Henderson daily dispatch., 1937-01-19
lE! B B! &C |? {! y!?SI@ Y
copRuH R B AS

wounded at his cottage, and that
had gone to stay with him as had
done before while he had fever.
$50 you see the course of events.
The first attack, if successful
would have thrown suspicion on
the dead baronet, and the second
on James, but who would have sus-
pected worthy if vitriolic house
keeper or the respectable landlord
of a country publ"
"All this is most interesting"
Hutchins remarked sourly, but
it's all conjecture. We shall want
actual proof"
Selden turned on him. Exact
| ly, and that is what you would
have said if I had come to you
then with this tale. Now you see
why I had to keep my own coun-
sci.
'I was convinced I was on the
right track. but had no solid proof,
and wanted to catch the two to-
gether making a definite attempt
on the children. You, Reid,
thought was using the children
for a bait, and were most indig-
nant. In one sense I was, but not
to expose them to any risk.
st argued like this-Lady Sever
inge and Colindale had gone
James had been arrested, and the
servants had abandoned the place.
Very well, Hucks would say that
after the attempt in the Abbey I
should not be so mad as to leave
Miss Lawrence and the children
alone in the Abbey"
"But what about the entrance
from the cellar?" Reid said halt
ingly.
st had taken steps to have that
effectually blocked UP when there
was no further need for it." He
smiled meaningly at Reid.
$50 laid my trap. I went to
the inn, and let it be known that
Miss Lawrence and the children
had been taken to the cottage, as
the Abbey was shut up, and
stayed there to keep a watch on
Hucks and his precious wife,
meaning to catch them together at
the cottage. ] hoped that my sud-
den appearance there would force
a confession, or at any rate give
me the evidence I wanted. The
great difficulty had to face was
that there was no apparent mo-
tive of any kind. But Colonel
Graham unsuspectingly sent for
the woman to get a statement
from her, and that gave her the
opportunity she had probably been
waiting for Of getting inside the
Manor House, where no females
had ever been employed. What
took place at that interview we
shall never know unless the Wom-
an makes confession, but have
little doubt that she set fire to the
place before she left, having taken
some device with her for the pur-
pose. Then she went to the cot
tage where 1 found her, expecting
to meet Hucks. But he. when try
ing to join her, was caught and
killed by the b1oodhounds, which
would have been loosed when Mrs:
Thornton had got away"
But the proof Of all this"
Hutchins exclaimed impatiently.
II am coming to that. 1 had
received a daily report from the
Yard on the progress Of the i'm
vestigations, and the last and con-
elusive one arrived yesterday. We
started with Colonel Graham, for
it is easy to trace the career Of an
army officer. He had good rec
ord of service, brave soldier, but
had been hard up, and had trans
ferred to the Indian army from a
crack regiment which is a sure
sign of poverty. He came home on
leave many years ago on the ILL
fated p. & o. boat, the Lucknow.
with his friend, Henry Severinge.
and Severinge's servant. James
Connolly. They were all given in
the register of passengers"
J Ito Be COntinued)