Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-27
BY ARTHUR MORRISON.
III.
The Case Of MIR. Foggatt.


Hewitt permitted himself in regard to his
professional methods was one the mat
ter of accumulative probabilities Often
when l have remarked upon the apparent
~ trivial nature of the clews by which
he allowed himself to be guided--sometime
to all seeming, in the very face of all like
lihood-he has replied that two trivialties,
pointing in the same direction, became at
once, by their mere agreement, no triviali-
ties at all, but enormously important con-
siderations. IF | were in search of a
man. he would say, of whom l knew
nothing but that he squinted, bore birth
mark on his right hand and limped, and 1
observed a man who answered to the first
popularity, so far the clue would be trivial
because thousands of men squint. Now.
ii that man presently moved and exhibited
birth mark on his right hand, the value
of that squint and that mark would in
crease at once a hundred or Il thousand
fold. Apart they are little; together much.
The weight of evidence is not doubled
merely; II would be only doubled if half
the men who squinted had right-hand
birth marks; whereas the proportion, if it
could be ascertained, would be, perhaps
more like one in ten thousand. The two
trivialities, pointing in the same direction,
become very strong evidence. And. when
the man IS seen to walk with II limp, that
limp another triViality), reinforcing the
others brings the matter to the rank of a
practical certainty. The Bertillon system
of identiticatou-what is it but a sum-
mary of trivialties2 Thousands of men
are of the same height, thousands of the
same length of foot, thousands of the
same girth of head-thousands correspond
in any separate measurement you may
name. It is when the measurements are
taken together that you have your man
identified forever. just consider how few,
tI1-
in any two personal peculiarities.' Hew-
tits dogma received its illustration uneX-
pectedly close at home.
The old house wherein my chambers and
Hewitt's office were situated contained, be-
sides my own. two or three more bachelors
dens in addition TO the Offices the
ground and first and second floors. At the
very top of all, at the back. a fat, middle
aged man, named Foggatt, occupied set
of four rooms. 1t was only after a long
residence, by an accidental remark of the
housekeepers, that l learned the mans
name. which was not painted on his door
displayed, with all the others, on the
wall of the ground floor porch.
Mr.. Foggatt appeared to have few friends,
but lived in something nearly approach
ing luxury as an old bachelor living in
chambers can live. An ascending case of
champagne was common phenomenon of
the staircase, and l have more than once
seen a picture, destined for the top floor
of a sort that went far to awaken green
covetOusness in the heart of "a poor jour
nalist
The man himself was not altogether pre-
possessing. Fat as he was he had a way
OF carrying his head forward on his ex-
tended neck and gazing widely about with
pair of the rOundest and most prominent
eyes l remember 10 have ever seen, except
in & fish. On the whole, his appearance was
rather vulgar, rather arrogant and rather
suspicious, without any very pronounced
quality Of any sort. But certainly he was
not pretty In the end, however, he was
found shot dead in his sitting room.
It was in this way: Hewitt and had
Giucd together at my club, and late in the
evening had returned 10 my rooms TO smoke
and discuss whatever came uppermost. l
had made a bargain that day with two
speculative odd lots at book sale, each OF
which contained a hidden prize. We sat
talking and turning over these books while
time went uuperCeivcd, when suddenly we
were startled by loud report. Clearly II
was In the building. We listened for a
moment. but heard nothing else, and then
Hewitt expressed his opinion that the re-
port was that of u gunshot. Gunshots in
residential chambers are not common
things, wherefore l got up and went TO the
landing, looking up the stairs and down.
At the top of the next flight l saw Mrs
Clayton, the housekeeper. She appeared to
be frightened, and told me that the report
came from Mr.. Foggatt's room. She thought
he might have had accident with the
pistol that usually lay on his mantel-piece
We went upstairs with her, and she knock
ed at Mr.. Foggatt's door,
There was no reply. Through the VEN
tuatiug fanlight over the door ii could be
seen that there Were lights WITHIN, a sign,
Mrs Clayton maintained, that Mr.. Fogga
was not out. We knocked again, much
more loudly, and called, but still lneifec-
tually. The door was locked, and an APP
pliCatiOn Of the houSckeepers key proved
that the tenants key had been left IN the
lock inside. Mrs. Clayton's conviction that
something had,hdppened' became distress
ing and in The end Hewitt prIed open the
door with a small poker.
Something had happened. In the sitting
room Mr.. FOSgatt sat with his head bowed
over the table, quiet and still. The head
was i'll TO look at. and by it lay a large
revolver Of the full-siZed army pattern.
Mrs. Clayton van back toward the landing
with faint screams.
Run. BRETT said Hewitt; "a doctor and
a policeman
| bounced down the stairs half a flight at
a time First" 1 thought, "a doctor. He
may not b, dead" 1 could think of no
doctor in the Immediate ncigtborhood, but
ran up the street away from the Strand,
as being the more likely direction Tor the
doctor. although less for the poIlccpan,
II tool, me a good five minutes 10 find the
nnedico. after being led astray by a red
lamp at private hotel, and another ilVe 10
get back with policeman
Fnggatt was dead. without doubt Prob-
ably had shot himself. the doctor thought.
from the Notwithstanding and other cir
ctIrnst.iuCcs. Certainly nobody could have
left -le room by the door, OF ne must nave
PASSED my landing. while the fact OF the
dooc being found locked from the inside
made the thing impossible There were two
windows TO the room, both OF which we're
shat; one being fastened by the catch. while
the eaten of the other was broken-an oju
fracture. Below these windows was sheer
drop OF dfty feet or more, without 1907
or haud-EoId near. The windows IN the
other rooms were shut and fastened. Ger
tainiy il seemed suic.de-uUless 1t were one
OF those accidents that will occur to people
who fiddle iSuorantly with firearms. Soon
the rooms were in possession of the police,
and We We're turned out.
We looked in at the housekecper's kitch-
en- where her daughter was reviVing and
calming Mrs. Clayton with gin and water.
You mustn't upset yourself, Mrs. Clay
ton" Hewitt said. "or what will become of
us all? The doctor thinks 1t was an acct
dent"
He took a small bottle of sewing machine
oil from his pocket and handed 1t 10 the
daughter. thanking her for the loan,
There was little evidence 81 the INQUEST
The shot had been heard. the body had
bsen found-that was the practical sum GI
the matter. No friends or relatives or the
dead man came forward The doctor gave
his opinion as to the probability or snlcioe