Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-09-27
CHAPTER v.

r. steady hand FOR tne Iiope'
His blood ran too cold for
present tremors. The hackney
coachman had drawn chair to the
table, planted his elbows In the middle
of the printed cotton cloth and his hot,
flushed face between his coarse, strong
hands. Tom sat down ut the other
end. He found the paragraph, ran MS
eye from headline to finish ana tnen
read it slowly aloud:
SHOCKING MURDER AT HAMP-
STEAD.
An ntrocious murder was committeo
late last night or early this morning IA
the neighborhood OF Hampstead deatn.
A mechanic on his way to work az an
early hour this morning and having oc-
=. .;on m traverse the right Of way con-
meeting the Finchley road with the upper
norton of Haverstock hill noticed
stout staff upon the grass near the sec
ond stile from the former thorougniare'
On picking 1t up the stan. or, ratner
cudoel. was found to be crusted with
blood and near 1t was discovered drawn
sword stick. broken near the hiit. Coh-
tinuing his alarming investigations. the
mechanic made his browning and most
beside the stile, in which lay the body OF
gentleman in full evening dress. He
was quite dead; indeed. life had probably
| been extinct some hours. The corpse was
| covered with blood and the head terribly
| disfigured, as IL by repeated blows from
some blunt instrument. There can be no
| doubt that the crime was committed Win
| the cudgel above mentioned (at present
| the only clew to the assassin) or that
| ayx xrof vl
| defense by the unfortunate gentleman.
| The police were summoned with COM
mendable dispatch and the body removed
| to the Marylebone mortuary to await IN
| quest.
Meanwhile In the course Of the morn
! ing much information has been 1orth-
| coming, and we are sorry to state that
| the victim has been identified as Captain
| ]. Montgomery Blaydes. late OF his
maiestv,s Coldstream guards. but for
some years past on the half pay list. NO
letters or papers of any sort were dis-
covered upon his person
Here Tom stopped reading.
go on, sir"
sT will. But that's extraordinary
"Not It. He's been robbed as well.
That's what want to get ut. That
1 tUere SUCK uO SlCWs W. V"ANs '~~~
things he took
Tom moistened his lips and harked
| back:
No letters or papers Of any sort were
discovered upon his person. and II Is
| only through the marking OF his linen
| that the identity of the deceased has
been 80 promptly established. 1t now
transpires that the hapless captain had
been lately residing in the village OF
West End mot mile from the scene OF
the murder) and that he left MS lodgings
| shortly after 10 o'clock last night, In Or
der to attend an evening party, In a
! hackney coach. The police hope that the
| coachman viii come forward
"He has, said Jim. "You may leave
out that bit"
"And you couldn't describe the man|
"Not too we'll. l could only swear he
] was neither short nor tall and looked
to be wearing a pair Of nankeen trou-
sers." CTom's legs were underneath
the tablet NO" continued Jim. I'm
afraid they won't lay hands on him
through me. But they may through the
things he. took Go on to that!
"There was a diamond pln."
81 seen 1t. What else?"
"All his money"
"Ah. he paid like gentleman. Any
thing else?"
-gold-watchw
The words would hardly come. jim
bumped the table with his heavy fist.
"That'll do.' he cried. "ThatH hang
him, you mark my words! What sort
Of a watch?"
But this time the words would not
come ut all, for Jim's wife stood IN
the doorway behind Jim's chair, and
her eyes and Tom's-the terrified ana
the guilty-were locked together In a
long. dread stare.
"What's that about watch?" sne
said In q sort of whisper, advancing
unsteadily and leaning hand upon
der husbands shoulder. Whose
watch?'
Zone belonging to murdered man"
replied Jim. "I'm asking what kind
of one. l say it ought to hang the
chap what did it."
'It WILL" said she hoarsely In his ear.
cts a repeater, and him that has II
sits in front of you in that chair"
There followed silence so profound
that Tom could hear. the watch itseli
ticking in his pocket. The coachman
then rose and slowly leaned across
the table, resting one hand upon IT
The other was half way to Toms
throat when he sprang to his feet and
in so doing pressed his thigh against
the tables edge. Instantly there rang
from his pocket a sweet and tiny ting
ting, ting, ting, ting!
| 1t was the saving Of him from jim
the coachman and his wife.
| Both shronk back as Tom darted to
an inner door and SO up the stairs
which he had descended half asleep.
Ere he reached the top there was O
crash below. For an instant he thought
the man had fallen in fit, but vol
ley of oaths proved 1t only slip as
Tom slammed and locked the door OF
the room In which he had slept away
the day il not his life. His shoes were
still where he had kicked them on
He slipped into them and, exerting all
his strength, pulled the large iron bed
stead from its place and wedged II
between wall and door. Then nc
crouched and listened. The man was
for taking him single handed, the wo
man evidently restraining him by main
force.
LET me 60! Let me gori Tom heard
him cry.
Never till drop! Police! Police
He sha'n't murder my Jim too" :.