The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-06

run up the costs Of this case higher than
necessary. But il you choose to shove
your other work aside and waste a couple
of hours, just go and interview him by
yourself, and wen waive ceremony. III
get the necessary prison order and send II
round to you tomorrow
Next afternoon / went down to see
Guide in the waiting room at the Old Bal
ley. He was a middle aged man. heavy
faced, and evidently knocked half stupid
by the situation in which he found him
self He was perhaps as great a fool 10
his own interests as one might often meet
with. There was no getting the simplest
tale out Of him except by regular ques-
ton -and-answer cross examination. What
little he did tell seemed rather to confirm
his guilt than otherwise; though, strange
to say. I was beginning to believe him
When he kept on assuring me between ev-
cry other sentence that he did not commit
the murder. Perhaps it was the stolid
earnestness of the fellow in denying the
crime. One gets to read a good deal from
facial expression when a man has watched
what goes on in the criminal dock as long
as ! have done; and one can usually spot
guilt under any mask
" But tell me- | said, what did you
quarrel about in the first instance
" Money. said Guide, moodily.
" That's vague. Tell me more. Did he
owe you money!
&c No, sir: it was t'other way
" Wages in arrears?
g" No, it was money he had advanced me
for the working Of my business. You see,
Walker had always been a hard man and
he'd saved. He said he wanted his money
back, he knowing that | was pinched bit
just then and couldn't pay. Then he tried
to thrust himself into partnership with
me in the business, which was thing
didn't want. I'd good contracts on hand
which i expected would bring me in a
matter Of $4,000 and | didn't want to
share it with any man. least Of all him.
told him so. and that's how the trouble be-
gan. But it was him that hit me first.
Still. you returned the blown
Guide passed a hand YEARLY over his
forehead. I may have struck him back. sir
I was dazed. and don't rightly remem-
Der. But before God I'll swear that new
er lifted that pick to Andrew Walker-it
was his pick
But I persisted, Walker couldn't
very conveniently have murdered himself
No, sir. nO-no he couldn't / thought
OF that myself since I been in here. and
said to Mr. Barnes that perhaps somebody
come into the carriage when was knocked
silly and killed him: but Mr. Barnes he
said that was absurd. Besides. who could
have done ito
Don't you know anybody. then. who
would have wished for Walkers death?'
There was them that didn't like him, =
said Guide, drearily.
That was all / could get out of him
and l went away from the prison feeling
very dissatisfied. l was stronger than
ever in the belief that Guide was in no de-
gree guilty, and yet for the life of me
did not see how 10 prove his innocence He
had not been man Of any strong charac-
ter to begin with and the shock of what
he had gone through had utterly dazed him.
1t was hopeless to expect any reasonable
explanation from him; ne had resigned
himself to puzzlement. If he had gone
melancholy mad before he came up to
trial, | should not have been one whit sur
prised
81 brooded over the matter for couple
OF days, putting all the rest of my practice
out Of thought but l didn't get any for
warder with it. | hate to give anything up
as a bad job. and in this case l felt mat
there was on my shoulders a huge load of
responsibility. Guide l had fully per
suaded myself. had not murdered Andrew
Walker as sure as the case went into
court, on its present grounding the man
would be hanged out Of hand: and | per-
suaded myself that then l, and I alone
should be responsible for an innocent
mans death.
AT the end of those two days only one
course seemed open to me. 1t was foreign
to the brief held, but the only method
left to bring in my clients innocence.
Il must find out who did really murder
the man | must try to implicate some
third actor in the tragedy.
ITO begin with. there was the railway
carriage: but little thought showed me
that nothing was to be done there The
compartment would have been inspected
by the police, and then swept and cleaned
and garnished. and coupled on to its train
once more. and used by unconscious ras-
sengers for weeks since the uproar occur
red in It.
"All that had got TO go upon were the
notes and relies held at Scotland Yard.
The police authorities we're very good.
OF course they were keen enough 10 bring
of the prosecution with professional eclat:
but they were not exactly anxious to hand
over poor wretch to the hangman il he
was not thoroughly deserving of a dance
on nothing. They placed at my disposal
every scrap of their evidence. and said that
they thought the reading of it all was
plain beyond dispute. I thought so, too at
first They sent an inspector to my cham
bers as their envoy.
ION one point though after lot of
thought. | did not quite agree with them
! held grisly relic in my hand, gazing at
It fxedly. II was Il portion of Walkers
skull a disc of dry bone with a splintered
aperture in the middle.
" And so you think the pickax made that
hole said to the inspector.
90 L don't think there can be any doubt
about il, and the point of the pick was
smeared with blood
" But would there be room to swing
such a weapon in a third-class metropoli-
tan railway carriage"
" We thought OF that. and at first It
seemed poser The roof is low. and both
Guide and Walker are tall men; but if
Guide had gripped the shaft by the end.
So with his right hand pretty near against
the head So he'd have had heaps of room
TO drive il with sideways swing. I tried
the thing for myself; it acted perfectly.
Here's the pickax; you can see for your
self
q did see. and | wasn't satisfied: but
didn't tell the inspector what / thought.
1t was clearer to me than ever that Guide
had not committed murder What l asked
the inspector was this. Had either OF the
men got any luggage in the carriage?
The inspector answered. with a laugh.
Not quite Mr. Graysou. or you would see
Ii here.
Then / took on paper rough outline Of
that fragment Of bone. and an accurate
sketch OF the exact size of the cash in it.
and the inspector went away. One thing
his visit had shown me. Andrew Walker
not slain nv a flow from behind by the