The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-22

is dark to me''
\ proceed, them
"Some years ago--to be definite, IN
May, 1SS4-there came to Lee a gentle
man, Neville St. Clair by name, who !
appeared to have plenty Of money. He
took large villa, laid out the grounds
very nicely, and lived generally IN
good style. BY degrees he made friends
in the neighborhood, and in 1887 he mar
ried the daughter Of a local brewer, byi
whom he now has two children. He had
no occupation, but was interested in sew
eral companies, and went into town as
a rule in the morning, returning by. the
55:l4 from Cannon street every night.
is a man Of temperate habits, q good
husband, very affectionate father,
and a man who is popular with all
who know him. I may add that his
whole debts at the present moment, SO
far as we have been able to ascertain,
amount to &8S los, while he has f220
standing to his credit in the Capital
and Counties bank. There is no reason,
therefore, to think that money troubles
have been weighing upon his mind.
"Last Monday Mr.. Neville st. Clair
went into town rather earlier than
usual, remarking before he started that
he had two important commissions to
perform, and that he would bring his
little boy home box Of bricks. Now,
by the merest chance. his wife received
very shortly after his departure, to the
effect that a small parcel of consider
able value which she had been expect
ing was waiting for her at the offices
Of the Aberdeen Shipping company.
Now, if you are well up in your Lon
don, you will know that the offices Of
| the company are in Fresno street, which
branches out of Upper swandam Lane,
! Clair had her lunch, started for the city,
did some shopping, proceeded, to the
company's office, got her, packet and
found herself at exactly 4:35 walking
thru Swandam Lane on her way back to
the station. Have you followed me SO
faF7Gu : ,,,
| eff you remember, Monday was an
walked slowly, CHANGING about in the
hope Of seeing cab, as she did not like
the neighborhood in which she found
herself. While she was walking in this
way down Swandam Lane, she sudden
| ly heard an ejaculation or cry, and was
struck cold to see her husband looking
down at her, and as it seemed to her.
reckoning to her from a second floor
window, The window was open, and she
distinctly saw his face, which she de-
scribes as being terribly agitated. He
waved his hands frantically to her and
then vanished from the window so sud
! denly that it seemed to her that he had
been plucked back by some irresistible
force from behind. One singular point
which struck her quick feminine eye
was that, altho he wore some dark coat
such as he had started to town in, he
had on neither collar nor necktie.
"sConvinced that something was
aniss with him, she rushed down the
steps-for the house was none other
than the opium den in which you found
me tonight-and, running thru the front
room, she attempted to ascend the
!, stairs which led to the first floor. AT
the foot of the stairs, however, she met
this Lascar scoundrel of whom I have
, spoken, who thrust her back, and, aided
by Dane, who acts as assistant there
pushed her out into the street. Filled
with the most maddening doubts ant
fears, she rushed down the lane, and
by rare good fortune, met, in Fresno
, street, a number Of constables with a,
. beats. The inspector and two men &C
. companied her back, and, in spite O.
the continued resistance Of the pro
prietor, they made their way to tn
room in which Mr.. st. Clair had las
;, been seen. There was no sign of hin
: there. In fact, in the whole of tina
u floor there was no one to be found, saw
= a crippled wretch of hideous aspect
: who, it seems, made his home there
= Both he and Lascar stoutly swore tina
. no one else had been in the front roor
during the afternoon. So determine
, was their denial that the inspector wa
q staggered, and had almost come to be
y lieve that Mrs. St. Clair had been DE-
: luded, when, with a, cry, she sprang a
T.. T.. small deadlock which lay upon tn
table, and tore the lid from it. Gu
=, It was the toy which he had promised t
!, bring home.
4 "This discovery, and the evident COZ
d fusion which the cripple showed, mad
Q, the inspector realize that the matte
Ia was serious. The rooms were CAREFUL
examined, and results all pointed to a
a abominab BILE crime. The front room WE
n. plainly furnished as sitting-room an
l. led into a small bedroom, which locke
IL out upon the back Of one Of Il
wharves. Between the wharf and tt
bedroom window is a narrow stri
If which is dry at low tide, but is co
y cred at high tide with at least 70,
d. and half feet Of water. The be-
room window was broad one, ar
opened from below. On examinatio
"a. traces of blood were to be seen upon tt
le windowsill, and several scattered dro]
were visible upon the wooden floor
the bedroom. Thrust away behind
= curtain in the front room were all Il
clothes Of Mr.. Neville St. Claire, wi
the exception of his coat. His boot
III his socks, his hat and his watch-s
IL were there. There were no signs
u. violence upon any Of these carmen
or and there were no other trac
er of Mr.. Neville St. Clair. o,
Of the window he must appa
n emily have gone, for no other ex
80 could be discovered and the omino
ed bloodstains upon the sill gave lit
iii promise that he could save himself
al swimming, for the tide was at it's We
er highest at the moment Of the TRACED
nd "And now as to the villains W
nd seemed to be Immediately implicated
he the matter. The Lascar was known
"a be a man of the vilest anteceden
ma but as by Mrs. st. Clair s story he "
ok known to have been at the foot Of t
nj stair within a very few seconds of
nd husband s. appearance at the windo
ls he could hardly have been more tn
ad an accessory to the crime. His (
a tense was one of absolute ignoran
+ and he protested that he had no kno,
lat edge as to the doings of Hugh Bool
ed his ledger, and that he could not
yet count in any way for the presence
Of the missing gentleman clothes.
raj So much for the Lascar manag
he Now for the sinister cripple who liz
as. upon the second floor of the opium d
his and who was certainly the last hum
II hoSyo la