The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-03-01

Il HlSL Nt5G G7I UtS VSISeUyS JUoG 'tOW.
no photographers name. It is Mrs.
Cecil Slater. met her on a P. and 0.
boat. How on earth did it get in the
Scotland Yard album
"That is what I should like to kLow.
Mr.. Gates. %
Mr.. Gates turned to his drawer, and
after few minutes runmaging pro-
duced the picture I had seen on my last
visit.
'sHere is my print It is identical
with yours, you observe. But why
should you have come to me? It is sim
ply remarkable coincidence.
"WeIl, to tell you the truth, Mr..
Gates, I happened to see the copy of
yours when I was here last week 1t
was lying in that drawer, which, you
may remember, you could not close. 1
could not help noticing it, for it was
staring me in the face while you were
showing me your curios. thought it
was the same and brought this 70 you
to make sure.
Gates laughed.
SCI see. Captain Brett, you are warm
ing to this detective work. I must con-
gratulate you on your ingenuity and
powers of observation.
He said this somewhat sarcastically,
but forgave him, for he admitted to
being in bad temper.
ssBut how did it get In the police al
bum?' I asked.
.I'm sure don't know, said Gates.
II did not put it there"
'.Of course not, u laughed. ''But do
you happen to know anything about the
LADY that would connect her in any way
with the MURDER"
Nothing at all that I am aware of.
+ met her some time ago returning from
India, and heard she died last year.
She was most charming woman and
had many friends. Some one on board
took her photograph, and she hpnored
me-, along with others, with print.
That is the whole history Of my copy"
This was distinctly disappointing.
What we had looked upon as an i'm
portant cIew turned out to be of no
value at all unless we coald trace tho
prints, and that was rather unlikely.
s"Can you tell me ewho got copies Be-
sides yourself"
.ssI cannot. I don't know how many
prints there were, and certainly never
knew where they all went to. The man
who took them was called Ralston. He
is in the Indian civil service, and have
no doubt ! could find out his address for
sea il you wish it. /"
II don't expect he will be of any nse
to us, but / dare not leave even that
stone unturned. I shall be very glad,
Mr.. Gates, if you will get me that in
formation, and possibly you may by
that time remember the others Of your
fellow passengers who also got picture
of the lady. y
Gates promised to do bis best, and l
took my leave. did not much care for
the man. but he seemed willing and
even anxious to help me, and on two
points at least he had given valuable
| information
I took the photograph back to Scot
land Yard. The officials there were be-
ginning to know me. so frequent had
been my visits on one point and anoth.
er. One of them stopped me in the door
way just as was leaving.
"Ah, Captain Brett, said he, Il
have some news for r'you. jenkins, one
of our men, has just returned from a
mission in the Argentine. He had charge
of our album before he went away, and
we have told him about the photograph
being stolen He distinctly remembers
an inquirer fun bling over that page IN
a rather suspicious maner. He thought
it queer at the time, but did not detect
the substitution of the print He kept
his eye on the man, however. and
learned his name afterward. He is GER
| tain he did it.
'sWell, who was it?''
cit was a Mr. Keighley Gates. Do
you know him?'
CHAPTER Kill