The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1905-12-28
JAMES HOPE1
INSPECTOR
Copyright, 1905, by T. c. Mcclure.l

of 1.-The Brown Eyes" to work up. In"
beginning of the case was a murder
committed in London omnibus
While the vehicle was rolling alon" |
with only two passengers in it-one a
banker and the other a lady-the bank.
err was stabbed to the heart ana the
lady swung herself off the step and dis,
appeared among the crowd. The baGS
err lived long enough to say that she
was Il young and handsome woman.
richly attired, and that she had lar.,
brown eyes She had not robbed him
nor could he tell why she had sought
his death. She sat near him. but they
had not spoken word when she sud
denly drew dagger and plunged II
into his side Fifty different people
saw the young woman leave the om1h'
bus, but five minutes later. when the
alarm was given. no one could say III
which direction she had disappeared.
Even in his dying hour. as was after
ward ascertancd the banker had lied
Many years previously and in another
city he had wronged trusting girl
and left her to die in shame and dis
grace. That girl had a sister and the
murderesS of the omnibus was I'M
doubtcdly she. The banker had two
sons. both of them young men. One
held a responsible position in large
iewclry house, and the other was jus.
setting up as Il barristcr. The police
thought it would be an easy matter ta
pick up the woman with the brown
eyes. but they found to the contrary
She did not have half an hours start
of them, and vet they failed to dis
cover Il trace For weeks and weeks
they We're looking for brown eyed wo-
men and keeping them under surve'-
lance but nothing came of it,
One day three months later a young
woman who spoke French fairly we'll,
but who was undoubtedly English, call
ed at a iewelry house in Bond street.
| and looked ut Il lot of valuable gems
and asked that they be sent to her
rooms at certain hotel at a certain
hour. She would then pay for what she
finally selected. 1t was the house in
which the bankers son was employed
and he was selected to 60 With the val
uablcs. He reached the hotel, was con-
Quoted to the lady's rooms and two
| hours later was found dead there. He
had also been stabbed. AS none of the
/ gems had been taken and as the WON.
an had mysteriouSly disappeared IT
| was set down as a case of revenge.
According to the clerk and the servants
of the hotel. the murdcress had large
brown eyes. and her general descriD-
ton fitted that of the woman Of the
/ cab
| At this time two events happened in
| the life of Inspector Hope. He was
given the case of the brown eyed wom-
an to work out, and his wife had a par
tial stroke Of paralysis and engaged q
young woman to act as nurse and COM
panion. She had advertised. and in an.
swcr came Il stranger who knew q good
deal about nursing and who brought
the very best of characters. Inspector
Hope saw and talked with her himself
and was pleased to find her intelligent
and anxious to please. She freely an.
swcred all questions and took the place
on probation. The inspector was to
write to certain parties in regard to liel
recommends. When two weeks haG
passed she asked if he had written. He
had not His wife WAS SO we'll pleased
with her nurse that he decided to take
chances.
For five weeks the nurse never lief
the house. and for five weeks Inspect
or Hope brought all his luck. logic
and acumen to bear Oh the last muir
der case. but he made no progress. III,
was in despair. but still at work. feel
ing that his reputation was ut stake
when Il third mysterious murder wa
committed The Son of the banEe
who was in law had received as
client one afternoon Il Young ant
handsome woman wearing Il half Veil
She WAS in his Office an hour. During
the first half hour two people saw he
. there No one knew when she dc
parted but when Il caller opened 1h
door the young lawyer was foun'
, breathing his last. He had been stall
+ bed as his father and brother ha
!
same hand Again the murderess ha
disappeared and left no trace.
AS Il member of the family. aimos
the ni.l'se heard Il great le;il of tai
a,J}..tt ;,..c strange murders ard seen
, ed interested to an extent. She kneN
, how fervently the inspector desired t
make i; capture and was kind enoug
, to hope that lie would succeed Nv
! days after the murder of the lawyC
: Mrs. Hope and the nurse went to til
q country for two months stay, an
! the inspector set to work as he neNc
had before Spurred by the reward
offered. Il thousand detectives an
J, constables were on the lookout for I'll
woman With brown eyes. When 81
weeks had passed and their ardor ha
: begun to cool Inspector Hope receive
word that his wife's nurse Wa
strangely missing. He went down
;, the farmhouse and found that sue
;, was the case. She had simply wake