Year: 1868

me as clcrK. lie asked lOE HO SALARY,
only his actual travelling expenses; and
for this he was to keep my accounts,
write and copy my letters, and make him.
self generally useful The bargain was
good one for both parties. On the one hand
my business was increasing every week,
and having to knock about great deal at
fairs, and to see great many dealers,
had no time to look properly after my ac-
counts, which sometime got rather COM
plicated. On the other hand, Strange had
enough to live upon but not enough to
pay travelling expenses with comfort.
Having been friends for several years,
when we travelled together we always
had our meals in common; and in country
places, or where the inns were very full,
we generally took double-bedded room
between us.


"After time I found Stranges assist
ance of such value to me that [ was able
to increase my connections very materially
indeed. Being shrewd man, he was
able at the end of a twelve-month to make
purchases and conduct my business as
well as L could. This led, naturally
enough, to a partnership being formed
between us, by the terms of which | was
to lend him five hundred pounds to put





fourth of the net profits. AS surety for
the five hundred pounds, he insured his
life for another thousand. Thus, when we
commenced working together as partners,
Strange owed me eight hundred pounds,
and | held policies of insurance on his life
for two thousand pounds.


"Our business trips used generally to
last from week to a fortnight. Some
times we were detained at the port to
which we had brought the animals, tor
four or five days, awaiting the means of
shipping them to England; for it is not
every steamer that will take bullocks, or
sheep, or pigs, as cargo. Sometimes one
of us would remain in London conduct
ing the sales of such animals as his partner
sent him from abroad. And this happened
when the event of which | am now going
to tell you took place


GAS Strange could speak French very
well, | often sent him alone to the fairs in
Normandy and Britanny, nearly always
going myself to those in Holland and the
north of Germany. 1t was somewhere
about the end of a certain May that he
went over to France, intending to remain
there about six weeks, and go from one
fair to another on a certain round. Three





me in London, and the last was to come
visited all the fairs he intended to go to,
and was to join me. I wrote him at
Southampton, where he was to land, say
look at the cattle he had bought, and send
some to London, and 60 with the rest to
some of the southern counties, where
har ynl tO ha q mo r. hot
suit my book.


"I reached Southampton on the day
named, and met Strange. We dined to-
the docks, and, finding we could not get
room for the night Then we began to
square up accounts and spent the after
noon seeing how we stood in the matter of
money. But something that Strange had
done vexed me sorely. He had, in the
face of what 1 had written to him in Lon
don to the contrary, paid some two pounds
head more for about thirty or forty
beasts than we should ever realize. When
1 told him how foolishly he had acted, he
answered me back that he had done his
best, and that he had as much right as |
had to speculate with our joint funds. TO
this I replied that, although he was un-
doubtedly partner in the concern, t was
who had put in all the capital, and that
he had only an interest of twenty-five per
cent. in the profits. His rejoinder l re-
member well. He said that if he died,
would get all the money he owed me and
more To this / retorted, in passion, that
l knew it, and that did not care how
soon he died All this wrangling took
place in the coffee-room of the inn, before
the girl who waited on us, the cook of the
house, the barmaid, the landiady, and the
landlady's husband; The latter, when he
saw we were getting angry, tried to make
friends between u.s. but in vain. Wewere
each annoyed at what the other had said,
as well as at our own folly, and neither
would be the first to say he was sorry for
what had passed.


went to see some friends in the town.
When | got back it was past eleven
o'clock, and Strange, the housemaid told
me, had been in bed asleep more than an
hour. paid my share Of the bill, for
intended starting early, went UP stairs,
found Strange fast asleep, and went to bed
myself. Next morning | was called at
five, packed my bag, swallowed a cup of



way to London. On leaving the inn I
told the porter that my companion was
asleep, and that, as he was only going by
the ten o'clock coach to Brighton, they
need not call him yet. I should not for
get to tell you that while / was dressing
in the morning Strange awoke, and that
we shook hands over our dispute of the
previous day. AS [ was closing my car
NOT -ba o. he asked mo tn lend hin, ono IF
my razors thing which I had the great
est objection to (for if I am particular
about anything / possess, it is about my
razors), but having only just made up my
difference with him, could hardly refuse
him so small favor.


"The days l am writing of were before
railways had extended to Southampton.
Leaving the latter place at half-past five
in the morning, it was halfpast six in the
evening before got to town. | went to
bed, got up the next day, and, while /
was sitting at breakfast with my wife, our
servant told me that two gentlemen wished
to speak to me. | went down to see them,
and, before could open my mouth TO ask
them what they wanted, found myself
with handouts on, arrested for the MUIR
der of Edward Strange.


at seems that, finding Strange did not
come down by halfpast nine, the porter
went up to call him. He found the door
locked, but no key in it. After knocking
some time ON the outside, the door was
broken open, and poor Strange was found
with his throat cut from ear to ear, and a
razor in his hand. The key of the door
was afterwards found in the coffee-room.
under the very bench on which I had sat


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