Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-09-07
have kept some tobacco Tor MS

cause II L nhu Deen handling the cast |
should have been inclined to make that
the starting point Of my investigation.
However. my friend. DR.. Watson,
knows nothing of this matter, and |
should be none the worse for hearing
the sequence Of events once more. Just
give us some short sketches of the cs-
Sentials."
Stanley Hopkins drew Il Slip of D
from his pocket.
Il have 4 few dates here which will!
give You h career OF the dead man,
Captain Peter Carey. He was born in
4o-titty years of age. He was Il
most daring and successful seal and
whale fisher. In 1883 he commanded
the steam Sealer Sea Unicorn Of Dun
dee. He had then had several success
full VOYAGES in succession, and in the
following year. 1881. he retired. After
that he Travelled for some years, and
finally he bought a small place called
Woodman's Lee, near Forest Row, in
Sussex. There he has lived for six
years, and there he died just Il week
ago today.
There We're some most singular
points about the man. In ordinary
life he was a strict Puritan-a silent.
gloomy fellow. His household consist
ell OF his wife, his daughter, aged
twenty, and two female servants.
These last We're continually changing,
for it was never a CHEEKY situation, and
sometimes it became past all bearing.
| 'Ihp man J-1S ~, iYfnS,,, ;t%1,>+ -,,J
ard. and when he had the fit on him he
was a perfect iend. He has beer
nown to drive his wife and daughter
ou OF doors in the middle of the night
and fog them through the park until
the whole village outside the gates
was aroused by their screams.
He was summoned once for a say
age assault upon the old vicar. who
had called upon him to demonstrate
with him upon his conduct. In short.
Mr.. Holmes, you would go far before
you found a more dangerous ma than
Peter Carey, and l have heard that
be bore the same character when he
commanded his ship. He was known
IN the trade as Black Peter, and the
name was given him not only on ac-
count of his swarthy features and the
color OF his huge beard, but for the
humors which were the terror of all
around him. l need not say that he
was loathed and avoided by every one
Of his neighbors and that 1 have not
heard single word of sorrow about
his terrible end.
"Hou must have read in the account
Of the inquest about the mans cabin.
Mr.. Holmes, but perhaps your friend
here las not heard of it. He had built
a wooden outhouse-he always called
it the 'cabin'-a few hundred yards
from his house, and it was here that
he slept every night. 1t was a little
single roomed hut 16 by 10. He kept
the key in his pocket, made his own
bed, cleaned it himself and allowed
no other foot to cross the threshold.
There are small windows on each side,
which were covered by curtains and
never opened. One of these windows
was turned toward the highroad, and
when the light burned in it at night
the folk used to point it out to eacl
other and wonder what Black Peter
was doing in there. That's the win
dow, Mr.. Holmes, which gave us one
of the few bits of positive evidence
that came out at the inquest.
"1ou remember that a stonemason
named Slater, walking from Forest
Row about l. O'Clock in the morning
two days before b murder, stopped
as he passed the grounds and looked
at the square of light still shining
among the trees. He swears that the
shadow Of Il mans head turned side
ways was clearly visible Oh the blind
and that this shadow was certainly
not that of Peter Carey, whom he
knew we'll. 1t was that of a beaded
man, but the beard was short and
bristled forward in a way very diff
ferent from that of the captain. So
he says, but he had been two hours in
the public house, and it is some dis
lance from the road to the window.
Besides, this refers to the Monday, and
the crime was done upon the Wednes-
day.
"On the Tuesday Peter Carey was in
Une of his blacklist moods, flushed with
drink and as savage us a dangerous
wild beast. He roamed about the
house. and the One ran for it when
they heard him coming. Late in the
evening he went down to his own hut.
About 2 o'clock the following morning
his daughter, who slept with her Win
dow open heard u most fearful yell
from that direction, but it was no IN
usual thing for him to bawl and shout
when he was i'll drink, so no notice
was taken. On rising at { one Of the
maids noticed hat the door of the hut
was open, but so great was the terror
which the man caused that it was mid
day before any II would venture
down to see what had become OF him.
Peeping into the open door, they saw
a sight which sent them flying With
white faces into the village. Within
all hour | was on the spot and had
taken over the case.
We'll, | have fairly steady nerves, as
you know, Mr.. Holmes, but | give you
tly word that | got Il shake when l put
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