Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-08-16
CHAPTER V.

C1A1 Elk v.
"OM ERICHSEN held out a
steady hand for the Globe
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 at the other
end. He found the paragraph. ran his
eye from headline to finish and then
read it slowly aloud:
SHOCKING MURDER AT HAMP-
STEAD.
An atrocious murder was committed
late last night or early this morning in
the neighborhood Of Hampstead Heath.
A mechanic on his way to work at an
early hour this morning and having &C.
casion to traverse the right OF way con-
Meeting the Finchley road with the upper
portion Of Haverstock hill noticed a
stout stan upon the grass near the sec
ond stile from the former thoroughfare.
On picking 1t up the stan. or, rather.
cudgel, was found to be crusted with
blood and near It was discovered drawn
sword stick. broken near the hilt. Con-
tinuing his alarming Investigations. the
mechanic made his browning and most
horrible discovery in a hollow tree close
beside the stile. in which lay the body Of
q 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
disf1gured as II by repeated blows from
some blunt instrument. There can be no
doubt that the crime was committed with
the cudgel above mentioned Cat present
the only clew to the assassin) or that
the sword stick was vainly used in self
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.
Ing much Information has been forth
coming. and We are sorry to state that
the victim has been identified rs Captain
J. Montgomery Blaydes. late of his
majesty'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
II will. But that's extraordinary
mot 1t. He's been robbed as well.
That's what I want to get at. That
things he took"
Tom moistened his lips and harked
back:
No letters or papers of any sort were
discovered upon his person. and it Is
only through the marking Of his linen
that the identity of the deceased has
been SO promptly established 1t now
transpires that the hapless captain had
n nlx fnD IN tt,a x-tll
West End mot mile from the scene of
the murdeD and that he left his lodgings
shortly after 10 o'clock last night, in or
der to attend an evening party. In q
hackney coach. Tho police hope that the
coachman will come forward
"He hasw said Jim. "You may leave
out that bit"
"And you couldn't describe the manY'
Not too we'll. I could only swear he
was neither short nor tall and looked
to be wearing pair Of nankeen trou-
sers." CTom's legs were underneath
the table, 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 thatw
There was diamond pin"
Seeu IL. Nuat else
"All his money"
"Ah. he paid like a gentleman. Any
thing else?"
"A-gold-watchw
The words would hardly come. Jim
thumped the table with his heavy fist.
"Thatll do" he cried. "That'll hang
him. you mark my words! What sort
Of watchY
But this time the words would not
come at all. for Jim's wife stood in
the doorway behind JIm's chair, and
her eyes and Tom's-the terrified and
the guilty-were locked together In a
long. dread stare
whats that about a watch?" she
said In a sort Of whisper, advancing
unsteadily and leaning a hand upon
her husbands shoulder. Whose
watch?"
zone belonging to murdered man."
replied Jim. I'm asking what kind
Of one. l say 1t ought to hang the
chap what did it,
ut WILL" said she hoarsely in his ear.
tits repeater, and him that has II
Sits in front Of You In that chairv
There followed silence so profound
that Tom could hear the watch itself
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 bis pocket sweet and tiny ting,
ting, ting, ting. ting!
1t was the saving of him from Jim
the coachman and his wife.
Both ShKank haok nc Ton, dorto5 %