Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-14
THE PARADISE MYSTERY
,s STARTS THE STORY
By ]. S. Fletcher
Copyright 1880. BY Alfred A. knop,, rr,.

~ Doctor RdnSJoru. 80 aaY fo,r
asks y" igtor Is found dead az the
rtnwts' saint Wrythd's stair. Warner,
foot .,,aSou, says he suD tho man
,n mvn'"T The theory Is that the mon
iirg@S i,inUpsS aud tel 1hts e OBJECTED zee .o 70 as
Vdrne', ',arS Rdnstord has Mary pur-
ronS "So,osrS toT the dead mans
chdse banker IN Bdrthorpc offers
prav..,,,ord for ittormutton regarding
e. dead man. Bryce fndS an entry
I" the parish register o. m1 oonnnnp nn,
chartsIp chnt Ipaustord had acted as best man
Gdtks Gs narriaoe of John Brake aud
g. m,r~ Be,oery. He inquiries OF Mr.. GU
ho,y hlrs Inc old rector. "Who Uds the
Wnyy Bewery you ,ndr17ed 70 John
Brdkei who ,pas ,,aasord Jonn 5Tdhe' ~ eitber ne
or TO both"
AND HERE IT CONTINUES
,,r WAS wondering. all the time dur
| II Ing which he reeled off these dues-
49,. ~ AR, Gilwaters was wholly ignor-
.,t Of the recent affair at Wrychester
~. S,,ebt be-a glance round his book
ala room had suggested to Bryce that
was much more likely to be book
~, than a newspaper reader. and II
,r.s mite possible that the events OF
,ns day had small interest for him. And
,ls first words in reply to Bryce's ques-
,,,rs convinced Bryce that his surmise
,s correct and that the old man had
,,.a nothing of the WINCHESTER Para
s.o mystery. in which Ransford's name
,.d of course, figured as witness at
he inquest
rt ,s nearly twenty years since l
hard any of their names." remarked
Mr. Gilwaters. Nearly twenty years
Ione time But, of course. I can an
w.r you. Mary Bewery was our
,overness at Braden Medworth. She
e,me 10 US when she was nineteen-she
ras married four years later. She was
rlrl who had no friends or relatives
.be had been educated at a school In
,he north--I engaged her from that
school, where. understood. she had
lived since infancy. Now then, as to
Brake and Ransford. They we're two
Young men from London, who used to
come fishing in Leicestershire. Rams
ford was a few years the younger-he
was either a medical student in his last
year, or he was an assistant somewhere
IN London. Brake was a bank manager
In London-of branch of one OF the
bs banks. They were pleasant youns
fellows, and l used to ask them TO the
vearage. Eventually, Mary Bewery ana
John Brake became engaged to be mar
RED My wife and were a good deal
uprised-we had believed. somehow,
that the favored man would be Rams
ford. However. 1t was Brake-and
Brake she married. and. as you say,
Ransford was best man. OF course.
Brake took his wife off to London
md from the day of her wedding, I
never saw her again"
Did you ever see Brake again ?"
asked Bryce. The old clergyman shook
bis head.
Yes" he said sadly. IT did see
Brake again-under grievous. grievous
circumstances !"
lou won't mind telling me what cir
eumstances7' suggested Bryce. "I will
a"p your confidence. Mr.. Gilwaters."
There is really no secret in it-iy Il
zones to that" answered the old man,
saw John Brake again just once. In
prison CELL"
a prison cell!" exclaimed Brvoe
and he-a prisoner?"
ne mad Just been sentenced to ten
.,''S penal servitude." replied Mr., GiI.
a'e'S' i had heard the sentence
q. o present l got leave to see him
~" years penal servitude "a terrible
sS"''nment' He must have been releases
"1s ago-but never heard more"
D.''e reflected In silence for a mo.
nrecKonns w. and calculating,
%, linen n was this-the trial?" he asksd
~s.ysrtns.H as HVe years after the maria ra
saers years ago." replied Mr.. GIL
,,I,.S ,IASSdnwhat what had he been DOING" IN
,r.T.S .S.SSaliRg ing M the banks money" an
IN "a ne old man. IT forgot what
rsot 'eShnlcal g. offense wasDembezzie..
was moi Ot something of that sort. There
It was imnosdhi, ,och evidence came out, for
and he lSsiDie plesdsnD ETC, 10 offer any defense.
upk. Il
Ills AS sOrt @nat J. heard that something ed of
nsnsSos. occurred. Brake was a hrs nch
tpon On ne was, as It were. pounceI
found r. ,."Vrhing by an inspector, who
" three H. ms cash was short by two
t.ople eo ,no9sand pounds. The bank
rrct and ncu a,. 10 have been unusually
hI baSl baIil even severe-Brake, IL ~as
rept nad az some explanation, but it was
Ihd tSs SSs'ue and he was given in charss
aoWNao sentence was as I said j,Ss,
here had rs savage one, thought. But
that S sor recently been some bad cases
suppose tba IN me banking world, and
bake an exa,,,T Juuse felt that he must
iomewbnir. have a report Of the Ss SasS
iswsnanar1e' which cut out OF a I'ondon
NipIPer Mr. etI, at the time" VI " Hohuoh
VA desk ki,maters ", ,rs rose and turned 70 an
lter Sn sor,n ~ me corner OF his room, anG nd
tiawer produnnm9a dduuimm9asing of papers in a
s0ok and traced a newspaper-cutting
SiltSoSr lie handed the book % tn ia bis IT'S
an trsrs rseT Is the account" he said .vo,,
Sat in Thr ior yourself. You will notica
is behalf TT1adt !dt Brakes counsel said on
snd mystsr,orurne J,rre are one or two curious
vs. or 0een ed, said If it had been ~ g',snt sn1
hs. r advantage to say it. a strsnns az any
srap Of 'urned upnts eagerly to the fsd.d
At tbs bMsAGNSAA.GER,s DEFALcAr1oN
trday La GLehtral Criminal Court YES
ssrly manaper E,i srake, thirty-three, for
Sranch Of ftr iba or the Upper footing
tnbsaslIrss sank, NIX Ltd, pleaded suIitv ne
a bis emS,oentnain Certain sums. the IIs p.opsrty St
ss C couTt uMTtalGEIInshaw. Xxi Q. C, addressing
~ client Ii %hlS W s It was impossible oienes: for
,sers iyy circumoos, no offer any defense tbers ep
Il had hadbSsances bespn In the case which
GGsn in evidsnmco iStem worth while to put
sss A.. the prisoner d would have shown
house SrSke os e. had been woundeS sEr2tIrn, al
,:s.! s really guity HlS ttf'end' N The man who
sspd escaped all ~ conseauenSairr nsts sf5Sir had had
Into anv ~ be Of the least ue"ces, ,iso nor