Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-25
TODAY'S INSTALMENT.

"This discovery, and the evident
confusion which the cripple showed,
made : the inspector realize that the
matter was serious. The rooms were
carefully examined, and results all
pointed to an abomlnable crime. The
front room was plainly furnished as n
sitting-room, and led into small bed
room, which looked out upon the back
of one of the wharves. Between the
wharf and the bedroom window Is n
narrow strip, which is dry at low tide,
but is covered at high tide with at least
four and q half feet of water The bed
room window was a broad one, and
opened from below On examination
traces of blood were to be seen upon the
window-sill, and several scattered drops
were visible upon the wooden floor OF
the bedroom. Thrust way behind a
curtain in the front room were all the
clothes of MIR. Neville st. Clair, with
the exception of his coat. His boots, hls
socks, his hat, and his watch-all were
there. There were no signs OF violence
upon any Of these garments, and there
were no other traces of MIR. Neville st
Clair. Out OF the window he must
apparently have gone, for no othert exit
could be discovered, and the ominouS
blood stains upon the sill gave little
promise that he could save himself by
swimming, for the tide was as its very
highest at the moment of the tragedy:
And now as to the villains who
seemed to be Immediately implicated
in the matter The Lascar was knowr
TO be a man of the vilest antecedents
but as, by Mrs. ST. Glars story, he wa:
known to have been at the foot of The
stair within a very few seconds of hel
husbands appearance at the window, ,ht
could hardly have been more than an ac-
cessory to the crime. His defense wa:
one of absolute ignorance, and he pro
tested that he had no knowledge as tC
the doings Of Hugh Boone, his lodger
and that he could not account in anyway
for the presence of the missing gentle
mans clothes.
80 much for the Lascar manager.
Now for the sinister cripple who live:
upon the second floor of the opium den
and who was certainly the last human
being whose eyes rested upon Neville
St. Clair His name is Hugh Boone, anC
his hideous face is one which is familiar L
every man who goes much to the city
He is a professional beggar, though, II
order TO avoid the police regulations
he pretends TO a small trade IN wa
vestas Some little distance dow
Thresdneedle Street, upon the left-hanC
side, there is, as you may have remarked
a small angle in the wall. Here it is tha
this creature takes his daily seat, cross
legged, with his tiny stock of matches OIL
his lap, and, as he is q piteous spectacle
small rain of charity descends int,
the greasy leather cap which lies upol
the pavement beside him. ! hav'
watched the fellow more than once, be
fore ever l thought OF making hi
professional acquaintance, and hav
been surprised at the harvest which
he has reaped in a short time. Hi
appearance, you see, Is so remark
able that no one can pass him with
out observing him. A shock OF orang
hair, pale face dishgured by horribl
scar, which, by its contraction, has turnet
up the outer edge Of rs upper lip, bull
dog chin, and pair of very pen etratin
dark eyes, which present 8 singula
contrast to the color of his hair, a
mark him out from amid the com
mon crowd of mendicants, and s
too. does his wit, for he is ever read
with reply to any piece of chaff whicl
naay be thrown at him by the passers
by This is the man whom we nov
opium den, and to have been the las
man to see the gentleman of whom W,
are in quest"
But a crippler said I. ''Wha
could he have done single-handeC