The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-05-17

~ Part Two.
"One moment" / asked Did the
stable-boy, when he ran out with the
dog, leave the door unlocked behind
him.
Excellent. Watson. excellent" muir
INJURED my companion. THE import
ance Of the point struck me so forcibly
that sent special wire to Dartmool
yesterday to clear the matter up. The
boy locked the door before he left it
window, l may add, was not large
enough for a man to get through.
Hunter waited until his fellow
srooms had returned, when he sent q
message to the trainer and told hin
what had occurred. Straker was ex
cited at hearing the account, although
he does not seem to have quite realized
its true significance.t 1t left him, how
ever, vaguely uneasy. and Mrs. Strakel
waking at one in the morning found
that he was dressing. In reply to hel
inquiries. he said that he could moi
sleep on account Of his anxiety about
the horses, and that he intended tc
walk down to the stables to see thai
allswas well. She begged him to re
main at home, as she could hear the
rain pattering against the window, but
III Spltt VI llCI cHltedtlSS lO pullcu VI
his large macintosh and left The
house.
Mrs. Straker awoke at seven in the
morning, to find that her husband haG
not yet returned. She dressed herself
hastily, called the maid. and set off fol
the stables. The door was open; in
side. huddled together upon a chair
Hunter was sunk in state of absolute
stupor the favorite'S stall was empty
and there were no signs of his
trainer.
"The two lads who slept in the chaff
cutting loft above the harness-roon
were quickly aroused They had heard
nothing during the night, for they are
both sound sleerers. Hunter was oh Il
ously under the influence of some
powerful drug, and as no sense could
be got out of him. he was left TO sleer
it off while the two lads and the two
women ran out in search of the absen
lees, They still had hopes that the
trainer had fer some reason taken out
the horse for early exercise. but on
ascending the knoll near the house
from which all the neighboring moors
we're visible. they noC only, could see
30 signs Of the missing favorite, but
they, perceived something which warn
ed them that they were in the presence
of a ira Gady.
about a quarter of a mile from the
stables John Straker's overcoat was
flaIfping from a furze-bush. Immediate
~ beyond there was a bowl-shaped
depre ssfpn In the moor, and at the
hottorm of this was found the dead
body of the unfortunate trainer. His
head had been shattered by savage
IL -,
lie was wounded on the thigh, where
there was a long, clean cut, inflicted
evidently Icy some very sharp instrI-
ment. 1t was clear. however, that
Straker had defended himself vigorous
" against his assailants, for in his
right hand he held q small knife,
which was cloted with blood up to
the handle. while in his left he clasped
a red and black silk cravat. which was
recognized by the maid as having been
worn on the preceding evening by the
stranger who had visited the stables
Hunter. on recovering from his stupor,
vas also quite positive as to the owner
ship Of the cravat. He was equally GER
tain that the same stranger had. while
standing at the window, druPged his
curried mutton. and so deprived tine
stables Of their watclman. As to the
missing horse. there were abundant
proofs in the mud which lay at the
bottom of the fatal hollow that he had
heen there at the time of the struggle
But from that morning he has dis
appeared. and although large reward
has been offered. and all the gypsies oil
Dartmoor are on the alert, no news has
come of him. Finally. an analysis has
shown that the remains of his supper
left by the stable-lad contain an appre
ciable quantity of powdered opium
While the people at the house partook
of the same dish on the same night
without any i'll effect
Those are the main facts Of the
case. stripped Of all surmise, and stated
as badly as possible I shall now re
capitulate what, the police have done
in the matter ~Trs-7--.e>s ., ,.. 5..-s-v-.-
"Inspector Gregory. to, whom the
case has been committed. is an ex
trenely competent officer. Were he
but gifted with imagination he might
rise to great heights in his profession
On his arrival he promptly found and
arrested the man upon whom suspicion
naturally rested There was little
difficulty in finding him, for he inhabit
ed one of those villas which I have
mentioned. His name, it appears, was
Fitzroy Simpson. He was man Of
excellent birth and education, who hac
souandered fortune upon the turf
and who lived now by doing a little
cuict and genteel book-making in the
sporting clubs Of London. An ex
animation of his betting-book shows
that bets to the amount of five thou
sand pounds had been registered by
/. him against the favorite. On being ar
. rested he volunteered the statement
that he had come down to Dartmoor i'll
, The hope of getting some information
about the Kings Pyland horses, and
.,Iso .fhout DesLorOugh the second faV