Evening star., 1895-07-20


alleged informant secretly. took him to his
dressed again, carried out while 1t was yet
dark and placed or thrown into the cut,
care being taken that his skull should be
fractured as to apparently account for
death. Then the murderer, having wrap
ped up the garments through which the
Knife passed. took them away with him.
Much of this is in the nature of a recapitu-
lation of facts you already know. 1t Is the
murder was not committed by your niece.
your servant or by Mr.. Ralph. The first
could not have carried the body to the
railroad cut, and neither Of the others could
have obtained an appointment at such an
hour. Ralph, moreover, would never have
used a knife, though admit that assun-
ing the local theory of an early morning
walk. a quarrel and blow on the head.
things would look very black for him. On
the other hand. Anderson's clumsy lie was
merely an ignorant mans way Of trying to
bring to Justice one whom he believed had
murdered his master and whom you and
Miss Smith were shielding.
Let me now go a step further than we
have gone together and add that 1t is per-
killed by an agent Of the Malta, in re-
venge for the insults he offered that So
cietW This theory not only supplies an
ample motive. but It also accords fully
with the method Of killing and the over
whelming evidence pointing to a delib-
erately planned assassination. Moreover
every hrst-class detective must be familiar
with the fundamental principles of the
great secret organizations, and those Of
the Malta make it certain that language
such as your brother used would have In
fafiibiy marked him as a victim. The work
was not DONE however, by any man with
whom Mr. Smith had ever been in COM
munication. much less had trouble The
rule is that after death has been decreed
by the branch before which the case is
tried, notice is sent TO some branch To-
Gated at distance, one of whose MEM
bers-an entire stranger to the matters
then selected by lot to act as executioner
doubtless in the gang that heard your
brothers TRADE, made report of his words
and the result followed
Now let me inform you Of a conclusive
piece OF evidence which one Of those
chances against which no criminal can
guard has placed in my hands Otherwise
the task of detection would be. well nigh
hopeless but. as 1t happened. your niece
ana Mr.. Ralph were walking along the
road very carly in the morning and met
the assassin coming from the direction of
the house with the tell-tale bundle under
his arm. Mr.. Ralph would doubtless rec
ognixe him again. Miss Smith has recog-
nized him. Add to this the fact that the
man Is half Italian by birth and spent
much Of his early life among the peas
antry of Sicily, and consider that 1 have
sufficient evidence in hand to cause his ar
rest.
There are reasons, however, why such
q proceeding Is inadvisable and why a diff
ferent course will serve the ends of jus-
tice almost equally we'll AS you know.
I tried by every means in my power to
avoid an assignment to this case. but, see
ing the finger of fate In my being COM
PEELED to undertake it, I determined that
my professional standing at least demand
ed that l should pursue 1t exactly as /
would any other. by the same means and
to Its logical conclusion. I do not think
that allowed myself to be influenced by
any knowledge not coming to me as an 4.
investigator. and the result shows that a
clever orender can rarely be a match for
an equally clever detective. Whatever
else l may have been, my reputation as a
conscientious and able official remains
without spot.
Finally, 1 have, by the use of a vepe-
table poison known only to a very few
persons in Sicily, administered justice and
avenged the law. Should you ask how a
man of my intelligence. education and
will only say that I was a wild boy of
fifteen when l Joined the Mafia, and that
disoDedience to Its commands meant GER
tain death. Then, too, you must remember
at some things as do the northern races
JOHN PHILLIPS"
There is little more to tell. When In
spector Ransom had read the above paper
we both concluded that 1t ought not to be
made public, unless necessary to clear an
innocent man. and that contingency did
not arise. My disclosure of the knife
wound and the testimony bearing upon
the time and place Of the murder. together
with my niece's relation of the causes and
details Of John Raiph's movements, serv-
ed to divert suspicion to some one of the
Italian workmen. and there, with the aid
of the police, all clues were lost Ralph
was discharged and, several years later.
married my niece
I will only add that have told you this
story to hasten the flight of anxious hours
and relying upon you as gentlemen to re-
gard the facts related as strictly confidsn-
tial Do you not think me justified in call.
ing 1T IA Remarkable Case?"