Year: 1874

Qelpnla-or, AT least: so II was
sppposed-and the papers were
full of it. The journals were d.
vidcd in opinion about the mat
ter, some maintaining that it was
q case Of simple suicide, others in
clining to the belief that there
had been foul play, and still others
arguing in favor Of death from
natural though unknown causes.
Indeed, it would appear, at first
sight. as if the latter were the
true supposition, and the majority
Of superficial readers and thinkers
who talked over the affair at
home or in the streets the next
day, seemed to have very little
trouble in arriving al a like con-
clusion.


All that was known was this
an esteemed citizen-a man Of
wealth and high standing-had
retired to rest the night before ap-
pareutiy in sound health and good
spirits, and a; two O'Clock the fol-
lowing morning had been found
dead in bed, without one visible
mark Of violence upon his person.
His son, who had returned home
from apieasure party at that hour,
had entered his fathers chamber
to deposit the front door key
there, and had made the b horrible
discovery. This young man, a
steady, reliable and devout church
member and Sabbath School teach
er, had then aroused the house,
and communicated the i'll tidings
to the terror-stricken family.


At the coroner's Inquest was
present, and there the son, after
repeating what has been said
above, called the attention Of the
jury to the following additional
and important facts; that on enter.
ing the chamb Der he had found ev
erything undisturbed and as usual -,
that the bed clothes even " ere not
rumpled, and that the position of
the deceased as be lay, was so natu-
raj and easy thatit was not until he
had noticed the absence of the
deep and regular breathing Of the
sleeper that he suspected, for an
instant, that anything was wrong.
| I was not on the jury, but was
there at the request Of the family,
in my official capacity of murder
detective, and it is needless to
say that I subjected the body and
it's surroundings to the closest
scrutiny, l could discover nothing,
however, that appeared in the
least suspicious or to warrant a
supposition of foul play. The post
mortem examination failed eqnally
to satisfy, and developed no indi,
cations OF poison in the system
but one thing it did develop; and
that was, that up to the time of
death the internal organs of the
deceased had all been in a state
of healthy and vigorous action.


For once in my life l was at
fault, and must confess that l did
not know how to proceed; but stlIl
for all the absence Of proof, and
the seeming regularity Of things,
l felt in me deep mistrust that
murder had been done in the pre-
misses and BY no unskil!ful hard


Whilst J. vas delioerating how
to act, the son came over, and be
gan a conversation. He talked or
the all.absorbing topic Of the mo
;. ment,and was as nervous, restless
and agitated as man could be. W.
were walking rapidly up and dowr
the chamber where lay the corpse
still fresh from the searchin!
hands Of the coroners physician
and as we paused now and then K
gaze in it's pale, inanimate face,
remarked that my companion
shook with slight and wcll-de
, fined tremor. I made q menta
note Of this, but at the same tim'
did not attach much importanc'
TO it as I considered it but th
natural effect of the trying an'
painful scenes through which tn
son so recently passed, and who's
recollection was refreshed by thes
momentary views Of the dead.


did not, Of course, for one momen
imagine that the man at my elbo'
was a patricide, but a murder dc
tective, from habit, is always o
the alert, and as l had no clu
whatever to follow in this matter
I was merely searching for on
evcrywh where-that was all.


We continued our walk abor
the room.


"Tbis affair passes my compr
bension." said |.


"And mine also," said the So


l was about taking my lea'
when a small piece of red rag c
the floor, just under the edge