Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-05-25
A WEIRD MYSTERY
Tracing a Dark Crime.
BY ALEXANDER ROBINSON, II. D.
BY ALEXANDER ROBINSON, II. D.
CHAPTER XIV.


son to be guilty man.
Suppose she was guilty, would he ever
disclose the past?
believed him q man of an iron will,
like his father before him. Truly had
he said torture could not force him to re-
veal what he had seen.
"ThiS is surprise to me, Mr. ketch-
am," | said, frankly.
"As much so, perhaps, as the discovery
of ThcodOro's indcntity was to me-"
"LeOnOre is his wife, and he was
making an effort TO sec her whcn-he
looked upon a sight that sent him away
again without accomplishing his er-
rard."
$50 it seems.
"Honestly now, Mr. Ketcham, since
you are not willing to believe that Theo-
dOre saw his father killed, what do you
suppose he did gaze upOn?"
ale saw his wife cntcr the old Doctors
room. and her face must have told him
that she was crazy for the time. Unab!c
to bear the cruel sight nc hastened away,
came back to look again ana then fled.
"Whcn you told him hCw his father,
instead of committing suicide, as the
Coroncr's jury decided and the after
noon papers printed, had really been
murdered, his mind leapcd at once to tho
dreadful truth, and he closed his lips
upon the story.
"That is the most probable view we
can place upon the matter looking upon
him i'm a charitable manner. Whether
LeOnOrc is guilty or not, hcr husband
believes now that she slew his father in
a fit OF insane frenzy, and believing that
he is the one who holds the secret, has
resolved to die before he will reveal it."
"That straightcns the kinks ont of tho
line up to certain place, Mr.. hetcham'
"Where is that, DoctOr?"
"The possible presence of a second
party upon that trelis of vines ON that
night"
Mr. Ketcham was measuring the dis
tancc between q crack in the ceiling and
a corner of the room. He did not even
deign to cast me glance.
"Ah! Doctor, you have something to
say upon that subject?" he drawled.
eyes, sir In the first place, Theodore
denies having passed more than once
each way between the walls and the
house"
"Therc were two trails.
al know it; and yet they diverGcd in
places"
"You examined the marks?"
81 did"
"And thought they had been made by
the same person"
"At the time | never questioned 1t, ana
vet can now sec that clear cXamina-
tion might have revealed some differ
ence."
"What next, DOctOr?"
Theodore also swears he never owned
or carried tool of the kind | described,
and which yOu affirm is an ingenious
device of a burglar or cracksman.
Mr.. Ketcham reached out his hand
and took the article in question from a
small drawer near him. Not until then
did he withdraw his eyes from the cell
ing.
"This is an ingenious device used by
burglars almost exclusively, although,
perhaps, there might be o few that
would fall into other hands"
"Well he declines the honor of owner
ship"
| fancied I could see the detectives
face light up, as though | had given him
valuable clew
"That may be all stuff and nonsense
Doctor. Mind, | merely suggest that
idea. and do not affirm it as my belief
We do not know Theodore yet. He may
disapnoint us and turn out diabollcal
villain"
Was this all attempt to turn nc off
upon another tack"
half believed it, and yet at the same
time did not give myself away, simply
making up my mind that more would be
heard from this quarter in the future.
The case was remarkable one.
Mr.. Ketcham, detective of great eX-
perencc, had solcmnly declared it to bo
the most mysterious and complicated of
his life.
If this wero the case, then | could not
expect to solve it without great labor
What made it more difficult was the
fact that there were so many trails lead
ing away from the scene OF the CRIME,
and any of these, at different times,
seemed to be the right track.
doctor, | told you of one discovery L
had made. Now, there is another that
NAV interest you.
"When went down that morning TO
see Ursula; found her examining the
by a def tfHnts-in-thc night"
heard his words With a fCctfI+t'tss & 1ootfi
astonishmcnt and satisfaction.
1t seemed to be a link in the chain
leading to the third party.
"Tben burglar entered the house
through the pantry Window"
"That seemed to be the indication.
What was singular about it was that not
q thing had been stolen"
"Thc deuce that is singular"
"Pcrhaps Theodore entered the house
this wav when he came either the first
or second time"
"That is possible, of course"
Did Mr.. Ketcham believe this?
It was hard to tell, for his face was
like that of sphinx, and beyond thu
ken of an ordinary reader
He wore mask, fguratively speaking,
bcvond which it was impossible to spy.
What if there had been another party
in the house on this night-whO was he?
If a burglar, what fool not to have
carried off the plundcr while he had tho
chance. and not go away empty-handcd.
made up my mind to Investigate TINS
matter before l would be satisfied.
Perhaps this person who had been
lurking i'm the neighbOrhOOd, and who
had entered the house after all, it
seemed from the pantry window, might
not have been a burglar after all.
Who then?
NV mind was clear as bell. All that
I had seen and heard relative to TIL