The Cotton Factory Times. — 1907-02-08 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

CHAPTER XLII. A DEVOUT LOVER.  A telegram was sent to Paris that same night, and Gilbert Hayter recrossed by the morning boat. He learned that, as advised by the telegram, the police had paid a visit to No. 33, Rue Herbot. There, in a room on an upper floor, they had found Crowden—dead. Judging from the state of his body he had recently been engaged in a hand-to-hand encounter with some wild beast. He was covered with lacerations and wounds, as if he had been nearly torn to pieces by some infuriated animal; and of them he died. There can be no doubt that the wild beast who had done his best to tear him to pieces was the madman, Blaxkstaffe. In the room adjoining was Doris Osborn; she and the dead man were the only occupants of the floor. Bodily she was uninjured; that is, she appeared to have been subjected to no actual violence. But when they found her she was unconseious—drugged. She had been under the influence of drugs for two days and nights, without nourishment of any sort-or kind. They thought at first that she would remain under their influence unto the end. Had the discovery been delayed a little longer they would certainly have found her dead. But by degrees, in skilful hands, their influence was removed, though it could hardly be said that consciousness returned—the havoc which had been wrought was too serious for that. For weeks she was to all intents and purposes an imbecile. It was foared, indeed, that she would always continue to be mentally deficient, but that fear has been falsified. She is sane enough now, and it is hoped that before long she will be herself again in every way. But the mystery of what happened to her that night in the Rue do l'Ecu, and of the part she played in the tragedy which was enacted, is probably one which will never be wholly lifted. An embargo has been laid on all allusions to the subject. She herself has never spoken of it; no one has ever spoken of it to her. The doctors hope that the whole thing has passed from her. She has endured much in her short life; the shock of what took place that night, and afterwards, strained her endurance almost to the breaking point. The one thing to be avoided is anything which may cause even the shadow of that shock to recur. It is not likely that anyone will ever question her upon the point. Since it is believed that, as matters are, her mind is a blank upon the subject, it is still less likely that she will volunteer a statement.  But Gilbert Hayter has his theories. He believes that the three men, Jarrow, Rice, and Crowden, were cognisant of Blackstaffe's murderous intentions towards the woman, and that at the last moment they resolved to do their utmost to make him stay his hand—not for her sake, but for their own, because of the inevitable hubbub which must ensue. He also believes that they came on the scene just as Blackstaffe killed the woman, and that the girl came out of the house at the same moment. They rendered her unconscious there and then, before she had a chance to utters sound, and be. tween them they bore her off to the Rue HerbOt, which was close at hand. There a quarrel broke out, in the course of which Blackstaffe inflicted on Crowden the injuries of which he afterwards died. Probably Jarrow and Rice, preferring, for sufficient reasons of their own, to be non-combatants. left while the struggle was in progress—which, of course, involved leaving Crowden to his dreadful fate—returned to their hotel, and at once quitted Paris. Blackstaffe, having finished his work, re.