The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-11-11
THE JEVELED HAIRPIN;;
--OR--
The Strange Tragedy Of the
Grand Hotel.
BY ARTHUR GRIFFITHS.
CHAPTER Iv.-Conitnued.
@o-

opened the door, saying:
Il hardly expected to see you back
here, Mr.. Leslie. What have you done
with your friend?"
Il saw her to her room, I replied,
( I briefly and evasively. did not like his
tone or his manner.
Anyhow, she sha'n't give Us the slip;
s I've seen to that" said Hasnip, with q
wink of self satisfaction.
You won't dare to have her arrested?"
Dare? Certainly; when the time comes.
It will be enough just now to have her
we'll watched. The chief will see to that.
If we should find another similar pin, OF
trace the ownership Of this
He produced that picked up on the
floor.
j ,4Give me that pin!' I said, rather
fercely.
7 shall do nothing of the kind"
IS Il found it."
Granted. But I represent the law for
= which you were acting, and l claim the
pin. It is evidence, the strongest evil
dence in the case"
.Ifyou look at it in that light"-what
did it matter whether he kept the pin or
4 not2 had its fellow and would take
care that it did not pass into his hands
4 Il suppose must yield"
~ ]Of course. The law is the first con-
sideration. But there"-he spoke more
civilly, being evidently pleased at my SUBJ
I mission--you sha'n't give it to ms for
nothing, we'll make Q fair exchange.
While you were away I, too, found some
thing"
I felt sick at heart. Had this impru-
dent girl still further compromised her.
self?
Here; in this room?"
~ yes; under the bed. A ring
@Gracious heavens! lady's ring!"
But no; was suddenly reassured by the
thought that if it were ladys ring and
useful therefore to his line of investiga-
ton, he would not offer to make an ex-
change. -,
IS 4 cannot say exactly. It's too small
] for eyen child's finger. And it is only
common thing of BRASS"
Il He produced from his pocket small
circle of brass, very thin, its exterior
surface adorned with o conventional
arabesque pattern.
took it, looked at it for some time,
and shook my head.
What is it, do you think?" asked Has
nip, carelessly.
have not the least idea. Do you sup.
pose it bears on the case?"
- He shrugged his shoulders.
Is IF it does, I shall be much surprised.
But you may make something out of it.
You can have it if you like. I'll keep
the hair-pin
q did not think the exchange was
fair one, but took the ring and the de-
tective went on to say:
We'll, we've about done here, think.
It is time to be going back to the chief"
= Il have no desire to stay here" said:
ing more to be got out of this, sup
3 pose?" and kicked the portma9teau with
my foot.
It was very ancient affair, foreign in
make and look, of the kind seen 80 often
on the Channel steamers in the hands of
s foreigners anxious to escape the expense
and delays of registering baggage.
WAS that really his name?" said once
more, as stopped to examine the address
label closely.
I saw now that it was not very securely
pasted down, and taking my penknife, !
elipped the blade under corner and
presently lifted the whole label.
See here, Hasniri The man gave his
name as Joseph Cooch in the hotel
books"
Hasnip started.
You'll be able to teach me my work
yet. He wes here, then, under an as
sumed name?"
The dark face of the corpse was mere
than sunburned.
He was q sailor, or had been. A Span
ish sailor. expect that would count for
the initials"
~How would it account for the ini-
tials2" Hasnip had no pretensions as a
linguist.
K would stand for Xavier. I do not
think that there is Christian name be-
ginning with X in any other Latin Ian
. guage except French, and he is hardly
{ Frenchman. Again, the Y used indiffer-
emily with the I, is peculiarly the charac-
ter of Spanish"
Il don't quite understand"
"This de Y might be for de l. For in
stance, Ysnaga for Isnaga, OK Yglesias
for Iglesias, and so on"
~ "Ah!" said Hasnip, indiferently. My
pathological deduction did not interest
him. 'Shall We be going, then-unless,
Of course, anyth ng else strikes you
here?"
"No, I think there is nothing else. Let
MS 60 down"
1 was really anxious for few quiet
moments to think over the strange events
of the morning, to consider them care
fully, one by one, to examine their bear
& ing on the several persons concerned.
The inquest assembled at 2 o'clock.
Its proceedings we're OF formal nature
and elected nothing more than we al
ready knew. The only witnesses added
little to our knowledge of the facts. The
girl stuck to her story, and described ex-
actly how she came upon the body; and
+. the doctor, after expatiating upon the ma
ture of the wound, was more than ever
precise as to the hour when death was in
: between ii and II o'clock Mt night.
The manager was then called in. and
questioned about the murdered man.
His name, as entered in the hotel
books, was Joseph Cooch. He only ar
rived yesterday, and no one, except the
Office clelk, had noticed him particu-
larly."
R~ He was quite stranger, in fact?"
The head waiter. who is great deal
about, never saw him speak to any one.
He has questioned the other walters, and
they saw the same thing"
lnls is only hearSay evidence" said
the Coroner; we must have the hoad-
, waiter and some Of the others.
They were called-half q dozen of
them, Germans mostly-Wilhelm, Fritz,
: Gustaf. and so on. Among them was the
man Cornelis, whom We had seen that
morning in the bedroom attending on the
manager, and who, when asked where he
came from, described himself as a Flem-