Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-10-24
or any one. II renamed to be seen

or any one. II renamed to be seen
what he had done with it.
"They remembered me from my
previous visit and let me In to see the
prisoner without much demur. Guide
owned up to the basket at once. Yes
lie said, I had some few odd tools to
carry from home, and us l couldn't
find anything else handy to put them in
used the old carpenters bass. had
an iron eye to splice OH to the end Of
n windlass rope, a job that like to do
myself, to make sure it's done safe.
never thought about telling you of that
bass before. sir. didn't see as how II
mattered'
Where is the bass now?'
"'In the left luggage office at Shaftes-
bury road station. Name Of Hopkins.
| I've lost the ticket
Where did you put your basket on
entering the carriage Mt Addison road?
ION the seat, sir, in the corner by
the window And with that left
him.
Now, thought to myself, believe
can find out whether you murdered
Andrew Walker or not, and drove back
| to Hammersmith.
Il inquired at the cloakroom. Yes,
| the carpenters bass was there, beneath
a dusty heap of other unclaimed lug
gage. There was demurrage to pay on
it, which offered promptly to hand
over, but as could produce no counter
foil hearing the name of Hopkins, the
clerk with smile said that he could
not let me have it. However, when he
heard what wanted he made no OBJ
lection to my having an overhaul.
'.The two Tugs of the bass were
threaded together with hammer.
took this away and opened the sides.
Within were ball of MARINE, another
Of spun yarn, a grease pot and several
large iron eyes. Also large marline
spike. 1t was this last that fixed my
/ attention. 1t was brand new, with
bone handle and bright brass fer.
rule. Most of the iron also was bright.
but three inches of the point were
stained with faint dark brown. From
casual inspection should have put
this down to the marline spike having
been last used to make splice OF
lOlJSs Hpul HOM NY SUSPICIOUS
made me think of something else.
~ raised the stained point to my
nose. There was no smell of tar what
ever. On the bright part there was the
indefinable odor of iron. At the tip
that thin coat of brown varnish had
blotted this scent completely away.
II think my fingers trembled when
turned to the bass again.
Yes, there, opposite to where the
point Of the marline spike had been
lying it was tilted over the ball of
spun yn.n-was closed up cash in
the side of the bass. The spike had
passed through there and then been
withdrawn. Round the cash was q
dim discoloration, which knew to be
dried human blood.
"In my minds eye l saw the whole
CHASTITY accident clearly enough now.
The two men had been standing up,
struggling. Guide had gone down under
blow, knocked senseless, and Walker
had stumbled over him! Pitching for
ward, face downward, on to the seat
before he could recover, his head had
dashed violently against the carpenters
bass. The sharp marline spike inside,
with its heel resting against the solid
wall of the carriage, had entered the
top of his skull like a bayonet. No
human hand had been raised against
lin, and yet he had been killed on the
instant without a struggle.
"rhen he had rolled of on the floor,
and the blood from his wound had
dripped on to the point Of the pickax
lying beneath him.
"Now, know that for barrister to
go about ferreting out these items Of