Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-06-29


mo doubt ! only mention 1t be
cause If ! had been handling the case
should have been inclined to make tha
the starting point Of my investigation.
However, my friend, Or. Watson,
knows nothing Of this matter, and !
should be none the worse for hearing
the sequence Of events once more. JUS
give US some short sketches of the cs.
scntials."
Stanley Hopkins drew slip Of paper
from his pocket.
II have a few dates here which will
give you the career Of the dead man,
Captain Peter Carey. He was born in
'45-fifty years of age. lie was
most daring and successful seal and
whale fisher. In 1883 he commanded
the steam sealcr Sea Unicorn of Dun.
dee. He had then had several success
full voyages in succession. and in the
following year. 1854 lie retired. After
that he travelled for some years. and
finally he bought n small place called
Woodlands Lee, near Forest Row, in
SUSSEX. There he has lived for six
years. and there he died Just q week
ago today.
There were some most singular
points about the man. In ordinary
life he was a strict Puritan-a silent.
gloomy fellow. His household consist
ed Of his wife, his daughter. aged
twenty. and two female servants.
These last were continually changing
| for it was never a CHEEKY situation. and
sometimes it became past all bearing
| The man was an intermittent drunk.
ard. and when he had the At on him lie
was a perfect fcnd. He has beer
known TO drive his wife and daughter
out of doors in the middle of the night
and fog them through the park until
the whole village outside the gates
was aroused by their screams.
"l1e was summoned once for a saw
age assault upon the old vicar, who
had called upon him 10 demonstrate
with him upon his conduct. In short
Mr.. Holmes, you would 20 far before
you found more dangerous man than
Peter Carey, and l have heard that
he bore the same character when he
commanded his ship He was known
in the trade as Black Peter, and the
name was given him not only on ac-
count OF his swarthy features and the
color of his huge beard, but for the
humOrs which were the terror of all
around him. need not say that he
was loathed and avoided by every one
Of his neighbors and that have not
heard one single word Of sorrow about
his terrible end.
"You must have read in the account
OF tho inquest about the mans cabin,
Mr.. Holmes. but perhaps your friend
here has not heard Of it. He had built
a wooden outhOuse-he always called
it the 'caDin'-a few hundred yards
from his house, and it was here that
he slept every night. 1t was little
single roomed hut III by 10. He kept
the key in his pocket. made his own
bed, cleaned it himself and allowed
no other foot to cross the threshold.
There are small windows on each side,
which were covered by curtains and
never opened. One of these windows
was turned toward the higllroad, and
when the light burned in it at night
!
other and wolidcr what Black Peter
WAS doing in there. That's the win
dow. Mr.. Holmes, which gave us one
of the few bits Of positive evidence
that came out at the inquest
You remember that 4 stonemasOn
named Slater walking from Forest
Row about o'clock in the morning
two days before the murder. stopped
as he passed the grounds and looked
at the square Of light still shining
among the trees. He swears that til,
shadow Of il mans head turned side
ways was clearly visible on the blint
and that this shadow was certainly
not that OF Peter Carey. whom h,
knew well. 1t was that of a bearded
man. but the beard was short ant
bristled forward in way very diff
ferent from that Of the captain. $,
We says. but he had been two hours il
the public house, and 1t is some dis
lance from the road to the window
Besides, this refers to the Monday. ant
the crime was done upon the Wednes
day.
ION the Tuesday Peter Carey was II
one Of his blacklist moods, flushed witt
drink and as savage as a dangerou
wild beast. He rOamed about tn
house. and the women ran for it whel
they heard him coming Late in tn
evening he went down to his own hut
About 2 o'clock the following morninl
his daughter, who slept with her win
dow open, heard most fearful vel
from that direction, hut it was no I'm
usual thing for him to bawl and shou
when he was In drink, SO no motto
was taken. On rising Mt I one of tn
maids noticed that the door Of the hu
was open. but so great was the terro
which the man caused that 1t was mid
day before any one would ventur
down to see what had become of him
Peeping into the open door. they saw
sight which sent them flying wit
white faces into the village. Within
an hour l was on the spot and ha'
taken over the case.
"Well, have fairly steady nerves. a
you know. Mr.. Holmes, but give y0l
, my word that got shake when pu
+, my head into that little house. 1t wa
droning like harmonium with the hie
and bluebottles. and the door and wall
were like q slaughter house. He ha'
, called 1t Q cabin. and a cabin 1t wal
sure enough, for you would hav