Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1903-08-01

SVHO WAS GUILTY. s
q A VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE (
ACIIAPTER XXI.

table. which he placed In such a position
that I could not leave the room without
passing him. "ln our profession II Is
a. well to waste az few words as posi-
bic. When you gave your commission to
my comrade I had just left the force,
with the intention of starting private
business of my own, and l was In Lon
don and In my comrades Office at the
time you called upon him. l heard all
you had to say. and the description you
gave Of your wife's personal appearance
aroused my curiosity. You left por
trait Of her with my comrade. and when
you were gone I looked at the picture,
and was surprised to find that 1t was a
woman whose face was acquainted
with. She had occupied position rs a
kind of governess and companion in the
house of q rich gentleman In Sevenoaks.
where I was stationed when In govern
ment service. md I understood that she
was q single woman. She went by the
name of Mile Resale. Your statement
20 my comrade that she was your wife.
and an Englishwoman. proved to me
that In Sevenonks 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 II than you
were aware Of at the time. In the house
In which Mile. Resale. your wife. was
employed, a 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. 4 man whose name was
Samuel Fleetwood. who all his life had
borne the best Of characters. and had
been employed In the service Of Mr. Rich
ard Pardon. the gentleman In whose
house the murder was committed. had
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. lie died In the police station q
few hours aftcrward.
ION 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. Rosalic. They had
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 mt or 2 o'clock In the morning.
Her husband was then In his study, and
by cunning questioning l learned from
Mrs. Pardon that when she last saw her
husband IN his study. Mt that late hour
in the night. he nppeured TO be greatly
disturbed In his mind. She Inscribed this
10 his having been COMPLETELY unset by
the dreadful murder which had taken
place In his house; I did not agree with
her, but I did not tell her so, I was
greatly put out by Mr.. Paedon's disap.
pearance. because he had offered n large
reward for the apprehension of the muir.
dercr Of Mr. Wiimot, and he had prom.
ised me, Notwithstanding that Samuel
Fleetwood had voluntarily given him.
self up. that this reward should be paid.
Up to this moment 1t has not been paid.
EYt I live still In hopes.
y "The natural conclusion was that those
two had run on together. I did not agree
with the general verdict pronounced up.
on the missing pair. However. I kept
my opinions to myself. for the reason
that had an idea that the reward Of
fered by Mr.. Pardon for the discovery
Of the murderer of Mr.. WilmOt would
one day find Its way into my pocket.
How IL thntT perhaps You will ask.
when Samuel Fleetwood had confessed
10 the crime, and the gentleman who
offered the reward had disappeared, part
~ because he wished to save his money 2
Well, now, you will think It strange when
l tell you that I had my doubts as TO the
gcnuineness Of Samuel FleetwoOd's con
fession. 1t seems that he had given the
clergyman a 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 upon
the safe delivery Of this document. The
clergyman Informed me that Mr.. Pardon
had called upon him In the evening In a
state Of great agitation. and said that
the letter had not reached his hands.
Now, the clergyman was positive that
he had inclosed It In a packet, contain
Ing. besides, q letter from himself and
a copy OF Samuel FleetwOod's confession.
which he had delivered to Mile. ROsalie.
II kept thinking to myself. What could
be In this missing letter. and l was not
at all satisfied with things as they stood.
! WIS confident that there was 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 few weeks to assist the
gardener, had also disappeared. What
was there singular In that? you will ask.
Well, begging your pardon again, Mr..
Stanmore-I had seen enough TO convince
me that Mile. Resale AMI Redwing were
lovers. This, gentlemen, II how matters
stood on the day Of the disappearance
Of Mr.. Pardon. Mile. Resale and Red
wing. The first thing to be done was to