The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-10
The MURDER AT OLDBY.

John BTfdger was panied, and being
baffled, was out of humor with the world
in general and with the village of oldby
in particular.
He had gone up the ladder of his pro-
fession with a run-with so quick run
that among pressmen he was known as
Boss Tee. The crime he was Investigate
ing was too ordinary to allow one OF
of those miraculous flashes of insight for
which he was SO famous; in fact, had he
not been longing for country air after
his close application to the noted Van
girard-Vannes case. he would have
turned the Oldby murder over to a con-
frere. This murder had no 1urid back
ground. no picturesque touches, and vet
1t baffled him.
The bald outline given to him was this:
A mana Frenchman, Alphonse
dHimbu by name-had come to Oldby.
on visit to DIR. Settle. These two had
met at yichy the previous year, and had
chummed over billiards and cigars. No
great friendship had ripened, and yet
when little M. d'Himbu had written from
London to say, 'It would give me great
pleasure to see you before I return to
Paris" Charles Settle had cordially re-
piled: Come down for day or two,
and see something of rural England, and
give me my revenge for that last lost
game
The stranger arrived on Wednesday by
the 1916 from Liverpool street: at that
same evening DIR. Settle received an
urgent summons to Lea farm about two
miles away. NJ d'Himbu, left alone had
sauntered forth into the garden, and
from thence into the lane that skirts the
Doctors garden and the rectory grounds,
the Back Lane, it is locally called
A British earthwork. picturesquely
crowned by elm and wild cherry trees.
must have attracted M. d Himbu, for he
had evidently climbed the srile half way
down the lane, and crossed the British
Field to the knoll. There he was found
twenty minutes later by Arthur Whit
croft, a lad of seventeen or whereabouts,
stabbed to the heart.
An inquest had, of course, been held.
when the inevitable tramp theory was
mooted. A beetle-browed fellow had
been seen loafing about that day But
the coroner had dismissed this theory at
once.
"a tramp" he remarked parentheti-
cally, may utter imprecations when
sent away empty-handed. but he does
not run amuck like a Malay fanatic
IL.
Had the 6:20 train set down any pas
sengers?'
Yes: one"
ssWho?"
1.-THE rector"
There was a slight sensation here, fo.
If the rector had taken his usual cut
across the British Field he must have
reached the knoll at 6:25-the very time
of the murder. The rector-Mr Guy
hirn-was the next witness; he had seen
nothing; absolutely nothing. He had
walked home bordering over an address
to the farm lads, and had looked neither
to the right hand nor to the left Upon
reaching the rectory he had gone
straight to his. study and had there and
then made notes of his thoughts.
He spoke straightforwardly, and his
parfshioners believed him-they had
never known him either say or do any
thing underhand, and they respected
him for his happy blending of sympathy,
common sense and humor.
"A parlOr maid confirmed his statement
about writing in the study; she had
taken him in cup of tea, and had not
noticed that he was at all clustered"
There was nothing for it but to bring
In verdict of murder against some
person or persons unknown''-a verdict
at which Oldby chafed. Was a murderer
to run free and unpublished in their
In the course of days trivialities leaked
out, and these, taken together, could no
longer be regarded as mere nothings.
For two months a Marjorie Marchden
had been a guest at the rectory-it was
in fact, to be her home until the return
of Mr.. Marchden from Ceylon, where he
had coffee plantation.
On the evening of the murder Jane, the
cook, had seen Miss Marchden lust fly
up stairs as scared like as a crow with
a rattle behind it,"
Then Susan. the housemaid, testified
with many tears that dagger-a queer,
foreign-sticking thing-had disappeared
from Miss Marjories room, where it had
always hung on nail.
And to the whole village it was appar-
ent that the hitherto energetic, bright
and bonny girl had suddenly become
pale and detected.
They say as they know the murder
err" exclaimed DIR. Settles housekeeper,
as she hustled an omelette down before
him. Eat it while it's hot, sir-it's
prime this minute; although. as said to
Green, I'll never believe it of fine,
handsome young lady like Miss March
den"
''Whatr' asked the young doctor.
jumping up SO suddenly that the break
fast table danced jig and the omelette
slipped from the dish.
Its took him more aback than Mr..
Dimby's death itself, and he feels that
bad enough" said Mrs. Green, who was
Shrewd woman.
She was right
That Marjorie should be suspected
caused him more exquisite pain than did
the murder of M. d Himbu.
I'D give my practice to clear her." he
moaned. and, suiting the action to the
word, he took out telegraph form and
dashed off request for Boss Tees aid.
John Bridger had heard the story had
seen the spot, and was baff1ed.
That murder had been done was be-
yond question; the position of the wound
did away with the possibility of suicide
but what was the motive?
The rector had crossed the field at the
hour of the murder. but he was beyond
suspicion; although, as Boss Tee
thought, sometimes irreproachable mid
die age has the background of shady
past" but one piece of evidence alone di-
verified suspicion from Mr.. Guyhirn--he
had never been abroad, and NJ d'Himbu
had never before been in England
AS for Miss Marchden-well, her past
history must be traced, and already a
trusty clerk was on his way to Brussels,
where Marjorie had been to school, but
from the little he had learned about her
disposition, character and tastes she did
not seem likely to be the doer of the
deed.
Boss Tee held a map of Oldby in his
hand, and as he studied 1t an idea dawn