Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-08-01


case for the prosecution was so over
whelmingly strong that 1t was not nee
essary to bring forward all the facts.
Only now. at the end Of nearly ten years,
am l allowed to supply those missing
links which make up the whole Of that
remarkable chain. The crime was Of In
terest in itself, but that interest was
as nothing to me compared to the in
conceivable sequel, which afforded me
the greatest shock and surprise Of any
event in MY adventurous life. Even
now, after this long interval, ! find my
self thrilling as think Of 1t and feel
ing once more that sudden food Of joy,
amusement and tncredulity which ut
terly submerged my mind. Let me
say to that public, which has shown
some interest in those glimpses which
! have occasionally given them Of the
thoughts and actions of very remark
able man, that they are not to blame
me II / have not shared my knowledge
with them, for should have consider
ed it my first duty to have done SO had
! not been barred by positive prohi-
bition from his own lips, which was
only withdrawn upon the Sd Of last
MONTH
1t can be Imagined that my close in
timacy with Sherlock Holmes had in
terested me deeply in crime and that
after his disappearance never failed
to read with care the various problems
which came before the public. And /
even attempted more than once for my
own private satisfaction to employ his
methods in their solution, though with
Indifferent success. There. was none,
however. which appealed to me like
this tragedy Of Ronald Adair. As /
read the evidence at the inquest, which
led up to q verdict Of willful murder
against some person or persons un-
known, I realized more clearly than I
had ever done the loss which the COM
munity had sustained by the death Of
Sherlock Holmes.
There were points about this strange
business which would, I was sure, have
specially appealed to him, and the eff
Forts Of the police would have been
supplemented or more probably antici-.
pated by the trained observation and
the alert mind Of the first criminal
agent in Europe. All day as drove
ppon my round I turned over the case
In mY mind and found no explanation
which appeared to me to be adequate.
At the risk Of telling twice told tale
I will recapitulate the facts as they
were known to the public at the con-
clusion Of the inquest.
The Hon. Ronald Adair was the Sec
ond son Of the Earl Of Maynooth, at
that time governor Of one Of the Aus.
tralian colonies. Adairss mother had
returned from Australia to undergo the
operation for cataract, and she, her son
Ronald and her daughter Hilda were
living together at AT Park lane. The
youth moved In the best society-had,
so far as was known, no enemies and
no particular vices. he had been en-
gagged to Miss Edith Woodley Of Car
stairs, but the engagement had been
broken OF BY mutual consent some
months before, and there was no sign
that it had left any very profound feel
ing behind It. For the rest the mans
life moved In narrow and convention
al circle, for bis habits were quiet and
his nature Unconditional. Yet 1t was up
on this easy going young aristocrat that
death came in most strange and unex-
pected form between the hours Of 10
and 1920 on the night Of March 80,
1894.
Ronald Adair was fond Of cards, play
ing continually, but never for such
stakes as would hurt him. He was q
member Of the Baldwin, the Cavendish
and the Bagatelle card clubs. It was
shown that after dinner on the day Of
his death he had played a rubber Of
whist at the latter club. He had also
played there in the afternoon. The
evidence Of those who had played with
him-Mr. Murray, Sir John Hardy and
Colonel Moran showed that the game
was whist and that there was fairly
equal fall Of the cards. Adair might
have lost Is, but not more. His for
tune was considerable one, and such
loss could not in any way affect him.
He had played nearly every day at one
club or. other, but he was cautious
player and usually rose winner. It
came out in evidence that in partner
ship with Colonel Moran, he had actu-
ally won as much as f420 in sitting
some weeks before from Godfrey Mil
ner and Lord Balmoral. So much for
bis recent history as It came out at the
inquest
On the evening Of the crime he ne.
turned from the club exactly at 10,
His mother and sister were out spend.
Ing the evening with relative. The
servant deposed that she heard him en-
ter the front room on the second floor,
generally used as his sitting room.
She had lit a fire, and MS 1t smoked she
had opened the window. No sound was
heard from the room until 1920, the
hour of the return Of Lady Maynooth
and her daughter. Desiring to say
good night, she attempted to enter her
sons room. The door was locked on
the inside. and no answer could be got
to their cries and knocking. Help was
obtained and the door forced. The I'M
fortunate young man was found lying
near the table. His head had been hor-