The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-20
The Murder at Olby.

VI OiuUy III particular.
He had gone up the ladder OF his
profession with a run-with so quick O
run that among pressmen he was
known as Boss Tee. The crime he was
investigating was too ordinary to allow
of one of those miraculous flashes of in
sight for which he was so famous; In
fact. had he not been longing for coun-
try air after his close application to
the honored Vanigirard-Vannes case
he would have turned the Oldby murder
over to a cOnfrere This murder had
no lurid background, no picturesque
touches, and yet 1t baffied him.
The bald outline given to him was
this:
A mana Frenchman. Alphonse
d'Himbu by name-had come to Oldby
on visit to DR.. Settle. These two had
met at Vichy the previous year. and
had ch,lmmed over billiards and cigars.
No great friendship had ripened, and
yet when little NJ. d'Himbu had writ
ten from London to say, 1T would give
me great pleasure to see you before
you return to Paris" Charles Settle had
cordially replied: 'Come down for n
day on two, and see something of rural
England, and give me my revenge for
that last lost game
The stranger arrived on Wednesday
by the 12l5 from Liverpool street; at
ceved 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 NJ. d'Himbu. for
-. I, ,,.;I ,li l.. CT f.
way down the lane. and crossed the
british Field" to the knoll. There he
was found twenty minutes later by Ar
thur Whitcroft. lad of seventeen or
thereabou.s. stabbed to the heart.
An inquest had. of course, been held
when the inevitable tramp was mooted
A beetle browed fellow had been seen
loafing about that day. But the coro-
ner had dismissed this theory at once
"A tramp" he remarked parentheti-
cally, may mutter imprecations when
sent away empty handed but he does
not run amuck like, a Malay fanatic
The station master was called.
"Had the go train set down any pas
sengers""
Eyes: one"
"Who?"
"The rector"
There was a slight sensation here. for
IL flne rector Tdu tdhtIl HIS usual sho'
cut across the British Field he must
have reached the knoll at 625-the very
time of the murder The rector-Mr.
Guyhirn-was the next witness; he
had seen nOthing-absolutely nothing.
He had walked home ponderinS over
an address to the farm lads. and had
looked neither to the right 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 straightforward, and his
parishioners believed him-they had
never know him either to say or do
anything underhand. and the' respect
ed him for his blending of sympathy,
common sense and humor.
4 parlor maid confirmed his state
ment abou. writing in the study: she
had taken him in cup OF tea. ana
had not noticed that he was at all
mustered"
| There was nothing for it but to bring
Nm a verdict of murder against some
person or persons unknown'-a verdict
at which Oldby chafed. Was murderer
to run free and unpunlshed In their
midst?
In the course of days trivialities leak
ed out and these taken together could
no longer be regarded as mere MOTH
ings.
For two months Marjorie Marchden
had been a guest at the rectory-it was,
I'm fact, to be her home until the return
of Mr. Marchden from Ceylon, where ne
had a coffee plantation,
On the evening of the murder Jane,
the cook had seen Miss Marchden ')ist
fiy up stairs as scared like as Il crow
with rattle behind II"
Then susan, the housemaid, testified
with many tears that IA dagger--a queer
foreign sticking thing-had disap-
peared from Miss Marjorie's room,
where Il had always hung on a nail
And to the whole village 1t was ap-
parent that the hitherto energetic.
bright and bonny girl had suddenly
become pale and detected.
"'rhey say as they know the murder
err exclaimed DR.. Settles housekeep-
er. as she hustled an omelette down be-
fore him. Eat it while it's hot, sir
it's prime this minute: although. as
said to Green. I'll never believe it of q
fine handsome young lady like Miss
Marchden."
What" asked the young doctor,
jumping UP so suddenly that the break
fast table danced q 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 NJ. d'Himbu.
I'D give my practice to clear her." he
moaned; and suiting the action to the
word he took out a telegraph form and
dashed of q request for Boss Tees aid.
John Bridger had heard the story, had
seen the spot, and was baftied.
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 be-
yond suspicion; although as Boss Tee
thought sometimes irreproachable
middle age has the background of a
shady past" but one piece of evidence
alone diverted suspicion from Mr.. Guy
hlrn--he had never been abroad and
NJ. d'Himbut had never before been i'm
England.
As for Miss Marchden-well. her past
history must be traced, and already q
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 door of the
deed.
Boss Tee held a map of Oldby in his
hand. and as he studied it an idea
dawned in his mind He slapped one
knee and exclaimed ''He!" he slapped
the other and exclaimed "Ha," And
this to his colleagues would have been
signal that his great brain was be-
ginning to work at a theory.
Did DR.. Settle go by the road to the
Lea farm. or did he ride, taking the