Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-26
The Knightsbridge Murder.
By CHARLES READE.

By CHARLES READE.
Charles Reade. 1sl4;lss4. was British
novelist and playwright: author OF The
Cioister and the Hearth" Foul Play" etc.
Barbara, a maid at the Swan Inn,
awoke twice in the night, thinking she
heard doors open and shut on the floor
below her. But it was gusty night,
and she concluded it was most likely
the wind. Still a residue of uneaSiness
made her rise at S instead of o'clock.
, and she came down with candle. She
found the door of the room belonging
| to Capt. Cowen wide open; it had been
| locked when she went to bed That
alarmed her greatly. She looked in. A
glance was enough. She screamed
"thieves!" In an incredibly short time
pale and eager faces Of men and women
| filled the passage.
Governs room, being open, was en-
tered first. On the floor lay his port
manteau rified and the clothes scat
tered about. The door Of communica-
ton to the room of his friend, Mr..
Gardiner, was ajar. They opened 1t,
and an appalling sight met their eyes.
Mr.. Gardiner was lying in a pool of
blood and moaning feebly. There was
little hope of saving him; no human
| body could long survive such a loss OF
vital fluid.
1t so happened that country sur
geon was in the house. He Stanched
the wounds-there were three-and
somebody or other had the sense to
beg the victim to make statement.
With his last breaths the murdered
man-for he soon died-Spoke as fol-
lows:
II had gold III my bag and was
afraid. I drank O. bottle of wine with
Capt. Cowen, and he left me. Had to
go to the city, he said. He lent me
his key, to lock his door with, and his
two pistols. locked both doors.
felt very sleepy, and lay down. When
woke a man was leaning over my bag.
His back was toward me. took pis-
tol and aimed steadily. 1t missed fire.
The man turned and Sprang at me.
had caught up knife, one we had for
supper. l stabbed him with all my
force. He Wrested it from me, and !
felt piercing blows. am Slain.
He had broken hat, hairy waist
coat an enormous nose-it was the
hostler, Cox"
No one else was known to have
nose like that of Cox, the hostler at the
inn. Cox was not we'll liked. He was
arrested and put on trial for murder.
The Bow street detective investigat-
ing the circumstances of the crime
found out some facts, Significant or
otherwise, which should be added here.
He interviewed Capt. Cowen, and found
that business in the city had indeed
been keeping him away from the swan
Inn many nights. Capt. Cowen SAID ne
had slept, on the night OF the murder,
at 10 Harrington street in London. The
next point was that Capt. Cowen SAID
he had helped Mr.. Gardiner to load the
two pistols. On examination OF those
pistols, the detective found that one
had not been primed and that in the
other the bullets were above the pow
der-in this condition, both pistols
would surely miss fire. The. detective
tried to secure some OF the wine Wnicn
Mr.. Gardiner had drunk before feeling
sleepy. but the landlady Of the Swan
Inn said it had all disappeared.
They found Cox, the hostler, IN the
barn. all blood, somewhat drunk. He
had been wounded-Mr. Gardner SAID
he had wounded his aSSailant. How
ever. Cox told a different story. The
hostler said that for sometime he mad
caught glimpses, at night, OF his own
double man wearing hairy waist
coat and having an enormous nose IKE
his prowling about the premises OF the
swan Inn. On the night Of the MUIR
der. Cox said, he saw this man again.
and gave chase. They struggled by the
wall. Cox was wounded, and, 1eellng
i'll sought his bed in the barn. and
solace in some wine. In conhrmation o,
Cox's story, the bloody knife was foun9
by the wall, and a bloody tralI Igo
from that point to the oarn-Wnlls
there was no blood from the scene OF
the crime at the inn to the parn. buC
Cox's story was so wild-aoout oou-
ble-and the murdered mans identin-
cation of his assailant had been SO
positive that Cox was sentenced 10 Dc
hanged for murder.
And vet not a trace Of the gold that
had been in Mr.. GARDENERS bag coula
be found. Cox must have concealed IL
well or disposed of it Immediately, un-
less he had an accomplice.
The Row street detective began to
have suspicions-and doubts. He found
that Capt. Cowen had not slept at IS
harrington street in London on the
night of the murder. After that the
detective watched and waited; he even
secured a respite for the condemned
man. But he could get no evidence.
Now Capt Cowen had for long been
in straitened circumstances. Furtner,
he was paying a beloved sons way
through college. And Capt. Cowen lost
his little fortune through the dis
honesty of some one else. For sec
ond time, too, Capt. Cowen was rooneo,
shortly after the murder Of Mr.. Garol-
ner. and later he tried to hush up tne
details of how much he lost on this
occasion.
At the Swan Inn staying one night
In his old room, Capt. Cowen learned
that his neighbor was mysterious
gentleman. He also learned-by peek
ing through a crack in the wall-that
his neighbor carried gold in bag he
always kept by him, night and day.
Not long after this, the neighbor came
upstairs drunk. He was sociable. He
came into Capt. Governs room and
begged for the bottle of wine he saw
on the captains table.
The captain, it must be known, had
been carrying laudanum about with
him, planning to take his own life: IN
despair at his misfortune. Now, when
this drunkard begged for the wine, the
captain took the opportunity to drug
it with the laudanum. Going back to
his own room, the stranger could be
heard guzzling the bottle in drunken
glee. There were sounds of stumbling,
a body falling. the deep prolonged
breathing of man fast asleep.
Capt Cowen bethought himself OF
disguise He put on something over his
face. Then he entered the room where
the drunkard lay sleeping. He sought
the bag of gold. He found it, secured
the wealth, and retired to his own room.
He had but deposited the booty on