Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1899-01-06
CHAPTER I.
THE SOUTH AUDLEy STREET MURDER

THE SOUTH AUDLEy STREET MURDER.
!, Duncan Brett, commander r. n,
unwillinsly confess that the complica-
tioUs which arose out of the Mayfair
murder were all caused in the first in
stance by my pitiatle lack of nerve.
behave 1 am fairly plucky under Or
binary circumstances. Once they gave
MI the Y. g., and though should not
have mentioned this except as last
resort, think it is due to myself here
TO bring forward some sort Of certif-
cate CT character to you WI no are stran-
gers 20 lir. 1t was, l say, in large meas
ure ny fault, because if I had not lost
my head tAe greater part Of the trouble
need never have happened, hut my
nerves were upset by seeing the wretch
ed woman as she lay huddled dead
upon the pavement, and the sight of
Fenton standing crcuched, like a man
horror struck, above her, made up "a
shock under which | think few would
have remained ur,::rrnd
For fail minute stood there
watching i!:. in silent lt,rrtr, lie the
while ev;:t,; l:;n v":t, f"i::E5rnna si:le-
long glA'icc:, but without ::EGrh. Then
words came from Ia" lts>; q :,.-rent
80 Goa :,:.:.' !, ,at You
have :.9.i,i.rrH I.:r: g.. .!t:yi!, ven
have Killed tie "; ...:.. Lac lay" ;yi;
done il f:G:''
Gcn:-n Ht;1'I I.~c ir,:;, ,lir body
facin" .:'n
'(r>'t :.v",;::-:'' III. <r. You
here, Dt.i'' i'll: ir:. ::,;:;:; tx
"NoW {. XII .ci il: =, It 1:r:nckv
fate brought !l.< >iI>: to i.,>:s 1T your
ghn>t!F ''-a'l do not know, Hrt here
am, and there Is 7:n ECtiiilg over it. -
fcn:rE stared at ne heavily without
speaking, n:ia then his eyes wandered
OFT my face to something he held in his
hand-a something uf metal with the
glitter Of glass at the erd Of it. In a
dim way seemed to remember having
seen tho thing before myself, but could
not recuIluct when or where. will own
that was too confused to think clearly,
and while my mind was still hunt
ing duly for some memory of tho object
III Georges hand he Strengthened him
self with sobbing gasp, and then, cry
ing like a frightened child, he ran away
into the night.
watched him 90 along the wet mir
ror OF the pavement under the yellow
glow OF the gas lamps until he doubled
round the corner, and then turned to
the woman who was lying huddled on
the ground and lifted her hand. There
was no trace Of a pulse. placed my
fingers over her heart. There was not q
flicker CT movement, but instead l found
something else. It cut me like glass. It
was glass. stopped down and saw the
glllnmer of it with my eyes, and then
with start l recalled what George
Fcnton was clutching in his hand when
10 ran away from me. 1t was the metal
nit OF a Venetian dagger, with the
blade half broken off. The rest of that
mi sing white glass blade was sheathed
III the life center Of the unhappy woman
who lay at my feet I knew the dagger
well. 1t Was rare curio which had
hung "n the wall of Fenton's room.
ste ped down and again passed nv
hand over the place of that ghastly
death thrust The falling rain was be-
ginning to drench the woma1i's clothes,
but round th" projecting end of the dag
ger all was dry. Not drop of the poor
Creatures litH;lo'd had oozed from the
wound. Shn had been stabbed with a
single blew, aud the hilt had been bro.
Ken Off with il snap. The Venetian dag
ger had done it's work.
l was so utterly overcome by the hor-
ror OF my discovery that for some mo.
n!ents 1 Ellr!t there absolutely dazed.
staring at rho murdered woman. whose
face was surely not whitor than nv
own So daze'l was that did not hear
footsteps approaching NE down the
pavement and did not know that any
one had come along this secluded back
street until heard a voice speaking be-
hind my elbow. looked up and saw
long, lean, dissipated looking individual
Clad from head to foot in seedy black.
he held an umbrella over his head,
Which let the lamplight through many
OF It's seams, and bunch of dirty gray
cotton showed through the toe of one Of
his boots. He spoke III jerks.
AAuy Ai1Ltou! l leafO MN 6aY.
" Bless 'em, they will do these thingsi
Intense heat, intense cold, moderate
emperature--equa result all around.
Sometimes other things excessive
moisture this time, / should think, sir.
A most interesting case: Allow me,
Mr. --, l forget your name. though I
can SEQ you are gentleman-present
myself, medical man, sir DR.. Fitz.
gerald OF Z e. D and County Water
ford. Although l say 1t, sir. we'll
known practitioner in London, although
I've given up my practice in Harley
street.
By this time he had doubled up his
great length beside me like some un-
couth six foot rule of humanity aud was
passing his long, lean fingers rapidly
over the womau's body. saw the fin
gers closing over her watch and chain.
"Own ticker left ut home on grand
piano. he said in an explanatory jerk.
"Lady's ticker no doubt in perfect con-
ditiou. No use feeling pulse without
technical appliance.
Ha was nrncpa6inp tn nnt the xvatoh