Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-07
The Wrist
(
Mark
By
!. S. Fletcher

men I've named, of course! Sanderson.
Sadler, and Bratten."
Good heavensi" exclaimed johnson,
suddenly. "Sadler was the man Col.
Engleden called on that Monday AFTER
| noon!'
"Precisely-according to sadler's own
story. But, Mr.. johnson, not, I think,
To get hts watch mended! NO. think
Col. Engleden called on Mr.. Abraham
! Sadler, j. p, for quite another reason.
! I think, knowing Mr.. Sadler TO be a
magistrate, in Mr.. SanderSon, he, Col:
Engleden, had recognized the escaped
convict, Snelling!"
BY this time johnson had recognized
| that he was dealing with man who;
undoubtedly, was likely to be helpful
and who, moreover, had Thought Things
out to an apparently common-sense
| conclusion, and his attention redoubled.
I'm ali ears, Mr.. Silverstein," he
said. "Go on with your theory"
MY theory about the whole thing
| is simple" continued Silversteln. l
know Barowsburgh and its people. You
might say-why should Col En-
gleden 60 to Sadler? For this reason:
The senior magistrate in the place is,
Of course, his worship the mayor. but
very old gentleman. who's half-blind
and half-deaf. Sadler comes next to
him. Col. Engleden-who had been
in that morning as we learned at the
tnquest-went to Sadler, never knowing
that In telling Sadler he was as good
as telling Sanderson. He told Sadler-
very likely, what he, told sadler was no
news to Sadler-"
'Ha! Har' exclaimed johnson, sud-
denly getting new idea. you think
"It mayn't have been. For ali you
know, Sadler may have been one of
the men whose money helped to get
Smelling and Hardle out Of Southmoor
years ago-he may have been, say.
Anyway, Sadler and Sanderson are so
mixed up now that what affects San
derSon affects Sadler. Well, Col. En-
gleden tells Sadler what he's discovered.
We can imagine what he'd say. I've
found OUT says he, since my arrival
IN your town that fellow townsman
of yours, evidently well-to-do, respect
ed, influential, fellow magistrate of
your own, Is, In reality, an escaped
convict. q man who got away from my
custody IL years ago, and came to
you, q justice of the peace, to tell you
so and to discuss the matter with
YOU And, of course, Sadler-who's as
big humbug and as consummate a
hypocrite as they make 'em-professes
intense surprise. They discuss the mat
ter. Sadler. no doubt, suggests little
delay, and Col. Engleden agrees, though
that doesn't prevent him from wiring
TO the present governor of Southmoor
or from writing-as I'll be bound he
didl-to the home ONCE. Probably
what he agreed upon with Sadler was
to let the matter stand over until next
day. But you may be sure as to what
Sadler did! He communicated with
Sanderson and told him he'd been rec
ognized, and by whom. He would tell
him also, you may be sure, that II
Col Engleden denounced him to the
authorities as Smelling, the escaped
convict, everything was all up with
their blessed society! Something would
have TO be done. And-we know what
was doneI Col Engleden was MUIR
dered."
"You think these two did it?" sug-
rested johnson. "You think they were
the two men seen by the soldiers; the
men who, according to the soldiers, ran
away and concealed themselves in the
ruins Of the abbey"
| Cant say as to that, Mr.. johnson,
az course. I think there's probably q
| lot Of mystery in the question-who
actually murdered Col. Engieden? But
murdered he vast"
tTfi tell you something" said johns
son. 1T may fit in" He went on to
retelI the story he had heard from John
Oates. what do you think OF that?
he asked. 1T raises questions 70 which
one would like an answer. why did
Sanderson fetch this man from Har-
lington that particular night? Why
did they turn down toward the ruins
by the river bank instead Of going into
the house? And-most important OF
all-who is the man?"