Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1908-01-30

I'm AAOoAA IL SSoAh ~ SAAO
Of the great law cases of if-
teen or twenty years back will
" remember at least the title of
that extraordinary will case BARLEY
versus BARLEY and others which occu-
pied the probate court for some weeks
on end. The affair will perhaps be
more readily recalled as the occasion
Of the sudden rise to eminence in their
profession of Messrs. Crellan, Hunt &
fCrellan, solicitors for the plaintiff, Il
result due entirely to the wonderful
ability shown in this case Of building
up apparently out of nothing a smash
ing weight Of irresistible evidence.
But there are not many of the outside
public who know that the credit Of
the whole performance was primarily
due to a young clerk in the employ Of
Messrs. Crellan who had been given
charge of the seemingly desperate task
Of collecting evidence in the case
This Mr.. Martin Hewitt had, how
ever, full credit and reward for his
exploit from his firm and from their
client, and more than n other firm
Of lawyers engaged in contentious work
made good offers to entice Hewitt to
change his employers. Instead OF this,
however, he determined to work indie
pendently for the future, having con"
ceived the idea of making a regular
business of doing on behalf of such
clients as might retain him similar
work to that he had just done with
such conspicuous success for Messrs.
Crellan, Hunt & Crellan.
1 myself first made Hewitt's ac-
%uuaintance as a result of an accident
resulting in a fire at the old house in
which his office was situated and in an
upper floor of which I occupied bach
elor chambers. I was able to help III
saving a quantity of extremely impor-
tant papers relating to his business.
The acquaintance thus began has last
ed many years and has become q rath-
err close friendship.
81 consider you. Brett" he said, adj
dressing me, "the most remarkable
Journalist alive. You have never yet
been guilty of giving away any of my
little business secrets you may have
become acquainted with"
This he said, as he said most things,
with a CHEEKY, chatting good nature
that would have been, perhaps, sur
prising to q stranger who thought of
him only as a grim and mysterious
discoverer of secrets and crimes. In
deed, the man had always as little of
the aspect of the conventional detective
as may be imagined. Nobody could ap-
a more cordial or less observant in
manner, although there was to be seen
a certain sharpness Of the eye, which
might, after all, only be the twinkle
of good humor.
I did think it worth while to write
something Of Martin Hewitt's investi-
cations and a description of one Of his
adventures follows.
At the head Of the first fight Of a
dingy staircase leading up from an
ever open portal in a street by the
Strand stood a door, the dusty ground
glass upper panel Of which carried In
its center the single word "Hewitt,"
while at it's right hand lower corner, in
6Ludll0F lcltcIS, S1CAAo O"SS "P
peared. On a morning when the clerks
In the ground floor Offices had barely
hung up their hats, a short, well
dressed young man, wearing spec
tacles, fastening to open the dusty
door, ran into the arms Of another mar
who suddenly issued from it.
II beg pardon" the first said. us
this Hewitt's detective agency officer
Eyes, I believe you will find it So"
the other replied. He was a stoutish,
clean shaver man Of middle height
and Of a cheerful, round c%ountenance
"You'd better speak to the clerk"
In the little outer Office the visitor
was met by a sharp lad with inky fin.
gers, who presented him with a pen
and a printed slip. The printed slip
having been filled with the VISITORS
name ard present business and con
veyed through an inner door, the rae
roappeared with an invitation to the
private Office. There. behind a writing
table, sat the stoutish man himself.
"Good morning, Mr.. Lloyd-Mr. Ver