The Somerset reporter., 1898-12-29
poor fellows murderer"
1.-THE butler2''

1.-THE butler?'
1.-The butler, and that brings me to
the explanation you asked for moment
ago Robertson, it appears, bad had
case before him In which a native was
charged with maltreating his wife, a
mere child barely IL years of age, in
such a brutal manner as to cause her
death. Gases of that kind are far from
being uncommon, as you know, and
Robertson-well, he did what almost
any other English judge would have
scamp his deserts and sentenced him to
death.
"Now this occurred only few hours
before he was murdered, and you will
at once suspect some hidden connection
between the two events. And You are
right In passing sentence of death
upon the brutal native he virtually
passed sentence upon himself.
Robertson had in his service at the
time, among other servants, butler
who was related to the man be had just
condemned Whether he was aware Of
the exact relationship existing between
the two don t know, but am inclined
to think not. AS matter Of fact, when
Robertson sat down to dinner that
night, after sentencing the native to
death, he was waited upon by the con
vict's own brother.
"You observed a rife on the dining
room wall, have no doubt just oppo-
site your place at table. 1t was from
that rife the fatal shot was fired
mot while Robertson was at dinner,
though The butler was too willy for
that. He bided his time until his mas
ter had seated himself in his usual place
here ON the veranda, taken his coffee
and smoked his cheroot Then, when
these had begun to make him drowsy,
the fellow took the rife from the wall
it was always kept loaded-and orept
through the bedrooms to the far end Of
the veranda, where. as you see the
shadow lies SO deep.
'Sitting as we are now. you observe
that the steps between the far end Of
the veranda and the jalousies with the
hole in it are concealed by the row of
pillars, and you will readily understand
how a barefooted native might creep
along those steps under cover OF the pill
lars and apply his eye to the hole with
out being either seen or heard. Well,
that is just what the butler did Only
he did something more
AFTER applying his eye to the hole
he noiselessly inserted the muzzle of
the rife in the aperture, took deliberate
aim at his masters heart and fired
Poor Robertsoni He never knew what
hurt him.
Stanfeld ceased speaking and a pain
full silence fell upon us both. The
movement Of lizard in the jalousies
through which the shot had been fired
sent thrill of horror through my
nerves. fancied ] could hear the but
ler's stealthy footsteps and see the
CLEAN of the rifle barrel in the moon
light. So awfully real was my conoep-
sheer desperation, spoke and SO broke
the spell.
Hadn't Robertson wife? have an
idea that once met her in Madras.
He had, and speaking of her re-
minds me that my story is still unfin-
ished. In fact, the most remarkable
part of it is yet to come.
about a year before her husband 8
death Mrs. Robertson, it seems, went
home to England for her health, and
when last saw Robertson alive-the
night he had the strange premonition,
you remember-he was daily expecting
her back. Well, it is singular ooinci-
dence, but perfectly true, that the
steamer she was passenger by entered
Bombay harbor on the very evening
and at the very hour when Robertson
was shot
Mrs Robertson had gathered all
her traps together, intending to disem
bark that night, and as soon as she
heard the anchor dropped she left the
cabin to go on deck. In her hand she
carried small travelling clock, and just
as she reached the foot of the companion
stairs she glanced at it and saw that
the hour was exactly 8 o'clock At the
same moment an indescribable terror
seized her. She looked up quickly, and
there on the steps above her stood her
husband
She sprang up the steps to meet him,
but he suddenly and mysteriously dis
appeared AG the top of the steps she
ran against the purser
There's no hurry, madam, said
he, the tenders not alongside yet.
But my husbandl cried Mrs. r
I saw him here just now How did he
come aboardf'
Madam, replied the purser, you
must be mistaken. Not living soul
has boarded the ship tonight.
And he was right, for if Mrs. R
saw anything, as she declares she did,
it must have been the spirit of her dy
ing husband. "
Let us go in, +" said l. rising hastily
"This night air has given me chill
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