The Washington herald., 1914-05-31
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4 STRANGE life has come to an
~ end in the death of Mr.. Sedley
- r-.,a., ,f Travdeo Hill
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~ end in the death of Mr.. Sedley
crayden, of Crayden Hill
Mild, harmless, he was the victim OF a
strange deiusion that kept him pinned,
night and day, in his chair for the last
two years of his life. The mysterious
death, or rather disappearance, of his
elder brother, James Crayden, seems to
have preyed upon his mind, for it was
shortly after that event that his delu-
sion began to manifest itself.
Mr.. Crayden never vouchsafed any
explanation of his strange conduct.
There was nothing the matter with him
physically and mentally; the alienists
found him normal in every way save
for his one remarkable idiosyncrasy. His
remaining in his chair was purely vol
untary, an act of his own will. And
now he is dead and the mystery remains
unsolved.-Extract from the Newton
Courier-Times.
Briefly, 1 was MIR. Sedley Crayden's
confidential servant and valet for the
last eight months of his life. During
that time he wrote a great deal in
manuscript that he kept always beside
him, except when he drowsed or slept
at which times he invariably locked it
in a desk drawer close to his hand.
I was curious to read what the old
gentleman wrote, but he was too eau
tious and cunning. I never got a peep
at the manuscript. If he were engaged
upon it when ! attended on him, he
covered them top sheet with large blot
ter. 1t was / who found him dead in
his chair, and it was then that l took
the liberty of abstracting the manuscript.
was very curious to read it, and have
no excuses to offer.
After retaining it in my secret pos
session for several years, and later as
certaining that Mr.. Crayden left no sur
viving relatives, have decided to make
the nature of the manuscript known. 1t
is very long, and I have omitted nearly
all of it, giving only the more lucid
fragments 1t bears all the earmarks of
a disordered mind, and various expert
ences are repeated over and over, while
much is so vague and inehorent as to
defy comprehension. Nevertheless,
from reading it myself, l venture to pre-
dict that if an excavation is made in the
main basement, somewhere in the VI
cinity of the foundation of the great
chimney, collection of bones will be
found which should very closely resem-
bic those which James Crayden once
clothed in mortal fesh.-Statement Of
Rudolph Heckler.
Here follow the excerpts from the
manuscript, made and arranged by Ru-
dolph Heckler:
never killed my brother. Let this be
my first word and my last. Why should
/ kill him. We lived together in un-
broken harmony for twenty years. We
were old men, and the fires and tempers
of youth had long since burned out. We
never disagreed even over the most triv-
ial things. Never was there such anity
as ours. We were scholars. We cared
nothing for the outside world. Our
companionship and our books were all
satisfying. Never were there such talks
as we held. Many night we have sat
Up till two and three in the morning
oonversing, weighing opinions and
judgments, referring to authorities-in
short, we lived at high and friendly in
tellectual attitudes.
He disappeared. l suffered a great
shock. Why should he have disap-
peared? Where could he have gone? 1t
was very strange / was stunned. They
say l was very sick for weeks. 1t was
brain fever. This was caused by his
inexplicable disappearance. 1t was at
the beginning of the experience / hope
here to relate that he disappeared.
How have endeavored to find him
/ am not an excessively rich man, yet
have offered continually increasing re-
wards. / have advertised in all the pa
pers, and sought the aid of all the de-
tective bureaus. At the present moment
the rewards l have out aggregate over
fifty thousand dollars.
They say he was murdered. They
also say murder will out. Then l say,
why does not his murder come out ?
Who did it, Where is he? Where is
Jim? Ny Jim.
We were so happy together. He had
a remarkable mind, most remarkable
mind, so firmly founded, so widely in
formed, so rigidly logical, that it was
not at all strange that we agreed in all
things. Dissension was unknown be-
tween us. Jim was the most truthful
man / have ever met. In this, too, we
were similar, as we were similar in our
intellectual honesty. We never sacri-
feed truth to make a point. We had
no points to make, we so thoroughly