The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1916-02-24

In q brief, businesslike manner, they
asserted: That Gerard Cecil Villiers,
only son Of John Stephen Villiers, had
left the ancestral home, 1.-THE Yews,
Wtdibald, Surrey, In June of the year
1890, ostensibly to carve out his own
fortune in the United States; that he
was twenty-one at the time, and that
while there had been no open rupture
between father and son, bitterness ex-
listed on both sides owing to the young
mans determination to leave home for
any reason whatever. He had been
granted liberal allowance by his IA
Their. but this had been stopped at
Gerard's request as soon as he gained
confidence that he was capable of
earning his own living.
After sojourning in several specified
Eastern and middle Western cities,
with the sudden expansion of the auto
mobile industry he had interested him
self in that growing business in which
he had enjoyed more than average sue
cess as a salesman. He finally went to
the Pacific coast, and was last heard
from as agent of the Regis Automobile
company, in June, 1910, at which time
he resigned his position at Los An
geles, and departed from the city.
Then was when every trace of him
was lost-that is, lost to his friends
and relatives.
| Followed a description, which was,
of course, of STRIPPING of twenty-one,
whereas Felix Hazard was given the
problem of finding man In his forty
second year. Also photograph Of the
boy was contained In the packet, which
was of far more value as a means of
Identification than anything else. Haz-
ard studied 1t carefully, particularly
directing his attention to those fea-
lures which change little II any with
the passage Of time: Eyes, nose, con-
tour Of head and facial bones.
The first question that presented It.
self to Hazards mind, after perusing
these papers, was: "Why should a
young man reared In the lap of luxury
voluntarily give up rich inheritance
for self-imposed exile?" Then:
What had been the cause of the bit
terness on both sides?"
The detective had a definite feeling
that the true reason for the separa-
tion had been concealed; that the rea-
son given was inadequate to account
for SO momentous step In any young
mans life, however foolhardy or reck-
less he might be.
During the ensuing weeks Felix Haz-
ard and Police Lieutenant Cowles kept
in close touch. The printed descrip-
ton of Villiers and the reward offered
brought no important returns. The
mystery of Bill Hughes death, and the
ownership of the Italian stiletto, re-
manned unsolved.
But during the period of activity
Hazard accomplished a good deal,
though as yet he did not know 1t; the
widely separate factors had not taken
concrete shape in his mind.
The results of his investigations
were, In short: When Villiers came
| to America in 1890 he had been &C.
companied by friend of about his
own age who went by the name of
Haddon FELTON,; the two had remained
together until March, 1899, when Viii
Tiers obtained work with an Indiana
automobile concern and separated
from FELTON, at Buffalo, N. Y; the two
| friends maintained a correspondence
which gradually grew more desultory
until it ceased altogether about the
year 1902; that this correspondence
had been renewed In May, 1910, when
FELTON, wrote to his friend that he was
sick and destitute in New York.
, What followed was tinctured by
numerous conjectural elements. VIII
Tiers probably sent FELTON, funds; for
the latter went to Los Angeles and re-
| Joined his friend, whence the two, aft
er Villiers had given up his position
on the plea of poor health, went to a
remote camp among the Sierras OF
Calaveras county.
Here, shortly, FELTON, died, and was
buried by his friend upon a lonely
mountain slope.
| Here also ended the trail of Gerard
Cecil Villiers of 1.-THE Yews," Widi-
bald, Surrey; not another trace of him
could Hazard find.
One thing, though, did come to light,
discovery that was gruesome and at
the same time indicative of Felix Haz-
ards line of reasoning. Feltons body
was exhumed and an autopsy held.
Haddon FELTON, had died of poison!
Despairing after a while of ever
learning anything more, or of piecing
together to any definite end the few
more or less detached facts that he
had picked up, one morning Hazard
packed small steamer trunk and a
handbag. and something over a week
later was ushered into the presence of
Mr.. Morton Of Bruxton & Morton, So
licitors, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London.
His reception was as cordial as an
eminently respectable London solicitor
could unbend himself to extend. 1t was
made up mostly of vague apologies
which Hazard, with characteristic di-
rectness, bluntly interrupted. Said he:
II have come all the way to London,
Mr.. Morton, to learn precisely the rea-
son why Gerard Cecil Villiers ever
went to America at all. You must
yourself know that the information
supplied our agency was inadequate to
account for this important point; or,
to be more exact, no reason at all was
supplied"
The response to this request was, to
say the least, startling. Said the law
yer, in a dry, precise tone:
II was trying to express my regrets,
Mr.-ah-" he squinted at his callers