Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-06-29

.N1 year 1894 that all London
IWU was interested and the
S- fashionable world dis
IAIM9Av mayed by the murder of
vSoW&N the Hon. Ronald Adair
under most unusual and
1neXpllcable circumstances. The public
bias already learned those particulars of
the crime which came out In the police
investigation, but a good deal was sup
pressed upon that occasion, since the
case for the prosecution was so over
whelmingly strong that it was not nee
essary to bring forward all the facts.
Onlynow, 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 n
event in my adventurous life. Even
now, after this long interval, 1 find my
self thrilling as l think of it and feel
ing nee more that sudden food of toy,
a1naZement and incredulity which ut
terly submerged my mind. Let me
say to that public, which has shown
some interest in those glimpses which
l have occasionally given them of the
thoughts and actions of a very remark
able man, that they are not to blame
me If I have not shared my knowledge
with them, for / should have consider
ed it my first duty to have done so had
I not been barred by a positive prohi-
bftion from his own lips, which was
only withdrawn upon the Sd of last
month.
1t "a be imagined that my close in
;Hmacy with Sherlock Holmes had in
terested me deeply in crime and that
after his disappearance 1 never failed
to read with care the various problems
which came before the public. And l
ever attempted more than once for my
W 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 l
read the evidence at the inquest, which
led up to a verdict of willful murder
against some person or persons I'M
known, l realized more clearly than 1
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
fnrfc 0f tho TNo1iaa ro,,1I ba-o hoo-
supplemented or more probably antici.
pated by the trained observation and
the alert mind of the first criminal
agent in Europe. All day as l drove
upon my round turned over the case
in my mind and found no explanation
which appeared to me to be adequate,
At the risk Of telling a 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. Adair's mother had
returned from Australia to undergo the
operation for cataract, and she, her SOL
Ronald and her daughter Filda were
living together at 427 Park lane. The
youth moved in the best society-had
so far as was known, nc enemies and
no particular vices. He had been en-
gagged to Miss Edith Woodley of Car
stairs, but the engagement bad beer
broken off by mutual consent some
months before, and there was no sigI
that it had left any very profound feel
ing behind it. For the rest the mans
life moved in a narrow and convention
al circle, for his habits were quiet an6
his nature International. Yet 1t was up
on this easy going young aristocrat thai
death came in most strange and unex
pected form between the hours of II
and 1920 on the night of March 80
1894.
Ronald Adair was fond Of cards, play
ing continually, but never for suct
stakes as would hurt him. He was
member Of the Baldwin, the Cavendist
and the Bagatelle card clubs. 1t was
shown that after dinner on the day Of
his death be 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 witt
m-Mr. Murray, Sir John Hardy an6
Colonel Moran-showed that the game
was whist and that there was a fairly
equal fall Of the cards. Adair nigh
have lost f5, but vol more. His for
tune was a considerable one, and suct
3 loss could not in any way affect him
He had played nearly every day at one
club Or other, but he was a cautious
player and usually ros a winner. Il
came out In evidence that in partner
ship with Colonel Moran be had actu
ally won as much as 442O in a sfttine
some weeks before from Godfrey Nil
p1eF and Lord Balmoral. 80 much fol
Ehhs recent history as 81 came out at the
inquest.
On the evening of the crime he re
turned from the club exactly at 10
His mofhor and afsfpr vpore ont snanl