Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-06-03

/ I1Opkl0s lOOkeu
1T was the mans own pouch, sir.
His initials were inside it. And it was
OF sealskin-and he was an old sealer. -
But he had no pipe"
mo, sir, we could find no pipe. In
deed. he smoked very little. and yet he
might have kept some tobacco for his
friends"
NO doubt. i only mention it be-
cause If I had been handling the case 1
| should have been inclined to make that
the starting point of my investigation.
However. my friend, Dr. Watson.
knows nothing Of this matter. and
should be none the worse for hearing
the sequence OF events once more. Just
give Us some short sketches of the es-
sentials."
Stanley Hopkins drew slip of paper
from his pocket.
Il have a few dates here which will
give you the career OF the dead man.
Captain Peter Carey. He was born in
'45-tifty years of age. He was a
most daring and successful seal and
whale fisher. In 1888 he commanded
the steam sealer Sea Unicorn of Dun
dee. He had then had several success
full voyages in succession, and in the
following year, 1884, he retired. After
that he travelled for some years, and
finally he bought a small place called
WOodman's Lee, near Forest Row, in
Sussex. There he has lived for six
years, and there he died just a week
ago today.
There were some most singular
points about the man. In ordinary
life he was a strict Puritan-a silent.
gloomy fellow. His household consist
ed OF his wife, his daughter, aged
twenty, and two female servants.
These last were continually changing,
for it was never CHEEKY situation, and
sometimes il became past all bearing
The man was an intermittent drunk
ard, and when he had the ii on him he
was a perfect iend. He has been
known 10 drive his wife and daughter
out OF doors in the middle of the night
and fog them through the park until
the whole village outside the gates
was aroused by their screams.
He was summoned once for saw
age assault upon the old VICAR who
had called upon him TO demonstrate
with him upon his conduct. IL short
Mr.. Holmes, you would go far before
you found more dangerous man than
Peter Carey, and i have heard that
he bore the same character when he
commanded his ship. He was known
in the trade as Black Peter, and the
name was given him not only on ac-
count of his swarthy features and the
color of his huge beard. but for the
humors which were the terror of all
around him. | need not say that he
was loathed and avoided by every one
of his neighbors and that / have not
his terrible end.
You must have read in the account
Of the inquest about the mans cabin,
Mr. Holmes. but perhaps your friend
here has not heard of II. He had built
wooden outhouse-he always called
it the 'cabin'-a few hundred yards
from his house, and it was here that
he slept every night. 1t was a little
single roomed hut 10 by 10. He kept
the key in his pocket. made his own
bed. cleaned il himself and allowed
no other foot to cross the threshold
There are small windows on each side.
which were covered by curtains and
never opened. One of these windows
was turned toward the highroad. and
when the light burned in it at night
the folk used to point it out to each
other and wonder what Black Peter
was doing ia there. That's the win
dow, Mr.. Holmes. which gave us one
of the few bits OF positive evidence
that came out ut the inquest.
You remember that stOnemason
named Slater, walking from Forest
Row about l o'clock in the morning
two days before the murder, stopped
as ne passed the grounds and looked
at the square of light still shining
among the trees. He swears that the
shadow OF a mans head turned side
ways was clearly visible on the blind
and that this shadow was certainly
not that OF Peter Carey. whom he
knew we'll 1t was that of "A bearded
man. but the beard was short and
bristled forward in a way very diff
ferent from that of the captain. So
he says. but he had been two hours in
the public house, and il is some dis
lance from the road 10 the window.
Besides, this refers to the Monday, and
the crime was done upon the Wednes-
day.
lon the Tuesday Peter Carey was in
one Of his blacklist moods, flushed with
drink and as savage as a dangerous
| wild beast He roamcd about the
house, and the women ran for ii when
they heard him coming. Late In the
evening he went down TO his own hut.
About = O'clock the following morning
his daughter. who slept with her win
dow open. heard a most fearful yell
from that direction. but il was no I'M
usual thing for him TO bawl and shout
/ when he was in drink, so no notice
was taken. On rising at one of the
maids noticed that the door OF the hut
was open. but so great was the terror
which the man caused that IL was mid
day before any one would venture
down TO see what had become OF him.
| Peeping into the open door. they saw
u sight which sent them flying with
white faces into the village. Within
an hour 1 was on the spot and had