Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-01

~ oACA any VI AitC All
the eye.
Not such an injury as you would
expect in a fight, Mr.. Fortune? No.
You don't know how it happened?
No. In fact you don't know how Sir
Rodney met his death?"
Yes. ! know he was drowned after
he had been hit
But you don't know how he was
drowned"
Il don't know" Mr.. Fortune agreed
gravely
Counsel turned to the Jury.
He doesn't know, The crown s
own expert doesn't know. gentlemen
And a man is charged with murder
There was a murmur in court. The
junior bar looked at each other. and
some one said: That's torn it,
Counsel for the defense opened his
case confidently The jury would OBJ
serve that he had nothing to answer,
for the crown had not proved that a
murder had been committed. But in
order that no shadow of suspicion
should remain on Mr.. Douglas Charl-
bury, he would show that Mr.. Charl-
bury did not meet and could not have
met his uncle on the night that Sir
Rodney was drowned.
A0dIlDuEN went lilo IHe
box. He Swore that he had not seen
Sir Rodney for many months. On the
night of his death he was travelling
in his small car from Southampton to
Brighton He came by way of Chi
chester, Houghton Bridge and Steyn-
ing 1t was therefore possible that
he had been seen on the road near
Chantries. But his car had not
stopped there. He had dined at the
Four-in-Han Inn on the Grinstead
road. which was kept by an old ser
want of his fathers, and spent the
night there He had been smoking
with the landlord all the evening till
he went to bed.
Cross-examination only drew from
him a justification of the violence of
his letters to Sir Rodney. He had no
doubt that Sir Rodney and his trainer
had arranged for their horses to lose
races.
And for you to lose money!
counsel sneered.
Half the sportsmen in England
lost money. SIR"
And YOU naturally resented the
loss
II resented the foul play. sir.
resented the disgrace to my family.
w hdNS I'll 1uI CVp SS&A -
What did you mean by your
threat to prevent Sir Rodney playing
tricks with the favorite for the Leeds
Cup?"
II meant that 1 would expose him,
sir"
Counsel let him GO Counsel could
make nothing of the landlord of the
Four-in- Hand Inn, and the landlady
and their daughter. They swore that
Mr.. Douglas had come to their house
at and not gone out again. They
were quite clear and confident.
The jury were not out of court 5
minutes. They found Douglas Charl-
bury innocent. And there was a
cheer
Come on, Fortune" said Tomas.
Better get away before the crowd
hangs us on the lamp posts"
But in the press seats reporter
said:
''It was old Fortune got him off.
He's deep. Is Fortune. I wonder what
his little game is?"
IN the morning the papers were
fuller than ever of Douglas Charl-
bury. He was a champion of British
sport. He had suffered gloriously to
VlI1ulCdJS tire purity VI tiiC luiA, oiN
1t was obvious to every sane man
that he had not killed his uncle. and
the officials who ordered the prosecu-
ton were fools and knaves.
over the telephone Mr. Fortune
asked Tomas to lunch. Can you eat,
Reginald" said Tomas, II have no
appetite. hear mob In Whitehall
bowling for my blood
''Iows Finch this morning."
A chuckle came over the wire.
Finch has gone sick"
$50 he ought to be-" said Mr..
Fortune. "Come along. Elsie is put
ting on one of her best souffles. l
told her you wanted to be comforted. "
Not till that souffie was eaten and
the two men looked at each other
with the eyes of those who have en-
joyed pure art did Mr.. Fortune come
to business. He peeled a necktarine,
he tasted 1t, he slipped his Barsac.
'Do you remember the Trale case,
Lomas?" he said dreamily
Don't be brutal" Tomas groaned.
II was happy"
Curious family" Reggie muir
INJURED. ''None of the family came to
the trial, think. Lomas.'
Miss Trale has been very ILL.,
pneumonia.
What happens to the old mans
estate?"
"He left no will. Divided between
Douglas and his sisterand Miss
Trale, IL she lives"
Yes, curious family. Lots of
unknown quantities. Tomas, old
thing, have you heard of anybody
down at ChantrieS who has anything
to do with Yucatan?"
What are you thinking of now?'
my quartz face. I wish you'd
have somebody look about for per-
son from Yucatan.'
So Inspector Mordan again took the
air on the South Downs. And after a
fortnight he came back. His report
was that he had been through Chan.
tries and the neighborhood with a