The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-07-21

q
10 know what they all mean. The sto
ry, so far as can make it out. IS Ills,
this Some years ago this country
house YoX.ey old Place. was taken
by abb elderly man. who gave the name
Of Professor Coram. He was an in
valid keeping his hes half the time
and The other half hobbliug round tn,
house with stick or being pushed
about the grounds by the gardener in
g bath chair lie was well liked by
tie few ne.-hbor> who called unou
him. and hc has the reputation down
there of be.ue "a very learned man
His household used To consist Of an
elderly housebeener, Mrs. Marker. and
Of maid Susan Tarlton. These have
both aeel with HIM since his arrival
and they seem to be- women of excel
F lent character. The professor is writ
. ug learned book. and he found ii
necessary ah9ut year ago % engage
. q secretary. The first TWO thar he tried
wel" not successes. but the third. Mr.
NJHorghiv Smith very young man
stra elt from the university. seems to
have been just what his employer
wanted Ills work consisted in writ
ing all the morning to the professors
dieaJ9u. ana he usually spent tie
evening in hunting up references and
+ passages which bore upon the next
days work. This Wi.loughby Smith
has nothing against him. either as a
boy aft JPplngham or as a young man
ut Cambridge. / have seen lis test
mouialS. and from the first he was a
decent quiet, hardworking fellow. with
no weak spot in him at all. And yet
this is the lad who has met his death
this morning in the professors study
under circumstances which can point
only TO murder"
The wind howled and screamed at
the windows Holmes and | drew
closer TO the ire, while the young ill.,
spector slowly and point 10y point de-
veloped his singular narrative.
ii you were 10 search all England. &c
said he Il don't suppose you could
find household more self contained or
freer from outside Influences. Whole
weeks would pass and not one Of them
20 past the garden gate The pro
feSsOr was buried in his work and ex-
listed for nothing else Young Smith
knew nobody in the neighborhood and
lived very much as his employer did,
The two women had nothing to take
them from the house Mortimer. the
gardener. who wheels the bath chair.
is an army penSioner. an old Crimean
man of excellent character. He does
not live in the house. but in three
ro0med cottage at the other end Of
the garden. Those are the only peo-
pie that you would find within the
grounds Of YoXley Old Place. At the
same time the gate of the garden is a
hundred yards from the main Lon
don to Chatham road. 1t opens with
/ a latch, and there is nothing TO pre-
vent any one from walking in.
Nov l will give you the evidence
of Susan Tarlton. who is the only per
son who can say anything positive
about the matter. 1t was in the fore
noon. between II and 10 She was en-
gagged Mt the moment in hanging some
curtains in the upstairs front bed
room Professor Coram was still in
bed. for when the weather is bad he
seldom rises before midday. The house
keeper was busted with some work in
the back OF the house. Willoughby
Smith had been in his bedroom, which
he uses as a sitting room, but the maid
heard him at that moment pass along
the passage and descend TO the study
immediately below her. She did not
see him, but She says that she could
not be mistaken in his quick. firm
tread. She uid not hear the study
door close, but a minute or 50 later
there was a dreadful cry in the room
below. 1t was a wild, hoarse scream.
80 strange and unnatural that il might
have come either from a man or a
woman. At the same instant there
was heavy thud which shook the
Did house, and then all was silence.
The maid stood peuifed Tor q moment.
and then. recovering her courage she
ran downstairs. The study door was
shut ami Sue opened il. Inside young
Mr Miloughby Smith was stretched
upon tle floor. 1t first she could see
10 injury. hut as she tried to raise
him she saw that blood was pouring
from tle unlerside Of his neck. II
was pierced by a very small but very
deep wound. which had divided the
carotid artery. The instrument with
which The injury had been inflicted lay
upon the carpet beside him. 1t was
one Of those small sealing wax knives
10 De- found on old fashioned writing
tables with an ivory handle and
still blade. Ii was part Of the fittings
OF the professors own desk.
AT hr,t the maid thought that young
smith was already dead, but on pour
Ing some water from the carale over
bis forehead he opened his eyes for an
instant The professor he murmur-
edit was She The maid is prepared
to swear that those We're the exact
words. He tried desperately to say
something else, and he held his right
hand up in the air. Then he fell back
dead.
In the meantime the housekeeper
had also arrived upon the scene. but
she was just too late to catch the young
mans dying words. Leaving Susan
with the body, she hurried to the pro-
fessor's room. He was sitting up in