The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-06-22

missed at that time very stupidity
the more so in that / had a clue, in
the character of the assault upon Sedg-
wick-but | could not overlook the
fact that the corpse had not been
washed ashore. Moreover, the matter
Of the manacies stimulated my inter
est. Not until the inquest, however.
did l realize the really startling and
unique feature of the case. There is
where you and Doctor Breed made
your fatal error, Mr.. Sheriff"
That's right You saw the face
when we lifted the lid Ispose."
mo. You were too quick in replac-
ing it,
Then how did you get on the
thing?"
From seeing the face after the
body was returned to the courtroom"
Hold on bit" interrupted Lawyer
Balm. Il remember there was fuss
about the corpse not being publicly
shown for Identification. Some of us
insisted. The sheriff gave in. The
coffin lid wasn't quarter off when
Breed gave a yell and clapped 1t on
again. and they took the body back
to his house and shut themselves in
with 1t for half an hour before they
took 1t to the hall again. Naturally
being suspicious, / looked at II pretty
close; hut I didn't see anything queer
Possibly You didn't notice a cut
on the cheek" suggested Kent
Yes. bennett spoke of 1t and the
sheriff shut him up. But what Of II?
1t might have been done in any one OF
dozen ways"
"But 1t wasn't there when the body
lay on the beach"
.la r1I,{r- ana ,oectr-
Journey there might easily be minor
scarifications," sadi Sedgwick.
True. But. Frank, what did you
suppose that sudden shift on the part
OF the officers OF the law meant?"
Perhaps that the body was not in
fit condition to be viewed"
In that case, what could they have
done to make it more tlt?"
Nothing, l suppose. I didn't con-
slider that"
Il rather opined," said Lawyer Balm,
that some one had changed bodies
on EN-"
That's what made you so cussed
curious, was 1t, Adam barked the
sheriff.
There was no exchange of bodies.
said Kent. But there was a change
Ia the body itself"
What kind Of changer asked
Sedgwick.
Has it ever occurred to you &c
think that. after death. the hail
grows, fast 2, ssss z. ,agss. sss,tessss..ss ae,
I've heard 1t said" said Lawye,
Balm. that it grows faster than In
life
sand that It grows, not only on the
head, but on the face as well?"
The face. A woman's face?" ex-
claimed Sedgwick. No: a mans"
What MANI"
!ss,l 1.-The man in the coffin"
Have you lost your mind. Chef ?
1.-THE body in the coffin was that OF the
I.woman who met me at the entrance
tos the Nook"
++f1U. II was the body OF the man
who, dressed in woman's1 clothing, met
you at the Nook, and knocked you
down with q stone flung overland as
not one woman in thousand could
have thrown it That. in itself. ought
TO have suggested the secret to me
long before discovered It."
But how did you discover it?" In
lQuired Sedgwick. in bewilderment.
since you didn't see the growth OF
bbeard pm the dead face yourself?"
by the cut on the cheek. You see,
the sheriff had failed to foresee that
telltale beard. 30. when in Difference
to ME-. Bain's protest against burial
without . formal View Of the body,
| they opAned up the caslset and saw the
1obvioua Change In the face, there was
nothing for the ofhcials to do but rem
body taken to the house, and did the
best they could. That cut on the
cheak Haata rasAx cut Having real.
q y