Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-06
He must do his best to control slm.


monde.
"well. perhaps she hasn't" he said slow
~. after q moment; but maybe she's not so
much to blame for that, after all. Anyway,
we've got to work at the case from the
other end. We've got to identify Thomp-
son first
Yes" agreed Simmonds; that's our best
hold, You'll let me know II you find out
apS Sf course. ..,a eoo,rev r,.,n. on,
with a curt nod he went out and down the
steps to the street.
At the Office he found two reports await
Ing him. One was from the men he had
sent along the docks-they had found no
one who could identify the photograph of
Thompson. The other was from Delaney,
the head of the Records intelligence de-
partment. At o'clock that morning Just
before retiring. Godfrey had 'phoned a mes
sage to the office:
'Delaney-I want all the information OBJ
tainable concerning the history of the Croy-
don family, to which Mrs. Richard Delroy
and Grace Croydon belong"
This was the result:
Gustave Croydon, notary and money
lender. No. II Rue d. Antin Paris removed
with wife and young daughter about 1878.
to Beckenham. just south of London Eng
land Why he removed from France not
known. Rue d'Antin has been completely
rebuilt within last thirty years and only
person there now who remembers Croydon
Is an old notary named Fabre who has an
He has vague memory that Croydon left
France to avoid criminal prosecution of
some sort.
Croydon bought small country place
near Beckenham and lived there quietly in
semf-retlrement. Fortune apparently not
large. In 1891 mortgaged estate for
E2UOO; mortgage paid in 1897. Religion,
Catholic. Excellent reputation at Becken-
ham.
Eldest daughter. Edith, born In France,
August 26. 1874. Educated at school
there. but broke down from overstudy
and returned to Beckenham. where
work. There met Richard Delroy. New
York. who was making investigation of
London charities. Married him June q.
1900 and went Immediately to New York.
Grace. born at Beckenham. May IL, 1880.
Educated at home. No unusual incidents
In life. SO far as known
Croydon and wife died typhoid fever.
1901. Delroys came to England. and. after
selling property and settling estate, took
Grace home with them. Estate, left wholly
to younger sister. paid inheritance tax on
f1 500"
Godfrey read this through slowly. dwell
ing upon 1t point by point
The skeleton" he said to himself is
pretty plain-it lies concealed somewhere
behind Croydon's departure from France.
There must have been some unusual reason
for that-a reason even more serious, per-
haps. than this threatened prosecution
the clippings would tell the story
But Is 1t worth while trying to dig It
up? 1t wouldn't be difficult thing to do If
the newspapers handled 1t at the time; but l
don't know" and he stared out through
his window with drawn brows. IF it's
buried again, l believe I'll let 1t rest-for
the present, anyway" and he whirled back
to his desk.
He wrote the story of the days develop
ments and turned 1t in.
We've been lucky" said the city editor
with a gleeful smile, as he took the copy
We've got photographs of all the princi-
pals" 5000
Have WEI"
''Yes-they cost $500, but they're worth It.
No other paper In town will have EN-"
That's good" said Godfrey, but II was a
half-hearted commentator. and he left the
office in a frame of mind not wholly ami
able. The methods of popular newspaper
are not always above reproach.
Thank heaven" he added to himself
his face clearing a little. there's nothing
in my story to mpiicate either Miss Croy-
don or Mrs Delroy-there's no hint of the
skeleton. 1 took care of that-which." he
concluded. with a grim smile. lis mighty
forbearing in a yellow Journalism
What further tests there were to be OF
his forbearance not even he suspected!
CTo be continued tomorrow.)