Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-27

| inquest?" ' ~ " '
| My dear fellow, they don't want any in
| ierehces and conjectures at an inquest
| lhey only want evidence. If | had traced
| one niuI ueref, oi course then l should have
| communicated with the police AS a mat
| Ter or TACT, it is quite possible that the
| ponce nave observed and know as much as
door more. They don't give everything
| away at an inquest Won know II wouldn't
| do"
| But, if you are right, how did the man
| get away?"
| Come, we are near home now. Let US
| take look at the back of the house. He
| couldn't have left by Foggatts landing
| door, as we know; and as he was there CT
am certain of that, and as the chimney is
| out or the queStion-for there was a good
| nre IN the grate-he must have gone out
| by the window. Only window is pos
| sible-that with the broken catch-for all
| the others We're fastened inside. Out of
| that window. then, he went"
| But how? The window is fifty feet up
| VI course 1t is. But why will you persist
| IN assuming that the only way of escape
| by window is downward? See now, look
| up there. The window is at the top floor.
| ana 1t has very broad sill. over the win
dow is nothing but the fiat face of the
| gable-end; but to the right, and foot or
! two above the level of the top of the win
| dow, an iron gutter ends. Observe, it is
not OF lead composition, but strong iron
gutter, supported just at its end by an iron
bracket. If a tall man stood on the end
| of the window sill. steadying himself by the
| left hand and leaning to the right, he could
| Just touch the end of this gutter with his
| right hand The full stretch, toe to finger
| is seven feet three inches. l have measured
| it, An active gymnast or a sailor could
catch the gutter with a slight spring, and
| by 1t draw himself upon the roof. You will
say he would have to be very active dex-
ferrous and cool. So he would. And that
very fact helps us, because 1t narrows the
| field of inquiry. We know the sort of man
| to look for. Because. being certain Gas l
ann that the man was in the room, | know
| that he left in the way / am telling you.
He must have left in some way, and, all the
other ways being impossible, this alone re-
mains, difficult as the feat may seem. The
fact of his shutting the window behind him
further proves his GOODNESS and address at
so great a height from the ground"
All this was very plain, but the main
point was still dark.
You say you know that another man was
in the room' 1 said; how do you know
that?
LAS I said, by an obvious inference
Come. now, you shall guess how / arrived
at that inference. You often speak of your
interest in my work, and the attention with
which you follow IT. This shall be a SIM
pie exercise for you. You everything
in the room plainly as | myself. Bring
the scene back to your memory, and think
over the various small objects Httering
about, and how they would affect the case.
Quick observation is the first essential for
my work. Did you see a newspaper, for in
stance?"
Yes There was an evening paper on
the floor. but l didn't examine it,
Anything else?"
"On the table there was a whisky de-
canter taken from the tantalus stand on
the sideboard, and one glass. That, by The
by l added. looked as though only one
person were present"
so it did, perhaps. although the inference
wouldn't be very strong. Go onH'
Nor. fy.yrft Ct no -il
beard, with plate beside it containing
few nutsheIls. piece of apple, a pair of
nut crackers, and, think, some orange
peel. There was, of course. all the ordi
nary furniture, but no chair pulled up to
the table, except that used by Foggatt him
self. That's all l noticed, l think. Stay
there was an ash tray on the table, and
partly burned cigar near it-only one cigar,
though"
northumberland, indeed, as far as
memory and simple observation go. You
saw everything plainly, and you remember
everything. Surely now you know how
found out that another man had just left?"
NO, | don't; unless there were different
kinds of ash in the ash tray"
That is a fairly good suggestion, but
there were not-there was only a single ash,
corresponding in every way to that on the
cigar. Don't you remember everything that
/ did as we went downstairs?'
You returned a bottle of oil to the house
keepers daughter. think"
Il did. Doesn't that give you mint?
Come. you surely have 1t now?
Il haven't
Then / shan't tell you; you don't de-
serve it. Think, and don't mention the sub
ject again till you have at least one guess
10 make. The thing stareS You in the face;
you see it, you remember it, and yet you
won't see il. | won't encourage your SLOW
enlinoss of thought, my boy, by telling you
what you can know for yourself If you like
Good-bye-Im off now. There's case in
hand / can't neglect.
Don't you propose to go further into
this. them
a policeman" lie said. The case is IN
very good hands. OF course, II anybody
comes to me to do 1t as matter or busl-
ness, I'll take it up. It's very interest
ing but 1 can't neglect my regular Work
for it. Naturally, | shall keep my eyes
omen and my memory in order. Sometimes
these things come INTO the hands by them
selves, it were; in that case OF course
/ am a loyal citizen, and ready 10 help the
law. Au Teyoir!'
l am a busy man myself, and thought
little more of Hewitt's conundrum for some
time: indeed, when l did think, l saw no
way to the answer. A week after the in
quest | took a holiday q had written my
nightly leaders regularly every day for the
past five years., and saw no more of
Hewitt for six weeks. After my return,
with still a few days of leave to run, one
ey ening we together turned into Luzattis,
off Coventry street, for dinner
II have been here several times lately,
Hewitt said; they feed you very well. No.
not that table''-he seized my arm as
turned to an unoccupied corner-'1 fancy
it's draughty." He led the way to longer
table where a dark. 1.-the and Gas well as
could be seem tail young man already sat,
and took chairs opposite him.
We had scarcely seated ourselves before
Hewitt broke into a torrent of conversation
on the subject of bicycling. AS our pre-
Vious conversation had been of a literary
sort, and as / had never known Hewitt at
any other time to show the slightest in
terest in bicycling, this rather surprised me.
l had, however, such a general outsiders
grasp of the subject Is usual in jour
nalist-of-all-w and managed to keep the
tax going from my side. AS we went
| L could see the face of the young man OPP
| pcsite brighten with interest. He was
| rather fine-looking fellow, with a dark
| though very clear skin, but had a hard,
! angry look OF eye, Il prominence of cheek
i bone, and a squareness of jaw that gave
| him rather uninviting aspect. AS Hewitt
| ratified on, however. our neighbours ex-
preston became of pleasant interest
| merely.
| 'Of course" Hewitt said, we've a num-
| Der of very capital men just now, but 1
| believe deal in the forgotten riders of
| five ten and fifteen years back. Osmond
| | believe. better than anY man riding