The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-06-25

chan-Cutting loft above the harness
room were quickly aroused. They
had heard nothing during the night,
for they are both sound sleepers.
Hunter was obviously under the in
fuencc Of some powerful drug, and
as no sense could be got out of him,
he was left TO sleep it off while the
two lads and the two women ran out
in search of the absenteeS. They
still had hopes that the trainer had
for some reason taken out the horse
for early exercise, but on ascending
the knoll near the house, from which
all the neighboring moors were Visi-
bic, they not only could see no signs
Of the missing favorite but they per-
ceived something which warned them
that they were in the presence of a.
tragedy
About a quarter of a mile from the
stable John Straker's overcoat was
fapping from a furze- bush. Imme-
diateIy beyond there was bowl
shaped depression in the moor. and at
the bottom of this was found the
dead BODY of the unfortunate trainer.
His head had been shattered by a
savage blow from some heavy weapon,
and he was wounded on the thigh,
where there was a long, clean cut in
flicted evidently by some very sharp
instrument. 1t was clear, however,
that Straker had defended himself
vigorously against his assailants. for
in his right hand he held small
knife. which was clotted with blood
UP to tho handle while in his left he
rlasnad a red and black silk craVat.
which was recognized by the maid as
having been worn on the preceding
evening by the stranger who had
visited the stables. Hunter, on recov-
ering from his stupor, was also quite
positive as to the ownership of the
arayat He was equally certain that
tho same stranger had while standing
at the window, drugged his curried
mutton. and so deprived the stables
Of their Waterman. AS to the missing
horse there were abundant proofs IN
the mud which lay at the bottom TO
the fatal hollow that he had been
there at the time of the struggle. But
from that morning he has disappear
ed and although a large reward mas
been offered. and all the gypsles OF
Dartmoor are on the alert, no news
has come of him. Finally. an analysis
has shown that the remains of his
upper left by the stabe-lad contain
an appreciable quantity of powdered
opium while the peonle at the house
partook of the same dish on the same
night without any i'll effect
"Those are the main facts of the
case, stripped of all surmlse, ana
stated as badly as possible SNAIL
now recapitulate what the police nave
done in the matter.
inspector Gregory. to whom the
case has been committed, is an eX-
tremely competent officer Were he
but gifted with imagination he might
rise to great heights in his profess
sion on his arrival he promptly
found and arrested the man upon
whom susnicion naturally rested.
There was little difficulty in finding
him. for he Inhabited one of those
villas which I have mentioned. His
name. it appears was Fitzroy Simp-
SON. He was a man of excellent birth
and education. who had squandered a
fortune upon the turf, and who lived
now by doing a little quiet and gen
teel book making in the sporting
clubs Of London. An examination of
his betting book shows that bets to
the amount of $4,000 had been regis
tered by him against the favorite. On
being arrested he volunteered the
statement that he had come down to
Dartmoor in the hope of getting some
information about the Kings Pyland