Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-08-11
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Observation-Disclosures
CHAPTER XXI

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"I will endeaVol. not to make it long. -
said the detective, drawing a chair to tho
table, which he placed IN such a position
that | corlI not leave the room without
passing b. u. 'In our profession it is
as well to waste as few words as posi-
bic. When you gave your commission tc
my comrade | had just left the force
with the intention of starting a private
business of my own, and l was in Lon.
don and in my comrades Office at the
time you called upon him. / heard al
you had to say, and the description you
gave of your wife's personal appearance
aroused my curiosity. You left a por
trait of her with my comrade, and when
you were gone / looked at the picture
and was surprised to find that it was q
woman whose face / was acquainted
with. She had occupied a position as 8
kind of gOverness and companion in the
house of rich gentleman In Seyenoaks
where | was stationed when in govern
ment service, and l understood that she
was a single woman. She went by the
name of Mile. Rosalie. Your statement
to my cOmrade that she was your wife
end an Englishwoman, proved to me
that in Sevenoaks she had been sailing
under false colors. | made a PROPOSE
ton to the officer you engaged, and we
agreed to go partners in this affair. There
was more depending upon it than you
wera aware of at the time. In the house
in which Mile. Rosalie, your wife, was
employed, q murder had been commit
ted. An old gentleman. Mr.. Wilmot
was found strangled in his bed, and q
large sum of money was missing. Now
there was a mystery in connection with
this murder. A man whose name wa;
Samuel Fleetwood, who all his life haC
borne the best of characters. and haC
been employed in the service of Mr.. Rich
ard Pardon, the ger cleman in whose
house the murder was committed, haC
disappeared on the night OF the murder
Suspicion naturally fell upon him. We
could not catch him, but eventually he
gave himself up and confessed to the
murder. He died in the police station !
few hours afterward.
''0n the following morning the town
was startled, not only by the publica
ton of the news of this confession, but
by the mysterious disappearance of Mr.
Pardon and Mile. Rosalie. They mac
both been seen the night before by Mrs
Pardon, the lady of the house, Mile. Ro
sale at about IL o'clock, and her hus
band at l or 2 o'clock in the morning
Her husband was then in his study, anC
by cunning questioning l learned from
Mrs. Pardon that when she last saw hel
husband in his study, at that late houl
in Tue night, he appeared to be greatly
disturbed in his mind. She ascribed thi:
TO his having been completely upset by
the dreadful murder which had taker
place in his house; l did not agree will
her, but | did not tell her so. / wa:
greatly put out by Mr.. Pardon's disap
pearance. because he had offered a larg,
reward for the apprehension of the muir
derer of Mr.. Wilmot, and he had prom
ised me. notwithstanding that Samue
Fleetwood had voluntarily given him
self up, that this reward should be paid
Up to this moment il has not been paid
but l live still in hopes.
1.-The natural conclusion was that thos,
two had run off together. / did not agre,
with the general verdict pronounced up
on the missing pair However, l KEEP
my opinions to myself for the reason
that | had an idea that the reward of
fered by Mr.. Pardon for the discover!
of the murderer of Mr.. Wilmot would
one day find its way into my pocket
How is that? perhaps you will ask
when Samuel Fleetwood had confessed
TO the crime, and the gentleman whC
offered the reward had disappeared, part
" because he wished to save his money Z
Well, now, you will think it strange wher
/ tell you that l had my doubts as to tn,
genuineness of Samuel Fleetwoods con
fession. 1t seems that he had given tn,
clergyman q private letter, which he i'm
plored would be conveyed to his master
and that he had placed a most extraor
binary and unnatural Importance upOi
the safe delivery of this document. TIL,
clergyman Informed me that Mr.. Pardon
had called upon him in the evening in
state of great agitation. and said tina
the letter had not reached his hands
Now. the clergyman was positive tina
he had inclosed ii in a packet, contain
ing. besides, letter from himself anC
a copy of Samuel Fleetwood's confession
which he had delivered TO Mile. Rosalie
Il kept thinking TO myself, What could
be in this missing letter. and 1 was no
at all satisfied with things as they stood
l was confident that there was a mystery
which it might pay me to clear up. An
other circumstance led me to this con
clusion. A man of the name of Red
wing, who had been taken on by Mr.
Pardon for a few weeks to assist tn,
gardener, had also disappeared. Wha
was there singular in that? you viii ask
Well. begging your pardon again, Mr.
Stanniors-I had seen enough to eonvinc,
me that Mile. Rosalie and Redwing wer,
lovers. This. gentlemen, is how matter,
a. of ha
of Mr.. Pardon, Mile. Rosalie and Red
wing. The frs: thing to be done was Il
track them.
But here found myself at fault. TIL,
fact Is. did not feel myself quite JUST
fed in spending large sum of my OWL
money in the search. and it was. l dar,
say. because Of this that l did not sue
coed. After some time had passed | gave
M the idea. and left the force. as l hav,
told you. with the intention of starting
business on my own account
Then came your visit to my comrade
The suspicion of some strange mystery
in connection with the murder of Mr.
Wilmot revived. Yoa supplied my com
rade with funds, and with these funds
we set TO work III not make my stor!
too long by telling you all about our OF
erations. 1t will be satisfactory TO yol
TO know that we tracked two of tn,
three missing persons-Mlle. Rosalie an,
Redwing. She had not gone away Will
Mr.. pardon; she had gone away viii
Redwing. They had passed some tim
ON the continent. in France and Italy
and IL was when they returned TO Eng
land that we got fairly on the scent
From that moment we never let it escarr
us. We accompanied them eyerywher
in various DISCUSSES; we slept in the mex
rooms 10 theirs wherever they put up
We overheard their conversation. AM
took it down in writing. Putting all W
heard intelligibly together, it makes
strange story. Your divorce is all right
Mr.. Stanmore. but there is something
much more serious behind all this thai
you can imagine"
CHAPTER NXII.
The detective paused impressively
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