davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-18
Moat Farm Mystery Tested Skill of Three Detective Groups

she had been shot through the head
| from behind.
The carried the body into a dere-
iict greenhouse. had it photographed.
| and sent for doctors and people who
had known Camille Holland. Mean
| time Scott resumed a meticulous ex-
animation OF the ditch and some
|-hairpins and tortoise shell hair or
| nament were discovered.
The body itself was unacceptable,
but the clothes. the hair ornament and
the boots were identified as belonging
to Miss Holland. An eminent patholo-
gist. Prof. Pepper, sent down by the
home office, confirmed the view that
the woman had been murdered some
years before. From the skull he ex-
tracted bullet that in weight, tex
ture and manufacture correspondent
with those in the cartridges found by
Scott
Now that the search of Moat Farm
was finished. Scott, after his habit,
tucked in the loose ends of the case
with minute precision. He got Miss
Hollands bootmaker to explain cer-
tain peculiarities about her shoes; he
discovered a dressmaker who could
remember various details of her dress.
With an expert gunmaker he carried
out series of experiments to deter
mine the velocity of a bullet fired at
close quarters. He demonstrated that
Douglas story of having driven Miss
Holland to catch a train to London
on the evening of her disappearance
was false because there was no train
for many hours after she had left the
house with him. Every detail wound
the net tighter about the accused man.
Against this all that could be urged
by one of the most astute counsel at
the criminal bar during the trial was
weak suggestion that the body found
was not that of Miss Holland. Dougal
did not go into the witness box and no
evidence was called for the defense.
The facts were memorable and Dougal
whose iron nerve never once failed
him.. during the trial. listened appar-
emily unmoved to the death sentence
passed by the scarlet-robed judge.
The execution took place in Chelms-
ford jail at o'clock one July morning.
I will quote from newspaper report:
''As the condemned man stood on the
trap the silence was broken by the
loud voice of the chaplain. rDougal.'
he cried. are you guilty or not guilty?'
There was no motion or reply from the
man as he stood with the rope around
his neck. Again the chaplain put the
question. 'Dougal, are you guilty or
not guilty?'
After moments pause came the
reply in quiet. almost inaudible tones,
Guilty The bolt was drawn"
As warder affixed an Official no.
tice outside the prison that Samuel
Herbert Dougal had duly suffered the
sentence of the law, a thin.faced fig.
ure in white waistcoat emerged from
a side door, He gave one glance at the
group of morbid loiterers clustered
around the notice board and moved
away. No one recognized the detee-
tive who had taken a leading part In
the drama just finished.
THE END.
fCopyright. 1877
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-18

ELLA, never in my life before have
/ been able to buy you a present.
Now I can. What would you like to
have?"
We'll" she finally decided. 1.-The
only trouble we've ever had is when
I've used your hammer and forgot to
put it back where got it. I'd like to
have hammer Of my own"
Zeke drove to town and bought the
hammer. He bought marital peace
on the modern platform of equal
rights.
Usually they buy something they
haven't had before. IL you've spent
your whole life on the same small
farm, driving to town twice a year be-
hind two leisurely mules, then az soon
as you've the price you buy speed. Be
hind the oil scout comes the automo-
bile salesman.
Perhaps the widest indulgence in
the purchase OF motor vehicles was
that of the Oklahoma Indian who
bought dozen or so cars of different
makes and tried them all. When
there seemed no more left to try the
local undertaken got new hearse, and
the Indian wanted to buy that. The
undertaken put what he thought was
a prohibitive price on it, but the pro-
| hibition didn't work. The Indian paid
without complaint and drove away in
style, with his family behind the glass
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-18

with deceiving mildness Of tone. You
are Samuel Herbert Dougal."
The man started. Recovering him.
self almost instantly he was quick to
perceive the futility of denial. Yes,
he agreed That Is my name"
You are wanted for forgery" went
on Cox '.You will have to come with
me. Now il you will promise to be-
have as gentleman l won't put hand
cuffs on you. We will walk together
and no one will take any notice of us. !"
Thank you. l will" agreed Dougal.
THE London detectives make it a
L habit not to humiliate persons
whom they arrest IL they can avoid it.
1t is not so long ago that Scotland
Yard only boasted three pairs of hand
cuffs in the whole establishment. |
doubt, in fact, if Cox had a pair with
him at that moment. But he kept
his word in letter and spirit and did
not so much as lay hand on his
prisoner. They walked side by side
through the city streets for some dis
lance, without any one being aware
that one of them had just been taken
into custody.
AS they turned into the Old Jewry,
where the headquarters of the city
police is situated, Dougal made fierce
dash for freedom. He hurtled at speed
by the city crowds. Cox close at his
heels. For a few hundred yards the
chase lasted, and then the prisoner,
who was slightly gaining. turned into
one OF those narrow cul-de,sacs with
which the city abounds. In a trice
the hand of the detective was upon
him and he was thrown to the ground
by jiu-jitsu hold. Cox pinned him
down and held him until assistance
came.
At the police station he was searched
and $500 in gold and notes was found
on him. A wire was sent to Marden,
and the next day Dougal was taken
to Saffron Walden. In Essex, and the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-18

we search till doomsday," he said
serenely.
He at once gave directions for a
ditch to be dug to drain the moat.
There were really two meats, one sur
rounding about half an acre of house
and grounds, the other a smaller one
inclosing perhaps quarter of acre OF
land and the two together forming an
irregular figure 8. 1t took two days
for the water to drain away and at the
end of that time Scott and his allies
probed fruitlessly with long poles into
mud that in places was four feet deep
They soon perceived the futility of
! this, and leaving the moat to dry still
further explored other portions of the
farm, more or less at random. In the
islet formed by the smaller meat bones
were again found buried. Again the
experts declared the remains to be
those of an animal.
A LII this, of course. could not go
= on without being discussed by the
village gossips and so coming to the
newspapers. In little while all Eng
land was aware of the grim quest at
Moat Farm. Crowds were attracted
from all parts of the country. to be
kept at arms length by the police. and
on Easter Monday some agencies went
I so far as to advertise, Cheap Trips to
the Moat Farm"
Scott made sure that these sight.
seers were kept well outside his zone
of operations and with studied equa-
nimity went on with the job. AS soon
as practicable gangs of men with pick
axes and shovels were put to work on
the bed of the moat and every inch
was dug and redug. Scott. himself.
DOTTED coat and white waistcoat and
perspired with the rest. Even his
logged spirit was compelled to admit
at last that wherever the body of Miss
Holland was. it had not been hidden
in the bottom of the moat.
Undeterred by this failure, he divided
the whole farm into sections and put
gangs to work in what he considered
the most likely places. Meanwhile
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-18

| Dougal was being remanded week
after week while evidence on the
| forgery charge was spun out against
| him.
For six weeks this went on Scott
did not confine himself to directing
the search at the farm. He sought out
and questioned every person for miles
around who had ever had anything to
do with Dougal hoping that some hint,
some clue that had been overlooked
might develop.
| In this fashion he ran across a
| local character called odd Pilgrim"
| Over a pint of ale in a waysida hos
telry Old Pilgrim discoursed on the
various odd jobs he had done for
Muster Dougal" He remembered
some carting work which he had car
ried out on the farm about the time
that Miss Holland vanished.
Scott pricked up his ears and or
dered another pint. "'T'were to fill
up a dixie" Old Pilgrim explained
He were a-doin' away with this ere
dixie cos he were a-goin' to have the
farm buildings drained with pipes
and all. So takes the earth there"
The detective got to his feet. You
come with me-" he said, land I'll
make it worth your while"
farm. He was unable to- point out
the ditch, however. All that he could
do was to point out the place where
Dougal had ordered him to shoot the
material that was to be used for
filling the ditch in. Scott satisfied
himself that no modern drainage
work had been carried out while
Dougal was at the place. He fancied
that there might be more sinister
reason tor abolishing the ditch. and
surveyed the place once more. He
found obvious signs that ditch had
once run between the smaller moat
and the barns. Digging was imme-
diately commenced.
BY this time an impression was
gaining ground that the detec-
tives were making fools of them
selves. Hundreds of tons of earth
had been turned, over and two acres
of land infinitely examined. To
carry on over the rest of the farm
in this manner would have entailed
work likely to last for years. The
authorities limited strongly to Scott
that they could not resist the con-
being wasted.
Give me few more days." he
pleaded.
They gave him four. At the end
of two days the line of the old ditch
had been excavated without result
Scott threw down his spade in dis
gust and went afield to get hold of
the man who had filled in the ditch.
He ran him down in a neighboring
village and brought him to the farm.
AS result 1t was decided to widen
and deepen the ditch.
Toward O'Clock in the evening.
just before the laborers were about
to finish work, one of them gave a
hoarse shout. On tine of the fork
he was using was impaled woman's
shoe.
Scott. Bower and other detectives
took over work at the spot where
the shoe had been found. In little
they had disinterred the remains of
a woman fully clothed. A very per-
tunctory examination showed that
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-18

solemn farce of pretending to try him
for forgery began. He was remanded
for eight days, and Scott, Marden,
Bower and other detectives took a
first detailed look over the Moat
Farm.
Scott orga nized this search. The
inside of the house was systematically
ransacked. cupboards turned out,
flooring pulled up, walls sounded.
They scarcely expected to find body
there. Three significant things. how
ever. were discovered. One was
die by which an exact facsimile OF
Miss Hollands signature could be i'm
pressed on paper. The other was
fine-nibbed pen-"one that it struck
me you could write fine signature
with" said Marden. In kitchen cup
board Scott found box of "a revolver
cartridges. They looked for letters
from Miss Holland, but found none.
From the house the detectives turn
ell to the outbuildings. In one OF these
there was the accumulated rubbish OF
many years, which was carefully PICK.
ed over by hand. 1t looked as II
Dougal had only been a clumsy
oungler after all when some one picked
up among this stuff discolored hu'
man skull. An hOur or TWO idleI
searcher in the grounds, noting a de-
preston between two trees. began 10
dig at the spot and came across col
lection of bones.
This seemed to end the search The
remains were sent for expert medical
inspection, and Scott and the others
had no doubt of the result. But one
of those disappointments which come
at times to all criminal investigators
befell them. They had been the vic.
Tins of a dramatic coincidence. The
next day the experts declared that the
skull was of great antiquity and the
bones were those of some animal.
Scott smoothed his white waistcoat
with elaboration when he heard this,
but his face showed no sign, 1t was
all In the days work. IF that woman
was murdered We will find her body If
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-18

later the car was still in the garage
unclaimed.
He bought a feeling of release from
care.
TN contrast to his extravaganza was
the thoughtfulness of Amos Ben.
nett. They brought in well on
Amos farm near Shreveport and
$3.50. 900 was kept in trust for him by
Judge Simpson, white lawyer whom
all the negroes held in high regard.
One day the judge said;
Look here, Amos. why don't you
use some of your money? Spend it;
I'm tired of taking care Of it.
"Yessuh, jedge." Amos agreed and
he left the judges Office and window
shopped all the afternoon. At sun
down, tired but, sd tisfed. he came
hack
We'll. jedge, do you reckon you
could give me enough o that money
to buy "A whole new set of harness!
/ seen some at de sto', an that ole
mended.up harness I'm usin' done
wore hole in de hide O. that jimmy
mule
s. p. C. A. enthusia SITS please note
Amos bought comfort for his mule.
A banker in the same section told
the story of old man Martin.
He was funny old chap; lived
over the mountain, out of town, and
didn't have anything to do with any
body. Wasn't so old either. but he
didn't seem to mix with folks. Most
everybody thought he was little
queer.
Then they began blocking out the
land where they were going to drill,
and they found he owned 80 acres
that everybody wanted. Just about
that time he disappeared-he had a
habit of going away by himself. fish
ing-and they couldn't locate him.
Came to me and asked me about him.
but didn't know. Finally they found
him-about eight of 'em at once-and
before they got through bidding they'd
paid him $1l 900.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-18

in the space originally designed for a
coffin.
Far more tender regard for public
opinion was shown by Texas negro
who owned a small farm on which a
well was drilled. The negro lived in
a tumbledown shack and continued to
live there after they struck OIL A
friend asked:
Yves. whut-all is you doin' wild all
dat oil money? Yo' amt spent none
of it,
YES, l is. I don bought de pref
ties somp'n you evan saw"
Wes' led the doubter out to log
barn and slid open the door to dis
close a shiny new limousine.
''Solid wheels. too. But ] amt
nevah seen you drivin' it n0ne,' CONF
planned the friend. 81, ~ n
Ne. hut i comes out an looks at
ii. don't want to leave my home. l
drive that cab heah an dem Klu-
Kluxers make me leave sho's you
bawn." i
Wes' bought a great. beautiful
secret.
Another newly enriched gentleman
of color drove into Texarkana in a
high-priced car. and left 1t at ga.
rage for repairs. Told the time it
would take for repairs, he bought
another car and left town. Six months
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-18
RY GEORGE DILNOT.
fror.most Authority on Scotland Yard,

foremost Authority on Scotland Yard
" CAME to know Chief Detective
Inspector David Scott best when
he threatened to arrest me. L
had reason to suppose that he
had something up his sleeve in
co,nection with the murder of the
wife az a general i'm a Kentish wood.
era NV car was following his little
nersistently. In a country lane he
storned--a grave, white.waistcoated
ir,,re-and shook a finger at me;
I'm not going to argue. ne
onened. "You can drop this or III
nut YOU Under arrest for obstructing
me n, the execution of my duty.
cru RI drop iH.s' 1 returned, ION one
condition--you come to dinner with
me tonight and let me know how
things stand.
THAT'S bet" he retorted, and
that night he showed his hand
n YOU can imagine a lean, dys-
nentic church warden of slow and
formal speech you will know how
Scott appeared TO outsiders. Actually
there was no man fonder of a joke
. or a good dinner. At the Yard they
were always ready to bank on two
things-his intuition and his industry.
He sensed the vital points in case at
glance.
!. c,,ts across a complicated coil OF facts
" an almost always correct conclu-
sion.
Sroff was one of the central de-
tective figures in the mystery of Moat
Farm. which is among the most sin
p,,Iar murder cases In the history OF
r,oSeyn British crime. In this detec-
tives OF three distinct organizations
worked together to bring to the gal
lows A cunning rascal who thought
he had made himself safe. There was
scotland Yard: there was the Essex
Constabulary. and there was the City
of London police.
ITO scotland Yard there came one
i march day the chief constable of
r-..aS with Detective Inspector Mar
- ~ his staff. They had a curious
.stn,.y 10 tell and they wanted help
1h,,,t four years before The Moat
ERR some miles from the village
~ CIavering in Essex, had been taken
Nv q couple calling themselves Mr..
and Mrs. Dougal The man was tall
50 soldierly looking, about so. The
,,n,,,an a frail, pretty creature, looked
.hn,,t "a. but was in fact very much
Five months after their arrival
Doneal made overtures to servant
maid which she resented. She spoke
80 Nee Dougal and slept with her
49, ,,icbt on the following morning
Mr. and Mrs. Dougal went for drive.
The lady never returned. Dougal ex.
planned that she had gone to London
for holiday. 49,,
s tin,.d. ~ live I'm the place and run
the farm. There were little bits of
scandal from time to time; e., 1T IT. Leaked n;sa
out that the woman was realiy q miss MISS
small fortune, and that Dougal had
a iegitimate wife living in, Kent Dl,
vorce proceedings were brought by
Dougal which failed.
Sone Of this talk came to the ears
of tha ,oiice. They heard also that
although Miss Holland had not beer
seen for years. letters in her name
were stin accepted at Moat House
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-18
Awful!

Use Euripides in a sentence"
'Euripides pants. ! killa YOU"
The Indianapolis times., 1927-12-31

been prominent in civic affairs. He
had served a year as vice president
and also as a director of the
Chamber of Commerce before being
elected president in 1927.
Mayer, vice president of the
Kiefer- Stewart Company, served as
a director before his election in
1927 as vice president.
Seven directors for the year were
elected at the annual election. They
are Henry L. Dithmer. Polar Ice
and Fuel Company president; o.
B. lies, International Tool and Ma
chine Company president, both re-
elected and both past presidents of
the Chambs'; Marshall y. Lupton,
Beveridge Paper Company, sec
retary; Theodore B. Griffith, L. s.
Ayres & Co., second vice president;
The Indianapolis times., 1927-12-31

greatly the smaller States during
the past year to throw off the do
mination of the larger powers in
the League and to establish for
themselves a basis of actual in
stead Of merely theoretical equality
was the increase in number of
smaller nations on the League
council
Other League Changes
out Of Of fourteen seats on
the council, nc smaller nations now
hold nine against the five major
powers of England, France, Ger
many. Italy and Japan.
During the past year several
other important changes have taken
place in the internal structure of
the League, which in the latter's
slow growth and evolution towards
an institution that will actually be
able to control world peace. are
regarded as being of greater impor-
tance than the mass of accomplish
ments in the Leagues regular pol
itical, technical and humanitarian
fields.
One Of these has been the con-
solidation Of the position of Ger
many in the League and especially
in the council. Although Germany
was admitted to the League last
year, it was only with the expert
ence gained the past year that she
has been able to assert for herself
q position and power that has de-
stroyed the last vestige of the
League Council as a postwar or
ganization composed largely of and
dominated by the victorious powers.
German Gains Power
In every decision that will be
taken hereafter by the council, it
is already apparent that Germany
will hold and assert as strong a
position as the former allies and
the League council thus becomes
an actual organism of the collect
tiVity of nations without reference
to distinction between victors and
yanquished
Equally important during the past
year was the gradual drawing into
the sphere of activity of the League
Of both the United States and the
Soviets-the two great anti-league
hold-outs and die-hards.
Neither one has joined the League
and probably never will-but both
have recognized that collaboration
with the League has become an i'm
perative necessity in their own in
terests sud have thereby lifted the
League to the position of the dom
mating Organization in internation-
al collaboration and relations at the
present time.
The Indianapolis times., 1927-12-31
Indiana University Ends
Biggest Year of History

had nearly a quarter of a million
different Hoosiers in its audiences
for the year.
Persons served by the eudca-
tional information bureau, package
library, Statewide nursing cam
paign, oratorical contest, Latin con-
test, poster contest and other ac-
tivities Of the extension division
ran into the hundreds of thou
sands.
Monthly Business Reports
The new Bureau of Science Serv-
ice, organized in 1927 to coordi-
nate the work of applied science by
the university, handled DAT definite
pproblems which were submitted by
individuals or institutions.
Separate geological surveys of the
States natural resources numbered
thirty-two during the past year,
with extensive printed reports COW
ering most of this work The ge-
ologistS made 835 ineral analy-
ses during the year.
Monthly reports on business con-
ditions, prepared by the Bureau Of
Business Research, went to thou
sands Of Indiana business men dur
ing the year. Educational confer
ences for school and professional
groups rounded off the universitys
program for 1927. The outlook for
1923 indicates an even heavier stu
dent enrolment, as we'll as a more
extended direct service to the State.
The Indianapolis times., 1927-12-31
SMALL NATIONS
WIN POWER IN
WORLD LEAGUE
Revolt of Weak Countries
Marks Last Year in
Geneva Affairs.
BY HENRY WOOD
United Press Stan Correspondent

fp United Prcss
GENEVA.-The past year viii
pass down in the history of the
eague Of Nations as the year Of
INC revolt and rise to power Of the
little nations.
from the theoretical position Of
absolute equality in the League the
little nations established for them
elyes one Of actual equality with
That Of the larger powers. This
change within the inner organiza-
lion Of the League is regarded as
great as that of the many outside
accomplishments OF the League
during the past year.
The revolt and rise to power Of
the little nations took place during
The 1927 September assembly Of the
League and centered on the resus-
citation Of the principles Of the
famous Geneva protocol
Smaller Nations Win
This protocol of Arbitration,
Security and Disarmament" which
had been celebrated by the 1924
assembly, following the personal
Intervention OF English Premier
Macdonald and French Premier
Herriot, constituted for the little
nations of the world their Magma
Charta of security.
a demand for the revival Of the
principles of the Geneva protocol
was made, and in spite Of tho ne
gative if not actually hostile posi-
ton taken by some of the larger
powers, the smaller nations in their
spirited debate before the Assembly
and their subsequent fight in the
latter's commissions. secured the
recognition Of the principles OF the
Geneva protocol as the basis of
all future disarmament efforts of the
Goague.
Still one other thing which aided
The Indianapolis times., 1927-12-31
C. OF C. PLANS WORK
Miller Again to Head Group
in 1928.

DestinieS of the indianapolis
Chamber Of Commerce will be
guided throughout 1928 by Dick
Miller, reelected president, be-
cause of accomplishments of the
chamber under his leadership
during 1927.
A. F1iefer Mayer -,ill continue IS
vice president, ana Oscar Schmidt
as treasurer.
For a number of years Miller has
The Indianapolis times., 1927-12-31
New Jersey High in Dry HauIs

TRENTON, ~. J., Dec. 31.-More
than half Of all liquor seized this
year by dry agents of the United
States has been taken by those of
New Jersey alone, Prohibition Com
missioner Doran reported
The Indianapolis times., 1927-12-31

w. A. Atkins, E. C. Atkins and
Company. vice president; Louis ].