Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-10-11

to offer young Marsden a cigar. You
see one has been taken from this box, q
new box. which young Marsden opened
with his clasp knife-you know the
ugly kind of knife, Thompson. The
murder was committed with the same
weapon. He opens the box, takes out a
cigar and lights it, then puts the knife
here by his side and sits on the edge of
the table.
"Again they talk, again the old man
taunts, and again the young man loses
his temper and crashes his hand down
upon the table. His fingers touch that
awful knife, and in second it is over.
For moment he is paralyzed with fear
and, rushing to the sideboard, pours
out glass of the brandy, for himself
this time, spilling it upon the wood
work and the carpet, and then stands
and hesitates. He dare not leave by the
front door in case he is seen. Suddenly
he remembers the passage through the
rockery on to the river. No doubt the
water at the bottom of the tunnel would
be frozen. and he could escape that
way. With one glance over his shoulder
he leaves the library, rushes across the
hall through the opposite room and the
conservatory, then ont into the grounds
along the covered walk and by the tun-
mel on to the frozen river
"Old Marsden, les for dead, comes
slowly back to semiconsciousness. He is
dying, and he knows it, but be swears
the guilty shall not escape, and even
with his failing strength he will de-
nounce the murderer.
Darrent finished his dramatic word
picture and then, taking the slip of pa
per from his pocket, held it before the
face of his comrade.
81 am dying, murdered by Astray,"
gasped Thompson.
"And Astray has skipped" Darrent
interrupted.
Thompson could only stolidly nod in
acquiescence. Loath as he was to be-
lieve that Astray Marsden, whom he
remembered in years back always had
kindly word for every one, was a muir
derer he had been led away by OAR
rents dramatic recital, and the paper
written by the dying man seemed to
clinch the matter. Yes, there could be
no question about it now. Astray must
have done it.
cit looks rather black against young
Marsden, he said, at last finding his
tongue.
lyon suspect him3"
Thompson nodded modify.
"Well, look here, Thompson, sud
denly snapped Darrent. "Don't you be
In such COMPOUNDED hurry to jump at
conclusions. Now, If we find presently
that Astray Marsden can prove an alb
solute alibi, what becomes of these de-
auctions, ehf Astray Marsden is not
the only man in the world who stands
six feet high, wears rough homespun
suit, carries Norwegian knife and
likes to have his signet ring on the lit
tie finger Of his left hand.
"But the paper2"
"Well, what of that2 4 am dying,
murdered by Astra'- The " is miss
ing, and you jump to the conclusion it
must be Astray. Now, suppose, Thomp-
son, that the mystery has a deeper root ;
that it concerns Astray all the same,
but not as murderer. Suppose old
Marsden intended, for example, to write
murdered by Astray's brother or any
other relative and died before he could
write the last word. What becomes of
your evidence then2''
And, having calmly and deliberately
demolished the structure that he had so
carefully and deliberately constructed,
Darrent took cigarette from his case
and. lighting it, strolled over to the
window.
81 told you" he said between the
whiffs, "that the man stood with his
elbow on the mantelshelf. Well, SO he
did. That's obvious. And then showed
you three dents that looked compare
lively fresh, and 1 said that they had
been made by the ring on the little
finger Of the mans hand. Well, perhaps
they were, and perhaps they were done
weeks ago by old Marsden himself.
Perhaps the mans elbow never rested
on the shelf, but old Marsden had put
something there and afterward removed
1t. shouldn't like to swear to any Of
it. I've put a lot of little things togeth-
er, but they may be all wrong, every
one of them. What do you think, eh3"
81 think they all fit too WELL"
"They fit well enough. but they prove
nothing, absolutely nothing. To be a
successful detective one must be ready
not only to forge chains, but to set to
work directly afterward and break
them, if they can be broken, test every
link and if there's flaw find it. One
must not persuade himself, because a
few circumstances fit, that that, and
that only, must be the truth. Why,
have made many as good chain of cir
cumstantial evidence before, and every
link has been faulty, the whole thing
worse than worthless.
"But, Darrent, the papers say that
you are"-
'"The American Lecoq, precisely, but
l am very much afraid that their
knowledge of NJ Lecoq has only been
derived from French sensational novels,
according to which he never erred, was
absolutely infallible. l think NJ. Lecoq
himself would tell very different story.
We have followed one set of circum.
stances closely and-well, with the re-
suit that it brands Astray Marsden as
the murderer Very well; now we'll
. Nj : I, !,