Evening journal., 1922-08-23

a nervous gentleman IN the SIO"e
at the back of the room, and the
coroner put on his glasses and stared
sternly in the direction from which
II ca,ne. The nervous gentleman
hastily decided that the time had
come to do up his bootlace. The
coroner put down his glasses and
continued.
did anybody come out Of the
house while you were coming up
the drive
'.No."
THANK you, Mr.. Gillingham."
He was followed by Inspector
Birch. The proprietor. realizing that
this was his afternoon. and that the
eyes OF the world we're upon him,
produced plan OF the house and
explained the situation OF the differ-
ent rooms. The plan was then
handed to the jury.
Inspector Birch, so he told the
world. had arrived at the Red House
at 4.42 D. m. on the afternoon IN
question. He lad been received by
Mr.. Matthew Cayley, who had maze
a short statement TO him, and ne
had then proceeded TO examine the
scene of the crime.
The French windows had been
forced from outside. The door lead
ing into the hall was locked; he had
searched the room thoroughly and
had found no trace of key. In the
bedroom leading out OF the office he
had found an open window. There
were no marks on the window, but
II was a low one. and, as no found
from experiment, quite easy to step
out Of without touching It with the
boots.
A few yards outside the window
shrubbery began There were no
recent footmarks outside the win
dow but the ground was in very
hard condition owing TO. the absence
Of rain In the shrubbery. however,
he found several twigs on the
ground, recently broken OF, to-
gether with other evidence that
some body had been forcing It's way
through
He had questioned everybody con-
nected with the estate. and none OF
them had been into the shrubbery
recently. BY forcing a way through
the shrubbery it was possible for
person to make detour OF the house
and get to the stanton end OF the
park without ever being in sight
OF the house itself.
He had made inquiries about the
deceased. Deceased had left for
Australia some fifteen years ago, |
owing to some financial trouble at
home. Deceased was not well |
spoken of In the village from which
he and his brother had some. De-
ceased and his brother had never
been on good terms. and the fact
that Mark Albeit had oome into
money had been q cause of great
bittarDess between them. L was
shortly after this that Robert had
left for Australia
He had made inquiries at Stanton |
station II had been narket-day at |
Stanton and the station had been
more full of arrivals than usual.
had particularly noticed the
arrival OF Robert Albeit; there had
been a good many passengers by the
40 train that afternoon. the train
by which Robert had undoubtedly l
come from London. A witness, how /
ever. would state that he noticed a
man resembling Mark Albeit at the !
station at $50 that afternoon, and
this man caught the s.55 up train 70
town.
There was a pond in the grounds
OF the Red House. He had dragged
this. but without result. ..
Antony listened to him carelessly,
thinking his own thoughts all the
time. Medical evidence followed,
but there was nothing to be got
from that. He felt so close 10 the
truth; at any moment something I
might give his brain the one little
hint which II wanted Inspector
Birch was just pursuing the ordin-
ary Whatever else this case was, It
was not ordinary There was some
thing uncanny about 1t.
Antony went on with his thoughts.
The coroner was summing up. The
Jury, he said. had now heard all the
svidence. The medical evidence
rould probably satisfy them that
Robert Albeit had died from the
.ffects of bullet-wound In the
read Who had fired that bullet?
+ Robert Albeit had fired it himself.
10 doubt they would bring in YER
iict of suicide, but II this had been !
o; where was the revolver which !
lad fred it. and what had become OF /
lark Albeit? t
II thew dteha1favad gn This noeef- .
'iiity of suicide. what remained? +? 40 I
idental death. justifiable. homicide, d
ind murder. Could the deceased /
have been killed accidentally? It
vas possible. but then would Mark p
Albeit have run away? :
The evidence that he had run
away from the scene OF the crime
was strong. His cousin had seen
MIN go into the room, the servant y
Elsie Wood had heard him quarrel "
ing with his brother in the room.
the door had been locked from tie al
inside. and there were signs that out
sloe the open window someone had Of
pushed his way very recen+l,,
through the shrubbery. Who. If not
Mark7 n
They would have then to oons,dar
whether he would have run ava, - ;.
be had been guiltless Of his brotbar,s =
death. No doubt innocent neon,a !.
lost their heads sometimes. II vas
possible that If It were proved after-
ward that Mark Albeit had shot his
brother, 1t might also be proved
that he was justified in so doing, and ,
That when he ran away from his