The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-04-19

However, my friend, DR.. Watson,
knows nothing of this matter, and
should be none the worse for hearing
the sequence of events once more just
give us some short sketches of the es-
sentials."
Stanley Hopkins drcw a 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
'4o-fifty years of age. He was u
most daring and successful seal and
whale fisher. In 1888 lie commanded
the steam sealer Sea Unicorn of Dun
dee. He had then had several success
full voyages in succession, and in the
following year, 1884, lie retired. After
that he Travelled for some years, and
finally he bought a small place called
Woodman's Lee, near Forest Row, in
Sussex. There he has lived for six
years, and there he died Just a week
ago today.
'There We're 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, bis daughter, aged
twenty, and two female servants
These last were continually changing,
for 1t was never CHEEKY situation, and
sometimes it became past all bearing.
The man was an intermittent drunk
ard. and when he had the fit on him he
was perfect tiend. He has been
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.
He was summoned once for a saw
age assault upon the old vicar, who
had called upon him to demonstrate
with him upon his conduct. In short,
Mr.. Holmes, you would go far before
you found more dangerous man than
Peter Carey, and l have heard that
ne 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 We're the terror of all
around him. | need not say that he
was loathed and avoided by every one
Of his neighbors and that l have not
heard one single word OF sorrow about
his terrible end
You must have read in the account
of the inquest about the mans cabin,
Mr.. Holmes, but perhaps your friend
here has not heard Of it, He had built
wooden outhouse-he always called
it the 'cabin'-a few hundred wards
from his house, and it was here that
he slept every night. 1t was little
single roomed hut 16 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 We're covered by curtains and
never opened. One of these windows
was turned toward the highroad, and
when the light burned in it at night
the folk used to point it out to each
other and wonder what Black Peter
was doing in there. That's the Win
dow, MIR. Holmes, which gave us one
of the few bits of positive evidence
that came out at the inquest.
You remember that stoneclason
named Slater, walking from Forest
Row about l o'clock in the morning
two days before the murder, stopped
US he passed the grounds and looked
Mt the square of light still shining
q T Y0 H.
shadow of mans head turned side
ways was clearly visible on the blind
and that this shadow was certainly
not that of Peter Carey, whom he
knew We'll. 1t was that of bearded
man, but the beard was short and
bristled forward in way very Diff
ferent from that of the captain. Sc
he says, but he had been two hours in
the public house, and it is some dis
tance from the road to the window.
Besides, this refers to the Monday, and
the crime was done upon the Wednes-
day.
ION the Tuesday Peter Carey was in
one of his blacklist moods, flushed with
drink and as savage as dangerous
wild beast. He roamed about the
house, and the women ran for it when
they heard him coming. Late in the
evening he went down to his own hut
About = O'Clock the following morning
his daughter, who slept With her Win
dow open, heard most fearful veil
from that direction, but it was no I'M
usual thing for him to bawl and shout
when he Was in drink, SO no notice
was taken. On rising at Z one of the
maids noticed that the door of the hut
was open, but so great was the terror
which the man caused that it was mid
day before any one would venture
down to see what had become of him.
Peeping into the open door, they saw
a sight which sent them flying with
white faces into the village. Within
an hour l was on the spot and had
taken over the case
well, l have fairly steady nerves, as
you know, Mr.. Holmes, but l give you
my word that got shake when put
my head into that little house. 1t was
n ,,;+l toe,