The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-08

| ion there can be no room for doubt
The thing Is plain"
With many promises no to be late
for dinner we left my uncle and walked
with Mr.. Hardwick in the direction OF
| Ratherby wood. 1t was an unfre-
| quented part, he told us, and by par
! ticular care he managed, he hoped
| to prevent the rumor spreading to the
! village yet, so that we might hope to
! find the tracks not yet overlald. II
was man Of his own. he said, who
making 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 observa-
! tions. He had followed the trail back
wards to Ranworth and there had
| found the new coachman, who had
onse 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 ne had come
straight to my uncle's.
Presently we came on the footpath
leading to Ratherby wood. 1t was a
mere trail of bare earth worn by sue
| cessive feet amid the grass. 1t was
damp. and we all stopped and exam
ined the footmarks that were to lie
seen on it. They all pointed one way
toward the wood in the distance.
Fortunately it's not greatly fire.
quented path" Mr. Hardwick said.
You see. there are the marks of three
pairs of feet only, and as first Sneathy
and then both of the brothers came
this way the footmarks must be theirs
Which are Sneathy's is plain7-they are
these large. fiat ones. If you notice,
they are all distinctly visible in the
center of the track, showing plainly
that they belong to the man who
walked alone, which was Sneathy. OF
the others, the marks of the outside
feet-the left on the left side and the
right on the right-are often not visible
Clearly they belong to the two men
walking side by side and. more often
than not. treading with their outer feet
on the grass at the side. And where
these happen to drop on the same spot
as the marks in the middle, they cover
them. Plainly, they are the footmarks
of Henry and Robert Foster made as
they followed Sneathy. Don't you agree
with me. Mr.. Hewitt?'
'Oh, yes, that's very plain. You have
better pair of eyes than most people.
Mr.. Hardwick, and a good idea of using
them to. We will go on to the wood
now. AS a matter of fact, can pretty
clearly distinguish most of the other
footmarlls-those on the grass, but
that's matter of much training"
We followed the footpath keeping on
the grass at it's side, in case it should
be desira BILE to refer again to the foot
tracks. For some little distance into
the wood the tracks continued as be-
fore, those of the brothers OVERLAPPING
those of Sneathy. Then there was a
difference. The path here was broader,
and muddy because of the proximity of
trees, and suddenly the outer footprints
separated, and no more overlay the
longer ones in the center, but proceeded
at an equal distance on either side OF
them.
See there" cried Mr.. Hardwick,
pointing triumphantly to the spot, "this
is where they overlook him, and walked
on either side. The body was found
only little further on-you could see
the place now if the path didn't zig-zag
about So"
Hewitt said nothing, but stopped and
examined the tracks at the sides with
great care and evident thought, span
ming the distances between them com
paratively with his arms. Then he
rose and stepped lightly from one mark
to another, taking care not to tread on
the mark itself. ''Very good" he said,
shortly, on finishing his examination.
"Well go on"
We went on, and presently came to
the place where the body lay. Here