The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-16
"A Secret Of the Heart.
Dr HOWARD FIELDING.
PART IL.

- opnrSAny. EVERYDAY DETECTIVE.
se,f-satisfaction was the only strong
.,,ot;on that l had ever seen in Stall
|bridce's face up 10 that moment. Ihat
exnression L had learned to recognize
md / could even draw safe inferences
from the degree of its manifestation.
put II was a new face that he wore as
he stood beside the body OF Willard
Davis / could not read it. Yet If
had been compelled TO do my best l
should have said that he was tortured
by despairing sorrow, wholly seihsh'
absolutely unmixed with any human
sympathy for the man whose awfui emo
we had both witnessed.
! could readily understand that the
death of my uncle was terrible blow
10 Stalbridge, whose dearest schemes
were dependent upon his patron; and
] could expect nothing better OF the
man than that he should think of HIM
self alone, even in the presence of so
terrible n tragedy.
"Stabbed TO the heart!" cried, bend
ing over the body. "Who could have
done this?"
StaIbridge motioned toward the door.
s'Get help" he said, hoarsely.
At this moment n boy in the janitor's
employ looked into the room and, at
the sight of the corpse, fled in terror.
I cried out after him that the police
must be summoned; that Mr.. Davis
had been murdered. and that the as
sassin had escaped by the window. 1t
As doubtful whether the frightened boy
heard me; and, as matter of fact,
shouted for the purpose Of raising a
general alarm and not for the boys
information. The cry passed from
mouth TO mouth along the corridors,
and scores of persons were instant.
running ABOUT, some toward my uncieS
office and others toward the windows
that commanded a view of the court
into which it was at once supposed
that the murderer had leaped.
/ heard the janitor call TO some one
10 summon n policeman from the street,
nrsd also to ring an ambulance call.
Meanwhile the clerks from the Union
offices had poured out, and had gath
cred about the door of the room where
the body lay. stood on the threshold
and warned everybody TO keep outside,
saying that nothing In the room must
be disturbed. Within few minutes
"a policeman arrived and took my place
mt the door, repeating the orders / had
given, and backing them by the display
IF his authority.
There was only one person in the
crowd that made any trouble. He was
q tall, dark-visaged fellow, whose APP
pearance as well as his voice suggested
Italy as his native land. i could not
but 1t seemed to contain an intimation
that the fate which had overtalSen my
uncle was just. thought the man
q crank with anarchistic tendencies, and
paid no further attention to him.
"There'll be a central Office man
l1Own here pretty quick" said the po-
liceman. 1--WE told the janitor TO tele-
phone to headquarters. We must keep
the crowd out till then"
We succeeded without difficulty. No
body was admitted but the ambulance
surgeon, who had been summoned, and
Vice President Rodney, of the Union
lines, who was too important person
to be excluded.
Stalbridge, meanwhile. had remained
standing like a statue beside my uncle's
dead body, gazing down at it. He did
not move when the ambulance surgeon
psnelt to make his examination. 1t was
quickly done, and he disturbed as little
as possible the position of the corpse.
"There are two wounds here" he
said, in response TO my questions. "One
is upon the right side of the head. 1t
WAS made by a glancing blow from some
teavy instrument having an edge, but
not sharp like knife. The blow may
have stunned him, but IL would not
have killed him. The second wound
was a stab with a small, round and
sharp pointed instrument, like stilet-
to. 1t entered the right breast be-
tween the seventh and eighth ribs, and
seems to have penetrated the heart. IL
must have caused almost instant
DEATH"
"Yet he was alive when we entered"
4 cried in horror, glancing at Stalbridge,
"We had the murderer under our very
hands and we let him escape"
Stalbridge answered with n groan,
u looked at him, but he did not meet
pny eyes; he was still staring at the
<orpse. The thought came to me that
III this man had not stopped me In the
hall, should have been with my uncle
and could have saved him. Unreason-
able as it was, 1 reproached him for
what he had done.
''Fate, fate!" he muttered, still with.
out looking Mt me. who could have
dreamed of this?"
ut needed no prophet" retorted,
bitterly. ''For years, under your di-
irection, Willard Davis has made enemies
bitter enemies-for there is no strife
more desperate than this battle for
money. How many men have you
Euined with your schemes? Run them
over in your mind, and tell me. IL you
can, which one OF your victims struck