The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-06-20
PART ONE

from the west or England IN con-
nection with Boscombe Valley !
tragedy. Shall be glad if you will
come with me. Air and scenery
perfect. Leave Paddington by
the 11:15."
What do you say. dear?" said my
wife, looking across at me. VIII you
go?"
Il really don't know what to say:
| have fairly long list at present.
"Oh, Anstruther would do your
work for you. You have been look
ing a little pale lately. | think tnat
the change would do you good, and
you are always so interested IN MI
Sherlock Holmes cases.
Il should be ungrateful If | were
not, seeing what gained through one
of them" | answered. But II ! am
to go, | must pack at once, for l nave
only half an hour"
My experience of camp life IN Al
ghanistan had at least had the effect
of making me a prompt and ready
traveller. My wants were few ana
simple, so that in less than the time
stated | was In a cab with my valise,
rafting away to Paddington Station.
Sherlock Holmes was pacing up and
down the platform. his tall, gaunt
figure made even gaunter and taller
by his long, gray traveling-cloak and
close-fitting cloth cap.
1T is really very good of you to
come, Watson" said he. 1T makes
a considerable difference to me, hav-
ing some one with me on whom
can thoroughly rely. Local aid is al
ways either worthless or else biased
If you will keep the two corner seats
] shall get the tickets"
We had the carriage to ourselves
save for an immense litter of papers
which Holmes had brought with him
Among these he rummaged and read
with intervals of note taking and OF
meditation, until we were past Read
ing. Then he suddenly rolled them
all into a gigantic ball, and tossed
them up onto the rack.
Have you heard anything of the
case?" he asked.
Not a word have not seen a
paper for some days"
The London press has not had
very full accounts. | have just been
looking through all the recent papers
in order to master the particulars. II
seems, from what l gather to be one
of those simple cases which are so ex-
tremely difficult
That sounds a little paradoxical."
But ii is profoundly true. Singu-
larity is almost invariably a clew.
The more featureless and common
place a crime is. the more difficult is
it to bring it home. In this case, how
ever, they have esta blished a very se-
rious case against the son of the muir
dered man"
1T is a murder, them"
well il is conjectured to be so. |
shall take nothing for granted until
| have the opportunity of looking per
sonally into it. | will explain the
state of things to you, as far as have
been able to understand it, in a very
few words.
"Boscombe Valley is country dis
trict not very far from Ross, in Here
, fordshre. The largest landed propri
: etor in that part is a Mr.. John Turner
who made his money in Australia, and
returned some years ago to the old
country. One of the farms which he
held, that of Hatherley, was let to Mr.
Charles Mccarthy, who was also an
exAustralian. The men had known
each other in the colonies. so that il
was not unnatural that when they
came to settle down they should dc
so as near each other as possible
Turner was apparently the richer
man, so Mccarthy became his tenant
but still remained. it seems, upor
terms of perfect equality, as they
were frequently together. Mccarthy
had one son. a lad of eighteen, anC
Turner had an only daughter of the
same age, but neither of them haC
wives living. They appear to have
avoided the society of the neighborins
English families, and to have led re
tired lives, though both the McCar
thys were fond of sport, and were fire
Guently seen at the race-meetings o
the neighborhood Mccarthy KEEP
two servants man and a girl. Tur
ner had a considerable household
some half-doZen at the least. That /;
as much as | have been able to gathe
about the families. Now for the facts
ON June 8, that is, on Monday last
Mccarthy left his house at Hatherle.
about three in the afternoon, ant
walked down to the Boscombe Pool
which is small lake formed by thu
spreading out of the stream which
runs down the Boscombe Valley. H
had been out with his serving man il
the morning at Ross, and he had toll
p, the man that he must hurry, as h
had an appointment of Importance L
keep at three. From that appoint
ruent he never came back alive"
From Hatherley Farmhouse TO tn
Boscombe Pool is quarter OF mile
and two people saw him as he passe'
over this ground. One was an old VIC
man, whose name is not mentioned
and the other was William Crowder,
gamekeeper in the empty of Mr.. Tul
ner. Both these witnesses depos
that Mr.. Mccarthy was walking alone
The gamekeeper adds that within
few minutes OF his seeing Mr.. Nj
Carthy pass he had seen his son, Nj
James Mccarthy, going the same wa
with a gun under his arm. To tn
best of his belief the father was al
tually in sight at the time and the so
was following him. He thought n
more of the matter until he hear
in the evening of the tragedy that ha
occurred.
The two McCarthys were seen afte
the time when William Crowder, III
gamekeeper. lost sight of them. TIL
Boscombe Pool is thickly-woode
round, with just fringe of grass an