Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-08-13
A Mystery
Being a Story Of How a
Murder Case Was
Not Solved.
BY DONALD cHAMBERLIN

"IS Ludt yOA3 40B0OA
"Yes."
"I'm Parker. / wish you to come
Aown and stay in the house with me
tonight. Pm alone and nervous"
certainly, old man. What's the mat
ter with you?"
81 can't ask you to dinner, for 1
haven't a servant in the house."
"Well I'll be over about 8 o'clock.
viii that dor
Eyes; much obliged"
Parker was the junior partner In a
barge jewelry firm and a man who
never shrank from any duty involving
hanger. Therefore l was surprised at
liz shrinking from sleeping In a house
lone. He was a widower without chill
sren. and though he lived in the house
IL had occupied with his wife, he took
bis meals at his club, hiring no servant
Except for day work. l fancied he must
he III. or he would not have asked any
bne to sleep in the house with him.
At @ o'clock l rang his do0rbell, and
"a admitted me himself. He appear
d neither i'll nor troubled. He led me
Into an apartment he used for a smok-
ne room, where he produced cigars,
nd we sat down for a smoke. l waited
s0me time for him to tell me why he
wished for some one to sleep In bis
house with him, but he did not, chat
ling on ordinary topics until l rose to
ko to bed. Then l asked him what had
made him
"There is a story connected with 1t,
md l don't feel like telling it tonight"
he said. I'VE are all connected with
lone disagreeable episode and are apt
d make too much of it. Doubtless in Il
lew days or a few weeks | shall think
nothing of the one In which l am con-
eerned. Why take up a lot of time
koing over 1t with you, especially since
! would be unpleasant for me to do
so?"
l excused him and went to my room,
having told him that l must be up ear
n in the morning and off, for my time
Tor going to business was 7 o'clock,
while he did not need to do SO till 8
o'clock. | babe him good night, telling
him that il he should be wakeful to
eome into my o for a chat. He
laid he expected to sleep soundly, and
Pith that we parted.
In the morning / went out, treading
Oftly that | might not awaken my
friend, and emerged from the front
|oor before most persons were stirring.
Il milkman drove up at the time and
Earried a bottle of milk to a ear door.
BE looked at me, and / spoke to him,
Expressing surprise that he should
zeave milk at a house where no meals
we're served, whereupon he told me
hat Mr.. Parker drank a quart of milk
very day at home.
| called UP Parker the same evening
N telephone to ask him If he required
by services again, but there was no
xesponse to the call. l thought nothing
= this, for there was no one besides
HIMSELF to answer, and l presumed he
as not at home. Several days passed,
nd l heard nothing from him. Then
p taking up my morning paper | saw
7nder large headlines a statement that
d had been found murdered In his bed.
be man who left the milk at his back
Dor, seeing that the bottles remained
4hemptied where he had left them, no.
lied a neighbor, who broke into the
azpuse, and found Parker stabbed to the
cart. A loaded revolver was under
Is pillow that had not been used.
Mortified, l started Immediately to go
the house where the murder had
Zen committed. On the way l met the
4ilkman in company with a police
AN. On seeing me the former said
s. netting to the policeman, which /
"A not hear, and the two stopped be-
re me.
You're wanted at Inspector O'Con-
ITS Office said the policeman.
I'm going to the house of a friend of
me who has been murdered. I'll call
'7Eer at the inspectors office"
You'll have to go with me now"
IS the reply.
Then for the first time it dawned
ON me that l was under arrest for
81 ker's murder; that he had been
Lee the night l had slept at his
use; that the milkman had seen me
ming out the morning after the MUIR
4f had been committed. The situation
med upon me and the danger in
AZ ich it placed me. l am sure l turned
e and l felt my legs tremble be-
1zR tn me.
OF a human being knew of my hav-
. been called upon by Parker to stay
{ MS house the night he was
fed. | had been seen leaving it early
me morning of the murder. There
not been another person in the
ga e during the night than myself
+7Sept the murderer. What a pity 1
not insisted on Parker's telling
the story connected with his OBJ
to sleep in the house alone!
circumstance attending my being
/, together with the revolver found
=er his pillow, made 1t plain as the
= IN heaven that he had feared some
ny. But all this was a blank to the