The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-11

weapon. The court wGs surrounded by a
brick wall, covered by vines. There was
no trace of any one having climbed this
wall.
"And these windows were fastened2" l
asked
YES, sir; Just as left them last night"
as it not possible for me 10 see Mrs.
Molyneux to-day?" l asked, turning to
Mrs. Desmond
"No; she is completely unnerved. She
was quite excited over her visit TO the in
spector and l advised her to get some
rest"
II will come again tomorrow" l said.
81 hope she will be able to see me then"
On my way back ! stopped at book
stall and bought a copy OF Erkmann-C Cha
TRANS volume of short stories and
soon lost in those fascinating and morbid
tales, which gave me some extraordinary
ideas
Next day l returned TO the Molyneux
house and very soon the widow appeared.
She was gentle little woman whose
pretty eyes were swollen with weeping.
They took Jock away last night" she
said. II have not slept. He was very
dear to me" and a sob finished the
sentence.
Mrs. Molyneux, YOU have no suspicion
"Oh, no, she quickly replied. Every
! one loved Jock-he was so brave and gen.
tie. You saw hiLl?"
''Yes, Mrs. Desmond showed him to
me-"
II only saw him once after death.
| could not bear to look at him. But he
seemed to have q terrible fascination for
Beatrix."
''Beatrix?" invo'untarily repeated.
"Yes-Mrs. Desmond. rhe was con-
stantly going out to look at him."
"Ah, by the way, where is Mrs. Des-
monde"
"She left me this morning"
LEFT your"
eyes, she has gone TO pay avisit in Sur
rey. / did not dream of her going away
so soon. 1 shall miss her, for, although she
was always reading, it was pleasant to look
at her-she is so beautiful and strong"
Quite reader, was she?"
Eyes; and such frightfnl books, too,
they made me shudder even to look into;
but she said they were beautiful
Possibly book saw lying here yes
terday and which took up and became
quite interested in was hess-l refer to
vo.ume by Erkmann-Chatrian. 1t lay
here on this piece Of embroi ery."
"Oh, that shocking book! Yes. She
has pored over it ever since she came. /
read sen ence or two, which were quite
sufficient for me"
"Do you recall the titles Of any other
books that Mrs. Desmond read?"
There was one cal ed The Clot on the
Brain and / recall an American pamph-
let, Morbid Impulses noticed them be-
cause l would have thought such littra-
Iure the last Mrs. Desmond would care
to reId."
"Why?n
"Do not you remember the Desmond
murder? The terrible circumstances, the
husband who was stabbed again and
again before the eyes of his vile by au-
other woman. You surely must recall it,
though it occurred years ago"
All! yes" / sand slowly, land this is the
wife"
"Poor Beatrix, yes. She saw that terri
be sight. We thought for a long time she
would go mad, but she recovered her
hea til and is now quite strong. The only
queer thing about her is this inordinate
taste for reading of murders. She is 30 in
terested in those awful Whitechapel
crimes. l cannot betr TO even hear OF
them. But now am running on about
Mrs. Desmond, instead OF trying to help
you in your investigations"
d~hGN a lew unlIDI OT-
tant questions and lett the house. | told
the inspector my suspic ons.
But the wnman's gone, you say. Wait
a day or sO--something may turn up"
Something did turn up. Within a week
read the following notice in daily pa
per:
Fifty pounds reward for the apprehension of
the person who, on Wednesday night, killed
aud mutiiated brace OF irish settlers at the
kennels at Wentworth Wills, near BALKAN, Sur
rey. ALBEIT WENTWORTH BRANDON.
"That damnable woman has been at her
| flemish tricks again" l said, showing the
notice to the inspector. He read it and
said: You hal better take a run out to
| Surrey for your health"
To BALKAN | fastened, only to find the
same signs of mutilation about the settlers
| that / had observed about the collie, and
also TO find that Mrs. Desmond had sud
denly lef. Wentworth Villa for Edinburgh.
| Filming q curse after her / returned to
| London.
Scotland Yard was in a ferment. A
| dingy, Ill-speled mute had been received
| by the police, signed Jack the Ripper"
and warming them that the Whitechapel
butcheries would soon begin again. In
| the feverIsh excitement over this | forgot
Mrs Desmond entirely. Night after night
l haunted Whtechapel, perring into arch.
ways and dimiy-lighted corners. hoping
against hope, scarcely breathing in my eff
| fort to listen keen,y for the soft tread of
the monster / feared was lurking some
| where close at hand.
One sultry July night in 1889 I was, rs
usual. prowling through the lanes and al
| leys of this region. IL was nearly IL
o'clock when paused in dark ar hway
near Castle alley, one of the worst places
in all LONDON. 1t is about twenty feet
wide and 400 feet long, and has four en-
frances which lead 10 numerous alleys and
passages. forming ruaways for criminals.
The neighborhood is populated with the
most degraded and abandoned of both
sexes. Not FIVE minutes after / had stood
| there in the gloom l saw wretched crea-
ture. brazen and bedraggled, shamble
along. She was just setting out for her
nights work. recognized her as Carrie
| Mackenzie, one OF the lowest Of the many
| low creatures of that region. "Poor devil"
/ thought as she passed me. 81 wonder
how soon Jack will get his hands on you"
| l crossed the alley and quilted il by the
! opposite entrance. Ii was very dark there.
but through the gloom thought saw q
shape "A few feet ahead Of me. Iquickened
my steps. There was some one before me
"a woman, tall, heet-footed, stepping
noise essly, and shrouded in long black
cloak and veil-a woman whose general
appearance did not CORRESPOND in the