Year: 1873

evening talking to his friend the station-mas-
ter, on the platform Of the Beaglescombe
station, when the last train from Wolver-
hampton came in. Seldom more than two or
three persons got out here, and most frequent
ly none at all and if the landlord of the
Thorold Arms had depended on the custom
ers which the railway brought him for sup
port his income would have been very
meagre one indeed Rather to his surprise,
on the evening in question, well-dressed,
good-looking young man got out of carriage,
dragging after him a portmanteau, and was
left by the departing train enquiring of one
of the porters if he could get comfortable ac-
commodations at the hotel opposite. On the
porter answering in the affirmative, ne was
told to carry the portmanteau across.


On the return of the porter to the station,
he told the station-master and his friend that
the name of the stranger just arrived was
Jesse Durand-he had seen the name en-
graved on a brass plate, beneath the handle.
When the landlord went over to the house,
his guest had already been shown into sit
ting room, and had ordered his dinner. He
did not see him again that evening; but he
heard his bell ring repeatedly, and the waiter
who answered it came to the bar for sundry
things, which were charged to Mr.. Durand's
account. Between eleven and twelve o'clock,
the house was closed for the night.


The next morning there was rumor in
Beaglescombe, that Thorald, of Laverstock
Grange, had been found dead in his bed.
Later in the day everybody knew this to be
fact, and that London doctor had been tele-
graphed for by Dr. Balder, the family medi-
cal attendant, which at once gave rise to sur
misses that there was something suspicious in
the manner of his death. After the two doc
tors had had consultation, the constable at
Beaglescombe, who had been directed tosum-
mon the jury for the inquest, was told by
them to examine the doors and windows, and
by degrees it became generally reported that
Mr. Thorald had been murdered. But this
was not all; his daughter, a well-grown woman,
though scarcely seventeen years of age, had
disappeared, without leaving trace to show
where she had gone and had taken nothing
with her but the clothes she had worn on the
preceding day even the hat she was in the
habit of wearing lay on the floor of the hall.
The constable examined the doors and win
dows, but could not detect any signs of a vio-
lent entry having been made into the house.
Notice was sent to the nearest country police
station by the doctor, that he believed Mr..
Thorold had been killed, and that his daugh-
ter was missing. The superintendent hastily
called in the constables on duty, and made
enquiries of them if they had seen anybody
about the Grange or near it on the night in
question. The only one among them who
could answer in the affirmative was a man
named Wright He said that between five
and six o'clock in the morning he had met
young gentleman about three miles from the
Grange, who told him that he had come from
Wolverhampton the day before, and had been
to Seton to stay the Mi ght with friend who
was in trouble, and that he intended going
back to Wolverhampton by the morning ex-
press from Beaglescombe. 1t was not day
light, but he had an opportunity of distinctly
seeing his face by the light Of the lantern he
turned upon him. He also noticed that he
seemed very much startled and frightened,
but he did not attach any Importance to that,
because people generally looked alarmed
when the light was flashed upon them so un-
expectedly. Besides, he had after this request
ed light for cigar, which he took from the
lamp, the light of which shone over the great
er part of his white face while he was kin
ding it.


The description he gave of this individual
was so minute as to prove that he had taken
as perfect note of the appearance of the now
suspected person as he represented. He was
at once despatched to Beaglescombe, to ascer-
tain if the man he spoke Of had left that sta
ton. The station-master replied in the neg
alive, as far as he could judge by the descrip-
ton the only persons who had left the station
that morning were two gentlemen who had
come in from Lempter Park, and man who
told the porter to carry their luggage to the
van, and said he was their valet. The con-
versation then turned on the supposed mur-
der of Mr. Thorold, and the mysterious
disappearance ofhis daughter, without taking
her jewelry or anything else belonging to her;
and while they were talking over these mat
ters, the porter who had carried Mr.. Durand's
portmanteau to the hotel, and who had been
listening to what was said, suddenly interrupt
ed the conversation by saying: 81 should
think, from the description the constable has
given, that the man he met must be very like
the gentleman whose luggage | took over to
the hotel yesterday"


The station-master agreed with him in this
opinion, though he had not taken sufficient
notice to be very positive but this was quite
enough for the constable, at such an exciting
time he went straight across to the hotel, and
asked to see the gentleman who was stopping
there.


On being shown into Mr.. Durand's sitting
room, he found that gentleman in the act of
taking off his overcoat, having just returned
from walk he had taken to an inn, about
two miles from the station, on the road lead
ing to West Teynham, where it turned out he
had merely called to drink glass ofale, and
had asked no questions, except one or two
which had arisen incidentally out of the COM
plants made by the landlord respecting the
want of custom. The instant he saw him, the
constable said, 81 beg your pardon, sir, but an
unpleasant affair happened last night not far
from where met you, and | must ask you to
come with me to the station"


"Where you met me "' exclaimed Mr. Du-
rand. "Why, I never left this house from
yesterday evening until less than two hours
ago."


"Well, sir, I know better. But, if you
didn't you can easily get the landlord and
servants to come to the station and prove it.
Will you order carriage? People won't see
you then, and it will hold the landlord and
the chambermaid, too'


His prisoner became very much agitated,
and was scarcely able to articulate the order
that carriage should be got ready at once.
The landlord consented to accompany his
guest willingly enough, to depose that he had
not left the hotel from the preceding night
until the time he had stated; and all three
xoro 1r;yon ont IN tho ctation.ho Here