Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-02

guided-sometimes, to
all seeming, in the very face Of all likeli-
hood-he has replied that two trivialities,
pointing in the. same direction, became at
or,ce, by their mere agreement, no trivial
ties at all, but enormously important con-
siderations. IF / were in search of a
man." he would say, "of whom 1 knew
rothing but that he squinted, bore birth
mark on hts right hand, and limped, and /
observed a man who answered to the first
popularity, so far the clue would be trivial,
because thousands Of men squint. Now, If
that man presently moved and exhibited a
birthmark on his right hand, the value of
that squint and that mark would increase
at once hundred or a thousand fold. Apart
they are little. together much. Apart
weight Of evidence is not doubled
merely, 1t would be only doubled If
half the men who squinted had right-hand
birthmarks; whereas. the proportion. If it
could be ascertained, would be perhaps
more like one in ten thousand, The two
trivialties, pointing in the same direction,
become very strong evidence. And when
the man is seen to walk with a limp, that
limp another triviality). reinforcing the
others, bring the matter to the rank Of a
practical certainty. The Bertillon system
Of identification-what is 1t but a summary
of trivialities? Thousands of men are of
the same height, thousands Of the same
length of foot, thousands of the same girth
of head-thousands correspond In any sepa-
rate measurement you may name 1t is
when the measurements are taken together
that you have your man identified for ever.
Just consider how few. If any, of your
friends correspond exactly in any two per-
sonal peculiarities" Hewitts dogma re-
ceived its Illustration Unexpectedly close at
home.
The old house wherein my chambers and
Hewitts office were situated contained, be-
sides my own, two or three more bachelors
dens, in addition to the offices on the
ground and first and second floors. At the
very top of all. at the back, a fat, middle
aged man, named Foggatt, occupied a set
OF four rooms. 1t was only after long resi-
dence. by an accidental remark of the
nouse-Keeper that l learned the mans
name, winch was not painted on his door
or displayed, with all the others, on the
wall of the ground-fioor porch
MI. Foggatt appeared to have few friends,
put nved In something as nearly approach
ing luxury as an old bachelor In Chambers
can i've. An ascending case of champagne
was common phenomenon of the stair
case, and l have more than once seen n
picture, destined for the top floor, of a sort
that went far to awaken green coyetousness
In the heart Of a poor Journalist.
Inc man himself was not altogether pre-
possessing. Fat as he was, he had a way of
carrying his head forward on his extended
neck and gazing widely about with a pair
OF the roundest and most prominent ewes I
remember to have ever seen except in a
nsh On the whole. his appearance was
rather vulgar. rather arrogant and rather
SUSPICIOUS, without any very pronounced
quality or any sort. But certainly he was
not pretty. In the cad, however he was
found shot dead in his sitting room.
1t was In this way: Hewitt and I had
dined together at my club and late in the
evening had turned to my rooms to smoke
and discuss whatever came uppermost 7
had made a bargain that day with two
speculative odd lots at book sale each OF
which contained hidden prize. We sat
talking and turning over these books while
TIME went unperceived. when suddenly we
were startled by a loud report Clearly II
was in the building. We listened for a
moment, but heard nothing else. and then
Hewitt expressed his opinion that the report
was tnat Oh gunshot Gunshots in resi-
uentiaI chambers are not common things
wherefore I got up and went to the landing
looking up the stairs and down.
AT the top OF the next flight I saw Mrs.
Clayton the housekeeper. She appeared to
De frightened. and told me that the report
came from Mr.Foggatt's room. She thought
ne might have had an accident with the
pistol that usually lay on his mantelpiece
we went upstairs with her, and she knocked
at Mr.. Faggott's door.
There was no reply. Through the venti
lating fanlight over the door It could be
seen that there were lights within. a sign.
Mrs. clayton maintained that Mr. Foggatt
was not out We knocked again. much
more loudly, and called, but still ineffec
tually. The door was locked. and an appli-
cation of the housekeepers key proved that
the tenants key had been left in the lock
inside. Mrs. Claytons conviction that
something had happened became distress
ing, and in the end Hewitt prised open the
door with a small poker.
Something had happened. In the sitting
room Mr.. Fogsatt sat with his head bowed
over the table. quiet and still The head
was Ill to look at. and by 1t lay a large
revolver, of the full-sized army pattern.
Mrs Clayton ran back toward the landing
with faint screams.
run. Brett" said Hewitt: "a doctor and
O policeman"
1 bounced down the stairs half a fight at
a time. First" thought, "a doctor He
may not be dead" I could think of no
doctor in the immediate neighborhood, but
ran up the street away from the Strand, as
being the more likely direction for the
doctor, although less so for the policeman.
1t took me a good five minutes to find the
medico. after being led astray by a red lamp
at a private hotel. and another five to get
back. with a policeman.
FogHatt was dead, without a doubt
Probably had shot himself the doctor
thought, from the Notwithstanding and
other circumstances. Certainly nobody
could have left the room by the door, or he
must have passed my landing. while the
fact of the door being found locked from the
inside made the thing impossible. There
were two windows to the room. both of
which were shut, one being fastened by the
catch, while the catch of the other was
brakeman old fracture. Below these win
dows was sheer drop Of fifty feet or more,
without foot or hand-hold near. The win
dows in the other rooms were shut and
fastened. Certainly 1t seemed suicide-un-
less il were one of those accidents that will
occur to people who fiddle ignorantly with
firearms. Soon the rooms were in possess
sion Of the police, and we were turned out
We looked in at the housek eepers kitchen,
where the daughter was revtving and calm
ing Mrs Clayton with gin and water.
You mustn't upset yourself Mrs. Clay
ton," Hewitt said, "or what will become Of
us all? The doctor thinks 1t was an acct
dent"
He took a small bottle Of sewing machine
oil from his pocket and handed it to the
daughter, thanking her for the loan.
There was little evidence at the inquest
The shot had been heard the body had been
found-that was the practical sum of the
man came forward. The doctor gave his
opinion as to the probability of suicide or an
accident, and the police evidence tended in
the same direction. Nothing had been
found to indicate that any other person had
been near the dead mans rooms on the
night of the fatality. On the other hand,
his raDers hank hook proved hin, RI