The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-07-02
Cbe Bof11e Reading Circle
THE MURDER AT OLDBY.

John Bridger, called the boss lee,
was baffed, and, being baliied, Was
out of humor with the world in general
and with the village of Oldby in par
ticuar.
The crime he was investigating was
too ordinary to allow of one 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
confrere. This murder had no lurid
background. no picturesque touches'
and yet il bafiled him.
The bald outline given to him was
this:
A man "a Frenchman, Alphonse
dHimbu by name-had come to Oldby,
on a visit TO DR.. Settle. These two had
met at Vichy the previous year. ana
had chummcd over billiards and Gig
ars. No great friendship had ripened,
and vet while NJ. d'Hambu had written
from Londcn to say, "It would Sive me
great pleasure to see you before | re-
turn TO Paris" Charles Settle had cor
daily replied: Come down for day
or two ami see something of rural
England, ana give me my revenge Tor
that lost game"
The stranger arrived on "Wednesday
by the 1915 Liverpool street; at q
that same evening Dr. Settle received
an urgent summons to Lea farm, about
two miles away. NJ. d'Hambu, lett
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 1t Is
locally called
A British earthwork, picturesquely
crowned by elm and wild cherry trees,
must have attracted NJ. d Hambu, for
lie had evidently climbed the style
halfway down the lane. and crossed
the British Field to the knoll. There
he was found 20 minutes later by Ar
thur Whitcroft a lad of II or there
abouts stabbed to the heart.
An inquest had. of course, been held
when the inevitable tramp theory was
mcoted. A beetlebrowed fellow had
been seen loafing about that day. But
the corner had dismissed the theory
at once.
"a tramp" he remarked parenthet-
ically, may mutter imprecations
when sent away empty-handed but ne
does not run amuck like a Malay fan
attic"
The station master was called.
Had the 6:20 train set down any
passengers"
"Yes; ore"
"Who?"
1.-THE rector"
There was a slight sensation here
for If the rector had taken his usua
short cut across the British Field he
must have reached the knell at 6:25-
the very time of the murder. The rec
tor-Mr Guyhirn-was the next witness;
| he had seen nothing-absolutely moth
ing. He had walked home ponderinf
over an address to the farm lads, ant
had looked neither to the right hant
nor to, the left. Upon reaching the
rcctory he had gone straight to hi'
study, and had there and then made
notes of his thoughts.
He spoke straightforwardly and hi
parishioners believed him-they hat
rever known him either say or do any
thing, underhand, and they respected
him for his happy blending of sym
pathy, common sense and humor.
A parlor-maid confirmed his state
ment about writing in the study; sh,
had taken him in a cup of tea, an,
had not noticed that he was at al
clustered"
There was nothing for it but to brin!
IN a verdict of murder against som
persons or persons unknown"-a yer
dict at which Oldby chafed. Was
murderer to run free and unpunisheC
in their midst?
In the course of days trivialtie
leaked out, and these taken togethe
could no longer be regarded as mer
Tothiugs
For two months a Marjorie March
den had beer a guest at the rectory-
1t was, in fact, to be her home unit
the return of Mr. Marchden from Cey
Ion, where he had a coffee plantation
On the evening of the murder Jane
the cook, had seen Miss Marchden "jus
fly upstairs as scared like as a croy
with rattle behind It,"
Then Susan, the housemaid, testifie
with many tears that dagger
queer, foreign-sticking thing-hai dis
appeared from Miss Marjorie's room
where 1t had always hung on nail.
And to the whole village 1t was ap
parent that the hitherto energetic
bright and bonny girl had suddenly be
come pale and detected.
"They say as they know the murder
err" exclaimed DR.. Settles housekeepe
as she hustled an omelette down befor
him. Eat it while it's hot. sir-it'
prime this minute; although, as / sal
to Green, I'll never believe 1t of a fine
handsome young lady like Miss March
den."
What" asked the young docto
jumping up so suddenly that the break
fast table danced a jig ana the omelett
slipped from the dish.
ITS took him more aback than Nj
Dmby's death itself and he feels tina
bad enough" said Mrs. Green, who wa
a shrewd woman.
She was right
That Marjorie should be suspecte
caused him more exquisite pain tina
did the murder of NJ. d Hmbu.
'I'd give my practice to clear her
he moaned; and suiting the action I
A n 7H E2W HHA