE may have no other means
of Identification. Don't you"-to the
manager-"don't you know anything Of
the murdered man?"
Next to nothing, believe, replied the
manager. I'VE have his name-the name
he gave US on taking his room yesterday
and his address-London; but that is
ALL"
Identification is very necessary, pre-
sume?" the Doctor inquired.
Essential. Indispensable, said tht
chief constable, warming with his sub
ject I'VE shall never arrive at solution
of the mystery in any other way. Giyer
the mans name, antecedents, ways oi
life, friends, associates, and SO forth, and
we shall obtain a clew to the causes OF
tne CRIME. Every great crime mas It.
handspring Fear, passion, or greed; IL
is one of these three that has led to the
commission of ninety-tive per cent. oi
the murders known.
There must be two to make a quarrel.
and the second person, the dead man.
would thus have been on his guard; fore
warned, in fact. But it may safely be pre-.
sumed that he was taken unawares, Ell
Doctor"
Quite so. The blow was struck in the
back, secretly and without warning, J
should say"
This conclusion disposes of fight o.
struggle. Passion may, therefore, bt
also eliminated from the motives OF the
crime, think, Mr.. Smart?"
1T is impossible to deny your logic, Mr.
Leslie. All causes seem excluded, then
but fear"
Fear of what2"
Fear of some compromising revela-
tions. The dead man had the murderer
in his power; perhaps knew something to
his or her discredit; was in possession OF
some damning fact, and threatened ex-
posure.
"A case of blackmail, in fact"
Possibly. But this is still mere con.
lecture, of course"
"To accept it we must show that the
murd cred man had relations, was more o,
less intimately acquainted, in fact, with
other persons staying in the hotel. Yet
SO lar tQ6 GVlQ6Qc0 Is III tuc OenOi way
He was alone IN the hotel, certainly"
said the manager.
Had no friends here?"
So far as we know, none.
"Was he absolutely solitary? Did he
speak to nobody"
They tell me that is the fact. l hsv
inquired within the last half-hour from
the head-waiter and others.
The foreign waiter, Cornelis. was still
present, and had heard the whole of our
arguments fancied as the talk turned
upon the loneliness of the dead man that
a look of dissent crossed the walters
white, pasty face. 1t was very fugitive,
and was not followed by any remark tend
ing to elGcidate this last point, whether
or not the dead man had friends or ac-
qua ntances in the hotel; but it was sufi-
cient to make me resolve to subject Cor
nelis to a little dexterous cross-examina-
ton by and by.
CHAPTER III.