The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-10-08

roy Simpson was the true culprit, al-
 though, of course, saw that the evidence
 against him was by no means complete. It was while l was in the carriage, just
 as we reached the trainers house, that
 the imense significance of the curried mutton occurred to me. You may re- member that l was distrait, and remained sitting after you had all alighted. I was maryeling in my own mind how I could possibly have overlooked so obvious a clue" "I confess" said the Colonel, ''that
 even now l canont see how it helps us"
 Tt was the first link in my chain of
 reasoning. Powdered opium Is by no means tasteless. The flavor is not dis i agreeable, but it is perceptible. Were it
 mixed with any ordinary dish the eater would undoubtedly detect it, and would probably eat no more. A curry was ex- actly the medium which would disguise
 this taste By no possible suppostion could this stranger, Fitzroy Simpson,
 have caused curry to be served in the
 trainers family that night and it is surely too mopstrous coincidence to
 suppose that he happened to come along with powdered opium on the very night when a dish happened to be served which
 would disguise the flavor. This is un- | thinkable. Therefore Simpson becomes eliminated from tho case, and our atten- ton centers upon Straker and his wife, 1 the only two people who could have
 chosen curred mutton for supper that l night The opium was added after the | dish was set aside for the stable boy, for
 the others had the same for supper with no i'll effects. Which of them, then. had
 access to that dish without the maid sec | ing them?
 Before deciding that question I ,had
 grasped the significance of the silence of
 the dog for one true inference invaria- l bly, suggests others. The Simpson incl | dent had shown me that a dog was kept
 in the stables and yet though some one | had been In and fetched out horse he ] had not parked enough to arose the two
 lads in the loft. Obviously the midnight visitor was some one whom the dog knew 1 well
 T was already convinced. or almost | convinced, that John Straker went down
 to the stables in the dead of the night | and took out Silver Blaze. For what | purpose? For dishonest one, obvious ly, or why should he drug his own stable | boy! And yet l was at a loss to know why. There have been cases before now where trainers have made sure of great | sums Of money by laying against their | own horses, through agents, and then preventing them from winning by fraud Sometimes 1t is a pulling jockey. Some l times 1t is some surer and subtler
 means. What was 1t here? I hoped that
 
 | me to form a conclusion. | And they did so You cannot have for | gotten the singular knife which was round In the dead mans hand, d knife which certainly no sane man would chose Tor weapon. It was as Dr. Wat son told us, form of knife which is used I for the most delicate operations known | Tn surgery And it was to be used for delicate operation that night You must know, with your wide experience or turf matters. Colonel Ross, that it IS possible to make a slight nick upon the tendons Of horses ham and to do it subcutaneous1y, so as to leave absolutely | no trace. A horse so treated would de- velop slight lameness, which would be ! put down to strain in exercise or touch ! Of rheumatism, but never to foul play" William! Scoundrell" cried the Colonel We have here the explanation of why l John Straker wished to take the horse | out onto the moor. So spirited a creature | would certainly have aroused the sound- est of sleepers when it felt the prick of ] the knife. 1t was absolutely necessary
 to do it in the open air.
 T have been blindl' cried the Colonel. l "Of course that was why he needed the candle and struck the match"
 Undoubtedly. But in examining his belongings l was fortunate enough to dis | cover not only the method of the crime. | but even its motives. As q man of the world. Colonel, you know that men do not carry other peoples bills about in | their pockets. We have most of us quite enough to do to settle our own at ] once concluded that Straker was leading double life and keeping second es- | tablishment. Tho nature of the bill showed that there was a lady in the case, and one who had expensive tastes Liberal as you are with your servants. one can hardly expect that they can buy txr.n, 4.--ey aa-t~. ladies. l questioned Mrs. Straker as to the dress without her knowing it, and having satisfied myself that it had never reached her, 1 made a note of the millin- CTS address, and felt that by calling there with Straker's photograph I could