The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-19

The candle was relit. and there was
our Wretched captive shivering and
covering in the grasp of the detective
He sank down upon the sea-chest,
and looked helpIessly from one of US
to the other,
Now. my fine fellow" said Stanley
Hopkins, who are you. and what do
you want here?"
The man pulled himself together.
and faced us with an eort at self
composure.
You are detectives, I suppose 2"
said he You imagine / am con-
nected with the death of Captain Peter
Carey. / assure you that l am inno-
cent"
wen see about that. said Hop
kins. First of all, what is your
name?'
1T is John HopIey Neligan.''
I saw Holmes and Hopkins ex-
change a quick glance
What are you doing here?"
"Can I speak confdentially?
'No, certainly not
why should / tell your
If you have no answer. it may go
badly with you at the trial."
The young man WINGED.
Well / will tell you" he said.
"Why should / not? And yet I hate
to think of this old scandal gaining d
new lease of life. Did you ever hear
of Dawson and Nellgan? ~
| could see, from Hopkins face,
that he never had. but Holmes was
keenly interested.
You mean the West-county bank
ers" said he. sThey failed for a
million, ruined half the county FAM
lilies of Cornwall and Neligan disap-
peared."
Exactly. Neligan was my father.
AT last we were getting something
positive, and yet it seemed a long gap
between an absconding banker and
Captain Peter Carey pinned against
the wall with one of his own harpoons
We all listened intently to the young
mans words.
"It was my father who was really
concerned. Dawson had retired.
was only ten years of age at the time.
but ! WAS old enough to feel the shame
and horror of it all. 1t has always
been said that my father stole all the
securities and fed. 1T is not true 1T
was his belief that if he were given
time in which TO realize them all
would be well and every creditor paid
in fun. lie started in his little yacht
for Norway just before the warrant
was issued for his arrest. I can re-
member that last ni~ht when he bade
farewell to my mother He left us
list of the securities he was taking.
and he swore that he. would come back
with his honour cleared, and that none
who had trusted him would suffer.
Well no word was ever heard from
him again. Both the yacht and he
vanished utterly We believed. roy
mother and |, that he and it. with the
securities that he had taken with him.
were at the bottom of the sea. We
had a faithful friend however, who
is a business man. and it was he who
discovered some time ago that some
of the securities which my father had
with him had reaDpeared on the Lon
don market You can imagine our
amazement. | spent months in trying
to trace them. and at last after manw
doubtings and difficulties discovered
that the original seller had been Cap
tain Peter Carey. the owner of this
hut.
Naturally. / made some inquiries
about the man. I found that be had
been in command of a whaler which
was due TO return from the Arctic seas
at the very time when my father was
crossing to Norway The autumn Of
that year was a stormy one. and there
was a lone succession of southerly
gales. MY fathers yacht may well
have been blown to the North. and
there met by Captain Peter Carey's
ship. If that We're so. what had be-
come of my father? IN any case, il /
could prove from Peter Carev's evil
dence how these securities came on
the market it would be a proof that