The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1899-06-29
CHAPTER II.


On the 14th of July, the cook, Mrs.
Young, was the first person to come
downstairs. She called the maids by
rapping on their bedroom wall, as was
her custom, and then knocked at the
door of the room where Edward Bart
lett, the footman, slept.
Mrs. Young came down at half-past
six. She was not in the habit Of call
ing the butler, as he was generally
very punctual in rising. On this par
ticular morning, however, he happened
to be unusually late.
After having lighted the kitchen fire,
Mrs. Young proceeded to open the IL
brary shutters Upon doing so she
noticed at once the extreme disorder
liness Of the room. A chair lay broken
on the floor, and with it table-cloth
heaped with books and other articles,
as II 1t had been dragged suddenly of
the writing-table. Upon closer inves-
tigation she found near the chair a
large pool of blood and pieces of what
looked like human hair. Horror
stricken, she searched on. More traces
of blood were upon the oak boards
and the stone flags of the hall outside.
They seemed to lead across to the
drawing-room opposite, while upon
the library door were the smeared
marks of mans blood-stained hand.
Terrified nearly out of her senses,
Mrs. Young had not the courage to let
the light into the drawing-room, but,
rushing to the foot of the staircase,
she screamed loudly for help, and then
tainted.
When she recovered consciousness,
she found all the servants running
about wildly, and she learned that her
masters body had been found in the
drawing-room with the back of his
skull beaten in and his throat cut.
Luke, upon hearing Mrs. Young's
screams, had rushed downstairs par
TALLY dressed, and without his boots.
It was he who first opened the shutters
in the drawing and, in doing so,
had broken pane Of glass.
Upon the arrival of the police Luke
appeared so dull and confused, so IN
able to give an account of himself and
his doings at the time he had gone to
bed on the previous night, that he was
arrested on suspicion. Moreover, there
was blood upon his shirt and trousers.
and also upon his socks. He declared
afterwards that his socks were stained
from his having trodden In the blood
when he first came downstairs, and
the other marks must have come from
the cut in his hand when he broke the
window in the drawing-room. His
confused state, he owned, was caused
by his drinking off a bottle of sherry
which he had purloined the night be-
fore, after the guests had left the din
ing-room.
The cabinets In which the coins had
been placed were found broken open
and ransacked and no traces of Mr..
Hughes treasures were to be found.
Near the body OF the murdered man
lay short New Zealander's club, with
blood upon it. This usually hung in
the hall, with similar weapons, which
composed a trophy. But the fact
which told most against Luke was a
large clasp-knife which was known to
have belonged to him buried in the
dust-heap out in the back yard. The
stains upon this also bore witness to
the purpose for which it had been
used.
At the trial William Luke pleaded
Not Guilty." but circumstances
pointed very suspiclously against him.
Edward Bartlett, the footman, gave
evidence which told greatly against
the prisoner though the young fellow
showed an evident wish to say all ne
could in his favor.
Under cross-examination, Bartlett
had to own that he had several times
heard Luke say that at was quite
time the old beggar-his master-was
knocked in the head, and that If he
had heap of coins like Mr.. Hughes
he would not be long before he sold
them and went off to Australia"
The day before the murder Luke had
been much put out by his masters
finding fault at the way In which the
silver was kept. and he said to Bartlett
in the pantry that he had had enough
of Mr.. Hughes nonsense, and he did
not intend to put up with it much
longer. Bartlett swore that Luke was
much upset throughout the day on
which the dinner-party had taken
place, and had been drinking freely,
though he had not taken enough TO
make his behavior noticeable.
The two maids, Sarah and Anne
Dodson, also gave evidence. ut there
was nothing particular to be elected
from them.
The jury. after prolonged trial,
brought in verdict of Guilty" and
William Luke was condemned to death.
A week before the execution was 70
take place, however, 1t was rumorea
that the police had fresh suspicious,
and that there was reason 10 believe
that Luke was not the guilty man
after all. So far did these rumcrs
prove correct that Luke was rsprisved,
but detained during her Majesty's
pleasure.
Much to the worlds astonishment.
suspicion seemed to have faIlan nxcn