The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-07-24

| And never a voice raised for her! It's
: the damned Injustice of it all that
makes me crazy That woman has a
heart that wouldn't let her kill fly. |
/ Well, I'll come at II tomorrow and see
! if you can get some ray OF light IN the /
dark. Maybe | have clue and don't !
know it. Anyhow, all | know and all
! l have and all | am are for your use
| if only you can save her. If ever in
your life you showed your powers, put
them now into this case.
Yours faithfully,
/ J. Neil Gibson.
There you have it," said Sherlock
i Holmes, knocking out the ashes of his
Iafter-breakfast pipe and slowly refill
!; ing it. That is the gentleman | await.
As to the story, you have hardly time
TO master all these papers. SO | must
give it to you in a nutshell if you are
to take an intelligent interest in the
proceedings. This man is the great
est financial power in the world, and
a man, as | understand of most VOL
ent and formidable character. He mar
ried a wife, the victim of this tragedy,
of whom | know nothing save that she
: was past her prime, which was the
: more unfortunate as a very attractive
: governess superintendent the education
of two young children. These are the
: three people concerned and the scene
is a grand old manor house, the cen
, tire of an historical English estate.
: Then as to the tragedy. The wife was
: found in the grounds nearly half a
: mile from the house, late at night, clad
t in her dinner dress, with shawl over
? her shoulders and revolver bullet
[ through her brain No weapon was
fny1r h md fIaV-o 1na o1
clue as to the murder. No weapon
| near her, Watson-mark that! The
5 crime seems to have been committed
> late in the evening, and the body was
: found by gamekeeper about IL
r o'clock, when it was examined by the
i. police and by a doctor before being
, carried up to the house. Is this too
condensed, or can you follow it clear
, ly?"
1 We'll, in the first place there is
/ some very direct evidence A revolver
3 with one discharged chamber and a
r calibre which corresponded with the
/ bullet was found on the floor of her
/. wardrobe" His eyes fixed and he re-
n peated in broken words, "On-the-
of-her-wardrobe." Then he
sank into silence, and | saw that some
:, train of thought had been set moving
: which l should be foolish to interrupt.
Suddenly with a start he emerged into
: brisk life once more.
: yes, Watson, it was found Pretty
: damning, Ell? So the two juries
: thought. Then the dead woman had a
:. note upon her making an appointment
at that very place and signed by the
: governess. How's that? Finally,
: there is the motive. Senator Gibson is
: an attractive person. If his wife dies,
II who more likely to succeed her than
. the young lady who had already by
. all accounts received pressing atten.
lions from her employer? Love, for
2 tune, power, all depending upon one
middle-aged life. Ugly, Watson-yery
r ugly"
l. Yes, indeed, Holmes"
= Nor could she prove an alibi. On
i the contrary, she had to admit thai
II she was down near Thor Bridge-that
was the scene of the tragedy-about
that hour She couldn't deny it, fol
e some passing villager had seen hel
D. there"
: That really seems final"
n And yet, Watson-and yeti This
w bridge-a single broad span of stone
" with balustraded Subsidiaries the
ii drive over the narrowest part of &
l. long, deep, reed-girt sheet of water
of Thor Mere it is called. In the mouth
+. Of the bridge lay the dead woman
a. Such are the main facts. But here, i
/ mistake not, is our client consider
"a ably before his time"
re Billy had opened the door, but tn,
or name which he announced was an un
expected one. Mr.. NARROW Bates wa
n a stranger to both of us. He was
thin, nervous wisp of man will
a frightened eyes, and a twitching, hes
itating manner-a man whom my owl
mr. professional eye would judge to be Oh
ar the brink Of an absolute nervou
10 breakdown.
You seem agitated, Mr.. Bates" sal
e Holmes. Pray sit down. | fear
lis can only give you short time, for
have an appointment at IL"
as Il know you have" our visitor gasI
10. ed, shooting out short sentences lik
of a man who is out of breath. Mr.. Gil
son is coming. Mr. Gibson is my en-
w ployer l am manager of his estate
ut Mr.. Holmes, he is a villain-an inferI
5" al villain"
DIS Strong language. Mr.. Bates"
no 81 have to be emphatic, Mr.. Holmes
ay for the time is so limited would nc
It's have him find me here for the worlC
he He is almost due now. But l was $
sa- situated that / could not come earle
ul- His secretary, Mr.. Ferguson. only tol
he me this morning of his appointmer
ar with you"
he And you are his manager?"
nd Il have given him notice. In
gs couple of weeks | shall have shake
at off his aceursed slavery. A hard mai
IS Mr.. Holmes, hard to all about hin
at Those public charaties are a screen I
m cover his private iniquities. But hi
ct wife was his chief victim. He wa
lat brutal to her-yes, sir, brutal, Ho-
she came by her death l do not know
but | am sure that he had made he
l life misery to her. She was a ere;
lit, ture of the Tropics, a Brazilian b
is. birth, as no doubt you know"
NO; it had escaped me-
ne. Tropical by birth and tropical b
an nature. A child of the sun and
passion. She had loved him as sue
women can love, but when her ow
physical charms had faded am tol
that they once were great-there wa
er nothing to hold him. We all liked he
ne and felt for her and hated him for tn
nj way that he treated her. But he
~ plausible and cunning. That is all
oil have TO saw to YOU Don't take him :