Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-09

Perhaps II was because Hdu VIII"
ten many stories concerning ingeni-
Gus crimes: perhaps it was because /
was a member of the secret club OF
criminologists called Our Society;
perhaps because of my cosmopolitan
birth and life.
At any rate, one March morning 1
sat in a well furnished room In that
block of offices which overlook the
Thames embankment called Scotland
Yard, and listened to the story told
me by my old friend, Detective In
spector Cecil Hayes.
Now, my dear friend, the position
is Just this" he said to me. and then
ne leaned back in his chair and re-
lated the facts.
Briefly put, they were as follows:
At quarter of five o'clock on the
morning of the 18th of March q farm
laborer, on his way to work, left
the Great North road, about a mile
south of the crossroads at Wansford,
in Northamptonshire. and took path
across a meadow. When nearly across
he saw in the half-light something
lying upon the grass, and on ap-
preaching it found it to be the body
of a young woman, face downward.
In alarm, he sped back to Vans
ford and informed the local police
constable. who, with a doctor, was
quickly on the scene. There they
were faced with evidence Of deliber-
ate murder. The victim was not much
more than girl, her age being about
twenty, but one feature was curious,
namely. that she was dressed in
smart dance frock in flame color, cut
very low, without sleeves, and was
wearing white kid gloves, as well as
some expensive jewelry. The doctor,
a man who was acting as locum ten
ems for the village doctor, pronounced
life extinct, the girls death being due
to a deep stab at the nape of the neck.
she having apparently been attacked
from behind.
THE constable, In the hope of flnd-
ing footprints of the culprit, at
once took precautions that nobody
should go near the spot, and tele-
phoned to his headquarters in North
ampton, whereupon the chief con-
stable, with others, came as quickly
as possible by car.
Search revealed nothing. The body
of the unknown girl was removed to
the mortuary in Wansford village
and so strange were the circum-
stances that the chief constable of
the county telephoned that day to
Scotland Yard, requesting their as
sistance. In consequence of the mes
sage, Inspector Hayes and Inspector
Farren left London at once and made
a thorough examination of the field,
the neighborhood and the body Of the
unknown victim.
They had made certain discoveries
Of facts which the local police had
overlooked. One was that the victim
wore around her neck, suspended by
q thin platinum chain, a magnificent
emerald which answered to the de-
scription of one stolen at Monte Carlo
from the wife of a very wealthy
American, Mr.. Charles l. Charles
worth of Boston.
HAYES had returned from Wansford
three hours before. and after he had
told me these facts he took from his
drawer a packet, and, placing 1t upon
the table, exhibited to me the whole
of the Jewels found upon the muir
dered girl, including the magnificent
emerald.
This" he said, holding it up. "is
actually the jewel stolen from Mrs
Charlesworth. She bought it OF
Hutchinson & Drew, in Old Bond
street, a year ago. Old Mr.. Hutchin-
son has just been around. and identi-
fed the stone. It's worth twenty
thousand pounds, he says. Well, my
dear friend, you know France, you
know the by-ways of criminals. and
tho psychology Of crime, and you are,
above all, Cosmopolitan. which
can't pretend to be. So that's why
We asked you to come along and try
to solve this problem"
For some moments 1 hesitated. How
could I hope to do any work in the
direction he indicated when the best
brains of the criminal investigation
department were at dead end?
told him how much I appreciated
the compliment he had paid me. add
ing:
IT don't really see what can do.
From a novelist's point of view. the
affair Is most Interesting, I admit. I
suppose it will all be in the papers,?
mo; there you are mistaken. At
present nothing will appear in the
papers. We have taken steps to pre-
vent 1t, for we don't intend to have
our hands tied"
WELL" 1 replied. "if am to help
you a lot must appear in the papers"
~what do you mean?' asked Hayes.
who was always Mortified when ap-
preached by any Journalist. and would
resort to any ruse rather than meet
one when engaged upon a case.
Simply this. There must be a lot
Of stir concerning the case. will see
to It all The culprits must believe
that we are on an entirely wrong
track. We will start along q false
clue 50 as to set the real murderer
at his ease"
He laughed.
well, will you come down to VANS
ford tomorrow" he asked.
To this I agreed. and at noon on
the following day I alighted from
slow train by a branch line from
Peterborough at the little station Of
wansford. eighty miles from Kings
Cross.
HAYES, in a rough tweed shooting
IL suit. met me, and. having de-
posted my bag at tho local inn, we
went to the mortuary, where saw
the body of the young woman in her
wet, bedraggled finery.
In tho night prior to the discovery
II had rained very hard. hence all
footmarks and tracks in the high road
had been obliterated. Farren, a short,
dapper, fair-haired man, had been