Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-08-16


Hewitt and l had of course at this
time never heard of Mr.. Sneathy, and
the colonel told US what little he knew.
He had never spoken 30 the man, he
said-indeed nobody in the place out
side Ranworth would have anything to
do with him. Hes certainly been an
unholy scoundrel over those poor peo-
pies banks" said my uncle, land if
what they says true he's been about as
bad as possible to his wretched wife.
lie must have been pretty miserable,
too, with all his scoundrelism, for he
was a completely ruined man. without
chance of retrieving his position, and
detestcd by everybody. Indeed, some
of his recent dOings, if what have
heard is to be relied on, have been very
much those of madman. So that on
the whole I'm not much surprised.
Suicides about the only crime l sup
pose that he never experimental with
till now, and, indeed, it's rather
service to the world at large-his only
service, expect"
The colonel sent man to make fur
ther inquiries, and presently this man
returned with the news that now 1t
was said that Mr. Sneathy had not
| committed suicide, but had been muir
dered. And hard on the mans heels
came Mr.. Hardwick, a neighbor of my
uncle's and fellow J. P. He had had
the case reported to him, it seemed, as
soon as the body had been found and
had at once gone to the spot. He found
the body hanging-and acnh the right
| hand cat of.
Its a murder, Brett" he said,
without doubt most horrible case
of murder and mutilation. The hand
is cut off and taken away. but whether
the atrocity was committed before or
| after the hanging, of course, l can't
say. But the missing hand makes it
plainly a case of murder, and not sui
eide. I've come to consult you about
issuing warrant, for l think there's
no doubt as to the identity of the mur-
derers."
"That's good job" said the colonel,
''else we should have had some work
for Mr.. Martin Hewitt here, which
wouldn't be fair, as he's taking rest.
Who do you think of having arrested?"
THE two young Fosters. It's a3
plain as it can be-and most revolving
crime, too, bad as Sneathy may have
been. They came down from London
to-day and went out deliberately to do
it, it's clear. They were heard talking
of it, asked as to the direction in which
he had gone and followed him-and
with rope"
isn't that rather an unusual form oi
| murdcr-hanging?" Hewitt remarked
perhaps it is" Mr.. Hardwick re-
piled, but it's the case here, plain
enough. 1t seems, in fact, that they
had way of threatening to hang him
and even to cut off his hand if he used
it to strike their. mother. So that they
appear to have carried out what might
have seemed mere idle threats in dia-
bolically savage way. OF course they
may have strangled him first and
hanged him after, by way of carrying
out their threat and venting their spite
on the mutilated body. But that they
did it is plain enough tome I've spent
an hour or two over it and feel am
certainly more than justified in order
ing their apprehension. Indeed they
were with him at the time, as I've found
by their tracks on the footpath through
the wood"
The colonel turned to Martin Hewitt.
Mr.. Hardwick, you must know" he
said, sis by way of being an amateur
n your particular line-and very good
amateur, too, l should say, Judging by
4 ease or two have known of in this
county"
Hewitt bowed and laughingly ex-
tome to London and supplant him alto
gcther. This seems a curious case"
he added. "If you don't mind l thinl1I
should like to take n glance at the
tracks and whatever other traces there
may be, just by way of keeping my
hand in"
Certainly" Mr.. Hardwick replied.
frightening. Il should of all things
like to have Mr.. Hewitt's opinion on
the observations 1 have made-just for
my own qualification. As to his opin-
ion there can be no room for doubt
The thing is plain"
With many promises not to be late
for dinner we left my uncle and walked
with Mr.. Hardwicli in the direction of
Ratherby wood. 1t was an unfre-
quented part. he told US. and by par
ticular care he had managed, he hoped
to prevent the rumor spreading to the
village yet, SO that we might hope TO
find the tracks not yet overlaid. 1t
was man of his own, he said, who,
making a short cut through the wood,
had come upon the body hanging, and
had run Immediately to inform him.
With this man he had gone back, cut
down the body and made his obscrva-
tions. He had followed the trail back
wards to Ranworth and there had
found the new coachman, who had
once been in his own service. From
him he had learned the doings of the
brothers Foster as they left the place,
and from him he had ascertained that
they had not yet returned. Then leav-
ing his man by the body he had come
straight to my uncles.
Presently we came on the footpath
lz,,1 4. ID