Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-01-19
The Robbery at The Tower
AN ADVENTURE OF PETER cREWE-"IAE MAN
WITH THE CAMERA EYES"
2, II AR ID G A r I E r
,, by W. C. Chapman

went behind a cloud. IT think the
discovery will not prove so difficult
as it appears"
"Hindeed," said one of the police
men on duty, who overheard this re-
mark. "May I ask, sir, If you can
furnish any clue?"
"Tell the governor of the tower"
said Crewe. smiling. that the rob-
berry was not committed by an Ital-
ian at all, but by a South American,
whom you people would doubtless
confuse with Italians, seeing that
there are not more than half
dozen in England"
"a South American" repeated the
other policeman stolidly. and doubt
less, sir, his monkey was also a
South American" he continued, with
clumsy sarcasm.
You are quite right" said Crewe
calmly. "His monkey was not a
monkey. bit it certainly was a South
American"
And you get all. all this from him
srecting the brick walls, sir?" the
policeman asked.
every bit" said Crewe.
"You cont 'appen to know more
about this affair than you have told
us. sir?" said the policeman. g.
I pulled Crewe away. eff you
awaken suspicion in the minds Of
these anticipates you will find your
self arrested on suspicion" whis-
pered.
We moved off. the policemen follow
ing us with suspicious glances. 1t
was not until We We're upon the out
skirts of the crowd that l breatEed
freely. "Crewe," l said, " it does not
DO to prod the British policeman
Now tell me, were you serious in
what you said about the South Amer
lean and his monkey"
81 was never more serious" Crewe
answered But said that it was not
a monkey. Tell NE, Langton, what
you saw on the tower"
81 saw a series of well-fitted
bricks" I answered, offering good
foothold for a fly and possibly for a
small monkey, but certainly not for a
man"
But what did you see on the
bricks in the shape of markings?"
"a few moses, which some scien-
fist might label and classify"
"Tush." said Crewe petulantly.
This is what I saw" He stopped,
produced a pencil and a piece of pa
per from his pocket, and began to
trace a series of three-pointed marks
like hens tracks.
There was a well-ordered series
of these" said Crewe, commencing
upon the nineteenth layer of bricks
from the bottom, and thence running,
with slightly oblique movement,
clear up to the window" He closed
his eyes. 81 am looking at them now"
he continued. "At intervals CORE
spending, roughly, to every four Of
these tracks, there are slight but
well-defined depressions in the sur
face having the rough outline of
shoe. Fragments of brick have
crumbled here and there under the
pressure of hobnails. In other words,
Langton, our South American friend
did ascend that turret, walking up its
surface as fly might walk. What
is the inference?"
THAT he threw rope up over the
bars and climbed, pulling himself up
hand over hand. Therefore he is a
sailor" said, with a sudden light.
Crewe looked at me in great amuse-
ment
"My dear Sherlock Holmes, you are
quite wrong" he answered. en-
genious, but speculative. We are
dealing in exactitudes and there is no
possible evidence to show that the
man threw up rope Oh is a sailor"
At the juncture a newsboy came
past yelling a special edition of an
evening newspaper. Murder at Not
ting Hill! Murder at Noting Hill!
Full description of scenes of 'orror,"
the vendor called. Crewe stopped to
purchase a copy, unfolded the damp
sheet, and read from under a staring
headline:
"A dastardly murder was commit
ted in the early hours of this morn.
ing at Noting HILL The residence of
Mr.. Walter Deans, a retired trades
man, was entered, and valuables to
the amount Of more than a thousand
pounds were taken, and the owner
was shot down while endeavoring, as
IS supposed, to defend his home. The
body of Mr.. Deans Was discovered by
his servants about eleven o'clock ly-
ing across the fireplace in his bed
room. which was in confusion. as
though it bad been infinitely rem
sacked. No clue has yet been dis
covered as to the identity of the MUIR
derer, although a foreign-looking man
had been observed lurking in the
vicinity recently Mr.. Deans house
stands alone. in extensive grounds;
1t is perfectly plain brick structure,
and the robber appears to have en-
tered through the window of the third
story, on which is Mr. Deans bedroom,
though how he contrived to effect al
entrance without foothold remains fer
the present a mystery"
II suspected az much" said Crewe.
1.-THE fellow is so emboldened by the
success of his first attempt that un-
less he is caught a series of crimes
will follow. We must get him this
afternoon"
You think it was the same man."